You won’t be at all surprised to hear that, as fans began to flock to Victoria Park for this year’s Field Day festival on Saturday, a sudden drop in temperature and the whistling of the winds signalled that this would be yet another British music event


Sure enough, it wasn’t too long before we were hit by torrential downpours. As many festival-goers will attest to, the shocking weather has its drawbacks, despite the hilarious quagmire it creates.

In fact, as I managed to sandwich myself into an absolutely packed Bugged Out stage, a fellow reveller summed up his day thus, “a true British festival: rain, booze and cigs!” I think he had forgotten the main element – the music; although the performance of Erol Alkan will certainly have jogged his memory, as those who had stumbled upon the tent whilst taking shelter from the main stage erupted to the funk-induced tech house being pumped out. Alkan’s set may even have eclipsed the live performance of the Bugged Out’s main attraction, Little Boots, although that is not to detract from her routine. Her funky electro pop encouraged ample audience participation, and probably helped to create the cheerful atmosphere that greeted Erol Alkan. Fake Blood, who preceded Little Boots, was a hidden gem. Well known to anyone who attests to liking electro, Blood produced a textbook example of filthy electronica at its best, including his own storming production – ‘Mars.’ His performance was a strangely apt aperitif to the chirpy vocals of LB’s ‘Earthquake,’ which followed the end of Blood’s set.    


There were some grumblings about the weather, mainly due to the disruption it caused to the itinerary on the Eat Your Own Ears main stage. As the majority of people ran for cover, facing an aquatic onslaught, the business end of proceedings had to be reordered somewhat; Santigold’s set was delayed by half an hour, which led to Skream’s set being cut short in order to accommodate Mogwai.


It was a very difficult decision to sacrifice Mogwai’s set, but I had already planned to round off the night by watching the Mystery Jets perform in the Adventures in the Beetroot Field tent. I think it’s a decision I regret, in hindsight. Their performance was timid – bordering on quiet. What makes it harder to swallow is that I was later told that Mogwai were excellent.


Although I missed out on Mogwai, I was lucky enough to see two of the day’s epic tunes performed spectacularly: ‘Creator’ rounding off Santigold’s slot in sublime style, and Skream’s remix of La Roux eliciting a wonderful reaction from the crowd.


Now, despite it taking place in a capital city on a wet day when most people were crammed into the tents, Field Day has a countrified feel to it, as you wander around the various stalls and attractions. If it weren’t for the world class acts performing, you could be forgiven for thinking you were at a summer fete. There was certainly a ‘local parish’ feel to the Village Green area, with its selection of Guardian newspapers, homemade cakes, and herbal teas. This mirage was enhanced by a sports day-style series of races, including a sack race and an egg and spoon race. There were also opportunities to play skittles and, for the more athletic/less battered, a table tennis competition with alcoholic prizes on offer. In true rock and roll style though, the hay bales that had been used as seats were torn up and used for a huge hay fight at the end of the evening.


Along with a surprisingly poor end to the evening, in the form of the Mystery Jets, the major disappointment of the day were Four Tet, who also played in the Adventures tent. An absolutely huge audience turned out to see them play, and this may have been the reason that they were so poor. However, the fact that both bands struggled with the quality and volume of sound, suggests that that particular system was not able to accommodate the large number of people that had congregated there later in the evening. This was in contrast to the Bugged Out tent, which was able to drown out most of the other stages with its imposing sound levels.


The weather may have slightly taken the edge off the day but it did nothing to detract from my three outstanding performances: Santigold, Skream and Fake Blood. The one thing I would say to the organisers of next year’s event is to reassess the soundsystems, and to try and stagger the stage times to a greater degree; other than that, a very wet but enjoyable day.

Posted In Festivals, Aug 04 2009. Words - Will