Lovebox Sunday 2009

Before I write my review of Lovebox- day 2, here are a few of my personal highlights.
1. Being a VIP all day without having any form of wristband...well done security.
2. Watching Tom Findlay from Groove Armada in a tent with about 10 other people.
3. Free drinks/ free entry.
4. Almost getting free Levi’s Jeans.
5. Weird, naked cabaret.
6. Getting stopped by a Japanese girl who wanted to take a photo of me because she liked my dress, completely unaware that people around her were now stopping and staring to see which celebrity they had just stumbled across. Very embarrassed I ran back to the VIP area to hide...my first taste of celebrity was rather uncomfortable.


Luck was definitely on our side on Day 2 of Lovebox. The morning began with an absolute drenching, but it soon dried up and the sun emerged, setting the scene on what would be a glorious day of sunshine. The crowd filtered in slowly throughout the morning, weary and hungover from the night before, (the advantage of this festival is the no camping policy). But they quickly awoke and livened up as the first acts took to the stages.
The atmosphere throughout the day seemed calm and relaxed, and it was nice to just be able to sit and chill rather than be trampled by a million drunk festival goers, but there was a lot to do in just one day. There was bowling, lots and lots of food stalls, different bars, and the arena was huge; so the majority of people were just milling around and generally having a nice time, which made a relaxed little me.
The festival, hosted by Groove Armada, and who were set to headline tonight’s festival put on a wide array of new and upcoming talent. Ladyhawke wowed the main stage with her electro pop tunes in the afternoon and pulled in the biggest crowd of the day so far, while Dance act Filthy Dukes tore up the Gaymers stage with an incredible live set with songs from their new album ‘Nonsense In The Dark’. A band that we should definitely be looking out for in the near future.
Keeping in theme from Saturdays 80’s heroes Duran Duran, another electro legend took to the main stage on Sunday in the form of Gary Numan. His dark and eerie rock songs raged through the arena captivating fans both young and old. Next up on the main stage were Doves, a simple indie band hailing from Manchester that never fail to charm an audience. Even when it started to rain, they carried on happily, telling jokes and amusing the crowd. They played hit after hit, and there were plenty of those to go around. Songs like, ‘Kingdom of Rust’, and ‘There Goes the Fear’, brought the crowd to a roaring applause, and were definitely one of the highlights for a lot of people.
Finally the night drew to a close, and the sun went down to illuminate the burnt orange London skyline. There was a tough choice this evening; to watch hosts Groove Armada on the main stage, or up and coming band Simian Mobile Disco on the Relentless stage. I opted for Groove Armada, and I was not left disappointed. Joined by Becky from The RGB's, the set was like a big explosive party. There were tinfoil suits, lasers and of course, a lot of noise; even the flaming pillars over at Relentless could not overshadow the true might of this band. Finishing off with ‘Superstylin’, there was not a single person watching that was not dancing like a complete idiot, but no one seemed to care at all. The set ended, and we wandered over to catch the last of SMD, which just sounded like a lot of noise, but I’m sure if we’d had been there for all of it (and were on something a bit stronger than beer) it would have been electric.
So that was it for another year, brilliant as always, and the weather stayed alright too. As the 25,000 music fans all made their way towards the same tube line, stressed and tired, they will surely be left with fond memories of the weekend.