Gengahr

Best Kept Secret Festival 2015 Review

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This weekend took me to Beekse Bergen, a safari park in Hilvarenbeek in the Netherlands for the third installment of Best Kept Secret Festival. As far as festivals go, it’s still a baby, but with what it has to offer it seems the Dutch have it down. From gourmet food and wooden floors, to wristbands that double as wallets and a keep it green recycling policy, there’s not much more you could want from a three day event. Not to mention its stages hosted acts such as the Libertines, Balthazar, A$AP Rocky, Earl Sweatshirt, Royal Blood, Noel Gallagher and Alt-J, with well thought out schedules which means hardly any clashes.

But that’s not all, for example, the whole festival is cashless. Some UK and other European festivals have started operating a token system when it comes to drinks, but BKS tooks things even further. On your wristband there’s a little plastic chip, which you top up (up to 150 euros a time) and anything you buy whilst inside is done via the balance on your chip. No more scrambling for change, so more losing tokens or paper tickets, your wallet has relocated to your wrist. Which is an even better thing when you realise that the food lineup is almost as good as the music one. Wood fired pizza, smokers that boast delicious pulled pork, vegan friendly cheesecake and stuffed meatballs, it really doesn’t get much better. There’s also a massive tent run by ethically sound TOMS, where for every cup of coffee sold they donate to wateraid, complete with a lounging area that where you can sit, relax, and look out over the huge lake that sits just right of the main stage.

With such entertainment and tents as this, it’s relatively easy to forget why i’ve made it all the way to Holland in the first place, but remembering the line up quickly bring me back.

MUSIC // FRIDAY

Friday saw the likes of two-piece rockers Drenge and the scouse Circa Waves take to the main stage, entertaining crowds with their own version of indie rock, with Stage Two boasting Earl Sweatshirt, who although rocked his set, would probably have been better suited to a later show, but all in good time, as The Jesus and Mary Chain worked the second stage when it came to their set. The evening brought with it stylised folk in the shape of The Tallest Man on Earth, but The Libertines, the ones it seemed everyone was waiting for eventually took to the stage at 10:30pm.

Pete and Carl rocked up, hats and all, and as per usual they did not disappoint. If anyone was wondering what ever did become of the likely lads, I can tell you that they are back and definitely not going anywhere soon. Though last year saw them play a few shows throughout the UK and Europe, their first show of 2015 has meant that they have firmly rooted themselves as rock gods once again. Even standing in the crowd you could feel the energy radiating. With a set list as strong as it could be, including new track Gunga Gin, it was an exciting time for anyone who dare call themselves a fan of the boys in the band.

MUSIC // SATURDAY

Friday came and went and Saturday rolled on through, and with it a tiny bit of sunshine. Vibing up Stage Five were spanish rock quartet Hinds, not yet well known, but ones to watch who kept the energy high and created plenty of fun for the crowd. Belgian blues rockers Balthazar tore up the main stage, lulling us all with melodic riffs, followed shortly by The Vaccines, who are set to cement themselves in the music hall of fame with the *impending release of English Graffiti, and the legend himself Noel Gallagher and his High Flying Birds ending the day on Stage One with his own brand of British indie charm, not to mention a couple of Oasis tracks thrown in for good measure. But Saturday for me was all about Stage two and A$AP Rocky. Not knowing what to expect, I crammed myself into the packed tent ready and waiting for what he had to offer, and though he seemed to not pay much attention to the scheduled stage time (fifteen minutes late) he definitely put on a show, using the backdrop to play self curated clips and images that was set to the music and the whole performance. Something a little different from a hip hop show that was much appreciated.

SUNDAY // MUSIC

By the time sunday came around, the hope for sunshine had definitely evaporated as we seemed to start the day with a heavy downfall, but a bit of torrential rain never stopped me at a festival before and I wasn’t going to let it this time either. With plenty to see, the day kicked off with Wolf Alice, a london group reeling in the excitement of releasing their debut album My Love Is Cool on that day tore up the stage, swiftly followed by Gengahr and then back to the mainstage for some melodic tunes by First Aid Kit. One of the highlights of the day for me however were Royal Blood, who came on complete with extra speakers and stadium lights, just in case anyone had any doubts about the ability of the two piece to put on a show. After getting the crowd a little riled up (must say there’s been a few mixed reviews on their attitude) they ended up putting on one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, and the moshers in the middle seemed to agree. But coming to a Dutch festival, especially one with the vibe of Best Kept Secret, it’s clear the winners of the weekend were Sunday Headliners Alt-J. Paying back to their Dutch fans – they were bigger in Holland than they were in the UK at the beginning of their indie rock reign – the bond became apparent as they ended the festival on a massive high.

Overall, Best Kept Secret has a lot to offer. I must admit the vibe is incredibly different to anything I’ve ever been to before. A bit politer, and a lot more ‘high-end’ its perfect for anyone who likes to listen to some good bands, eat some yummy food surrounded by scenic views and a stunning lake, and lets face it, who doesn’t?

Field Day 2015 Review – Sunday

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Field Day Sunday catered to a more rock and alternative following with a mix of new up-and-coming bands to legends including Patti Smith and Ride. Although the day did not sell out, it provided much more overall engagement from the artists which led to some stellar standout performances.
 

Brooklyn shoe-gaze group DIIV (named after a Nirvana song) formed in 2011 and have since released a debut LP. Looking like they just rolled out of bed, DIIV debuted some new unheard material on the Eat Your Own Ears Stage that sounded promising but slightly missed the mark. Fortunately, they redeemed themselves with playing older, more well known tracks including ‘How Long Have you Known’ and ‘Doused’, both of which received a warm reception from the crowd.
 

A quick sprint to the Verity stage left some time to catch up-and-coming London alt-rock trio Happyness who lit up the stage with their humble persona and chilled guitar sequences.
 

Mac DeMarco is known to always put on a good show and he definitely did not disappoint on the last date of their tour. The constant banter between the band-mates and the crowd led to lots of laughter and eventually to Mac crowd surfing over most of the Eat Your Own Ears stage to rapturous applause. The set did get awkward at times, especially when the band’s guitarist, Andy, got hit square in the face with an orange but this did not deter the band from delivering standout tracks including ‘Brother’, ‘Salad Days’ and a spur of the moment rendition of The Beatles’ ‘Blackbird’ by bassist Pierce (whilst Andy’s guitar was fixed). Love song ‘Together’ and a guitar solo from Andy finished off the set and left the crowd disappointed that it was over.
 

The former frontman of 90s Britpop favourites Supergrass, Gaz Coombes delivered a stellar solo set at the Shacklewell Arms tent. Having released 2 critically acclaimed LPs since going solo, it was of no surprise that Supergrass seemed like a distant memory. Tracks ‘20/20’ and ‘Break The Silence’ were met with strong appreciation and the meaningful and moving track ‘The Girl Who Fell To Earth’ cemented Gaz Coombes as a musician who is capable of anything.

Photos by Carolina Faruolo

Punk-rock legend Patti Smith was a well-received addition to the Field Day line-up. Performing her 1975 album ‘Horses’, the crowd felt every emotion possible – there were smiles, hugs and even tears by the end of the set. The most tear-jerking moment was towards the end of ‘Horses’ when Patti Smith paid tribute to lost musicians including Jimi Hendrix, Lou Reed and Brian Jones amongst others including John Nash. To the crowd’s surprise, more tracks were played including a splendid cover of The Who’s ‘My Generation’ to finish and ultimate crowd pleaser ‘Because the Night’.
 

Another up-and-coming indie group, five-piece Londoners Gengahr filled the Verity tent with a smooth, easy listening sound perfect for the summer weather. Echoing vocals and clever time sequences showed the crowd that they are full of surprises and do not hesitate to push the boundaries, however small or large they might be. Gengahr are definitely a band to watch.
 

London’s Savages caused quite a buzz around Field Day as they had not played a UK show for quite some time but they truly stood out. Tearing up the Shacklewell Arms stage to a packed out crowd, front woman Jehnny Beth oozed confidence and cool, crowd surfing through the audience and fuelling the already rowdy crowd to get even rowdier. ‘City’s Full’ kicked off the set with new material quickly following.  Jehnny informed the crowd of a new record in the works and vented her frustration of the current political climate with a short, snappy track – ‘Fucker’ and ended the set with gritty track ‘Husbands’. From what we saw of today’s set, Savages will only keep getting better and better.
 

Dutch 24-year-old Jacco Gardner sounds (and looks) like something straight from the 60s with his echoing high vocals and psych-pop guitar melodies. Playing the Verity tent to a packed out crowd, Jacco Gardner’s vocals sadly got lost at times and therefore did not have the same effect as on record.
 

Ride’s headline set was a big deal – it was a reunion. Their debut album ‘Nowhere’ still holds the status as one of the best shoe-gaze albums (and one you should listen to before you die!). This was their first gig together as a full band in twenty years, which led to a lot of emotional people in the crowd at the Eat Your Own Ears stage. Ride played so tightly together that you never would have guessed they ever broke up. Career-spanning tracks played included ‘Birdman’ and ‘Leave Them All Behind’, which closed this year’s Field Day. 

Photos by Carolina Faruolo

Live At Leeds Festival Review

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The first event on the festival calendar saw a multitude of British and international bands and artists descend to a number of venues across a sunny Leeds on Saturday, with an expansion of sounds fitting the bill – from chart topping electronic with strings quartet, Clean Bandit to two-man rock duo, Royal Blood, both drawing massive crowds.

“Aren't there a lot of bands that sound like the toilet music”, says a man commenting on Nation of Shopkeepers choice of bathroom music, saying “I’m into my experimental electronic music but this just sounds like Fuck Buttons”.

Three-piece ‘NME Radar’ guitar band, Blaenavon, drew an unexpectedly busy crowd to cool bar-come-gig-venue, Nation of Shopkeepers, with an early 1pm set. Performing tracks from their Koso E.P, the young and impressive trio sound like a mix of Maccabees-esque gliding riffs in Prague, which are contrasted with the emotive Wu Lyf-like atmosphere in tracks, Gods, and Wunderkind. With just a handful of songs under their belt, an album is surely in the pipeline for the talented Hampshire trio.

Swiftly pacing across the city to catch Wet’s debut visit to the UK at cool underground venue, The Hifi Club, the Brooklyn trio supply futuristic dream-pop for the Soundcloud and Apple Mac generation. Performing the entirety of their debut Dreams E.P, they mix the electronic synths of Chvrches with the chilled out melancholic storytelling of The XX. Set opener, "Don’t Wanna Be Your Girl" and new track "Bad Idea" showcase singer, Kelly Zutrau’s effortless crystal vocals before she explains to the music-savvy crowd: “This is out first time in Leeds and in the UK – we’re having a lot of fun." Dreams and No Lie, also of the E.P, create a swaying, breezy fantasy atmosphere before penultimate single, You’re The Best, which is currently receiving daytime support on Radio One from Fearne Cotton and Zane Lowe. With added house synths, it receives an impressive reaction with most of the crowd singing along – it’s sure to be a future hit, especially with the major label bidding war which is currently engulfing Wet’s futuristic R&B productions.

Next up, London based Gengahr performed to a busy crowd at the Belgrave Centre. With pitch-shifted vocals sounding similar to Unknown Mortal Orchestra, this is one of their first live shows. Summery foot-tapper, She's A Witch is a perfect indie track which sees the floppy haired young singer bop on the spot. Huw Stephens supported single, Fill My Gums With Blood, sounds sweet and soft despite the grizzly connotations of the tracks title. Clocking in at just 20 minutes, it’s a short-but-sweet set of endearing and exciting tracks – hopefully we’ll hear more from Gengahr in time for the summer.

SFG take an hour break to recharge batteries (physical and phones) before arriving back at the Hifi club to see electronic producer, Tourist who has recently toured with Disclosure play a late afternoon set. His blend of chill-wave house and electronica translates well to a packed, mixed-age crowd. William Philips aka Tourist introduces himself, saying: "I'm Tourist, I haven’t been here for a while, and it’s nice to be back”, before building electronic synths silence whispered murmurs in the crowd. Opening with Lies, a crowd pleasing remix of popular Glasgow synth-poppers, Chvrches, it’s a clever start. It could be expected that Tourist’s house beats and bass popping grooves are more night time friendly but the crowd still seem to still love it. Meanwhile, William energetically bops around behind his synth touch-pad and laptop. Later, I Can't Keep Up and Together from the new Patterns E.P bring him the biggest crowd of the day so far, with people still piling in during the last song. The penultimate track, a remix of Haim’s, The Wire, which featured on the LA sisters deluxe album ignites a carnival like energy with Jamie XX-like percussion beats soaring through the room before final E.P title track, Patterns ends the impressive set. With impressive sets like this one, Tourist’s atmospheric, forward-thinking sound will sit perfectly at outdoor festivals this summer. Make sure to catch him at one.

Darlia, who perform to a busy Cockpit crowd at the other end of the city, are three young lads from Blackpool making Nirvana influenced 90’s rock revival – lead singer Nathan Day, even looks like Kurt Cobain. Pronounced by Radio 1’s Playlist boss Nigel Harding, as “the most exciting new guitar band in the UK”, it’s difficult to argue against the statement. Playing a 30-minute set of heavy guitars and drums, they sound a lot heavier live than on record. Animal Kingdom and the infectious Queen of Hearts, the latter harkening to the sound of Smells Like Teen Spirit. Later, the audience revel in joining in for the chorus of current single Candyman, which translates far rawer, grittier and scuzzier in a live environment. The sweaty and loud, Cockpit is the perfect venue for their rock ‘n’ roll barrage to really make you take notice before they hit the big-time with a slot booked at Leeds Festival in August.

Two-piece rock outfit, Royal Blood, who have just announced a support slot on The Pixies US tour, attracted the biggest crowd of the day, with the queue stretching far beyond the confines of Leeds Metropolitan Univeristy, where the duo were unleashing their faultless energy. SFG were even lucky to get in, with press restricted to a one-in-one-out rule. New single, Come On Over’s heavy riffs make it sound as though there at least four band members before the singles Little Monster and Out of the Black encourage a circle pit in the crowd centre. Royal Blood really are the next big thing, ever since their NME Award Show and SXSW slots, they've multiplied in fans wanting to see them.

Running over half hour late due to technical problems, R&B crooner/ rapper Raleigh Ritchie, says they must keep the set quite short but doesn't let that dampen his spirit. He bounces across the stage telling engaging stories of growing up and gaining independence in Stronger Than Ever and Freefall, the latter about being sad in a cit. Later, before Keep It Simple, Raleigh tells his debut album will be out by the end of the year. Ending with set highlight, 2013 single, Bloodsport, the technical problems have been forgotten and he’s managed to captivate the crowd with an emotive, ‘give it your all’ vocal performance.

Later, Circa Waves expectedly pack out The Cockpit with a circle pit ensuing ten minutes in to the set during popular single Good For Me. Catch My Breath sounds like if The Vaccines stamping choruses met Vampire Weekend’s catchy indie riffs. The upbeat indie-pop of Stuck in My Teeth and Fossils quickly follow, before frontman Keiran Shuddall teases the crowd saying: "It's been very special for us – anyone going to Leeds festival? Well see you there.”

Chart-topping electronic with classical strings quartet Clean Bandit, headlined the 02 Academy with an important hour set, justifying their soon-to-be big name festival headlining status. Chilled openers, Rihanna and A&E impress with effortless guest vocals. It’s been a long time coming for them, but the success of Rather Be, which stole the top of the charts for a month is set to be followed up by new single, Extraordinary – both of which get an outing tonight. The Cambridge-graduates fit the large stage perfectly with colourful visuals of their EP covers placed neatly behind the set while pulsing house beats move the crowd throughout new track, Heart on Fire. Older tech-house track, Mozart’s House asks the question whether electronic music is boring? Certainly not, judging from tonight’s crowd who lap up every chart ready track. Later, Nightingale is mixed into the deep-house Gorgon City remix before they mix things up with their own rendition of Show Me Love. Clean Bandit are impossible to dislike, fusing every genre of music into their own concoction of strings, house, pop and R&B, their live shows have become a phenomenal spectacle.

Catering for the masses with a range of acts across a multitude of genres and a friendly atmosphere throughout, Live At Leeds, showcased new bands in their prime, most of which will be playing big-player, Reading & Leeds Festival – be sure to catch them there!

Photos by Heather Berrisford