Hard Rock Calling - Hyde Park, London - Friday 13th July 2012 (Live Review)
Wednesday, 18 July 2012
Written by Pods
Upon arriving at Hyde Park for the second time within the space of a week, it’s starting to feel a little like Stereoboard is trapped within some bizarre festival-based re-enactment of Groundhog Day; the crowd is once again extremely sparse, bars are closed off, and the weather is, unsurprisingly, extremely damp. Thankfully though, the crowd seem to be in high spirits, and the treacherous, marshy bog present throughout Wireless last weekend has now been transformed into a wood chip-laden safe haven.
Only at a British festival could strolling across solid ground feel like a genuine luxury in itself, so with a slightly unwarranted spring in our step, we head over to the Pepsi Max stage to catch our first band of the day; Leeds-based alt-rockers Hawk Eyes. Ploughing through a selection of aggressively spiky cuts from their two full-length releases, the band slowly but surely win over the sparse yet dedicated crowd throughout the duration of their short set, as well as drawing in a fair number of passing punters in the process.
Taking into account their indisputable reputation as a consistently stellar live act, today appears to be business as usual for Skindred, who appear to turn in almost exactly the same set that Stereoboard witnessed them perform at Donington’s Download Festival last month. Not that we’re complaining, mind, as it was as much fun then as it is today. Delivering a set consisting of new material peppered with fan favourites such as ‘Nobody’ and ‘Pressure’, even the most cynical of HRC punters fail to be won over by this ridiculously energetic, good-humoured show.
Over at the Hard Rock Rising stage, a modest yet eager crowd are gathered in anticipation to witness local lads Dive Bella Dive (pictured above) deliver their infectious amalgamation of Springsteen-esque choruses, pop sensibilities and unwavering punk rock spirit. Blasting enthusiastically through a selection of future hits within the duration of their disappointingly short 25 minute set, the band consistently display almost shameless flashes of The Boss and The Clash throughout though, thankfully, they have more than enough bona fide tunes of their own to back them up.
Although they undoubtedly win over most of the punters contained within the HRR tent today, one can’t help but feel that the band may have been more suited to tomorrow’s line-up, on which The Boss himself is set to play. Still, give it a few years and Stereoboard reckon we may see Dive Bella Dive act as his direct support.
Although we miss the majority of both The Mars Volta and The Stooges, we still thankfully manage to catch glimpses of each. Back at the Pepsi Max Stage, TMV sadly turn in an extremely workmanlike set that seems to serve as little more than a warm-up for their show at the HMV Forum in Kentish Town tomorrow. At their best, the band can be utterly electrifying, but today they appear to be going through the motions, opting for introverted noodling in favour of the wild, psychedelic outbursts that they’ve become infamous for.
Although we only catch the tail end of their set over at the main stage, Iggy Pop and co. prove why they’re still such a flawless live force to be reckoned with. Iggy flails around the stage as if possessed by the spirit of a man at least 40 years his junior, and the band behind him are as reliable as ever, delivering a selection of undeniable classics from ‘Raw Power’, ‘Fun Houses’ and their self-titled record. The fact that even the wet, still-sparse crowd cannot quell their uncontainable energy speaks volumes.
By the time Soundgarden enter the stage, the rain begins to fall once again, and the people around us begin to leave in their hundreds, which is a great shame as the performance the band deliver tonight is leagues above the one they turned in at Donington last month. Captivating though the combination of their spectacular light show and their grunged-out wall of noise is, after the heavens open once again during ‘Black Hole Sun’, we decided to take our leave. It’s been a damp, grey and abrasively muddy affair today, which, taking tonight’s headliner into consideration, is almost the ultimate compliment.
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Only at a British festival could strolling across solid ground feel like a genuine luxury in itself, so with a slightly unwarranted spring in our step, we head over to the Pepsi Max stage to catch our first band of the day; Leeds-based alt-rockers Hawk Eyes. Ploughing through a selection of aggressively spiky cuts from their two full-length releases, the band slowly but surely win over the sparse yet dedicated crowd throughout the duration of their short set, as well as drawing in a fair number of passing punters in the process.
