Bestival - Sunday

I bet the suspense has been unbearable. But finally, here it is. Now Sunday proved to be the best of my three music-packed days despite fantastic performances from Ellen and the Escapades, Dry the River and Lucy Rose on Friday and Saturday. It was just that not only did I barely have an hour in the day where I wasn't watching someone but I walked around the festival going from incredible performance to incredible performance.

 

My day was kick-started with a cracking set from Johnny Flynn in the Big Top. He sang most of his new(ish) album 'Been Listening' released last year and clearly has a blast when he performs with the Sussex Wit. I have already put up a video of Johnny and Laura Marling singing 'The Water' recorded in Marling's back garden but for those of you who haven't heard much of the album have a listen to 'Kentucky Pill'- Zane Lowe's Hottest Record in the World back in March or 'Howl':

Lanterns on the Lake.

A band I feel I have feature quite a bit on here and who I was so excited to finally see play live. The Newcastle sextet seemed to captivate the audience. I found myself slowly swaying or being really cliche and closing my eyes to 'appreciate' the folk melodies fusing with the electronic atmosphere. Either way, I found myself rather refreshed when they finished their set. You can read more about them in their Guardian interview here or buy their debut album released little over a month ago on Bella Union - 'Gracious Tide, Take Me Home'. This is 'Lungs Quicken' taken from that very album:

Keston Cobblers' Club.

Are a band I stumbled upon whilst waiting for my phone to charge and were to give me more than a new band to listen as they featured a friend of mine playing a cameo on the tambourine - it was a surreal set. Have a wee listen to their new song I have put up below or check out their website to find out more about this lovely uke/accordion/trumpet/hand clapping band. They will heel your soles!

James Blake.

I think it is safe to say that every single person crammed into the Big Top was not only blown away by the blustery Sunday afternoon weather but by the performance Blake gave. I was fortunate enough to get up close and personal with the barriers at the front and felt incredibly involved in the performance (or as involved as one can be when they are not onstage/playing an instrument/mixing sounds/all of the above). If you already a fan then you can download his new EP here or watch his performance of 'Wilhelm Scream', imagine it louder and with more atmosphere and pretend you were there:

Daughter.

As I headed over to the bandstand, I was pretty excited about the final three acts of my weekend. The bandstand's sunday night line-up included Daughter, Ben Howard and Marcus Foster all three of which were on my 'must-see' list. The wind had really picked up and as Elena Tonra made her way on to the exposed stage it was clear she was going to struggle to keep her guitar plucking fingers warm. But she showed little sign of being bothered by the weather and soldiered on to give a wonderfully understated performance. Listen to her EP here or for a little taste watch this video for 'Run' filmed entirely on a tube train:

Ben Howard.

Although Marcus Foster headlined the Bandstand, Ben Howard kind of upstaged him and became the highlight of the evening. Struggling at first with tech and feedback and clearly freezing, Howard was cheered on by the kind and enthusiastic crowd. He visibly warmed to the audience and it became a snowball of happiness as Howard's performance went from strength to strength. Despite timing restrictions Howard then had to give in to a unanimous demand for an encore - I did feel a little sorry for Marcus having to follow him but Howard really was the best end to my Bestival weekend. He's touring at the moment so catch him if you can!

Till next year Bestival!

*

song of my day part trois

Yesterday I had a reunion type encounter over facebook with two girls I went to school with but haven't seen since. We randomly exchanged remixes like this Jamie Woon Spirits remix or this awesome James Blake remix but best of all, this song was brought up and I remembered just how much I loved it when it first came out:

Just goes to show how music brings people together. Ahh. Lovely.

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!