Concord are a Local youth band that have been running for the past 25 years which shows that neither the enthusiasm nor the popularity in brass bands has not waned. With musicians ranging trumpets up to the Sousaphone gave for an impressive sound. Backing up the brass with double of everything in the percussion section. This giving a strong filling to the brass section made for an impressive sound.
Nisha Lall is a name that some people might recognise, as this dancer led a 600 people dance in Slumdog Millionaire. Whilst this time she isn’t leading 600 people in the dance she did manage to persuade a few people to dance along with them during their performance. With no intimate knowledge of Bollywood it’s hard to say whether its good by Bollywood standards but from the average joe perspective the performance was top notch.
Hip Hop/Reggae mash up group K,O,G are bringing forward some great vocal work both in the singing and rapping departments. With lots energy in the performance, with some of the lyrics having some political inflections mixed with the danceability of reggae and 2-tone made for a great set.
So back to dancing acts with Wildstyle Crew, a breakdancing group from Stoke. With both solo dancing from the crew plus group routines made for an interesting act from these youngsters.
The first act on the New Music Stage today Hey Sholay have a soft and subtle electronic making a dreamy feel to their blend of Indie Pop. Getting a large crowd for their set boded well for their set. With plenty of energy on stage and some unusual but pleasant music made for very enjoyable listening.
Nedry – © Joni Andrews
Imagine Bjork had listened to Dubstep (pretending that Dubstep has been around for longer than Bjork), it would probably sound something like Nedry. With a deeply electronic vibe to the music with strong bass with some subtle guitar work added made for an interesting sound. With the vocalist using loops to create not only dual vocal harmonies but also multiple vocal parts allowed for some amazing ideas to be played out. Overall a great set from these people.
Eagulls were quite bizarre, but a good noisy Post-Punk stylings bizarre. With many of the band members moving around spastically on stage made for a fun set to watch. These guys were odd, a good odd that were entertaining a definitely worth catching live.
Elsewhere Reason 4 are on the mainstage, they are your typical boyband. Having come up through the ranks in reality TV show The X-Factor they are slowly but surely gaining a reputation and a following. They may not be rubbing shoulders with fellow competitors JLS but give them another year and a few singles their moment might still come.
The next band up are about as much of a rockband as we are going to see on the main stage today. Ivyrise play with a lot of confidence which is obviously transferred from their frontman Ben Falinski. The band themselves remind me of what 30 Seconds To Mars would have been like if Jared Leto hadn’t of pumped his money into them.
Rizzlekicks are similar to last years act Beat Bullyz bringing a rap and hip hop feel that is more like Will Smith than Jay Z. Their set is short but sweet but is nothing more than a quick fix with many of the crowd gathering to see the next two artists.
Pixie Lott – © Jason Broadhurst
The crowd is now packed out on Devonshire Green for one of the main acts today. Pixie Lott brings her mainstream pop hits ‘Girls & Boys’ and ‘Mama Do’ to a sun soaked day. Many people will see her as the real headline act today and as far as her popular status goes they might be right but by this performance even her best hits don’t make her stand out against anything that has been on before.
The guy the girls have all been waiting for X-Factor runner up Olly Murs makes his second appearance at the festival having made a brief appearance on the main stage last year. Armed with a debut album for this time around, he receives the biggest reception of the weekend so far, as the crowd scream and cheer for him all through his set.
Being a mash up of various artist from different bands and artists its easy to think Young Legionaire might not work as a band but some how they pull it off. With the sun shinning down directly down onto the band its hard to focus on them for long periods of time but they manage to pull off a good set of post-hardcore noise.
Dananananaykroyd are fronted by two rather eccentric frontmen. As soon as the first note is struck Calum Gunn and John Baillie Jnr race to the crowd embracing them in their arms offering out hugs. Opening number Reboot gets the crowd jumping up and down before they get the crowd on the ground only to jump back up again. I absolutely loved their performance giving a 110% onstage they are one of the highlights of today and maybe the entire festival so far.
Closing the New Music Stage tonight is an 8 piece band by the name of Los Campesinos!. After slowly but surely gathering a hardcore fanbase the crowd is here in numbers tonight. With 8 members in this band there is plenty of depth to their music and they are fantastic to watch. The blend from quiet keyboard melodies to straight up indie rock is something quite special and I can’t wait to hear or see them again. Between Los Campesinos! and Dananananaykroyd this is a great way to end an amazing days worth of free music.
Words and photos: Jason Broadhurst & Joni Andrews
