Essential Festival - Bristol Ashton Court - 6/5/02
1/5
By: Toby L
Despite press-reports trying to bury the 'Rock/Indie' day's domination of the Essential Festival, due to reportedly 'lacking ticket-sales' and a 'water-logged site' (which prompted two stages being shut down for safety-issues), the real surprise of the event was just how successful it was.
Sure enough, a look to the skies above proved no rain was due for the course of the event's duration today; in fact, at all times, instead could be found a beaming sun, albeit with a few clouds. And this is how the weather remained. Relief... Another beneficial aspect which must have helped this to come off with so much aplomb was the site itself: a picturesque set of fields, located next to a rather huge golf-course, with surrounding areas of trees creating the perfect relaxed ambience all festivals should strive for. It almost made you forget you were located within Bristol - one of the UK's busiest and most tightly-packed cities.
The entertainment, meanwhile, really kicks off with Iceland's finest, Leaves, whose early set on Stage 3 manages to attract a progressing number of attendees. Their blend of elegant, mellow, often extravagant, sometimes experimental and occasionally poppy tracks serves collectively as a unique musical package - accepted graciously from all those witnessing. Frontman Arnar, too, certainly has special things in store for him throughout 2002 - and he's on magnificent form this afternoon, elevating tracks such as one of their more upbeat and moody numbers, 'Alone In The Sun' into skyward anthems. Only the throwing of the band's drum-sticks at the end of the set into the audience is a further highlight - as they painfully bounce off a person's head before landing on the floor. The band's guitarist - also named Arnar - can only manage to laugh, and stick his middle-finger up at the poor victim who experiences the pain of such an occurrence.
The onslaught of immensely uplifting and child-friendly indie-pop, as displayed by Easyworld on the main-stage, is cut short drastically due to the band being '17 minutes late'. Still, renditions of the sublimely cute 'Junkies & Whores' and power-thumping of 'You & Me' - 'about shagging' apparently, according to singer, Dav - ring in heads long after their disappearance from the stage.
The BellRays follow and, despite their presence only arriving at 3:00pm in the afternoon, they stir a reaction fit for kings. Or esteemed queens for that matter - for lead-singer Lisa Kekaula is a royal star in the making, whose voice is only complimented by her enduring, timeless look: the short dress, revealing legs like Tina Turner once did back in the day, and a facial squirm during every one of her recited lyrics which just allows you to know she means every word she's saying. From time to time, the effect is scary. Yet, at most intervals, when anthems such as 'Too Many Houses In Here' are executed with the aid of exquisite and impossibly tight instrumental backing, the effect is most commonly astounding and euphoric. The crowd, swelled grandly in number by the set's closure, are blown away... The future's bright for this four-piece as they continue their debut UK shows across the country.
Gemma Hayes is somewhat more downbeat. Her sumptuous, acoustic-laden melodies and delicate vocals - which may prompt on occasion the memories of a tamer Alanis Morissette - are the perfect antidote to surviving such a vivacious outburst as possessed by The BellRays just some short seconds ago, but the unexpected - and much needed - rock-out moments, where the band's musical hair is let down in a seamless unison, are well-balanced, and never gratuitous. With female singer-songwriters on the move this year - remember, Beth Orton's new LP will be with us soon - and artists such as Jane Weaver and Sally Russell (the main force behind New Buffalo) constantly rising to relevance, then maybe Hayes has the opportunity to reach the broad listener-base that she deserves.
The following Athlete, however, seem to be on an even more secure pathway to notoriety. Snapped up by EMI recently, the South London quartet range in tuneful melodies such as the immediate pop-potential of 'Beautiful' and radio-playability warmth of 'Westside' - both aired this afternoon. However, each and every track is displayed with the same rhythmic formation, which - to describe best - is as follows: thud - (short break) - thud, thud. Granted, the band are successful at entertaining, and make for a great live-accompaniment, yet it seems like just too much of a laugh at present - and it's difficult to fall in love with them.
Slightly easier to fall in love with more and more each time he graces a stage is Ed Harcourt - and he's incredible today; deeming this afterwards to be his best festival-set so far, it's no wonder why this reigns true. He proudly, and partially drunkenly, walks on-stage with his four regular band-members and declares loudly, 'Doves are number one (in the album-charts)... What does that say about the state of music?' Answering his own question, he continues, 'F**king great, actually!' And he ain't wrong.
Opening with his most known track to date, the former single, 'She Fell Into My Arms', his bittersweet vocals display such a depth, clarity and unique tone that it's shocking he hasn't become one of the nation's biggest success-stories from the last decade. But, with the playing of a couple of new tunes, maybe this is set to change. The instantly-memorable, epic pop-grandeur of 'Birds Will Sing For Us' and mighty Bowie/'Heroes'-chug of 'Sun Comes Up' prove that the pathway he's heading in is as intriguingly original and wonderful as before on his debut, 'Here Be Monsters'. Only a stunning and gripping rendition of 'Beneath The Heart Of Darkness' - Ed's personal favourite performance of the track occurring today - can match the splendour. With him set to wow crowds over the Atlantic for the next few weeks, Harcourt is a musical character that the UK should truly miss being away.
Seeing Halo after this triumph was always going to be a difficult experience. Very new, and still progressing, the band sure enough look great with their well-groomed, spiky and otherwise immaculately-kept hair, though the immediacy of some of the material - which can be found at the rockier end of the genre-spectrum, evoking parallels to Vex Red and Muse in some parts - is somewhat disjointed from time to time, although the confidence with which they display single 'The Cold Light Of Day' hints towards better things in store for the group. Cave In work in a similar impacting vein - using the literal meaning of their band-name to describe their sound most likely; it's gritty, loud, extremely punchy and tight, and rather exciting, too, with onlookers affirmatively dazed by the performance-standard. Well worth catching them on tour with the headliners of tonight's Stage 4 - Hundred Reasons (more on them later)...
My Vitriol return to play their first British festival since last year, and the changes are surprisingly noticeable. Their look and presence is that of more severe confidence than ever before, with bassist Carolyn even having grown long, rock-chick hair to suit the image. Musically, things have advanced, too; new single 'Moodswings' is a stand-out moment, fusing the band's knack for melody with the white-noise they effortlessly knock out time and time again. Indeed, even the muso-y instrumentals are produced with far more venom, ferocity and tightness than in prior occasions - with following hit singles 'Always: Your Way' and 'Grounded' sounding like the stadium-filling angst-anthems they've always destined to be. However, it can't all be a success; frontman Som gets slightly agitated with a techie who fails to tune his guitar up properly, prompting the poor guy on-stage for a name and shame... Ouch.
Seafood, over in the furthest reaches of the festival's site, are extraordinary; beginning with past single, the astoundingly inviting poppy-rock of 'Splinter', the set progresses through a transition of styles that barely accounts for their last year endeavours at OTT prog-rock. Only the matching intensity which is delivered via a frantic 'Cloaking' can help to round off the last part of their set, received well from what was seemingly a loyal fan-base.
There's as much coherence in a following set from Alec Empire as you'd expect from a remix of a Slipknot track conducted by *N Sync. However, the German man's immensely tight leather and Alice Cooper hair-colour and facial-expressions - let alone blood-curdling screams - allow the bordering-on-gothic undertones of 'Addicted To You' and the bass-heavy noise-fest of 'Path Of Destruction' to sound like epic festival-moments. The response is surprisingly positive from a group of several hundred spectators that just look too innocent to really enjoy such disturbing music...
Sweden's The (International) Noise Conspiracy, like their native-counterparts, The Hives, are exceptionally driven by the necessity to entertain during a live-performance. Wearing matching uniforms, they waste no time than in the first number to leap about like hyenas on class-A substances, whilst producing the most PVC-trouser-tight rock 'n' roll currently about. It's thrilling, energetic and completely relentless... By the moment their stage-time passes, unless you're The Terminator, the chances are that you'll feel knackered. Pitchshifter also appear to work in a similar vein; the pulsating riffs and snarling tunes that they reel off one after another makes for a consistently impressive live-showing - with most of the highlights emerging from current and new LP, 'PSI'. With more of this, the main stage beckons in future outings.
And, speaking of the main arena, on-show simultaneously are The Beta Band, who predictably possess the most elaborate stage-attire out of all the other acts. With a background-screen depicting a myriad of various images, the group shuffle through a highly-selected and polished set-list of what frontman Steve Mason describes as, 'the greatest hits'. Interestingly, their show comes across as the most downbeat and relaxed of the entire selection of acts appearing, though this isn't a marring point - especially when taking into consideration the bewildering brilliance of 'Broke', an obvious highlight.
However, comparing this to Soundtrack Of Our Lives over on Stage 5 is an impossible activity. Performing just what could have been the best moments of the entire festival, their hapless - and fittingly Swedish - interpretation of rock 'n' soul is a charming and movingly exciting dosage of positive showmanship. 
As if that just wasn't it, though, the vigour and enthusiasm with which they perform such material as 'Infra Riot' is enough to trigger off a riotous fit of dancing in the tented enclosure from all those viewing - prior to lead-singer Ebbot Lundberg, dressed like a traditional monk, lurching into the audience and commanding everyone to sit down. Everyone obeys. Following this, he proceeds to walk around and preach his messages direct to the people - serving as a mind-blowing pre-cursor to the band working up the music into a sweaty state of bliss and a crushing crescendo - forcing all to rise to their feet. It's almost unbelievable - but let's be thankful it is happening with this essential Scandinavian combo.
And this leaves the job of wrapping it all up to the headliners; blimey, what a feat. Well, at least Hundred Reasons are provided with the task - a safe bet in all respects to conclude things powerfully. Starting their set with their debut top-40 release, 'I'll Find You', they continue for another fifty minutes, ploughing through around 15 songs to a reception which is virtually deafening, thanks to their presence of their most ardent followers.
Supergrass are the final band in the 13 Artists Stage and challenge past criticism of not having any strong new material by playing two unheard tracks: namely the startling intricacy of 'Grace'. The quality of it certainly doesn't hover near the 'disappointing' league, but this is a festival: people want the hits, yet, luckily, these are provided amply, too, the end of the set including a mighty medley of 'em: 'Strange Ones', 'Caught By The Fuzz' and 'Sun Hits The Sky'. Elsewhere, a raucously chaotic 'Richard III' and their best moment, 'Moving', prompt suspicious country-dancing by many audience-members. A fanatical roar was let up by the time of their disappearance - a feeling of satisfaction, seemingly, felt communally by thousands of festival-revellers when reflecting the course of the day's activities.
There may have been a false-start at the beginning of the day as to how it was going to carry off, but the signs from people's reactions and the stars' performances indicated that Essential Festival's Rock Day 2002 was an unquestionable victory against challenging conditions. And, the handy thing of it all being in a city is that your journey home is just a bus or train-ticket away - and no worries need to be expressed about returning to a urine-stained tent. Bonus.
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