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Field Day – Victoria Park, London – 1/8/09 [SPECIAL REPORT PT. 2: LIANE ESCORZA]

4/5

By: Liane Escorza

So here I am, at the infamous Field Day, wearing my rain paraphernalia and wellies, high spirits in my backpack and a no-drinking-therefore-no-toilet-use strategy in case cubicles are scarce, as we all experienced in previous years. Yet what a surprise it is when we are gifted not only with sunny evening spells at the end of a gloomy and rainy day but also with a much improved organisation when it came to food and drink services, and of course, arrangement of times and stages for an excellent line up. Sound issues aside, the bands performed at their highest calibre and audience responded with great excitement.

[THE THING]

At Village Mentality we are offered a selection of folk tunes old and new, where boundaries are crossed with pop, rock and jazz influences. Particularly experimental and probably the biggest surprise of the festival were the Norwegian/Swedish The Thing, a hard core ensemble on nu-jazz with wind instruments such as a saxophone shrieking strenuous improvised scales loudly and aggressively in layered spasms and convulsions.

[JAUANA MOLINA]

The intensity of this free jazz is mind blowing, so much so that our ears cannot stop ringing during Juana Molina’s performance of her highly acclaimed, eclectic and modern interpretation of tribal and ancestral harmonies, revered by both fans and fellow musicians. Sound problems are evident here and Molina is the first one to frown.

[MUMFORD AND SONS]

Her repertoire is prolonged to the delight of the crowd but this delays Mumford & Sons’ performance by twenty minutes, as it takes longer to sound check their vast array of instruments. With banjos, synths, double bass, acoustic guitar, mandolin, vocals and drums, this young band has become a phenomenon, raising in popularity like a sudden tidal wave and taking everyone for the ride on their swell. If they are frustrated by the feedback from the PA, they do not show it. This league of gentlemen are true professionals in their skill, offering superb chanting harmonies and tales of unrequited love which open up as sweet, nostalgic melodies but end in bouncy celebration and explosions of rhythmic rage.

Along come Malcolm Middleton and James Yorkston, both from Scotland, delivering songwriting in the pop-est form of folk with good intentions. Yet after a three-hour set of auditory stimuli, it tastes like coffee gone cold.

[FANFARLO]

On the other side of the field, Eat Your Own Ears has put on an interesting set. Fanfarlo starts off with an impressive rendition of indie pop-folk and an Arcade Fire ‘air’ with superb instrumentation of swirly sythns, trumpet melodies and violin soundscapes that fool us and the sky into thinking it is a sunny summer afternoon. Errors are next with a display of their alternative quirky electronica but, somehow, their sound gets lost in the wet ambience and grand stage – this is music that needs to be packaged in cosy settings, neon lights and after-dark hours to fully appreciate its essence.

Owen Pallet aka Final Fantasy comes on straight after, battling against sound problems and the first rain drops of the day. There is so much we can say about this artist and still we will fail to make a good enough judgment. He has assembled a devoted and loyal fan base since his He Poos Clouds album, and with his modesty, eloquence and technical ability as well as his beautiful violin arrangements, he totally steals the show. Mogwai should be trembling. But before the headliners’ turn, The Horrors and Santigold are on, both so distant and disparate in sound it kind of makes sense to pass by Erol Alkan’s set in-between. This is the moment the heavens open and everyone is forced to look for shelter. Erol delivers a psychedelic channel of disco techno and tense reworks and re-edits of indie classics that make your torso spin and your head bang and, this evening, he doesn’t disappoint neither fans nor soaked add-ons.

The Horrors have style and substance, and darkness and light at the same time. This is a band that creates its own language in each record, having learned to tackle the intricacies of music versus business. It is not surprising to see a crowd of adoring followers being joined by curious people wondering why rain is not a deterrent.

Santigold brings an electro dub pop from New York and so catchy are these tunes that there are spontaneous dancers even on the other side of the field. Densely flavoured with a cutting-edge front woman, their performance is uplifting and urban.

[MOGWAI]

Now this would have been a pretty good way of ending the festival if it wasn’t for headliners Mogwai’s turn. Even though their veteran CVs draw masses to their act, their greatness is only displayed in fancy stage lights of apocalyptic proportions. Their musical progression has reached its peak and even though their performance is accurate, it is also too measured. Baffled speakers spoil the moments of ethereal suspense before drums kick in – all one could hear was the buzzing of talk and question marks on people’s faces. I guess there will always be the Mystery Jets.

Artists in this article: Mystery Jets, Mogwai, Errors, Fanfarlo, James Yorkston, Malcolm Middleton, Mumford and Sons, The Horrors

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