coming soon...

I am seeing Ellen and the Escapades tomorrow and I'm very excited. Things have been hectic recently and I haven't been to a gig in a while so tomorrow I will come out from the shadows and return with what I'm sure will be, a glowing report about the gig. Malt Cross. Nottingham. Be there or be square. (That phrase is making a comeback...)

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The Best of Bestival - Friday

What an original post title I hear you say. Well, having returned from a cracking weekend I thought I would share the highlights of my Bestival. From fancy dress to gale force winds, my short visit to the Isle of Wight had moments of pure magic due to a mixture of great company, great atmosphere and most of all, great music.

Friday.

I awoke to my friend telling us we had our first band of the day sorted. 12pm. Big Top. The Correspondents.
Not knowing what to expect, the rest of the gang followed and I followed and were pleasantly surprised. The Correspondents were lively, entertaining and kick started the weekend with a bang. This song was particularly entertaining for us and is accompanied by the cutest video of all time!

Ellen & The Escapades.

This was one of the bands I was going to stop at nothing to see. And they didn't disappoint. They handed out copies of their newest single, they played a beautiful version of 'Here Comes the Sun' and they even had people forming human pyramids in the audience. It was a special gig.

Treefight for Sunlight.

Thinking I was seeing Treetop Flyers (Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition winners) I wandered along to the Psychedelic worm ready for some sweet acoustics. Turns out I was wrong and instead stumbled upon the delights of Swedish Treefight for Sunlight - it was a mistake I'm not sad I made.

Esben & The Witch.

I wasn't sure what to expect from Esben & The Witch. I'd heard good things but thought I may need to see them live to fully appreciate them. Rather than just playing a set list, it felt like the group has set out to create an entire performance, taking their audience somewhere else with them. With an air of mystery about them, Esben & The Witch brought a bit of je ne sais quoi to our Friday afternoon.

Lucy Rose.

I was so looking forward to seeing Lucy Rose play and made sure I was front centre for her set at the Band Stand stage. With the sun setting behind her, the sparrow-like Lucy captivated the audience many of whom had come to see Benjamin Francis Leftwich who was playing after her. He played a great set but I felt it was Lucy who stole the evening with her performance. Have a listen to her wonderful new song Scar which she performed in her set and in the AllSaints Basement Session at Bestival:

Middle of the Bed - vintage Lucy Rose.

 Overall, pretty great start to the weekend. And it only got better...

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Beautiful Bestival > Glastonbury Gloom.

As previously mentioned, I can no longer attend the greatest festival known to man and as a result spent a good few days moping, trying hard not to keep checking the ever lengthening line-up list. It looks awesome.
Soooo I have decided to try something new. Along with a super duper fancy dress theme the Bestival line-up is looking immense with a list of pretty much every live act I want to see at the moment from Johnny Flynn to James Blake, Benjamin Francis Leftwich to Willy Mason. And so I thought I would make a list of my top ten acts who will be making a Bestival appearance. I can't wait.

1) Brigitte Aphrodite - you could be forgiven for comparing her to Kate Nash but she's got a brilliant comic edge. Add to that a hippy-ish sense of style and a charming vulnerability and bam. You've just met Brigitte.

2) Dry the River - relatively new to me and are rising quickly through the ranks. Check out their 'stripped down version' of Bible Belt here as well as the video below. It's beautifully simple.

3) Ellen & The Escapades - it seems really difficult at the moment to be able to say a voice is really unique but I feel that Ellen & The Escapades really do bring something new. 'Coming back home' was released last year but is still on my top played. Listen to Run or Without You both of which will be great for festival crowds.

4) Esben & The Witch - They were recently in Nottingham but I sadly couldn't make it. Will be front row to make up for it. Below is their debut 'Marching Song', released last year. I can imagine it being amazing live.

5) King Creosote - I have been in love with this man for a long time and have always wanted to see him live. 'Nothing Compares 2 U' is the first song of his I ever heard and he recently performed it on the Rob da Bank show. A cover done to perfection:

6) Marcus Foster - The Voice. This song has been made famous by Robert Pattinson's cover of it but as always, the original is miles better. Apologies for the abrupt ending. It was one of the few videos I could find without girls screaming...

7) Patrick Wolf - he's eccentric, liberal and constantly changing. His new album is out in June and if The City (his first single to be released from Lupercalia) is anything to go by, it will be an interesting one!

Still my favourite Patrick Wolf song has to be Accident and Emergency.

8) Tall Ships are another new find for me and can't wait to hear more from them. This song has got a great mixture of distortion, harmonies and french influence. They are also playing Rescue Rooms in Nottingham on May 2nd.

9) Toots and the Maytals - May seem a little off the beaten track for me but under the influence of my friend Louise, I got really into reggae last summer and Toots are sunshine on a cloudy day.

10) Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain. I got a Ukelele for my birthday last year and though I am not quite the pro I wanted to be by now, these guys certainly are. They are by far the best and biggest surprise for me when checking out Bestival's line-up. Think they'll let me join on stage? Yep. Course they will. This cover is incredible!

TO BESTIVAL!