I arrived at the park just before 1pm and swiftly entered thanks to an efficient entry gate and the fact that it was earlier than most people would arrive (and got my bag checked today so that’s always good!). Of course this was after passing at least half a dozen ticket touts on the way in asking to buy tickets and offering to sell them. They really do need to get a better job and also work out that there’s no point harassing people who already have wristbands on.
Before I come to the individual bands, the overall feel of the Saturday was that the bands were more evenly spaced through the stages quality-wise, but also it was now more tricky to see every band and more decisions had to be made over who I wanted to see more than others, but I still tried to catch at least a little of each artist.
Whereas on Friday the quality was to be found mostly on the Raise the Roof stage this one was a little less consistent on the Saturday and there were some better ones on the main stage. I’ll talk more about them later when I come to the act but there were also some more performance artists around the day which, at times, were actually an annoyance near to the acts. Also, and this is on a personal note, I’m not sure whether there’s much point to performance artists. I assume they are there to gee up the crowd but when, as there is now, so much to do away from the stage at BML they just come across as people getting paid to do wacky things in wacky costumes with no real purpose whilst also getting in the way. Maybe I’m missing the point?
During the course of the day I got to try out a few other things I’d not had chance to on the Friday. I enjoyed the real ale talent though was disappointed to find they had no real ciders on, which I think is a real missed opportunity. I also spotted people graffiting a van as part of what I assume was a workshop but it wasn’t really clear if people could take part in it.
Finally, and this is another personal point, but during the day I took some notes on the acts as I listened to refer back to on this blog. At least three people made sarcastic comments about wanting to sign their name in my book. In a festival where there were people dressed as bananas, Dick Dasterdly, Bananaman, George from Rainbow and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, among others, where kids carry huge piles of cups to claim back the money for them, and where some performance artists were going round dressed as MC Hammer with a massive ghettoblaster, the weirdest thing they saw to comment on was a chap with a small notepad? Weird.
Anyway, onto today’s acts, in stage order…
Main Stage
Scandal
Not a good start, I missed this band.
The Chevin
The Chevin were a loud, pumping, indie-rock band but I struggled to get a good grasp of their songs as the lead vocals got lost in the mix on the louder numbers. The first half of the set that I caught was OK but there was little in the way of hooks or stand out numbers or crowd engagement, but as they moved on from acoustic-style ‘Blue Eyes’ into single ‘Champion’ and closer ‘Drive’ they redeemed themselves with some more multi-faceted tracks and some good choruses, and a bit more crowd engagement. Not a bad start to the day but not as strong as I would have liked. (5/10)
Black Spiders
I missed the beginning of the set, coming in at ‘Dance Like A Woman’, a great track that captured the audience and they had plenty of stage presence. Mixing in 70s-rock with more modern metal styles, the vocals were clear and they got a mosh pit going early. Perhaps a little clichéd but enjoyable to hear. (6/10)
The Jim Jones Revue
A band much rockier than their name would suggest, track ‘Shoot First’ was a highlight and the band employed some fun synth lines in their records, rocking it up after ‘Black Spiders’ but with better tunes. They performed lots of catchy synth-pop-rock with some tinges of 50s style in places and were good to hear. (6.5/10)
Space
This was the first band on the main stage that surprised me. I knew of their name and knew they had a hit I really liked (but couldn’t originally put my finger on it – it was ‘Female of the Species’) but actually there was far more from this band that I knew and, on the day, really enjoyed.
I got to them just in time to hear the fantastic ‘Avenging Angels’ which was brought to life by the on-stage band, and then a song referencing armaggedon, which I didn’t catch the title of, which was equally good. With the keyboard player adopting a fez – they are cool now, apparently – their catchy, uptempo ska tunes went really down with me and the crowd. ‘Begin Again’ was a pop hit when they played it and they were on top-form live, and we were also treated to perhaps the wackiest hit of the weekend in ‘Attack of the Mutant 50-Foot Kebab’ which, though weird sounding, was a catchy song with some sci-fi sound effects thrown in for good measure.
Hits ‘Neighbourhood’ and ‘Female of the Species’ were also played and both got the crowd going, with the distinctive xylophone riff of the second track lighting up the crowd. ‘Me and You Verses The World’ brought the set to a great sing-a-long end, cementing this set as one of my favourites so far. Plus, they were great on stage and the singer even got down into the crowd at one point. (8.5/10)
Delilah
After a delayed appearance on set Delilah arrived to deliver a shortened set of her songs, including ‘Breathe’ and her new single that adapts ‘2 People’, which she labelled as the ‘dirtiest song of the year’ thanks to its slow, sensual delivery and innuendo lyrics. Complimented by some live drums and a keyboardist, I think Delilah has a great voice but her material lets her down as nothing but the ‘2 People’ sample and the couple of quick covers she did really grabbing me. The crowd didn’t really get behind her and she kept going on about technical difficulties even though everything sounded fine to me, whereas she should have just carried on, but that will come with experience. Great voice, not a particularly engaging live act sandwiched between Space and what would come next. (5/10)
The Pigeon Detectives
This was a band I really wanted to see live so made sure I was there for it, and I’m glad I was. Though there set had several songs I wasn’t familiar with these were delivered so well and had good enough choruses that it didn’t really matter, but it was the big singles they played – ‘Take Her Back’, ‘This Is An Emergency’, ‘Everybody Wants Me’ and ‘I Found Out’ that got the crowd really going, thanks to an energetic performance from the lead singer, where he would climb on the drum kit, run up to the cameras and generally bring the set to life, and a great effort to get the crowd involved, possibly one of the best I’ve seen at BML2012. Plus the set had the highlight for me of things between songs where the lead singer asked everyone to try and hit him with a bottle in a 30-second window for £20 and to watch all these things hit the stage, all missing him. It doesn’t seem much written down but seen live was hilarious. A great set of music delivered with energy and humour and one of the best acts of the day. (9/10)
DJ Fresh presents Fresh Live
I didn’t get to see all of this set as I wanted to see other things and also it didn’t really grab me. This year’s ‘Chase and Status’, it was trying to replicate them with the female singer and MC backed up by DJ Fresh but it certainly didn’t have the visual spectacle of last year’s set with all the graphics to go with the songs or, indeed, the material. I didn’t get a chance to hear ‘Hot Right Now’ but ‘Tarantula’ which I think was the song that opened kicked it off well, but the next few songs were just stretched out until they got a little boring. Throw in an MC that kept shouting out the same things to the crowd and it didn’t really excite me enough. If some more visuals could be put in and some bigger tunes as he gets bigger then it’s promising, but at the moment wasn’t that exciting. (5/10)
Razorlight
I’m sorry Razorlight, I can’t really review you as I was at the other stage listening to the Lancashire Hotpots which cut into your set by fifty minutes. After the energy of that, see below, I came to the main stage and it was a much lower key affair with two songs that were quieter (the PA seemed much quieter at this point too) and I wanted something more bouncy after the Hotpot set. I really wanted to hear Razorlight – ‘America’, ‘In The Morning’ etc – as I love those tunes but I’d be hotpotted out, so I went home. I’ll try and catch you again later.
Raise the Roof Stage
The Milk
Kicking off with a strong act, this 4-piece band really set the stage alight early with tracks such as ‘Broke Up The Family’, with its clap along section and great guitar riffs, followed by the slower ‘B Roads’, showcasing a tight band with well-polished songs, as tasty as the free Soreen malt loaf being handed around at this point. Third track ‘Mr Motivator’ was a more settled back, but great track, and although I then left the set to check out other areas, what I’d heard was great and would want to catch them again. (7/10)
Maquipucuna
With an eclectic mix of instruments on stage including a bull fiddle, flute, guitar, drums and accordion, they brought an eccentric mix of instrumental songs to the stage with titles as unpronounceable as their band name. With elements of the Zorba dance style of speeding up music, the tunes had a Middle Eastern feel and including at least one track from Northern Bulgaria. It was a refreshing change from the other bands we’d had and it was great music to chill too, but the lack of structure to the songs made it difficult to grab onto, but they did some good interacting with the crowd and it would be music you’d want to grab a drink and listen to, but not sure if it fitted in with the festival atmosphere. (5.5/10)
Lilygreen and Maguire
My biggest disappointment of the day was not coming to this act sooner. Consisting of two men on acoustic guitars I arrived to hear their folky mash-up of Price Tag / Mr Brightside / Lazy Song / Someone Like You / Don’t Stop Believing / No Woman No Cry which was musically excellent and hilarious in equal measure, with a marvellous adaptation of the clichéd crowd call and response section. They finished on their own composition called ‘Ain’t Love Crazy’ which sounded great and their style of not taking themselves too seriously whilst also delivering some quality singable tunes was infectious. (8/10)
Karima Francis
Francis was one of the artists I really wanted to see on the day as I’ve enjoyed her singles so far but she had a lot to contend with on the day. Firstly, the heavy rock band on the nearby stage – see below – were so loud you couldn’t really make out her first two singles, plus she was interrupted several times by the annoying MC Hammer performance artists who punctuated her quiet, reflective songs by bursts of songs from their ghettoblaster, until somebody told them to shift. After this interrupted start I could enjoy her music but she did come across as a nervous stage presence though did try to pull in the crowd. Her live performance of single ‘Glory Days’ was great and ‘Forgiven’ a quieter affair, but her other songs were a little too quiet overall and reflective to really grab me. She did offer for her to come round to someone’s house to play as, this being her last festival date she would miss touring, which I’d love to take her up on as I think she’s really talented but struggled on the stage due to several factors. Sounding a little Alanis Morissette at times, she came across as very friendly and likeable on stage but as a live presence was not as good as I’d looked forward to. But I do think the distance from the stages or which acts compete will need to be looked at for next year. (6/10)
Jake Bugg
As Delilah was delayed it gave me the opportunity to check out Jake Bugg, who had probably the biggest crowd at the stage all day, but I’m not sure why. I found his songs whiney and his vocal style not to my taste. Song ‘Two Fingers’ was a better track with a much catchier and perkier style and there was elements I enjoyed but it wasn’t really my cup of tea, but I’m probably going against the flow here as I did overhear people saying how much they enjoyed him. I just didn’t. (4/10)
We Were Evergreen
Sorry – didn’t have chance to come and see you!
King Charles
Another act on the stage that got a massive crowd, this Prince-esque singer with a very regal look, supported by his backing band had a big stage presence. I’ll confess his first two songs didn’t grab me so I went elsewhere for music, but came back to hear his last track which was an updated cover of Billy Joel’s ‘We Didn’t Start The Fire’ complete with some real uptempo instruments and a crowd-grabbing feel. With all the positive vibes afterwards perhaps I missed something great, but the opening of his set didn’t really do it for me, but it’s someone I’ll perhaps look for again. (5/10)
This set was memorable though for me getting trapped between the lead singer and a gaggle of girls and older women as I was at the barrier waiting the next act and he came over, trapping me in the group as I tried to push out away from photos and screaming fans. Whoever he is he has a big cult following.
The Lancashire Hotpots
Having seen them live many times before I was in a quandary over whether to see them again or go and check out Razorlight, who I’ve not seen and wanted to see, but as you can guess from my review above I stuck with the Hotpots. My intention was to stay until Razorlight came on or till the end of what will be a short set and then catch up. What I wasn’t expecting was an hour-and-ten minute full set, comparable with what you get when you see them on their own. And what a set. Although it was similar to what I’d seen a few months earlier there are few bands that grab the crowd like they do, and I was glad to see a sizeable audience choosing them over Razorlight. Bringing all their big hits to the crowd including ‘He’s Turned Emo’ and ‘Chippy Tea’, we also got ‘Let’s Get Leathered’, ‘Bitter, Cider, Lager, Ale, Stout’, ‘I Fear Ikea,’ ‘CHAV’, ‘The Beer Olympics’, ‘Shopmability Scooter’ and ‘Cinema Smugglers’, plus the conga-inducing ‘A Lancashire DJ’, even if the multiple congas did collide and then fall apart, plus the inspired ‘Bang Bang Thump Thump Dance Megamix’ to bring it to a close. With some great stage banter, a percussion banana and a crowd that were happy to get engaged with whatever they asked them to do, this was a definite highlight of the night even if I’d seen it before and it was what a lot of the crowd were talking about as we waited in the station for the train home. I don’t know what Razorlight were like but I doubt their set was as energetic, hilarious and singable as this was. (9/10)
Musicians Centre Stage
Return to Aljustrel
Sorry – didn’t get there to see you!
Talking to Strangers
I felt sorry for this band. They rocked the small crowd that were there to see them with their opening songs including ‘Echo’ but they suffered from a poor mix that made the lead singer’s vocals difficult to hear and on at least two occasions the PA gave up and had to be rebooted. I don’t know what was causing the technical problems but it knocked their set back, though the singer was professional in carrying on and not letting it affect them. That said their tunes, including ‘Breakdown’, didn’t really have their own identity, though whether that was down to the sound I don’t know, but this young band will grow into something good, hopefully without sound issues and an identifying big hit. (5/10)
Control Is Dead
I can’t decide whether ‘Control Is Dead’ cheated or not. Their set was punctuated mostly by covers compared to the other bands who mostly rested on their own material, but it actually worked for me as it gave me something to hook onto that I knew before hearing something they’d done. Their cover of ‘I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor’ by the Arctic Monkeys was perfect and though their ‘Mr Brightside’ was as vocally strong as the original, but the mix of vocals worked, their spirited go at ‘Killing In The Name Of’ got the crowd going at the end, though having a song with so many f-bombs in it next to the kid’s area must have raised a few eyebrows. Their solo material was fun to hear as well but it was good to see a band mixing it up a little with songs familiar to the crowd, delivered well as well. (6.5/10)
Gods of Hellfire
Like a Dragonforce tribute band, I’m not sure whether I was supposed to take this band seriously or not. With the singer and drummer caked in fake blood with plenty of thrashing guitar, headbanging and long-hair-helicopters, they certainly had nailed the codes and conventions of a heavy rock band. Musically it was difficult to hear what they were on about beneath the crunching guitars and screamy muffled vocals but it did start a mini headbanging section. If they were a Spinal Tap-esque band then the image was great. If they were serious then, sorry, I missed that boat. I went off to enjoy a fun dance performance in front of the Raise The Roof stage instead to Tinie Tempah and Labrinth’s ‘Frisky’, which was greatly performed, before getting ready to hear Karima Francis competing against this band for noise, and losing. (5/10)
Down The Machine
This band knew how to rock but were nothing particular stand-out in the genre, but were more enjoyable than some of the other straight-up rock bands I’d heard. ‘Warmonger’ was a great track but they were just OK to me material-wise. (5/10)
Dan Audio
This band had a very much enjoyable reggae feel with clear vocals so you could hear what they were singing and some catchy tracks in the form of ‘Simmer Down’ and ‘Morning Star’. The ‘I Chase The Devil’ sample worked well, and rounded off a fun set of steady, foot-tapping tunes. (6/10)
Deadwall
Deadwall were a good guitar band though I only came into their set near the end. I don’t know how the stage setting works but if they all ascend from good to better then the better bands here have to compete against the big names on the main stage, so the crowd here wasn’t massive, but they missed a decent band here with some good performances, even if they didn’t really kick it up to the next gear. (5.5/10)
In Summary
It was another great day of acts on the stages. The main headliners were perhaps not as strong in their performances as others and the nearness of the two secondary stages caused issues throughout the day, but the Raise The Roof stage continues to be the one mostly with the best acts on it, but with better weather, some great acts and much to see, it was another quality day at BML2012.
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