The thing about one day festivals is that they are designed to either make or break you. The XFM X-posure All-Dayer this year certainly set out to do both: making your musical horizons a little bit more cutting edge whilst slowly aiming to break your feet and liver in the process… A feat, I’m quite happy to report, that John Kennedy and co. managed to achieve with ease.
Kicking off the day were Birmingham’s own slack rockers, JAWS. Unlike their other B’Town contemporaries, JAWS don’t aim to recreate the 90’s– instead they play tropical, baggy surf anthems that are delivered with a laid-back nonchalance… Perhaps maybe they’re a little too aloof because they fail to make any real attempt at connecting with the crowd– something that JAWS seem a little partial to from my previous encounters with the band. ‘Gold‘ remains their stand out track, with it’s glittering hooks and Connor Scholfield’s fuzzed vocals– it’s a much needed injection. That being said, the nameless, unreleased tracks certainly rival all of their previous releases and makes me extremely excited for the upcoming album
The first time I encountered a Whales In Cubicles performance I wasn’t exactly convinced by them, instead tabbing the whole experience as ‘meh’. In the 7 months between that encounter and today, it seems as though the band have stepped up their game (either that or I’m not half as critical now). Their set is the most raw and visceral of the day—there is no pretence of performance here, Whales In Cubicles are just about playing the music in whatever way they please, as loud as they possibly can get away with (which turns out, is eardrum rattling decibels). With their fierce guitars and thunderous drumming—it is little wonder why vocalist Stef Bernardi is drowned out at points, but instead of it subtracting from their performance, it almost adds to Whales In Cubicles grubby charm.
At the complete opposite end of the performance spectrum lay Embers—a band destined to not only soundtrack the forthcoming apocalypse, but to also to play the most theatrical show imaginable to accompany it. Their music is hairs on the back of your neck raising, goosebump inducing, spine tinglingly incredible: far beyond what you would expect from such a young band. Their atmospherically drenched indie-meeting-orchestral sounds make them completely unlike any other band I’ve encountered; it sounds like a classical composition with guitars thrown in the mix. It is debut single ‘Part Of The Echoes’ that shows Embers in all their glory—with soaring melodies that will one day definitely fill Wembley Stadium.
4pm in the afternoon isn’t really the right setting for a hip-hop act—something that both John Kennedy and Too Many Tee’s are quick to point out (with the former describing the duo as a “palette cleansing hip-hop sorbet”); not that it deters anyone. I can never claim to have any knowledge of hip-hop, so I can’t critique their form, or their beats, or anything really—but I can say this: the audience loved them and so did I. They provide a little bit of light relief, an excuse to bounce around for a bit and laugh at the ridiculousness of a song being written about plum jam of all things (the aptly named ‘Plum Jam’). By the end of their set they firmly have the crowd on side and, I’d go as far as saying that they got the warmest reaction of the day.
It’s a shame to come down from such a smile-inducing set to the stoic, cold set that Maxixe provide. Whilst on paper they sounded like an intriguing duo, the reality is significantly blander. They begin with one of their least engaging songs of the set and flit between songs of ambient chill-wave to more experimental electro—and it is only the latter that shows any promise. The band seem to have not really found their identity yet, and as such just lack any stage presence, element of performance or the needed hooks to really bring the audiences in.
Perhaps Maxixe need lessons from the band that follow them on how to build a band-identity. New Desert Blues have known exactly what they want to sound like and how they want to portray themselves since their conception—and have only used the 13 months since our first encounter to refine the idea further. Their noir Americana sound is distinctive and cinematic; they could quite easily score a come of age struggle story set in the southern USA without even blinking. Although there’s quite a lot of them crammed onto the stage—every single member is needed, with the intricate layers of numerous guitars, synths, piano and percussion all interweaving to be tied together by their collaborative narrative croon. For me set highlight comes from ‘Zachary’, a masterpiece in overarching melodies with such passion bled into every note—it’s hard not to be anything but convinced by these guys.
Placing Asgeir in an evening slot seemed like an odd choice on paper, and it is sad to say that my fears are founded. By this point people are getting rowdy enough that an acoustic set from the Swedish singer-songwriter almost gets completely drowned out by the inane chatter toward the back of the room. However those down the front, who are more intent on listening, get exposed to a truly mesmerising performance—one that steals all the air out of your lungs by just how delicate and perfect it is. Stripping his In The Silence album down to the barest acoustic bones makes for a set that’s more glacial, with Asgeir’s vocals the crowning glory: sweet, elusive and hypnotic. It’s one of the most memorable sets of the night—just purely on the basis of how stunning it proves to be.
It’s up to penultimate act of the night, Glitches, to break the trance and get the tempo moving again. Their electro-pop isn’t exactly reinventing the musical wheel—and out of all of the acts today, they feel like the most familiar musical territory, but this doesn’t stop them from being damn good at what they do. Their synths are catchy and infectious, it is impossible to avoid bouncing along to them. The addition of the live electric guitar also helps to make the tracks feel more vivid, giving them the much needed jolt of energy which helps the set stay clear of ‘bands with macbooks’ territory.
My protesting feet and rumbling stomach tell me that the XFM X-posure All Dayer has broken me before NYPC even start. As the room begins to fill up with people who’ve only come to see NYPC, and people start pushing forward, I decide it is time to leave. After all, I came here for the Class of 2014 showcase and after seeing them, I feel safe enough in their hands not to be worried about what the seniors of the musical world have in store for us this year.
7bitarcade - Archive 