Hop Farm Festival - July 1st - July 3rd 2011 (Review)
Thursday, 07 July 2011
Written by Mark Molloy & James Conlon
"We got so many hits we’ll be here ‘til this time next year," roared self-styled funkster PRINCE as he reached the climax of an unforgettable two and a half hour musical marathon at Hop Farm Festival on Sunday evening.
Of course PRINCE was not the only rock royalty present at the increasingly popular no frills festival, with organiser Vince Power pulling out all the stops to deliver a stunning line-up jam-packed full of iconic music legends.
Day One
A sea of trilbies, jump suits and Ray Ban sunglasses greeted me as I boarded the 09:22 from London Bridge to hop growing hotspot Paddock Wood, for day one of Hop Farm, a festival which has shown astonishing growth since its inception just four years ago.
After exchanging my ticket on arrival and assembling my tent (badly), I hastily made my way into the compact arena ready to be entertained. The beer bellies were out in force as music lovers young and old basked in the scorching sunshine which remained unbroken throughout the weekend.
70s rockers 10CC were one of the festival's opening acts and were clearly enjoying themselves as I made my way to the Main Stage. The veterans were in full flow as they delivered a swooning rendition of mellow Magic classic ‘I’m Not in Love’ before tearing into their 1978 smash ‘Dreadlock Holiday’. A power cut somewhat spoiled the reformed band’s closing number ‘Rubber Bullets’, however Graham Gouldman and co. returned after a brief delay to finish in style.
Later on the Main Stage, dapper Killers frontman BRANDON FLOWERS delivered a typically professional performance. After running through hits from his debut solo album Flamingo, the 30-year-old charmer was joined on stage by Killers bassist Mike Stoermer for Sam’s Town hit ‘Read My Mind’. He finished his set in spectacular fashion with a techno-version of crowd favourite ‘Mr. Brightside’ before exiting the stage to rapturous applause from the suitably entertained masses.
Brit pop legends OCEAN COLOUR SCENE drew a heaving crowd back in the Big Tent as they took to the stage and immediately ripped into Lock Stock classic ‘The Riverboat Song’, before ending on favourite ‘The Day We Caught the Train’, after a storming hour long set. As the sun set, the Main Stage was set for living legends THE EAGLES playing their only UK date of 2011
After opening with their most celebrated hit ‘Hotel California’, the headliners delivered the kind of slick, well-oiled performance you would expect from a band who have sold over 120 million albums worldwide. The hour and a half set was packed full of all the band’s classics before they brought the curtain down on day one with a poignant version of ‘Desperado’.
Day Two
The heatwave continued on day two as I made my way to see THE PARIS RIOTS. Despite having just gone mid-day, lead singer Toby Connor appeared slightly worse for wear as he tumbled and tripped his way through a sluggish opening, before recovering somewhat to show brief glimpses of the band’s XFM playlist potential.
VIVA BROTHER delivered a run-of-the-mill routine on the venue’s biggest stage but perhaps would have been more suited to a smaller tent. Earlier this year the Slough quartet announced they were the future of Brit pop, however this performance would suggest they have a long way to go.
Next up was NEWTON FAULKNER who received one of the most welcoming receptions of the weekend. Armed with a cup of tea, music’s Mr Nice Guy impressed the crowd with his weird and wonderful guitar playing techniques which even forced a smile from the typically expressionless security staff. Ever the improviser, the 26-year-old took to the stage armed with a cassette tape string recording and promptly delivered a flawless set which included a cover of Massive Attack’s ‘Teardrop’ and Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.
Back in the Big Tent former Blur guitarist GRAHAM COXON went down like a lead balloon, as he struggled to make his presence felt with a crowd who quickly lost interest. THE NOISETTES showed Mr Coxon how it’s done with a dazzling and vibrant display which had the place rocking. Charismatic vocalist Shingai Shoniwa was clearly in the mood for a party and had the audience under her spell from start to finish.
Later in the evening, even the usually quick-footed mobile beer dispenser employee stopped work for the night to catch a glimpse of one of the most influential figures in the history of British music, MORRISSEY. I could feel the former Smiths frontman’s colossal presence even from my spot towards the back of the arena as he kicked off proceedings with Meat Is Murder classic, ‘I Want the One That I Can’t Have’.
Having caught the quiff enthusiast’s opening exchanges I snuck past some hardcore Smiths fans and made my way to the to watch former Libertine CARL BARAT whip up a frenzy in a fit to burst Bread & Roses tent. I was getting thrown about in the mosh pit as the former Dirty Pretty Things frontman reeled off a back catalogue of hits, playing Libertines classics such as ‘Death on the Stairs’ and ‘Don’t Look Back…’. The men in suits eventually had to cut his sound following final song ‘Time for Heroes’, after which the chain-smoking 33-year-old declared, “I was only just getting warmed up”.
Day Three
32-year-old American soul singer ALOE BLACC kicked off day three on the Main Stage with an upbeat performance, which included a rendition of current chart topper ‘I Need a Dollar’.
TINIE TEMPAH may have been an odd choice to perform at the festival but the UK rapper appeared to win over the older members of the audience with an energetic performance complete with a full live band later in the day.
Finally it was time for PRINCE to make his long awaited Main Stage appearance with music on every other stage coming to a close for the festival’s triumphant finale. In his first ever UK festival appearance the diminutive 53-year-old sent 50,000 Kent revellers into ecstasy with a mind-blowing spectacle which included no less than four encores.
PRINCE pulled out all the stops with a set-list that included the Beatles’ ‘Come Together’ and Sly Stone’s ‘Everyday People’; however the crowning moment was undoubtedly the epic ‘Purple Rain’. The only problem for Hop Farm organisers is how will they go about topping Prince’s phenomenal performance next year?
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