Slight photo excess today, apologies! I'm currently sat in the garden and desperately squinting at the computer so please forgive any spelling mistakes, it's just too lovely weather to miss out on! I've spent the day reading and eating potato salad from the comfort of my deck chair and it's been amazing. Oh and not to mention listening to the new Coldplay track over and over again! It's a different move for them but one that's so perfect to listen to on a day like today. So anyway here are some photos from my Bank Holiday Weekend, once again I regret how little I used the camera, daytime drinking means I just forget all about it! I took my SLR this time though and had no problem getting it into the festival which has reassured me for future gigs! Anyway on to Evolution.
Evolution is a bizarre little festival; an entirely urban festival with a quite uniform crowd, it's positioning over May Bank Holiday means it kicks off the festival season quietly but surely. It's central location on Newcastle Quayside means there's a staunch 11PM cutoff, but it also allows for the artists music to really resonate in a actually relatively unusual location. How often do you really see acts such as The Kills and Plan B performing next to a river, with the impressive Spillers Wharf structure imposing in the background? The music festival really brings Newcastle to life; the Quay was bustling, the bars brimming, the balconies full of Geordie residents shouting out to the crowds. There was a real atmospheric good - time feel around the city, that I'm sure was only emphasised by the (for the most part) beautiful weather. The Sage gleamed in the sunlight, the sequence of bridges ever-iconic were really brought to life and the proximity of Pitcher & Piano meant I downed many more mojitos (and potent Jagerbombs) than I would consider advisable! I really should have taken many more photos, but as tends to happen in places we're familiar with I neglected the opportunity, thinking I've seen this a hundred times and will see it a hundred more. Perhaps though, that won't be the case. I have to admit I still find some of the decisions Evolution made baffling; the failure to book rising Newcastle stars Little Comets and Polarsets, the positioning of Katy B and Jamie Woon on the smaller of the stages limiting access for some of the most popular acts and the lack of sufficient amounts of security on the Spillers Stage given the number of crowdsurfing, moshpit, fighting and medical incidents I saw for instance. However, the sun was shining, the music was electric and there will never be a more enjoyable way to pass the time on a Bank Holiday weekend than spend the day drinking and listening to music in the sun in my opinion!
After an afternoon spent in the densely populated student area of Jesmond drinking, facebooking and gossiping we caught the Metro to Newcastle city centre. Not going to lie I actually only vaguely remember the Metro journey partly because of the number of vodka slush puppies I had (vodka, apple, lemonade and crushed ice is the future) and partly because the little kid in me was pretty hyper about a ride on the Metro! We probably turned up slightly later than we should of meaning we only caught the end of Hercules & Love Affair. However, their dance floor, old school vibe beats sounded as infectious and gorgeous as ever, albeit slightly surreal so early in the day! They are the sort of act I normally see at 2AM at the Faversham in Leeds or at Heaven in London. But that is the beauty of not only Evolution but Summer festivals as a concept; hearing music at times of day you wouldn't expect, seeing people in a multitude of settings, taking people out of their comfort zones. Next to the stage were Brother, who have been famously paralleled to rock legends such as Oasis and Queens Of The Stone Age. Certainly, after experiencing their angsty, guitar driven, anthemic gritpop live firsthand I think the analogies to Oasis are understandable. In appearance Brother could almost be a Oasis tribute band, a statement Liam Gallagher probably wouldn't appreciate after his retort that the band from Slough were nothing but "little posh boys with tattoos." In fact, Liam Gallagher's retort signal fires a dissimilarity between Brother and Oasis; having experienced a stroppy and contentious Liam Gallagher live myself at Benicassim festival it was clear Brother's frontman Lee Newell has little of his controversial attitude. Furthermore, Brother's addictive Brit Pop tracks such as 'New Years Day' and 'Darling Buds Of May' could be tracks lifted from a Vaccines or Kaiser Chiefs album as easily as they could be taken from Oasis' back catalogue. What I do think after their set is that Brother have the capabilities to step into the vacancy left by Oasis' demise, playing music that all the Mod and indie lovers are looking for.
One of the bands I'd been most excited for when booking tickets was The Kills; I think everything from their style to their answers in interviews has been perfect recently. They've really stepped up their game as a band in reaction to Jamie Hince's increasing popularity since the announcement of his engagement to Kate Moss. Not many bands sound like The Kills any more; their music is a series of complexities, intelligent lyrics and hardhitting angst; plus they possess a rawness in their music that was popularly lost in the 90s. I'm not going to lie; I fangirled over Alison Mosshart quite extensively. I've seen her style dissected on a number of blogs lately and I have to agree there is just something about that mess of raven black hair, those figure hugging pants and all that leather and navajo print that is entrancing. I think I may have been one of only a handful however who felt this way though, although I do hope I'm wrong, many of the people I spoke too seemed largely underwhelmed by their set. There definitely was a sense that the crowd found a man walking along a roof nearby more worthy of applause than Jamie Hince and Alison Mosshart's deep guitar rock. The Kills have this classic trans-Atlantic feel to them that I think was kind of missed on this occasion but I am so glad I got the opportunity to see them live and sing along loud and proud.
The next day was programmed rather bizarrely; with many popular acts such as my beloved Annie Mac and Mount Kimbie being scheduled much earlier than anticipated meaning we arrived only just in time to catch Detroit Social Club's set. An indie band from Newcastle, I heard rumours this was their last gig although given just how completely in love I am now with their track 'Northern Man' - although that may not be one for the Southerners - I certainly hope this isn't the case. Their set certainly possessed an emotionally charged, atmospheric and absurdly beautiful feel to it, giving a stunning performance on their home ground.
After completely camera stalking Miles Crawford and breaking up a fight between two teenage girls pulling each others hair extensions out it was time for Darwin Deez. I honestly can't sum them up without using the word AMAZING! They gave a performance that completely exceeded my high expectations, shifting from one catchy popular song to another. Alongside a showcase of a spectacular array of knitwear (SWOON), song samples aplenty and some crazy dance sequences that altogether allowed for a truly upbeat wild set that got everybody dancing. There is something just so likeable about Darwin Deez, that makes you kind of fall in love with them on stage, certainly with their pink effeminate guitars and childish teddybear jumpers they have an endearing quality. To such an extent I'm almost panicking about when I can next see them again, Ibiza Rocks here I come?!
After a mad dash to the bar, hello cider and black, we caught Example's set. I've seen Example live a dozen times now due to his endless gig and festival schedule. I've always been left disappointed, particularly at an Es Paradis show towards the end of my season in Ibiza. However, this was definitely the best set I've ever seen from him, his extensive back catalogue now allows him the ability to sweep from genre to genre - with the more dubstep vibes from his Skream collaboration 'Shot Yourself In The Foot Again' to the Summer dance pop anthem 'Kickstarts.' His performance had this high energy to it that had all the crowd dancing, singing and throwing their drinks around crazily and the moment was just perfect in the blazing sun. Tinie Tempah was next up but since I'm not really a fan and I find all acts who roll up with DJs directly playing tracks complete with lyrics rather lacklustre, I'm not going to go into too much detail here, other than to say that from a multi award winning and chart dominating musician I expected much more. As the sun began to set Plan B took to the stage, complete with Faith SFX. Plan B is always oh so suave, oh so talented and oh so willing to get the party started. His commitment clearly lies with driving his current record, evidential by staging, costuming and the lack of venture into his back catalogue, however he does it so effortlessly and so perfectly you can't really fault it. I mean, he even returned to the stage smashing up instruments and with Faith SFX crowd surfing! He knows how to pull out all the stops and his ability to keep up momentum despite a busy schedule is highly impressive. Evolution was probably the perfect ease in to festival season, giving a low-core taster of everything that is to come over the next few months! Although I definitely need to get working on building up energy levels and alcohol tolerance!
