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.
Saturday, 25 July 2009
Friday, 17 July 2009
Lovebox
I'm going to Lovebox...
That's about it really.
I'll write more at the end of the weekend, when there is actually something to write about...
Dear Lord, Please do NOT let it rain like it has done today.
Jx
That's about it really.
I'll write more at the end of the weekend, when there is actually something to write about...
Dear Lord, Please do NOT let it rain like it has done today.
Jx
Thursday, 16 July 2009
Friendly Fires review
Can I just say, before I write my review, if anyone reading this wants to donate £500 so I can be a member to this club, please feel free. x
Levi’s ‘Ones To Watch 5 Night Revue’, came to a phenomenal climax on Tuesday night as indie pop band Friendly Fires took to the roof of the Swanky members club Shoreditch House.
The St Albans trio graced the 100 lucky fans who had won their tickets, whilst the elite members of the club could only watch through the glass partition. Curious at who was invading their luxury space, they were quickly sent away by the doormen. 
The small crowd of fans gathered at the bar were quick to notice the not so cool £8.50 cocktails, and most opted instead for the cheapest drink on the menu, a bottle of Corona at £3.25, a far cry from what the bar staff would normally be used to.
Soundcheck issues meant that the band was a little late to start, but eventually they took to the stage about 9.30 as the sun was setting. The London city skyline hidden behind them, and 100 screaming fans in front of them ensured that this gig was going to be special for both band and fans.
The band who was accompanied by a brass section of trumpet and saxophone kicked off with an electrifying version of ‘Lovesick’, and followed it with ‘Jump In The Pool’. However fans decided to ignore the clubs best feature, and kept themselves dry. Not even the rain could put a damper on spirits, as the motorized roof sheltered the crowd, and protected the band from being electrocuted by their equipment!
There was an exited reception from the crowd half way through the set, when the band burst into their new song ‘Kiss of Life’, their first new material since their self titled album was released in September 2008. The track, ‘is a progression of Jump In The Pool’, says singer Ed, and the samba infused beats seem to be taking the band in a completely different direction that will surely have everyone talking.
Forty minutes after they first kicked things off, they finished with the massive track ‘Ex Lover’, and the elated fans headed back to the bar to grab a drink before they were hastily moved out.
The night was undoubtedly a huge success and the band consistently live up to the standards of the fans. Having just done an immense show at Glastonbury, the band is off to Lovebox festival this weekend, where they are most definitely the ones to watch.
Sunday, 12 July 2009
Friendly Fires
I have been invited to go see Friendly Fires in a 'secret gig', that is not so much secret anymore really as it is going to be on the roof of Shoreditch House in Bethnal Green on Tuesday. Point being, I absolutely love this band and put most simply, I am very excited and a very happy lady. There is only going to be 100 people there, which by gig standards is really not that many. Also, because I managed to interview them a few weeks ago, and they are such lovely lads, I was wondering if perhaps if I decided to jump up and down and wave my arms they might recognise me and say hi. However, I think that if I was to act in such an unorthodox fashion, even if they did remember who I was, they may be a little freaked out by my actions and thus, ignore me. We shall have to see.
Anyway, there will be lots of pictures I should hope, if my camera is not confiscated, which I highly doubt.
I shall write back Wednesday.
x
Anyway, there will be lots of pictures I should hope, if my camera is not confiscated, which I highly doubt.
I shall write back Wednesday.
x
Sunday, 5 July 2009
BBL09 Review
Beach Break 2009
It was the festival that was never supposed to have happened, yet despite having to fight for its survival just a week before it all kicked off, the sun still shone bright over Beach Break 2009.
The sold out festival faced massive adversity, when the Cornish site of St Agnes rejected planning permission just seven days before the event. But the team at Beach Break Live worked extremely hard and managed to move the whole festival 300 miles to the stunning Port Lympne Safari Park in Kent. With built-in beaches and palm trees, this festival was determined to bounce back and become the best student festival of 2009.
10,000 students from all across the UK came together for the biggest student party of the summer. Now in its third year, the festival boasted an impressive line up, from Dizzee Rascal to The Zutons, and the site provided guests with three huge pools, beach volley ball, and beautiful mounds of fresh white sand. As well as the bands, there was a Ferris wheel, a skate park and acrobats all ready to entertain the thousands of eager students.
Other big-names on the bill included Ladyhawke, Mystery Jets and Friendly Fires, which caused an excited stir amongst music fans during the three-day bash.
Although the festival lost its beautiful Cornish coastline, festival goers were given a real treat with the move. Conveniently located next to Port Lympne safari park, ticket holders were granted free entry. Surrounded by Zebras and Rhinos, students grazed lazily alongside the animals, a surreal but exciting experience for everyone that visited the beautiful park.
The festival kicked off in style with the best set of the day undoubtedly going to Friendly Fires. The St Albans 3 piece performed an electric set to an eager crowd who were not left disappointed. After the gig they spoke highly of supporting the main act Mystery Jets, ‘We love Mystery Jets; they’re really lovely lads and have genuinely good music.’
And as headliners, the MJ’s did not disappoint. Playing a selection of beautifully crafted old and new songs, fans were able to sing along as well as experience what the band has to offer in the future. I asked the band if they preferred the larger festivals to smaller gigs, ‘We like doing both really, at festivals you get the really big crowds, but the smaller gigs are more intimate, and it’s darker, so you can play around with the lighting and stuff, and put on more of a show for people, but we do love festivals.’
Other highlights of the day included VV Brown, whose big brassy 50’s inspired sound, ripped through the site and converted just about everyone within a 5 mile radius. You can get your hands on her debut album ‘Travelling like the Light’, at the end of July.
Moving on to Wednesday, stand out sets came from Dan Black, who described his sound as ‘a mix of modern, slightly experimental hip hop, production, meets kind of slightly sad, big beats, film, soundtracky sound.’ Err...Ok Dan! Also Hadouken! delivered a crazy, upbeat performance to what can only be described as ‘mental’ fans. Expectations were high as Jamie from the band confesses that the greatly anticipated second album will be completely different from the first. ‘Yeah, I mean there is quite a change, I don’t really want to really talk it up too much, but essentially yeah, there is a few elements, because it has been produced by ‘Noisia’ in Holland, it does sound completely different to our first album.’
Night fell, and The Zutons took to the stage. Having been away for some time now, the Liverpudlian quintet still managed to capture the crowd with their bluesy pop melodies. And playing out such classic songs such as ‘Valerie’, and ‘Why Won’t You Give Me Your Love’, by the time they’d finished, the band left the crowd feeling like they’d experienced something truly magical.
Dawn broke on the final day of Beach Break 2009, and everyone in the camp could talk about only one person, Dizzee Rascal. Already tipped to be the highlight of the festival, nearly all of the 10,000 ticket holders crammed into the main arena to see the rapper, who promised to bring ‘a lot of energy’ to the stage. He said, ‘It’s gonna be bonkers!’ And the crowd was given a real treat. Playing hit after hit, as well as a few tracks of his new album ‘Tongue ‘n’ Cheek’, which is out in September, it was a fast paced, energetic set that got everyone on their feet.
Other best bits of the day included Ladyhawke, the indie pop New Zealander who performed to a massive crowd, and ensured that music fans all over the site, were nicely warmed up for their headliner.
Other highlights included the Boat Stage. Originally designed as a platform dedicated to finding new talent in Cornwall, the Boat was crammed full of lesser known, but hugely talented bands.
The Dance tent had mixed reviews this year, as some complained that it was too quiet, but most of the acts succeeded in making an impression, starting off with Chase and Status performing a knockout set on Tuesday night. Kyle from Chester Uni said, ‘Scratch Perverts and DJ Yoda were immense’. So it would seem that the volume was less important to most music fans, and more about the quality of the music that was played.
The travelling Chai Wallah tent was a huge success over the week with its weird and wonderful herbal drinks and shots. Manager Emily Katsuno said she was surprised at how many students were up for trying new things, and she said they were, ‘really into the herbal stuff!’
A beautiful beach, tropical weather, and most importantly pretty damn good music was what made Beach Break 2009 a huge success, it seems hard to believe that all of this was pulled off in just over a week. A miracle the event happened at all, but moving 10,000 students and a huge festival 300 miles across the country seemed to work, and what we ended up with was one of the biggest and best student parties of the year. We just hope that BBL 2010 runs a little bit smoother!
It was the festival that was never supposed to have happened, yet despite having to fight for its survival just a week before it all kicked off, the sun still shone bright over Beach Break 2009.
The sold out festival faced massive adversity, when the Cornish site of St Agnes rejected planning permission just seven days before the event. But the team at Beach Break Live worked extremely hard and managed to move the whole festival 300 miles to the stunning Port Lympne Safari Park in Kent. With built-in beaches and palm trees, this festival was determined to bounce back and become the best student festival of 2009.
10,000 students from all across the UK came together for the biggest student party of the summer. Now in its third year, the festival boasted an impressive line up, from Dizzee Rascal to The Zutons, and the site provided guests with three huge pools, beach volley ball, and beautiful mounds of fresh white sand. As well as the bands, there was a Ferris wheel, a skate park and acrobats all ready to entertain the thousands of eager students.
Other big-names on the bill included Ladyhawke, Mystery Jets and Friendly Fires, which caused an excited stir amongst music fans during the three-day bash.
Although the festival lost its beautiful Cornish coastline, festival goers were given a real treat with the move. Conveniently located next to Port Lympne safari park, ticket holders were granted free entry. Surrounded by Zebras and Rhinos, students grazed lazily alongside the animals, a surreal but exciting experience for everyone that visited the beautiful park.
The festival kicked off in style with the best set of the day undoubtedly going to Friendly Fires. The St Albans 3 piece performed an electric set to an eager crowd who were not left disappointed. After the gig they spoke highly of supporting the main act Mystery Jets, ‘We love Mystery Jets; they’re really lovely lads and have genuinely good music.’
And as headliners, the MJ’s did not disappoint. Playing a selection of beautifully crafted old and new songs, fans were able to sing along as well as experience what the band has to offer in the future. I asked the band if they preferred the larger festivals to smaller gigs, ‘We like doing both really, at festivals you get the really big crowds, but the smaller gigs are more intimate, and it’s darker, so you can play around with the lighting and stuff, and put on more of a show for people, but we do love festivals.’
Other highlights of the day included VV Brown, whose big brassy 50’s inspired sound, ripped through the site and converted just about everyone within a 5 mile radius. You can get your hands on her debut album ‘Travelling like the Light’, at the end of July.
Moving on to Wednesday, stand out sets came from Dan Black, who described his sound as ‘a mix of modern, slightly experimental hip hop, production, meets kind of slightly sad, big beats, film, soundtracky sound.’ Err...Ok Dan! Also Hadouken! delivered a crazy, upbeat performance to what can only be described as ‘mental’ fans. Expectations were high as Jamie from the band confesses that the greatly anticipated second album will be completely different from the first. ‘Yeah, I mean there is quite a change, I don’t really want to really talk it up too much, but essentially yeah, there is a few elements, because it has been produced by ‘Noisia’ in Holland, it does sound completely different to our first album.’
Night fell, and The Zutons took to the stage. Having been away for some time now, the Liverpudlian quintet still managed to capture the crowd with their bluesy pop melodies. And playing out such classic songs such as ‘Valerie’, and ‘Why Won’t You Give Me Your Love’, by the time they’d finished, the band left the crowd feeling like they’d experienced something truly magical.
Dawn broke on the final day of Beach Break 2009, and everyone in the camp could talk about only one person, Dizzee Rascal. Already tipped to be the highlight of the festival, nearly all of the 10,000 ticket holders crammed into the main arena to see the rapper, who promised to bring ‘a lot of energy’ to the stage. He said, ‘It’s gonna be bonkers!’ And the crowd was given a real treat. Playing hit after hit, as well as a few tracks of his new album ‘Tongue ‘n’ Cheek’, which is out in September, it was a fast paced, energetic set that got everyone on their feet.
Other best bits of the day included Ladyhawke, the indie pop New Zealander who performed to a massive crowd, and ensured that music fans all over the site, were nicely warmed up for their headliner.
Other highlights included the Boat Stage. Originally designed as a platform dedicated to finding new talent in Cornwall, the Boat was crammed full of lesser known, but hugely talented bands.
The Dance tent had mixed reviews this year, as some complained that it was too quiet, but most of the acts succeeded in making an impression, starting off with Chase and Status performing a knockout set on Tuesday night. Kyle from Chester Uni said, ‘Scratch Perverts and DJ Yoda were immense’. So it would seem that the volume was less important to most music fans, and more about the quality of the music that was played.
The travelling Chai Wallah tent was a huge success over the week with its weird and wonderful herbal drinks and shots. Manager Emily Katsuno said she was surprised at how many students were up for trying new things, and she said they were, ‘really into the herbal stuff!’
A beautiful beach, tropical weather, and most importantly pretty damn good music was what made Beach Break 2009 a huge success, it seems hard to believe that all of this was pulled off in just over a week. A miracle the event happened at all, but moving 10,000 students and a huge festival 300 miles across the country seemed to work, and what we ended up with was one of the biggest and best student parties of the year. We just hope that BBL 2010 runs a little bit smoother!
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