You always remember your first, don’t you? Well our first Neighbourhood Festival was a blast.
The Big Moon: A+
Since their Mercury Prize nomination, The Big Moon have been in hiding. Returning this year with poppier numbers, ‘It’s Easy There’ and ‘Your Light’, their set at the stunning Albert Hall provided further glimpse into the new sounds, with songs sounding increasingly mature, increasingly polished and increasingly anthemic. The Big Moon are just warming up, and are set to take 2020 by storm.
Red Rum Club: A+
There’s a full on brass section, alongside a your usual indie band set up, all cramped on YES’ small stage. The balance between rock’n’roll and triumphant trumpeting sent the crowd into a frenzy, the Wild West spirit triggering carnage in a packed room.
Benee: A
There’s always one, ain’t there? One act you stumble upon whilst you’re waiting for the next band on your list to start. New Zealand’s Benee was that one. A technical issue could’ve forced a few minutes of awkwardness, but her carefree, happy-go-lucky nature meant she just chatted away, narrating stories, keeping the crowd laughing, before her smooth, groovy tracks got the Deaf Institute dancing.
Easy Life: A-
I thought Red Rum Club provided the trumpet fix earlier on, but Easy Life provided extra. Playing a gig for them is like sauntering around your Uni house after a night out…if you felt fresh as a daisy, rather than regretting everything. It’s all very ‘lax, very easy, very cool. Viva la trumpet.
Inhaler: B+
There’s a lot of talk about these lads and you can see why. A well-polished machine who belong on stage. There’s no awkwardness, no nerves, no talking too much. The songs, they’re a little bit Catfish and the Bottlemen for my liking, but their singer, Elijah Hewson, is effortless, as opposed to Mr Van McCann.
Valve: B
Local bands are key to festivals like these. Valve managed to slowly fill the room, the tambourine and dance moves offered a bright start to the day. Loved it. A great way to start our first Neighbourhood Festival.
Bloxx: B
Last time I saw Bloxx – at a festival several years ago – they were naff. Proper, ugh. But years of work and practice has seen them take leaps and bounds forward. Yeah, it’s still bubblegum indie, it’s still nothing new or innovative, but their live shows have improved tenfold. Confident, engaging, the crowd were well up for it, and so too were the band. It’s nice to see a band actually develop, rather than fall into the abyss, as with so many indie bands.
Snapped Ankles: B-
Mate, they’re all wearing bushes on their heads. Bushes. With LED lights. Bushes… They have microphone stands with plastic tree trunks wrapped around them. They’re hitting them… It’s like a cowbell, but with wood. Oh, he’s in the crowd. Where’s he off? Up the stairs he goes, with tree trunk in hand. Oh, he’s asked a random lady who’s sat down to whack it for him. She’s confused. I’m confused. But I think we’re all enjoying it. Yeah, we’re enjoying it. Just about.
Walt Disco: B-
Glasgow punks Walt Disco are different-ish. Long leather coats. Jet black quiffs, sides shaven to the skin. No t-shirts. It’s intense, not as intense as Snapped Ankles and their bushes, but it’s intense.
Blackwaters: C+
Rowdy, as per. Raucous, as per. Noisy, as per. Blackwaters are very good at what they do. But they know what they do, do it well, but they always do the same thing, without trying to do anything different, every time. Meh.
See you next year, Neighbourhood Festival.
