Summer Sundae Weekender 2011
Friday 12th to Sunday 14th August 2011De Montfort Hall, Granville Road, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE1 7RU, England MAP
£115 weekend, £30 Friday, £50 Saturday/Sunday
In the middle of Leicester, in the grounds of the De Montford Hall, you'll find a festival which is now into it's 10th year. It is still ridiculously obvious that the festival still holds a firm grip on the Music and Festival scene. With 5 stages which include an indoor stage and a comedy tent hosted by eFestivals itself, the festival provide something for everybody. With artists including local bands such as My First Tooth, to headliners of Newton Faulkner, The Maccabees, and McFly, the weekend only needed Mother Nature to be on it's side.
Louisiana based Givers were incredible on the main stage. Their upbeat, folk-style indie music continued the weekends proceedings and allowed the growing audience to stand up and dance along. Think Vampire Weekend but better. The vocally rich sound which they present out gathered the crowds and underneath a bright sky, led the way and 'set the bar' for the following acts. Their music is packed full of optimism and enjoyment which projected out to the festival-goers which began a buzz amongst the listeners.
I am not a huge fan of The Maccabees and so only really know some of their older stuff. The lead singer, Orlando Weeks has a solid, strong voice which bellows out towards the audience. I wasn't blown away by the Maccabees but I thoroughly enjoyed their set. They powered through their set and the audience was completely obsessed by the band, either faced directly forward and attention completely focused, or hysterical involved in the music that nothing else seems to matter. The Maccabees put on an amazing show, which throughout they just get better and better.
Well, what a surprise. I was generally shocked by the audience for this act. The Indoor stage was completely packed out and the biggest surprise of all was that the front row had groups of 17ish girls, screaming hysterically for the band! Jamaican based, Toots and the Maytals are one of the best known reggae and ska vocal groups. Their performance was exciting, funny and vibrant. The musicians and lead singer, Fredrick 'Toots' Hibbert were so energetic that it was hard to believe that 'Toots' is in his 60's yet he acts as though he was in his 20's! The packed out crowd on the first night of Summer Sundae delve into the history of the band and took a musical journey and for many, back to their childhoods.
review by: Hayley Edwards
photos by: Hayley Edwards / Phil Bull
Latest Updates
Summer Sundae Weekender
festival home page
festival home page
last updated: Wed 20th Apr 2022
Summer Sundae will not be returning in 2014
last year was the final year
last year was the final year
last updated: Thu 5th Sep 2013
Summer Sundae Weekender takes a break in 2013
outdoor Hall centenary celebrations planned instead
outdoor Hall centenary celebrations planned instead
last updated: Wed 19th Dec 2012
Summer Sundae Weekender maintains a friendly, chilled out atmosphere
Summer Sundae Weekender 2012 review
Summer Sundae Weekender 2012 review
last updated: Wed 22nd Aug 2012
there's a fun, summer vibe on Saturday at Summer Sundae Weekender
Summer Sundae Weekender 2012 review
Summer Sundae Weekender 2012 review
last updated: Wed 22nd Aug 2012