Hey up everyone, So that’s it for another Summer and what a few weeks we had. How was it for you? We made our European debut at the amazing Dockville Festival and DJ’d for The Charlatans in an old cinema amongst lots of other things that always tended to somehow come back to the wigs and glitter - from our adventures in the Isle of Wight way back in June right up to Offset we managed to miss out on any mud and rain and even pick up a bit of a tan - on further inspection this turned out to be dirt but we’ll take whatever we can get. Nick headed over to Underage festival and gathered up some amazing content for his stint as XOX Guest Editor. Anyways Summer over, it’s onwards and upwards for us - our next big thing is In The City where we hope to uncover the next big thing. Wild Palms were our favourite band at Offset, Televised Crimewave are like old friends (old friends that jump into the audience and put on a show) and Hatcham Social are always welcome at whatever we’re doing. Add to that the good folk of Artrocker bringing Artrocker TV and lots of back copies and the premier of our film which has been causing a bit of a stir - directed by Ellery Roberts and featuring Rufus Wainwright, Mystery Jets, Tim Burgess and lots of you who came to our Manchester International Festival gigs. It’s ‘five star, must see film’ according to XOX Magazine Hhhmmm so that’s about that for now - we’re still on the look out writers, models, photgraphers so come and say hi. The next few weeks we’ll be DJing for Speech Debelle, Camera Obscura and Miike Snow and we’ll be DJing at Font in Manchester every Wednesday night. See you round
Ellery Roberts has filmed Free4SevenZero9 at the two gigs we did as part of Manchester International Festival. Featuring interviews with Rufus Wainwright, Tim Burgess, Mystery Jets and Esser it’s a celebration of what it is to be young and two of the best days of 2009. After we saw his two first two short films we approached Ellery about filming the gigs the final film is breathtaking - since clinching him filming work with The Charlatans. Watch the trailer here... WWW.MYSPACE.COM/SAMETEENSMANCHESTER
GUEST EDITOR NIK BURMAN EDITOR JADE FRENCH FASHION AND PHOTOGRAPHY HANNAH MORT ART DIRECTION AND DESIGN RYAN DOYLE AND MARC EDWARDS
one shot him in the woods, so that was kind of a bad dream about my school, but I never had bad dreams whilst I was there Olly: I swear you always dream in the most comfortable places, like in your home place. Sam: No, I think what it is, is that it’s really hot in my room, so I sleep really heavily and just dream I have had more dreams in the past two months than in my whole life. Olly: Don’t you dream better when you sleep heavier? Sam: No I think it’s R.E.M., which is the light sleep which is 8 seconds before you wake up something like that, dreams last like a second, it happens like a flash, Olly writes interesting dreams Olly:Yeah it’s all that psychology studying... it’s all bullshit. Sam: Pretty deep stuff though there! Olly: It’s supposed to be like you know when a computer defragments that’s kind of what a dream is - it just goes through everything that has happened in your life, but in a weird way, like if you got in a fight in school that’s what the toothbrushes stabbing is from
PRIOR TO THEIR PACKED GIG, EMMA (WHO BLAGGED HER WAY BACKSTAGE) AND I CAUGHT SAM AND OLLY FROM FLASHGUNS FOR AN INTERVIEW WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE A FANTASTIC CONVERSATION INCLUDING SUCH THINGS AS POTATO GUNS, CATHOLICISM, SNOWBOMBING AND FOX PENISES. IT ONLY TOOK US 30 MINUTES PLUS THEIR SET TO REALISE THAT OLLY WAS ON A SCHOOL TRIP WE WENT ON TWO YEARS AGO IN MEDINA VALLEY. >Enjoying the day? Sam:Yeah yeah, we’ve been here for a little bit, just enjoying the sun we’re not allowed to watch any music , apparently not, I watched a bit though but apparently I wasn’t meant to, we’ll sort it out later though but looking forward to playing the show >So where did the name come from? Olly: Started as a like...name. Sam:Yeah it was like almost onomatopoeic like what the music sounded like, then we found out it’s that thing on top of a camera which I quite liked, the little flashy bit, kind of a cool image like with the whole light thing and capturing images, kind of came into its own.
>It reminded me of pop guns and potato guns did you ever have one? Both: Absolutely! Yeah yeah! Sam: I spent long hours with my potato gun... >What boarding school did you go to? Sam: it’s a school called Worth...you know it? Ahh there you go! That was like a long time ago we’re all about to start university, so it’s obviously quite relevant as how we met like how we kind of... Olly: Get on. Sam: yeah! We lived with each other for like 5 years so we’re kind of like brothers, like there’s obviously the banter and the err picking on each other but it’s all like, do you know what I mean? We were friends before the band so it’s kind of cool how we can tour and stuff. Like being stuck in school it gave us good incentive to write music and stuff so um it was fun times but I think people always bring it up like it’s a weird thing they expect us to come from like a state school and stuff like that, I dunno, everybody sees it like it’s a bit of a taboo Olly: everybody plays under this persona like they are from like south London when they all went to private schools Sam:Yeah man, I don’t want to drop any names you know but like…
>Go on!! Sam: We can do spoonerisms like Jack Penaté. Olly: And the Akabbees Sam: Loads of bands there, I don’t know why they feel like they have to pretend that they are rude boys or whatever, yeah, so we were at boarding school. >So are you a rudeboy then? Sam: No! Olly: I’m a rudeboy Sam: He is at heart, he has got no respect that’s the way he is, he is from the WC massive he’s got that. But nah nah, I’m not trying to put anything on, but boarding school is fun. >Did you have bad dreams there? Both: Bad dreams? Sam: Not really but thinking back the other day I don’t know what it is but summertime I have like really vivid dreams and I dreamt I was back there and you know when in a dream you are in a place that you know where it is but it’s nothing like what it is like and I remember we were in a music competition and we won but the kids really didn’t appreciate it so they were like stabbing me with pencils, because also was it with you (to Olly) that I watched this programme about a prisoner, actually it was with my brother, where they make weapons out of toothbrushes and stuff, and they were stabbing me with all these toothbrushes and I got really angry with the headmaster and then some-
which is always good but otherwise we’ll be playing club nights up in... Olly: There are a few options in like October, September, like big support tours but whether we will. Sam: Thing is we’re all meant to be going to university in like a month, I think the general consensus is we’d rather get signed and not go at all! I’m going to UCL so I’m going to be in London, I’ll probably go there for a couple of weeks and then drop out... I’ll just whip out to KoKo [London indie venue] and then I’ll fuck off but hopefully there are people interested, the industry is all up in the air at the moment anyway it’ll be nice just to commit to something, it’s always so unpredictable, you don’t really know where you are, you just kind of go where they tell you and play the shows, it’ll be nice to get on some good support tours, at the moment it’s a bit patchy, a bit sporadic, it’ll be good to really commit to some stuff.
>How was Paris? Olly: PARIS was probably our best show Sam: yeah! It was like the response, in contrast to like the British crowd who are >Did you get into lots of fights in school? a bit beard-stroky watching music. Olly: nooo Olly: Parisian shows are like... Sam: its a catholic school babe! All peace Sam: They look after you really well, the and love ‘active veritas’ or whatever it’s hospitality is amazing, the crowds are alcalled, are you RC? I’m definitely not any ways so up for it, there’s something about more. British music that they just love, especially Olly: Not anymore? in Paris, Sam: Well I went through a big phase but Olly: Some friends of ours took us to the then after Catholic school I was like... poshest club I think I’ve ever been to. nahhh. Sam:Yeah! There was an act called Dan Olly: Well you can go to hell. Black, and we know him quite well and Sam: I’ll see you there!! he lived out in Paris for his album and he’s in with the whole fashionista Paris>Do you think you’ll bring your next EP ian scene and we went into this bizarre out on vinyl? club where they preceded to notch up a Sam: No i don’t think so, we kind of steer £600 vodka tab and I haven’t drank since clear from that, no one really buys it that night, that was the last night I’ve had anymore, it costs a lot to print, and not a drop of alcohol and I woke up the next many of you have record players and stuff, day and we had to get the Eurostar back you can probably order our CDs from to London and I literally thought I was our website, iTunes... download it illegally, going to die and I kept thinking the word all that kind of thing! There are definitely Vodka in my head and it made me want to some songs we’d like to release, we did physically be sick, and there’s a café near some demos just the other day, to work my house and it’s literally 100m down the on an album would be a real treat, and road and I was with our bassist and he we’ll see how it pans out. There’ll definitely was like okay we’re going to make it home be some recordings coming out later this where we can just go to bed for a little bit year. and I was like no man I can’t do it, I got Olly: Maybe the beginning of next year. there and WRECKED the loo but then I got 2hrs sleep and then we had to go, well we didn’t have to go, we went to The Cure >Much touring on the horizon? at the O2 Arena , slumped on my seat Sam:Yeah we play a lot. feeling like absolute shite, but Paris PreOlly: Nothing in Estonia... mash-up was really, really good fun, and I’d Sam:Yeah exactly, we play shows here and love to go back there and play European there, we’ve done a few tours and stuff Shows again, we played Amsterdam.
Olly: That was incredible as well, and London Calling? Sam:Yeah that was really cool, Europe is a really good place to go play, they love it! Olly: Apart from Austria Sam: Don’t go there. It was a bit...shit, we played this thing called Snowbombing and it was an absolute mess. >Why is that? Sam: I got in a fight with a punter, it was in a ski resort, and there were a lot of like wasted ski men, like snowboarders, like baggy trousers and big shirts and stuff, and some guy was taking the piss and I was in a really bad mood, I hadn’t taken my medication to keep me sane and like this guy was fucking around and I went absolutely off my rocker, never been so violent in my entire life, anyway so that was good! We got some skiing which was good, (dispute over snowboarders/skiers ensues) Ahh what is it? Pricks on..? Olly: Gays on trays. Sam:You’re gay on a tray and we’re pricks on sticks - there’s two sides to every story! That’s our international career so far! >Who would win in a fight? Four foxes with a rudimentary grasp of tactics or a bear? Sam: WELL, I was watching Qi yesterday and they were saying that in the Gold Rush in America they used to make bears fight with other animals and they made them fight with lions and they thought the lion would win but because the lion has like not a very good skull quite weak, I would say the bear would be like *bang* so there you are the bear would win. >The bear? Sam: I would put my money on it Olly: the foxes wouldn’t cause any damage Sam: what sort of bear? Paddington or a grizzly? >Grizzly *Pause as screamo metal is heard* Olly: What are they screaming at..? *Pause* Both: *imitate screaming + Sam makes a convincing pig squeal* Sam: Oh yeah I have the pig squeal down! So yeah, the bear, definitely the bear! The foxes wouldn’t even have a clue! Olly: But all those fucking foxes do is make mating calls. Sam: Do you know why they scream? Olly: They’re mating? Sam: No! It’s because they have barbed penises. DAISY FLORENCE
SOFT TOY EMERGENCY SOFT TOY EMERGENCY ARE A COLD SPLASH OF NEON IN THE FACE. THIS BEEPING, SHUDDERING, JUDDERING, JOLTING, JERKING 5-PIECE LIVERPUDLIAN BLIZZARD WILL TURN YOUR SLIGHT TAP-OF-THE-FOOT OR NOD-OF-THE-HEAD INTO A FULL-ON FRENZIED FIT, AND LEAVE YOU OUT OF BREATH. PANTING FOR MORE AND CRAVING FOR YOUR NEXT FIX OF THE INFECTIOUS STUFF. IT’S THE KIND OF MUSIC THAT WOULD KEEL YOUR POOR OLD NAN OVER IF TURNED UP TOO LOUD, OR TRANSFORM YOUR SWEET, ANGELIC LITTLE SISTER INTO A FEISTY, HYPER-ACTIVE MONSTER WHO’S EATEN WAY TOO MANY E-NUMBERS. INSTEAD OF QUESTIONING ERRATIC SOFT TOY EMERGENCY THROUGH A FENCE (THEY’RE OVERAGE), OR ATTEMPTING TO SNEAK THEM INTO THE FESTIVAL UNDER THE COVER OF A GAZILLION UNDERAGERS, I DECIDED TO SEND OVER MY INTERVIEW, ALTHOUGH DOING THE ABOVE WOULD’VE MADE THIS INTRO MUCH MORE EXCITING, I’M SURE
. Why Soft Toy Emergency; who came up with the name? Basically, my ex-boyfriend turned up at my door with a soft toy as a last ditch effort to win me back... It didn’t work so I was left with this poor little teddy. The historical event has become known to me and my mates as the ‘Soft Toy Emergency’. What sequence of events brought you together? We met at parties in Liverpool intoxicated with copious amounts of Buckfast (which is a caffeinatedtonic-wine from Devon, brewed by monks). How d’ya think your set went at Underage? We had a brilliant time; people were dancing and jumping around which got us so pumped. The crowd at underage are wicked! Do you think Underage festivals are different to overage fests? Yes, at overage festivals you tend
to get loads of festival-hatted old people sitting on folding chairs. However at underage festivals everyone is pumped and somehow illegally drunk... Are you plush expensive soft toys from Hamley’s or ones of the cheap variety you spend a fortune trying to win at a funfair? We are the cheap ones from the funfair with a teddy accessory from Hamley’s like a mini guitar or pair of underpants. What do you think of NME’s description of you as ‘children of Hadouken’? Well it’s somewhat more accurate than ‘Children of the Corn’. Do you like the Ting Tings? You’ve often been compared as their younger, drunker, neon sibling. Yes we do, they write good pop songs. It’s a rainy day, and a power cut has rendered your keyboards useless; what do you do instead? Get some Duracell Ultra-M3 batteries so we can power those bad boys up again.
Is there a particular story behind any one of your songs? Yep, all of them have their own little stories. ‘Critical’ is about moving on from relationships and reflecting positively on the time you spent with someone. Do you have any tips on how to cure a hangover? For some reason whenever we go on tour we never get hangovers. Perhaps it’s the excitement of playing the show later in the evening that allows us to power through the day. Finally, what’s the most childish thing you’ve ever done? We were at a service station in Scotland - just outside Aberdeen - and we saw George running back to the car with a massive bag full of pick ‘n’ mix sweets shouting, “The scales are broken, it only cost four pence!” So we all went back in and bought about £40 worth of pick ‘n’ mix sweets for about £2.00. Amazing! Rhiannon Thomas
If YOU GO DOWN TO THE WOODS TODAY – YOU MAY FIND… MRS BEARS “Rag and bone!” Jack White sung on some far forgotten White Stripes single… he might’ve been singing about the latest fashionista trend to hit East London. Mrs Bears Clothes Swap brings back the ‘make do and mend’ Blitz-era ethos while the world sinks into financial crisis. ‘Recessionistas’ is the name for those who bring along their under worn, or non-fitting clothes to the various stalls which are hosted around London which they then swap with other likely trendy’s to gain a whole new outfit at almost no extra expense. It’s a carbon footprint-busting, money saving steal of an idea. I talked to Mrs Bear at Underage, where she hosted a tent which saw cues of punters take time out from the music to relax and sew themselves new t-shirts in time for beddy byes… Can you explain the concept to us? The concept of swap shop is quite simple, you basically bring up to 5 items and your items are graded, you then receive your clothing ration book with coloured coupons for swapping. There are 3 graded colours. Gold for really good stuff, vintage, leather jackets etc. Then there’s silver for anything better than High Street stuff and Red for all High Street stuff. So basically if you bring 5 silver items you receive 5 silver coupons and can choose 5 items from the silver rails! It cost £2.00 entry into the swap shop. There is also free knitting and rossette making from re-cycled fabrics. Where did the idea come from? Well a group of us were sat round, being unemployed, thinking about how we were going to make some money. And the idea of the clothes swap came about! Has the idea worked well? It’s worked really well, its people’s enthusiasm really that’s carried it along. It’s growing and growing and people are really into it. For like, a couple of quid, they’re walking away with bags of really good clothes. I love doing it. How has today been, I can see the knitting has gone well… [a large patchwork quilt covers a large proportion of the floor] Knitting as gone down a treat… [Points over to a sewing machine surrounded by a huddle of girls] over there people are learning how to make a 1950s girls’ pin up top for £3. Do you think this is the future of fashion? I do actually; I mean it’s another form of recycling. The other side to it is that people get to see where there clothes go to next. Like, there are always girls who bring their old clothes which don’t suit or fit them anymore and they see them looking amazing on someone else in the changing rooms. There’s always a gaggle of girls going: “Oh my god that looks amazing on you!” which is great fun. NIK BURMAN
REVIEWS
SW E I V E R
KID BRITISH
GOLDEN SILVERS
Are Kid British a rock band? A pop band? Rappers? As they launched in to their first song these questions went round and round in my head as whilst half of them were strumming like rock stars at Wembley the others were swaggering around stage as if they were they were the new Jay Z. Confusing? Definitely.Yet this seems to be somehow appealing as from the first chords of ‘Elizabeth’ I find I’m enthusiastically thrusting myself in to the air and believe me I’m not alone. As I looked around I was astounded to see that it wasn’t just a few people at the front jumping up and down but every other fellow Underager in the tent too. And for some people the enthusiasm didn’t stop there as a fight over, wait for it, a towel thrown in to the crowd between four boys and two girls lasted for over an hour.Yes a whole hour for the sake of a towel! As they stormed through their set the band’s infectious energy continued to spray in to the crowd by playing covers of Katy Perry’s “Hot ‘n’ Cold” and their most recent single ‘Our house is Dadless’ (a Madness cover) they ensured a crowd sing along accompanied their every word. Whilst the seven strong Kid British may have had to squeeze on to the small youth music stage this time I’d say for once Chris Moyles may be right about a band, these are definitely ones to watch and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them rocking/rapping the main stage next year.
As I rushed over from a packed Tinchy Stryder tent I expected to find a small gathering of people watching Golden Silvers. Wrong! Despite the fact Golden Silvers are yet to break into the mainstream quite like Tinchy Stryder they attracted just as big a crowd showing that, thank God, people do still want to see a real band play rather than one boy ‘singing’ over a backing track. As the keyboard was put out bearing the Golden Silvers emblem I could feel the excitement running through everyone in the crowd as people pushed and shoved to get closer to the front with cries of, “I can’t believe I’m finally going to see Gwilym Gold!” Gwilym Gold being the rather eccentric name of the lead singer. After a small delay the band finally took to the stage with the infectious beats of ‘True Romance’ and it seemed the wait was well worthwhile. They then went on to deliver a faultless set including ‘Arrows of Eros’ and ‘Magic touch’. However, I can’t help feeling a little disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, the music couldn’t have been better with perfect harmonies and tunes as catchy as swine flu but as they stood motionless on stage it seemed to rub off on the crowd as only one lone, limp arm was raised. Although their stage presence was disappointing, to say the least, with such exceptional songs they left me gagging for more.
REBECCA HAYZELDEN
REBECCA HAYZELDEN
REVIEWS
SW E I V E R
LITTLE BOOTS
MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS
Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the past year you will have probably realised Little Boots has been the latest victim of the hype machine. There hasn’t been a week gone by without her being on TV, radio or in a magazine – basically being in your face. But, it looks like it’s worked in her favour as the Topman tent was filled to the brim. Having built up quite a reputation for flamboyant stage outfits Victoria (AKA Little Boots) didn’t disappoint as she pranced on stage in a dress where the bottom section seemed to have infinite layers of ruffles. As she launched into hits such as ‘New in town’ and ‘Stuck in Repeat’ the crowd united in a sing along which I found myself quickly joining in with despite not knowing the words before the song started which I guess in itself proves just how contagious her songs are. Although at one point Little Boots came close to loosing the crowd’s support when she preached , “You are much better than the old farts yesterday”, but I think she quickly learnt from the silence it created that using terms like , “old farts” , is most definitely not going to impress us. However, she quickly picked herself up as she continued with the set and it was a raucous boo which met the news that she had to cut her set short. Some people compare Little Boots to Lady GaGa, but does GaGa manage to play over 7 different instruments in her set? I think not. Without a doubt I’ll be first in line to see the tenorian/stylophone playing Little Boots next time she comes around.
One of the first bands to take to the stage, Marina & the Diamonds hits the Artrocker stage while everyone’s still wide awake; everyone apart from Marina, that is, who opens the set by confessing to the crowd that she’s had a late night and is feeling a bit ‘dozy’. Although the show gets off to a slightly slow start, M&tD manages to get the crowd going to a few songs in with a beautiful rendition of their debut single, ‘Obsessions’. The show’s clear highlight is a slightly risky cover of Late of the Pier’s ‘Space and the Woods’, which was, dare I say it, potentially even better than the original, which was in itself amazing. By the time “the rise of a King and the fall of a Queen”, lyrics that seem almost as though they were written to be sung along to, rings out through the tent in Marina’s deep rumbling tones, accompanied by everyone else’s shouting, the crowd’s going crazy, and it’s clear that regardless of the slightly touch-and-go beginning, this is a show to remember.
REBECCA HAYZELDEN
LAUREN WILKINSON
REVIEWS
PATRICK WOLF It’s 7.15, the Horrors’ set has run over time and Patrick Wolf is due on stage, though it’s apparent that he won’t be on for some time. However, even long before Mr Wolf appears, the atmosphere in the Artrocker tent is alive. Girls and boys alike are forcing their way ever nearer to the stage, using whatever means they can, and when Wolf finally struts onto the dimly lit stage, about twenty minutes later than expected, wearing a tight, shoulder padded catsuit type thing, the carnage only increases. Love or hate Patrick Wolf, I don’t think it’s possible to make an informed decision about him before you’ve seen him live. That is to say, die hard fans often find themselves overlooking just how very talented he is because of his mesmerising, though eccentric good looks, and critics sometimes consider his music too polarised to be truly of merit. However, Wolf’s set at Underage Festival proves not only that he is more than just a pretty face, but also that he is an excellent performer, with the ability to play many different instruments and to interact with and engage the crowd, forcing aside both critics and fans preconceptions. Song-wise, it’s hard to choose a highlight, as he performs both old favourites and tracks from his new album, which is arguably his best yet, including ‘Hard Times’ and ‘Accident & Emergency’. At no point during the show is there a lack of enthusiasm, but it reaches its peak in ‘Battle’, before which Patrick asks the crowd what they are battling against, once again reiterating that there is more to him than his outlandish exterior. The show comes to an end sooner than anyone would like, and after many shouts for an encore, he returns to the stage with a ukulele to do one more song acoustically, but, much to the crowd’s collective distress, security objects and ushers him off stage; however, even this isn’t enough to ruin what was a completely flawless performance. LAUREN WILKINSON
SW E I V E R
THE WHIP Manchester four piece, The Whip have the tagline “I just want to dance”, and from the moment they step on stage, they do their best to live up to it, predominantly with a huge game of Simon Says, where they dance and the crowd copies, making this, although not necessarily the best sonically, the most fun show of the day. All of the band’s tracks are catchy and good for a dance, especially ‘Trash’, ‘Blackout’ and ‘Sister Siam’, and while they can sometimes seem a bit repetitive when you’re listening to recordings, when live, they’re pretty perfect. Drummer, Lil Fee really goes for it and offers some spectacular drum solos, while the rest of the band all also add their own special spin on things, making their live performance much more energetic and unique than their recordings. Lively, exciting bands like The Whip are a breath of fresh air in a live music scene that is fast becoming little different to sitting at home listening to you favourite band, making them a must see for anyone who likes to party.
LAUREN WILKINSON
REVIEWS
THE HORRORS
Freshly emerged from their chrysalis of Primary Colours, the Horrors baited a crowd of impatient teenagers, stalling their performance for a good 10 minutes, ensuring the raging beast of youngsters was practically foaming at the mouth. As they crawled onto the stage the throng mashed forwards crushing any poor soul who happened to have grabbed a spot at the front. Finally opening with ‘Mirrors Image’ they incited a stupor as a rolling wave effect took place in time with the numinous synth introduction merging into the relentless drumming of Joe and the newly appointed bass of Rhys Webb. A fitting introduction for their newly developed synth based sound, with Tom Furse creatively alive in his own kaleidoscopic element. Faris, now with a smarter hair cut performed with extreme magnetic attraction, a contrasting and somewhat satisfying change from his previously reclusive attitude. Driving through such Brian Eno, and Neu! tinged songs of Primary Colours including the teenage heart wrencher ‘Do You Remember’, in which Faris almost croons over the scattershot riffs of Joshua Hayward, Faris promises, “I will be with you soon, I will cross the ocean blue,” a dreamy lovelorn possessive song, clutching at the soul of each individual. The crowd frenzied at the first notes of ‘Count in Fives’, almost reluctantly given by The Horrors as a treat to the monstrous creation throbbing before them. The set then swaggered into the drunken fuzziness of ‘I Can’t Control Myself’, Faris pacing, writhing and jolting to the shock of blue flashing lights as if a tormented animal. Their hit, being ‘Sheena Is A Parasite’ was accepted with relish, followed by the melancholic chords of ‘Who Can Say’, a song that tears the heart out of every pubescent girl as Faris announces, “And when I told her I didn’t love her anymore, she cried”, reminding every recent singleton of their Bridget Jones-style present existence (and possible future). The shoegazing anthem of ‘Scarlet Fields’ was performed with such elegance and solemnity; a true reminder of their stunning growth from Strange House. ‘A Sea within a Sea’, completed their set with an 8 minute euphoric climax, finishing with what they had started, and their crowning glory. LAUREN WILKINSON
SW E I V E R
THE XX The hotly tipped XX performed on the Artrocker Stage to an unfortunately (and surprisingly) small crowd, but nevertheless anyone there was lucky to have such an intimate session. Considering they were competing for crowd against recent stars as Esser and Hadouken, they executed majestically, if a little lack lustre. Opening with the current scorcher of a single ‘Crystallize’ was received well and was performed beautifully, with the gothic moody approach echoing that of The Cure contrasted with the R’n’B-style vocals. During the set the charming voice of Romy Croft wove through the gentle baritone of Oliver Sim producing a wondrous and unique haze of sound. By the third song the atmosphere picked up from the ethereal gloom to a more magical haze, a well placed breath of fresh air with Baria Qureshi and Jamie Smith increasing their infallible performance. Concluding with a beautiful and haunting track, forcing the teens in this particular tent to reflect into themselves enveloped in the bittersweet melody of The XX. I feel we have a lot more to come from this elegant and fragile band in the next year. LAUREN WILKINSON
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KENDAL CALLING Kendal Calling pulls off the small-festival-big-ideas style with ease. Moving onwards and upwards from last years very muddy event this year saw the bands playing amongst rolling green hills and lots of freaked out looking deer. Friday had the Streets headlining the main stage with Mike Skinners trademark tracksuit garage-rap sounding as fresh as ever. Merging old hits like ‘Dry Your Eyes’ with his newer stuff they slipped through a couple of lesser know tracks without loosing the audience’s attention whilst also asking a girl on the front row; “Flash your tits again”. Classy, but at the same time one of the best performances of the weekend. Saturday’s ‘We Are Calling’ stage, manned by Same Teens, moved between the electro-raucousness and the brooding art-rock with some good’ol indie thrown into the mix for good measure. Televised Crimewave literally broke the barriers down between audience/band as lead singer Daniel Wilson wind milled into the crowd (and captured the hearts of about 10 guys at the front who enjoyed being beat up by Dan so much they begged for more at the end- true romance) and May 68’s upbeat, electro based pop music also had the crowd dancing around on the wave of their infectious disco. The best bit is they actually manage to touch on the 1980s-throwback vibe just enough to soak up some of it’s cool without being utterly overwhelmed by it- mainly because they’re musical sensibilities stem from Talking Heads, their electro vibe from SebastiAn rather than ripping off in the manner of Little Boots. Dutch Uncles mingling of jumpy basslines, math-rocky guitars and genius vocals (not to mention choice dance moves) made for a compelling live show with songs like “Face In” and “Steadycam” showing off the best of the band whilst Answering Machine took the mantle on for another amazing set. Songs like “Lightbulbs” and “Cliffer” sounded like old friends you’ve always known and missed, infectiously weaving into the conscious with relentless guitar hooks and thumping drums. Sunday saw Cornershop play to much more excitement that expected. The crowd didn’t even leave after ‘that one song’ (although many people did mime out having a ‘bosom for a pillow’ be ingeniously and hilariously placing their heads on neighbouring girls chests). The rest of their summery songs were affable enough and perfect for listening too in the midsts of a two-day hangover. Noah and the Whale continued the summery-shimmery hangover pop with their subtle and sweet melodies soaring over the crowd with their folksy harmonies. On the flip side of this hand-clapping came hip-thrusting in the form of KASMs who dispelled the plinking piano in a wave of gothic shrieks. Rachel Callaghan as usual transformed into the perfect front woman as Rory and Scott swapped instruments around and Gemma brooded on bass. Ash headlined on the Sunday inducing a rush and swell of nostalgia over the proceedings. With Tim Wheelers little face peering into the crowd and songs like ‘Burn Baby Burn’ and ‘Girl From Mars’ battling back into the consciousness with their guitar soaked goodness like it was 1997 and Brit Pop never died. Kendal Calling proved the time-worn adage ‘quality not quantity’ is always true with a line up touching on bands old, new, known and unknown giving all a chance to shine a little through the British summer rain. WORDS JADE FRENCH PICTURES FORREST HU
DOCKVILLE Setting a festival in the midst of an industrial site- slag heaps piled high, murky rivers running past and imposing buildings bearing down over the crowds- might not seem like the most likely or most hygienic place to hold a festival but it’s the only place that Dockville could have happened. Abandoned warehouses made for perfect venues, the glitterati glamour of Patrick Wolf was set against cool concrete as art installations were dotted around. With a mix of British, American and German bands making the line-up as diverse as possible it combined the best in music and art. We arrived hearing the magical tones of Patrick Wolf wafting across the campsites as a crowd waved their hands and sang along the words to ‘Magic Position’. The ability to combine murky, haunting tones with the happier nuances of his third album means that Wolf’s sets are always intriguing and always against a milieu of many musical instruments, as demonstrated by ‘Hard Times’ which combined soaring vocals and staccato violins amidst heart-thudding beats. The Saturday saw MGMT headline the main stage with their psych-pop and instantly recognisable songs floating into the air with a punch. Good Shoes played earlier the same day showing that guitar based indie doesn’t have to be the staid and steady Oasis route. Jumbling together old songs and newer try outs their set sounded fresh, especially once they settled into it. Finishing on ‘Morden’ also showed that the message of slightly grotty London suburbs doesn’t get lost in translation and the juttering beats of ‘We are Not the Same’ had feet stamping everywhere. Crystal Antlers set was a little disappointing with vocals which didn’t seem to match the fluid music behind them and Metronomy’s new line-up showcased a band with a fresh sound an amazing live energy as the Daft Punk Alive possibly stole the festival (or at least the festival’s electricity) in terms of their extreme light show although their tribute did mean a layering of 3 or more Daft Punk songs at a time, plus some people who had been roped into wearing robot helmets and walking across stage. Eschewing leafy glades and muddy fields for a concrete jungle, mixing bigger names with smaller bands and crossing continents in a bid to get the best music around to play in one of the best, yet strangest, settings for a festival means Dockville is a unique festival under the radar.