I had been looking forward to Summer Sundae Weekender since around March/April when I bought the tickets, the thought of it kept me going through the stress of exams. Filled with excitement, me and my friends arrived to the festival site on the Thursday and managed to get the tent up in-between downpours; even the rain couldn't dampen out spirits. However, we discovered that maybe we had arrived a bit too early as we found ourselves wondering aimlessly up and down the festival site in search of something to do.
When Friday came it already felt like we had been at the festival for ages and were therefore desperate to see some live music. We arrived at the Musician stage and sat down to enjoy bands who were playing as part of the Acoustic cafe. We were just in time for two young performers, Nancy Dawkins and Matti Wilson. Both of them had such beautiful voices and together they formed lovely harmonies creating an ideal, relaxed atmosphere to kick start the festival. My favourite song was 'Field of Hope' by Matti Wilson.
We then returned to the musician stage at one to see Kristyna Myles playing her first gig since signing a 5 album deal to Decca. Personally, her music was not really my kind of thing but it was still an enjoyable performance and with a sound not dissimilar to Joss Stone, looks of Katy Perry and a warm stage presence, she could go far.
Following Kristyna Myles was The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart, a quirky new band with a lead singer who reminded us of Johnny Depp. The band opened with a cover of Gogol Borderllo's 'Start Wearing Purple', which they performed with the same eccentricity as when Gogol Bordello perform (so I've heard). This drew the crowds in as they continued to perform in the same upbeat style throughout their set of covers. I liked the performance, however, I would have appreciated it more had they performed some original tracks.
At three we headed over to see the first act on the main stage, Kyte, chosen by BBC's The Beat radio show. Their electronic sound really didn't float my boat so, as soon as the heavens opened I knew that was my cue to leave and head back over to the musician stage.
At the musician stage we saw Kirsty Almeida who produced one of my favourite performances of the day due to the energy exuded by both her and her colourful mask-wearing band. Kirsty's upbeat performance and catchy tunes really brought the crowds in resulting in her having to ask everyone to move forward so more people could fit in along with "the millions of people arriving", as she said. My favourite song was 'If you can't make me happy' which I have listened to numerous amounts of times since returning. Her single 'Spider' is out now.
Erland and the Carnival were the first band of the day that I had listened to beforehand and was really keen to see. They did not disappoint playing a number of tracks off their debut, self-titled album, including my favourites 'My Name is Carnival' and their latest single 'Trouble in Mind'. If you're a fan of The Drums or Stornoway, then I would definitely recommend giving this band a listen.
I was then looking forward to seeing Fanfarlo on the main stage but when we arrived we discovered that they'd had to cancel due to a motorway incident. They were replaced by Fionn Regan who I had wanted to see anyway so it wasn't too bad. The Irish singer has a lovely voice however I found myself easily distracted during his set although I did enjoy his performance of my favourite of his songs, 'Be Good or Be Gone'.
After spending most of the day on our feet, we were over the moon when we discovered the comfy seats in the indoor stage which we stayed put in for Slow Club. It was the duo's final gig before heading off to write and record their second album. Their vibrant set included a combination of new songs and songs from their début album 'Yeah, So'. I regretted being in the seating section when the band played their final, and my favourite song, 'Giving Up on Love'. Their energy really got the crowd going and I would have loved to have been in the midst of it joining in.
Slow Club were the first act we'd seen in the indoor stage and I was really impressed with the De Monfort Hall venue, I wish it was my local venue.
The final act, and the headliner, of the night was Seasick Steve. We were stood at the back but still had a fantastic view due to the slope down to the main stage. I hadn't really listened to much of his music beforehand but I was really impressed by his energy and ability to get the crowd of all ages going. Even when the rain came the crowds stayed put singing along and listening to his unique lyrics and stories, for example, what to do with 'Chiggers'. Seasick Steve's music may not be making an appearance on my iPod but I thoroughly enjoyed his charismatic performance. Also, we were lucky enough to get a picture with him beforehand.
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| From left to right: The guitarist from The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart, Seasick Steve, my friend, me |
Overall, even in the wet weather, Friday had been a great day and I couldn't wait for the days to come. Highlights: Slow Club and Kirsty Almeida
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