Saturday marked the busiest day of the festival which insisted that we couldn’t wallow in our hangovers. Instead, we had to get up and go. Between the blustery winds and a breakfast of the 3 festival c’s (crisps, cider and cookies) we found ourselves becoming more human and ready for the day ahead as dancers.
Tankus the Henge, Kashmir Café (Antony)
I spent about eight years learning the piano, but there were two things I never quite got the hang of; playing it while standing up, and playing it well. Luckily, Tankus the Henge frontman Jaz Delorean is well-versed in both of these, and flanked by his bandmates, the sextet provide a quite different performance to anything that had appeared at the festival so far on the weekend, and made full use of the hour-long set to show exactly why we made them our Band of the Day back in February, fully deserving the ovation recieved. The Kashmir Café is packed for the band, and though some may have wandered in not expecting what the hour would provide, it’s a solid certainty that the majority leave with Tankus the Henge very much on their radar. Whether its getting audience members to tango, waltz, skank or simply sing along, Delorean and company seem to transcend being simple musicians to almost become puppetmasters, taking full advantage of a crowd fully up for an early bit of fun. Delorean’s custom-made piano is a nice touch too, puffing out steam to accompany the frantic hammering of keys. CDs are sold, dances are danced, and this particular one of Tankus’s three sets over the weekend can be considered a resounding success. If you find yourself at Glastonbury this weekend, do not miss this band.
Crystal Seagulls, Big Top (Natt)
Knowing the importance of unsigned bands, I ended up at the Big Top to catch the winners of the Isle of Wight Festival Unsigned Competition— Crystal Seagulls. They certainly did continue to prove the importance of competitions like this as the band were superb and well deserving of the recognition. Crystal Seagulls sound a little like their name would suggest– there’s a crystalline sharpness and freshness whilst, at the same time, there’s a familiarity about it. Forthcoming single ‘Time‘ is sunshine indie-rock in a tin, with a bright melody that follows in the soundsteps of Two Door Cinema Club with a throw your hands in the air and sing chorus. They also have the beginnings of a charming stage presence going on which, given time, will become even more prominent. Promise aplenty here indeed.
Willy Mason, Main Stage (Antony)
Having found myself at the main stage and, perhaps similarly to a fair few people, knowing just one song by Willy Mason, I came away pleasingly impressed at the performance he provided for the early arrivals at the main stage. The sun is a blessing today, and Mason is a perfect fit for the relaxed but toasty atmosphere, providing just the right set to ease people in to the day ahead. There are no such teething problems on the main stage like the ones that the previous day faced, and Mason’s set is delivered as well as it’s received. ‘Oxygen’ is the big singalong track of the set, and the definite highlight of Mason’s performance. The main stage is packing a lot of big names today, and by the end of it there may not be many talking about Willy Mason’s set, but it’s exactly what the main stage needed to get the day going, and should not be overlooked amongst the pack.
Willy Moon, Big Top (Natt)
Looking like he’d stepped from the 60’s Rat Pack scene, I didn’t doubt that Willy Moon‘s set was meant to be smooth and charming but it came in closer to faux-suave. There’s a severe lack of genuine personality in Moon, instead he comes across as a singer sculpted out of a PR company’s idea of unique and appealing. It doesn’t help that his backing band is an all female ensemble which just screams gimicky given the rest of his set-up. Musically it’s not particularly great, but it’s not horrific either… it’s just a bit meh. There’s not a lot of individuality there either– it’s poppy and perhaps meant to be a modern version of the Rat Pack— but there’s so much processing and sheen on it, it is devoid of being anything but a marketing tool. Plus the drums are a bit too loud and Moon ends up compensating by projecting but it weakens his vocals (plus he ends up practically eating his microphone at one point which just isn’t a good look on anyone). When it ends I feel like I may have just seen the the rest of the worlds attempt at their own K-pop.
Little Mix, Big Top (Antony)
Had you approached me a year ago and told me that I would be standing at the barrier for the first ever festival set from Little Mix in twelve months time, I would have probably laughed you out of the room. If you’d gone on to say that I’d actually end up enjoying it, I’d most likely become hysterical. But the truth is, that, with Bedlam’s takeover of the Big Top approaching, there’s very little ground to criticise the quartet’s performance. Like or hate the music itself, Little Mix are admittedly solid at what they do, and what they do is incedibly popular, which is not going to cahnge. Many more festival shows will likely follow to bigger and bigger audiences, but on the second stage at Isle of Wight, the four-piece are, I will concede, a stupidly fun respite for the afternoon. The quartet take dedicate some time to a covers medley to pay tribute to girl groups who have influenced them, and everyone’s favourite guilty pleasure ‘No Scrubs‘ by TLC gets, amusingly, the biggest cheer of the set. The group’s two number one singles ‘Cannonball‘ and ‘Wings‘ also enjoy huge reactions, and while to recommend catching the band live yourself may set me up for ridicule, there is no doubt that the X-Factor winners belong on the stage.
Bastille, Main Stage (Natt)
Only a few weeks ago I was seeing Bastille attempt to storm the impenetrable fortress that is entertaining Muse fans. The story here though, is completely different. This is a crowd that are willing and waiting to be entertained by Bastille and it just makes things markedly better. A bit of a shaky start sees Dan Smith’s vocals at the weaker, pitching end of the spectrum for radio-earworm ‘Bad Blood‘. However once the band hits their stride, things settle and become more of a bouncy affair– with Smith bounding around the stage like an excitable puppy. Most recent single ‘Laura Palmer‘ is one of the better tracks from their set as it showcases a different side of Bastille– showing them to have a little more musical diversity and dynamics than just the electro-pop radio-friendliness that we are most familiar with. Undoubtedly though it is ‘Flaws‘ and ‘Pompeii‘ that garner the most crowd reaction and Bastille go out on a high note with the crowd singing ‘Pompeii‘s refrain right through to Ben Howard‘s set.
Ben Howard, Main Stage (Natt)
After the energy of Bastille, it feels like Ben Howard is a complete switch of gears and is here to lull us back into a state of zen like chill… which is exactly what it ends up doing. He very much is like a cleansing of the soul and perfect for the sunset, although there are points in which the magic gets lost amongst the blustery breeze though unintentionally it makes Howard’s set somewhat even more dream-like. There’s no escaping that Howard puts on a magical performance with mesmerising vocals and simplistic, but dazzling soundscapes to accompany them. ‘Only Love‘ gets a soul rousing reaction from the crowd in which people sing, arm in arm, along with Howard and it is spine-tingling in specialness– it’s a true festival moment. There’s also the airing of some new material which has the crowd holding their breath; turns out they are very much in the same glorious vein as his debut, promising to be festival staples on the 2014 circuit. As Ben Howard closes on ‘The Fear‘, he proves that sometimes you can’t beat that one man and his guitar type shows. It certainly leaves me wanting to see him elsewhere to see how spectacularly intense his shows can be in a more intimate setting.
The Maccabees, Main Stage (Natt)
Going from strength to strength, it’s nice to see The Maccabees wind up in a festival slot truly befitting of their current musical stature. They successfully blow away the mellow of Ben Howard and give the crowd something to dance to, bringing their indie-jauntiness to the audience with a surprising ease. It’s not just about being danceable though, there’s some spectacular polished and refined artistry in their set too, ‘Child‘ particularly screams careful craftsmanship as it flows and sways in such a surrealist manner. Though many of the people in the audience don’t seem aware of their earlier albums, there’s still a liberal helping of tracks from Colour It In and Wall of Arms which goes to accentuate how far they’ve musically travelled whilst also providing some more youthful, carefree and vibrant moments. For me it is ‘X-Ray’ that ends up being my favourite with the fevered guitar and rumbling bass-line coalescing into one as Orlando Weeks’ vocals narrate in an equally frantic manner. It’s the perfect set-up for what is about to come…
Modestep, Big Top (Antony)
It’s less of a walk and more of a stumble that takes me back into the Big Top for Modestep; with hay fever tablets failing miserably the evening seems in danger of getting unfortunately marred by sneezes and a lack of tissues. Luckily, though, Modestep’s set packs a punch powerful enough to seemingly knock your allergies into someone else a few metres away. As is the theme of Bedlam’s Big Top takeover, it’s basslines all the way that could leave you wondering who really needs the dance tent anyway? The London quartet rip into the stage with a set so intense that the goings on inside the tent could be better measured on the Richter Scale than on a decibel meter. It almost goes without saying that ‘Sunlight‘ drops to a massive response from the audience, and wraps up an intense set that would certainly be one to keep on repeat. I’m not sure when the best hay fever medication stopped being cetirizine hydrochloride and started being frenetic electronic rock, but I’m not complaining. Now if only I can get them to arrange a gig at my university somehow…
Bloc Party, Main Stage (Natt)
My first thoughts as Bloc Party take to the stage is that when they go on hiatus at the end of the summer Kele Okereke could go on to be a great Llama impersonator. Why? Because as he takes to the stage he chews gum so pointedly that he actually looks like a Llama eating grass. Looking beyond Kele’s amazing chewing skills though, Bloc Party bring out the indie-disco anthems in full force and if you’re not here to party then you’re definitely at the wrong stage. The simplistic flashing coloured backdrop is an epileptic’s worst nightmare and even leaves me feeling a little nauseated at times– but it complements the sound perfectly: a bright, colourful spectrum of flashiness with added jitteriness to match. ‘Banquet‘ is maelstrom of sound in which you’re quite happily sucked in and spat back out of the frenzy repeatedly. Similar dizzying frenzies are present throughout and as the crowd warm up and become more receptive, it seems to melt the serious exterior of Bloc Party as, shock and horror, they actually start smiling towards the end of the set. Personally though it was set closer ‘Ratchet‘ that was the highlight with a riff that wobbled with distortion.
The Killers, Main Stage (Antony)
The big draw for many in attendance, a marquee name for the festival, and a band on the way to powerhouse status; did it ever really look like The Killers would disappoint? The setlist is perfect, there’s not a drop of rain to be found, and the turnout is superb for the Las Vegas quartet, so you could safely say that the stars aligned just right for a headline show that was simply out of this world. Each album is well-represented during the set, with music from 2004’s Hot Fuss to last year’s fantastic Battle Born making an appearannce. And whether its opening track ‘Mr. Brightside‘, Sam’s Town‘s platinum-selling ‘When You Were Young‘, the sublime Day & Age combo of ‘Human‘ and ‘Spaceman‘, or most recent singles ‘Runaway‘ and ‘Miss Atomic Bomb‘, the crowd eats everything up and won’t stop screaming for more. There’s just no off switch for the band, no easing off the accelerator at all. Simply put, on a pleasantly warm Saturday night, The Killers are faultless. There’s nothing more you could ask for to close the night out on the main stage. Fireworks and confetti both fly, and there’s no stone left unturned by Brandon Flowers and co. in a marvellous set. I’ve been told their recent Wembley show was even better. I can’t even begin to wrap my head around how that’s even possible.
Sub Focus, Big Top (Natt)
After The Killers worked me in to a frenzy, I felt more energised than ever and so took myself over to Sub Focus at the Bedlam Takeover of the Big Top. I’m quite surprised by the significant lack of people, the tent’s only about half full, but those that have turned out are very much ready for a bit of a midnight rave. Sub Focus himself is rocking the double denim look, accompanied by one MC to give the usual crowd goading (“put your hands up“, “make some noise“, “jump up” ect.) but even that is incredibly sparse. Instead it seems that Nick Douwma is more content with people having a good time to his music just because they want to instead of at his command. It’s an unusual stance for a DJ/Producer to take but surprisingly it works because the crowd end up just going mental of their own accord. It’s full of the expected hits, all masterfully rolled into one never-ending, never-slowing hour of energy in which I find myself surprised to note I know a lot more Sub Focus than I though (not sure whether to be proud or ashamed). If it weren’t for the wellies during that hour, I would’ve forgotten that I was in the UK opposed to Ibiza.
The Resonators (Bohemian Woods, Antony)
As many worn out festival-goers tread the long walk back to their tents, the lights, sounds and smells that seem to drift out of the well-named Bohemian Woods cause some to make a minor diversion into the mysterious, fenced off area. What greets them is an atmosphere unlike anywhere else at the festival, and the perfect comedown after a superb main stage offering. And juxtaposing the chaos of the Big Top beautifully, it’s The Resonators who close the night out for the festivals honorary bohemians. Dubbed out reggae vibes are the soundtrack to a spaced out night in the Woods, and following The Killers while Sub Focus tears into the Big Top just metres away, the festival closes its Saturday night by displaying a perfect example of the diversity of quality acts that has seen it become one of the most well-renowned festivals in the world. It’s a theme that is set to continue and even increase as the festival enters its final day, and to close out Saturday’s offering with the relaxed, hypnotic vibes of the Resonators is an unexpected but enjoyable encore to the night.
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