Wild Beasts...

[gigs]

..So i was really looking forward to the Wild Beasts set, thinking it would be a highlight. I really enjoyed it, but part of the enjoyment is getting a buzz from the crowd, which was missing. Was it them? Was it us? Were they a bad choice as headliner, or on the wrong stage?

Any ideas, as it just didn't happen, and i think the band knew it...

[killyourtv]

A lot of people, including me, leave for home Sunday evening. I would have loved to see Wild Beasts, and Belle & Seb last year but needed to be back for Monday morning.

[shoebox]

There's no doubting that they're an excellent band, but I find them quite difficult to engage with live. I found it earlier in the summer when they supported Arcade Fire in Hyde Park, I found the same here. I actually had every intention of missing their set for Chad VanGaalen, but had spent too much time away from the missus on the Sunday as it was, and felt I should join her in watching Wild Beasts. They didn't necessarily disappoint, but they did end up making the weekend fade out, rather than going out on an explosive climax.

Five minutes before they turned up on stage, there was barely any crowd at all. I'm just pleased it filled out the way it did otherwise it could have been incredibly embarrassing.

So yeah, I don't think they were the wrong choice for headliner per se, because they are a great band and have earned the right to headline a festival of EOTR's size. But Flaming Lips should have closed the festival, hands down. Needed to go out on that party atmosphere.

[riverlodge]

i'm a big fan of wild beasts, and have seen them now 15 times but really did not feel compelled to watch on Sunday.

mostly that was down to really wanting to see White Denim (having stupidly & drunkenly missed their big top set a couple of years back) but a bit of it was simply wanting to be at the beauty and intimacy of the Garden stage.

also, still not sure that Hayden and Tom come across well as 'big arena' sound, much better in a tent.

what shoebox says about Sunday night leavers seems very relevant too.

all that said, end come too soon is possibly one of the best closing tracks you could wish to hear (but they chose not to do that :/ )

[DaveT]

Felt like wrong band, wrong time, wrong place to me.

Sunday night headliner is a difficult spot. Saturday night tends to be the big festival show. Sunday you've got early leavers and a proportion of those left are knackered/festivaled out. Compared to last year when Belle & Sebastian sent many us off with a buzz and a warm glow, with Wild Beasts the atmosphere remained pretty flat - almost 'that it then? we off now?' And I don't dislike them.