Graham Tarrant

Review – Graham Tarrant

Fontaines DC came on stage at Southampton’s Guildhall with a deserved confident swagger. Commencing with ‘A Hero’s Death’, the song heralded singer Grian Chatten’s anxiety that their follow up album not being able to match the swift instant success of their debut.

With both their debut albums nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, these fears were in vain, and the band certainly warrant their hype. It’s no wonder this show sold out with Dublin’s finest post-punk band having headlined their first festival this summer. Despite the pandemic still raging on, it was great to see the venue full again, with the necessity of covid passes or a negative lateral flow-test to gain entry should you have been lucky enough to get a ticket early.

Comparisons with The Fall would be easy to make, but lazy as they’ve outgrown this as they made clear singing ‘ Don’t Get Stuck In The Past.’ There is more than a hint of The Pogues lyricism mixed in for good measure on tracks such as ‘Roy’s Tune’, mixed with the ferocious energy of Joy Division’s on ‘ Hurricane Laughter’ and ‘Televised Mind.’ In fact, the singer has also perfected late Ian Curtis’ stare as he prowled the stage. 

Leaving the stage for the first time to rabble-rousing anthem ‘Boys in the Better Land’, Grian sang ‘If you’re a rock star, porn star, superstar, doesn’t matter who you are/Get yourself a good car and get out of here’.

Hopefully more venues in Southampton will be full again soon, but this will certainly be one of the gigs of the year in the city no matter what.  

End of the Road is a festival for people passionate about music. Set halfway between Salisbury and Blandford in Dorset, this years festival didn’t disappoint. With such an eclectic mix, it was appropriate that the main tent was sponsored by the ‘Loud and Quiet’ independent publication. No two words at each end of the musical spectrum sum up the performances over the magical weekend.

Stereolab headlined the Thursday night, with their first set since before the pandemic in March 2020. Clearly the bandhad initial stage nerves, but launching their biggest hit, French Disko, they renamed it ‘F**k the Daily Telegraph‘, presumably due to the chorus ‘La Resistance‘. Long gone are the days when festival would be three day affairs beginning on the Friday – such is the power of End of the Road’s attraction that they can attract such talent when people used to be accustomed to setting up their tent and perusing the merch stalls on opening night.

The political messages continued into Saturday morning, with the Mark Jenkin’s film ‘Bait‘ starting proceedings for the day. One of the defining British films of the decade, it portrayed beautifully the war between the local Cornish fishermen and the gentrification of the once-thriving village by rich city folk. Welsh musician Gwenno accompanied the film in person with a mesmerising score.

Later in the day as the sun began setting, Damon Albarn appeared as special guest on the main stage. Clearly enjoying himself and goofing around onstage, he mixed solo material, Gorillaz and The Good, the Bad and the Queen tracks, it was an impressive addition to the bill. Finishing with classic Blur song ‘This is a Low‘, it was a difficult act to follow or compete with. The only downside was that while Damon played the main Woods stage, Arlo Parks was booked to play the Garden stage at the same time – such a crime for there to be a clash pulling fans apart when people still haven’t developed the ability to be in two places at the same time. Still, she was booked over 12 months ago to play in 2020 so it shows the astute ear and crystal ball the organisers have for upcoming talent.

To beat Damon and Arlo Parks, the festival would have to pull out impressive headliners. And they did.

Hot Chip and John Grant would later be booked at competing stages as headliners on the same evening. Having chosen to see Hot Chip, it would have taken an unreal performance to have stolen the show from them. They were simply on fire with arguably the best headline show of the summer at any festival. This may sound like over-the-top praise, but in addition to their own classic pop and funk, they mixed in the mosh-pit frenzy of Beastie Boys classic ‘Sabotage‘ and finished appropriately with Springsteen’s ‘Dancing in the Dark‘.

Saturday began again with another Welsh six-piece, Melin Melyn – with catchy eccentric pop with a country twang. Joined by Dr Sausage onstage with a fake wig, beard and easel, they felt like a fresh new Super Furry Animals.

Later on Saturday, Anna Meredith dazzled the crowd with her self-defacing charm. Her music straddled so many different genres it would be unwise to categorise her, but she is a must-see on any lineup. Finishing with an unbelievable cover of ‘Enter Sandman’ which Metallica would have been proud of, it’s clear why she was even awarded an MBE on the Queen’s honours list in 2019.

Making a rare solo performance, Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood followed on the Garden Stage. Introducing a number of classical songs from soundtracks to There Will Be Blood, Phantom Thread, and You Were Never Really Here it was a unique concert experience. He’ll be playing a number of cathedrals and concert halls throughout 2022 and the acoustics in such venues will make this an exceptional experience.

Sunday began with a had a hard rock feel with Oldboy and John taking to the Big Top. Ear-splittingly loud, the two-piece (both appropriately called John), highlight how many exciting bands are currently out there, from Slaves, Royal Blood and IDLES.

Later, Porridge Radio took to the same stage, with singer and lead guitarist Dana Margolin rinsing her head under the tap multiple times before taking to the stage due to the sheer heat on the festival site.

Clearly it was a beautiful weekend on the festival site, and the peacocks rummaging around the grounds added to the beauty of the weekend. Simon Amstell’s comedy performance even described the crowd as the ‘forest people’ which was apt due to the magical transformation Larmer Tree gardens took for the weekend.

Heckled by sheep in the field behind, it was hard not to laugh at many of the comedy performances throughout the weekend.

Finishing off the weekend were Black Country New Road, with someone in the crowd shouting ‘you’re the best band in the world’ – not quite yet, but watch this space.

Little Simz followed and arguably the rapper should have been booked as a headliner, such was the power of her performance. Her album is entitled ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert‘, but that personality was not on show today – she was here to party in style and show the world, or at least Dorset, what a star she will be.

After Little Simz, watching Arab Strap showed the contrast of the festival. Aidan Moffat’s very dark but humorous lyrics painted him as a grumpy old Father Christmas, and it was clear many in the crowd didn’t see the comedic elements of the Scottish legends.

With many bands booked throughout the weekend having to cancel either due to Covid or travel restrictions, 2022 at End of the Road cannot come soon enough. With legends and Bowie favourites Pixies expected to headline, the next twelve months can’t pass quick enough so we can all head back to this incredible unique festival.

Words & Photos: Graham Tarrant

The definition of the word ‘Victorious‘:

‘Victorious’ – _{^{/vɪkˈtɔːrɪəs/ – adjective}} – having won a victory; triumphant.

Based on this definition, the name is definitely appropriate to this years festival, returning to the coast at Southsea in style, with an impressive line up and glorious sunshine.

The Lottery Winners kicked off the proceedings and it was good to see they don’t take themselves too seriously. Ferociously catchy songs were the perfect starter to get the crowd warmed up. On a similar note, Terrorvision followed and it was pop-rock all the way, culminating in the crowd singalong ‘Tequila‘.

Criminally, Peter Hook and the Light only had a 40 minute slot, and the legendary bass player shone. Playing Joy Division and New Order classics arguably better than their singer Bernard Sumner two years’ prior in their headline slot in 2019, Hooky certainly had more stage presence, bravado and crowd engagement.

Despite equipment problems, Feeder returned to Victorious with a blistering set. The Kooks followed and it’s amazing to think it has been 15 years since their debut album – their feel good songs still sounded just as fresh. Ending with hit Naive, there was no lack of experience in their set.

Madness clearly have a huge loyal fan base, with the crowd sporting more fez than a Moroccan wedding. The nutty boys came on stage smoking, but played hit after hit to their adoring fans. Questioning how many old Etonians have led the country on ‘Bullingdon Boys’, Suggs brought the politics and it’s good to see they still have a message to make. Finishing with ‘Always Look on the bright side of life‘, the crowd went home happy on Friday night.

At Victorious, organisers cunningly book a special guest early who may be found headlining other festivals to draw the crowd on site early. Saturday kicked off in style with Craig David and TS5 this year – fortunately he was delayed by an hour due to the sheer traffic trying to get on site to see him.  For those who haven’t seen his TS5 sets, Craig combines his ability to sing, MC and work the crowd while DJing. Mixing his own songs with the likes of Whitney Houston and TLC, everyone was on their feet dancing, including the security.

Stereo MC’s followed stepping it up, looking like a mix between Steptoe & Son and a long lost Chuckle Brother, while Morcheeba brought class and elegance to Portsmouth. Singer Skye made her own luscious dress and aptly played their hit ‘The Sea‘ next to the coast.

Local legend Frank Turner was up next, lamenting how he had memories of coming to Portsmouth to play and leaving with a stinking hangover. Having a shot of spirits, it was great to see him live in the flesh, so to speak, after he’s done so many zoom charity gigs for local venues closed due to covid lockdown.

Festival crowd pleasers Blossoms took to the main Common Stage while Reef blew down the walls at the Castle Stage with a blistering set.

Rag’n’Bone man truly was a giant on before the headliner. Arguably, based on the size of the crowds, Rory aka Rag should have taken the slot at the top of the bill – his voice was so strong even when belting out his ballads. The crowd repeatedly requested Human and he didn’t disappoint.

Richard Ashcroft was due to headline the Saturday night at the castle stage, but was replaced by welsh legends Manic Street Preachers. Arguably this was an upgrade for the crowd and anyone questioning a simple lateral flow test to gain entry shouldn’t be booked for these events – hopefully Mr Ashcroft’s sound engineers won’t bother earthing his guitar next time he complains about basic safety measures in place.

The Streets played the main stage after Rag’n’Bone donated his champagne to the headliners and clearly the crowd weren’t quite ready for what followed. Mike Skinner was clearly in the mood for a party – encouraging women to show the blokes how to crowd surf in exchange for a bottle of bubbly, he ended up spraying the Moet over everyone. Comically, he pitted the Portsmouth locals against the Southampton visitors, stoking the local south-coast rivalry, and encouraged everyone to jump in the sea after his set…maybe a swim would have been less painful than leaving the full car park after the fireworks.

Sunday began with positive vibes when legendary Annie Mac took the legends guest slot early afternoon. Mixing Balearic beats in the sun was the perfect start to get the day going. Liverpool legends Cast followed with the first classic version of ‘Alright’ of the day with singer John Power in his glasses and long hair increasingly turning into another Liverpudlian, Lennon.

Miles Kane brought an adoring audience to the stage, but like the churros sold nearby, it felt slightly more style over substance with fairly forgettable treats lacking any real memorability. Over on the Castle Stage, sporty Melanie C really got the crowd jumping. As well as her own solo material, she ably made up for her missing Spice Girls, singing 2BecomeOne and Who Do You Think You Are. It’s clear who the one with the talent was, especially when she also covered Touch Me In The Morning…

It was so good to see Supergrass back together on the main stage, with their own version of ‘Alright‘. With so many great songs, it was so much more enjoyable than Gaz Coombes solo performance years prior.

Bringing the show to a close were two strong headliners (well three if you include Clean Bandit’s DJ set on the Seaside Stage.) Two piece Royal Blood, with their unique sound were back strong for their first festival performance since the band’s third album ‘Typhoons’ became their third successive UK Number One. Blasting out bass solos and the occasional drum solo, the band finished with ‘Figure It Out.’

Talking of figuring it out, the only person who could rival Royal Blood was Nile Rodgers on the Castle Stage at the same time. The word legend is often used freely, but it truly applies to this man. As well as classic Chic songs, Nile mixed in his other work, including Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky‘ and Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance‘

Finishing with his classic song, the weekend can’t be summed up better than:

Good times
These are the good times
Leave your cares behind
These are the good times

Words and photographs: © Graham Tarrant