Festival-goers descended upon South London’s sunny Clapham Common on Sunday to celebrate all that is good and bright in the world of Indie music (and Razorlight); armed in many a wellington boot and rain-mac.
Los Campesinos! kicked off the fun for the Stereoboard team with childlike frivolity. ‘My Year In Lists’ and ‘Death to Los Campesinos!’ got feet tapping in the first steps on the path to a mud bath by the main stage; but it was the amazing ‘You! Me! Dancing!’ that really excelled beaming an instant smile across the crowd as the chorus kicked in. Best Find of the Day went to Babeshadow, who entertained a busy Gigwise tent as the weather took a turn for the worse. The London foursome grabbed the crowd’s attention with a sound similar to Pete & the Pirates...if Pete’s merry band were made up of Vampire Weekend and MGMT.
Disappointment of the Day goes to British Sea Power, who were at first let down by a dodgy microphone for the usually strong ‘Waving Flags’. They greeted the crowd with one line which mumbled something about playing “some fucking tunes”, before ignoring the damp audience for the duration. ‘Lucifer’ raised the bar a little with the enjoyable “Easy, Easy, Easy” chant acting nicely as a bouncing blanket in the cold; but their lacklustre performance did nothing to thank a dedicated crowd who did their best impression of drowned rats through the 40 minute set. It was hard to keep warm off a performance so lukewarm. On the other end of the scale were the brilliant Rifles. The Jam in all but appearance, their typically British sound attracted the wet hoards out of rain and into their reliably great embrace. Debut album tracks ‘She’s Got Standards’, ‘Repeated Offender’ and ‘Local Boy’ were, as ever, sing-a-long inducing as the tent erupted into a mass dance off. Whilst hits from their 2nd album Great Escape ‘Fall To Sorrow’, ‘Science In Violence’ and ‘Romeo and Julie’ really stood out, cementing their place as one of the strongest live acts touring the UK right now.
Without doubt the Best Outfit award goes to The Noisettes’ lead singer Shingai, who not only draped the Main Stage in white feathers, but also wore a giant one on her head to accompany her all gold skin tight outfit that left little to the imagination. The band kicked the evening off with a bang, starting their set with fan favourite ‘Don’t Upset The Rhythm’ as the bouncing crowd were invited to scream “Go Baby, Go Baby Go” at the top of their lungs. ‘Wild Young Hearts’ and ‘Never Forget You’ were warmly welcomed too, as the singer bounded around stage, straddling speakers and jumping into the crowd as every possible opportunity. They also treated Get Loaded to a never before heard new track, which was unfortunately a little too much of the same.
The award for the Worst Outfit goes to Patrick Wolf, who stood astride the stage in an all green number that looked more leprechaun than lepre-cool. This being said, the singer was fantastic. Supported by a rocking band and a wealth of instruments, Wolf tore through the festival with unmatched confidence and style. ‘Hard Times’ was a particular delight in its powerful string section, as was ‘Tristan’ with its banging beat and undeniable urge to pump a fist. From playing a keyboard, he jumped to a Harp and then to a violin; all whilst interacting with the crowd and jumping into his adoring fans. When the organisers whispered into his ear he only had one song left, he rather brilliantly went into a long speech about growing up in Clapham, before breaking into ‘The City’ for a whopping 10 minutes to the joy of the crowd. Take note British Sea Power, that’s how you win over a festival.
Expectedly limp and tedious, came the event’s big headline in Johnny Borrell’s new look Razorlight. Mixing a blend of new tracks with oldies, the crowd were given what they wanted in ‘Golden Touch’, ‘Somewhere Else’, ‘America’ and ‘In The City’; but something was missing in their performance. New tracks blended seamlessly into old with no obvious attempt at something a little different or new for their less patient fan-base. Headlining this festival was an attempt to thrust Razorlight back into the limelight with a little bang to show they’ve still got it. But instead one was left wondering what they actually had in the first place. A drunken onlooker summed up their performance perfectly when talking to his friend: “Mate, I actually enjoyed skidding in that massive muddy puddle more than anything Borrell just did on stage” – Time to hang up the old vest Johnny?!
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