SWN Festival 2010 Diary: Saturday
SWN Festival 2010 Diary: Thursday
SWN Festival 2010 Diary: Friday
Our Saturday of SWN goodness began in the new location for Spillers Records, where Kids in Glass Houses were playing an acoustic set. They are not one of my favourite bands but I have to be honest and say that the acoustic setting reduced how 'emo' they sound and also served to showcase their talents, especially their singer's voice. They played a fairly short set before taking the time to talk to each and every fan in the room, even speaking to somebody on a phone which was thrust at singer Aled Phillips. I can pay them no greater compliment than that they impressed me both musically and as people and that I am now more of a fan of theirs then I was before the gig. It was great to attend a gig in a record shop, especially one as prestigious as Spillers but it is a shame that they have had to move on from their home on The Hayes.
Critique - I really enjoyed this very intimate gig where the guys were mucking around with each other in the middle of songs. And for a band that are on their way to being Wales’ next big export (after Tom Jones and lamb) they did seem nice too. After waiting for the motley crew of tweens to disperse from around AP we tried to be proper reporters who ask questions like; who is your musical inspiration/ which do you prefer, boxers or briefs? In the end we settled for asking if he could recommend any good bands which he did and they included; The Computers, Samoans from Cardiff and The Town who are from Newport. Then we got very jealous as he was off to see Swans, who’s gig was sold out but I guess if you’re in a band then there have to be perks to having your bum pinched by adolescent girls.
Saturday was clearly a busy evening for SWN - all of the venues had queues outside them before they opened. We took a gamble and queued at Dempsey's, meaning that we were right at the front to see The Vaccines. These guys are hands-down my favourite band for the weekend: they have an awesome retro rock sound, created in no small part by echoey vocals reminiscent of The Ramones. I decided while watching them that their genre was 'drunk Irish rock' (despite being from London), mainly because their songs were rowdy, simple and very catchy - If You Wanna takes my prize for best song of the festival. We also decided that their lead singer bore a striking resemblance to Colin Farrell, while the one guitarist had the hair of The IT Crowd's Maurice Moss. Absolutely look up The Vaccines online but they are best experienced live. I hope to again soon.
It was such a good gig! Drunk Irish Cockney pub rock is probably not the label they were going for and they are a hell of a lot more but it gives you an idea of the energy and atmosphere they weave through the crowd and the idea that they could fill a stadium with it is not so far-fetched. I can’t wait for their album to be released but until then I get to tell everyone about how they will be the next big thing and I really don’t think that I’ll be lying; especially seeing as they were on Jools Holland’s show Friday night alongside Kings Of Leon and Eric Clapton, which isn’t too shabby company is it really?
Following on from The Vaccines were Egyptian Hip Hop, who did not exactly impress me personally. You know, I’d be willing to overlook that they started over an hour late if they’d a) been at all apologetic or b) any good. But you know what, playing some synth on your Mac and adding a couple of guitars to droning vocals = not cool. Neither is wearing a Ben 10 comfort blanket around your shoulders or a Halloween mask over your mouth. After leaving in disgust we ran to try and catch the end of Cate Le Bon in Buffalo. We did catch the end, literally. But I’m not someone to hold grudges so I may give EHH another chance. Ok that’s a complete lie. I would rather be covered in bees than listen to them again. Beeeeeeees!
To cap the live music experiences we queued, in the rain, for Islet in The Model Inn. I didn't feel it was worth it and I'll explain why in brutally honest terms, knowing that my partner will present the counter argument just as vehemently. To me they felt a bit desperate to be 'different', resulting in a variation of noises but no actual songwriting talent to speak of. They employed wailing, whooping, shouting into the crowd without a microphone and even pigeon noises but I couldn't hear any actual lyrics in there. I have to say they could all play their own instruments and each other's but that alone didn't impress me too much after three days of seeing bands who were very tight musically. If I had to be brutal I would say that Islet seemed a bit wrapped up in just how good they are and so were 'lost' in their music in a spiritual sense, meaning that if I didn't 'get' it, that's my problem. A bit pretentious basically.
You’re pretentious! And I don’t need to argue that you’re wrong. It’s just fact. Islet are crazy good. Watching the lead guy is like watching the energizer bunny take his top off, get reallllly sweaty and play about 50 different instruments whilst jumping into the crowd and making the actual floor move. Granted the floor bowing under the weight of so many jumping bodies was a bit disconcerting as we were on the 1st floor but impressive nonetheless! If you like to get ‘involved’ with your music- i.e. actually listen to something a bit different than the generic bland fare that makes up a majority of today’s music industry then go see Islet in Clwb Ifor Bach on the 13th December. Don’t worry; the floor is made of firmer stuff. Oh and watch out for the one guy who has an amazing Victorian-esque curly moustache!
Luckily the festival ended on a superb note as we made a late call at the silent disco in the Union. I have never been to one before but this one was awesome. Having a choice of what you are listening to meant that you always had a song you wanted to dance to and having a quick listen to what other people are listening to by admiring their singing is great. I was able to confirm by listening to fellow revellers that the chorus of Blur's Song 2 really does go "woohoo! Anafeelahapaloo. Woohoo!" Haha it really does! It was so hilarious watching half the crowd sing and dance to the Beastie Boys whilst the other half rock out to Nirvana. Although next time I’ll try not to forget where I am and sing like I’m in the shower. It was the headphones!
My first SWN Festival was an amazing experience and full credit to all those involved in organising and performing. Can't wait for next year! Word up. Mucho praise should go to everyone backstage as it must have been a migraine to organize but with Huw Stephens involved (he went on stage to apologise for Egyptian Hip Hop being so late), it seems like his love child will keep going for a few more years yet. Who knows; maybe next year The Vaccines will be headlining!
2 Comments – Post a comment
Sam Sprout (Editor)
Commented 67 months ago - 10th November 2010 - 10:26am
To further confuse the issue, I'll wade in and state that Islet are pretentious yet brilliant.
neilramsden
Commented 67 months ago - 11th November 2010 - 14:00pm
That video if Islet is far superior to the live experience. It resembles music for a start. Thanks for the comments Sam, on all 3 diary articles. Nice to know someone else was there and is reading these!