Day two…
I awoke on day two of Bingley Music Live feeling very full. Not of hope or excitement but of curry. Lots and lots of curry. So much so that it was difficult to think about anything else. Alas, I couldn’t rest on my laurels, or on my pull-out bed, there were places to be, music to consume and burritos to shove into my face. Day two had begun…
I fell for Spector the very first time I saw them. Something about Fred Macpherson’s self-deprecating lyrics just got me and I have loved them deeply ever since. I used to become unreasonably angry about the fact that Spector aren’t playing arenas but I have come to realise that this lack of recognition is one of the things that makes them mine. Anyway, the London band bound on stage and lurch immediately into Bad Boyfriend. The early afternoon slot results in a sparse crowd but Spector play with their usual energy as Celestine sounds as vital as ever. Chevy Thunder is similarly impressive and new song Tenner boasts more of Macpherson’s trademark gallows humour as he asserts ‘I heard you like the bad boys, well I’m bad at everything…’. The band close the set out with the anthemic All The Sad Young Man before being ushered offstage halfway through Never Fade Away due to time constraints. Warm applause. My heart bursts. The band leave the stage.
Next up is Elvana. That is, a Nirvana tribute band fronted by an Elvis impersonator. While there are times when the set feels a little like a fever dream, the heady mix of Memphis rock ‘n’ roll and Seattle grunge actually works. The reasons for this are myriad. Firstly, lead singer ‘Elvis’ (real name unknown) is a genuinely compelling performer (this will become important later – read on). Secondly, the band are fantastic musicians, and thirdly, Elvana are funny and entertaining throughout the entire 45 minute set, rendering what should be a one note joke successful over the whole show. ‘Elvis’ admits half way through that his Elvis register wobbles between Nic Cage and Matthew McConaughey but when everyone is having so much damn fun it barely matters.
On what must be the most eclectic festival one-two of all time, former Spice Girl Melanie C follows Elvana and I must admit, I had low expectations. As the set rolls between rock covers (REM’s The One I Love) to old Spice Girls numbers (2 Become 1), Mel C slowly wins me over. By the time she wheels out the Bryan Adams collaboration When I’m Gone, sans Adams of course, I am clapping along like a teenage girl in the ’90s consumed in the deepest throes of girl power.
It is so easy to be sniffy about Mel C at a ‘rock’ festival but to do so spectacularly misses the point. The admittedly young crowd are totally enraptured by Mel C and her crowd pleasing set, and surely that is all that matters?
Regular readers will know that lots of my writing is defined by my own ignorance. And so it is that I set about listening to Rat Boy on the morning of his set in order to brush up on the Essex rock troubadour. Mere seconds into his set however it becomes clear that I had been accidentally listening to the wrong artist which is a shame because whoever I was listening to with a raging hangover in my friends kitchen sounded better than Rat Boy. Having said that, he delivers his brand of Jamie T meets Slaves brat rock with a fire in his belly that clearly connects with the kids at the front who go crazy throughout. It’s not for me but it is easy to see why Rat Boy has become successful.
Slightly more confusing is the continued existence of John Lydon’s post punk outfit Public Image Ltd or PiL. The band provide a wasp-in-a-teacup drone as Lydon wails over the top. Their seemingly never-ending set loses the majority of what is a very forgiving crowd and it is damning that Lydon, one of the most important musicians of his generation, is upstaged by Mel C, a former spice girl.
The Cribs provide the perfect tonic and, while they can be hit and miss as a live act, the Wakefield trio are on blistering form at what is almost a homecoming show. From the visceral opening of Mirror Kisses through to the familiar stomp of Men’s Needs, the Jarman brothers deliver an incendiary, career spanning set that sees old classics Another Number and You Were Always The One rubbing shoulders with new tracks like In Your Palace to magnificent effect. When on form, there are few more exciting bands in the UK.
I have already seen Spring King wreak havoc and destruction this summer at the Tramlines festival in Sheffield. While the band were born to play claustrophobic tents and sweaty clubs, they acclimatise well to the outdoor Discovery Stage at Bingley and by the time they reach traditional set closer Rectifier the crowd are won over. It is almost distracting to see an otherwise conventional rock ‘n’ roll band with a drummer who is also the lead singer, but the sheer power of the bands songs soon become the main focus.
Earlier in this write up I mentioned Elvana and their ability to entertain a crowd due to a lead singer brimming with charisma. Jake Bugg brims only with uncertainty as he meekly asks the audience if it’s OK for him to ‘take it down a notch’. The very best bands are just as comfortable addressing the crowd as they are performing their songs. That unfamiliar space in between the music is where a show is made or shattered.
Bugg starts well but after the first five or six songs he runs out of steam and never really regains momentum. He gets by on the sheer number of good songs he has in his arsenal but a Saturday night headliner requires more than just a professional run through of the hits. We attend a festival to be inspired. Bugg inspires only trips to the bar for an ill-fated dalliance with vodka and Red Bull.
And so, we run screeching into the balmy Bingley night. It has been a day of Spice Girls, sunshine and cider. Day three and Noel Gallagher looms large…