McFly bring a successful Summer Sundae Weekender to a climax
Summer Sundae Weekender 2011 review
Thursday 18th August 2011
My First Tooth opened the main stage on Sunday and they were a good opening act for the days events. A four piece Northampton band who had just finished supporting Athlete, their music is just happy. They create a feeling that you can't help but smile. I always like artists who include violins in their music and so I felt biased towards this band. They are great live and each individual brings their own glow to the music to create a sunshine filled, musical brilliance.
Maniere des Bohemiens are a gypsy folk band who stunned the Summer Sundae audience on Sunday afternoon. They play improvised gypsy jazz and are sublime. The musicians fit together perfectly and it seems as though they were meant to play together. The music saw the audience members dancing and waltzing underneath the summer sky, which felt more like France due to the colourful, eccentric sounds being created. Maniere des Bohemians were a fantastic way to prepare for the evening with a joyous instrumental set by a immensely talented band.
The Cuban Brothers were on the main stage and I honestly had no idea what to expect because firstly, I had never heard of them before. They were absolutely hysterical above anything else. They were energetic and lively yet questionable with certain aspects of content which was discussed on stage. Now for me personally, it was not an issue at all yet a few families with young children looked particular shocked at the front man's conversations with the audience but it seemed to make the act who they were. The set was brilliant, with a large majority of the audience on their feet dancing along.
At 7.30 on Sunday evening, Example took over Summer Sundae. Example was the only part of the weekend where I felt like I could possibly be hit by a bottle, a fist or a shoe. The crowd that gathered at the barrier consisted of 16-21 year olds (I may be generalising but it pretty much looked like it). The security tightened around them and in front of the stage to prepare the chaos which may begin. The atmosphere of the entire weekend suddenly changed and the relaxed, serene setting turned into a mental, sweaty dance pit of death. His set included hits such as 'Watch The Sun Come Up' and 'Stay Awake' yet it was his finale with 'Changed the Way You Kissed Me' which drove the audience crazy, forcing audience members to be pulled out of the 'pit' by security and the police to pull some away, behind the stage in their intoxicated states. Example puts on a great show and he works the audience which entices them into his music and set, almost as though he has hypnotised them. I can't help but feel though that his guitarist, David Stewart stole some of his limelight, if not briefly.
Headliners of the entire weekend and highly anticipated (by most), McFly took to the stage at 9.15pm with fans having sat at the barrier since 11am. McFly have everything that you would want in a mainstream act. They always attempt to vary their sound which was evident from the set that they played, performing songs from the 8 years the band have been together. McFly will always split audiences, it will always happen with any mainstream act. Yet I firmly believe that they do not deserve the stick that they get. Yes, they are essentially a pop act but they write all of their own songs, they play all their own instruments and they are dedicated to their fans 100%. Yet, as they sing in 'One For The Radio', "...don't pretend you hate us when you sing our songs. We all look the same in the dark..." Don't right off a band who you think may be 'awful/poppy/rubbish' until you have seen them live. They powered through their set, bringing the tempo up with 'Party Girl' then dropping it down for the acoustic 'All About You/Obviously' mix. Highlights of the set included the enchanting 'If You C Kate' and the incredible finale of 'Shine A Light'. The guys in the band are all extremely talented and musically cannot be faulted at all. They put on an incredible show and I bet anybody who think they are just a 'pop band' to sit through their set and not be impressed.
Summer Sundae has to be one of the cleanest and friendliest festivals. The set-up is amazing with the staff and volunteers always appearing happy to help. The music is wonderful and diverse as well. Yet, while it is fantastic to invest in local music, sometimes it felt as though there was TOO much as many of the stages had local bands constantly on them, yet the variety of genres could not be faulted.. Regardless of this, the festival was fantastic and the weather held out. It was a shame that there were last minute cancellations from the Pierces and times changed in the Last FM Rising Stage on the Sunday meaning that I missed a few acts but I guess these things could not be helped. The environment and atmosphere were brilliant and the festival felt sage. The nice things about the festival in particular was the difference in ages of the audience and how most of the audience wanted to listen and embrace different music and bands without judging them.
review by Hayley Edwards photos by Hayley Edwards / Phil Bull
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