AMPjam.net – MK's source for sound!

Jul.18.09

I was quite priveleged at Parklife this year, I wasn’t just doing photos and writing but was also invited by Ryan Pink to be a member of the festival team, mainly doing work relating to the website though being quite overwhelmed by how many people and how much work was involved in getting it together. I was also worried on the night before too, the rain hammered it down like no tomorrow, but it left us with some amazing sunshine for the festival, which already has some people sat down waiting for some bands, luckily for them it’s not exactly a long wait for most of them…

First band on to open the fest is Equinox, and I’m sure you know who they are by now with a fair few festival performances under their belts. The guys are lucky with the weather this time around and make use of what is already a sizeable crowd, actually being a bit more involved with the people watching them and looking a little more used to performing. Other than that, it’s mostly the same with their early batch of tunes and their new “My World” that seems to be going down fairly well with a melodramatic touch to their set.

With the first band over on the main stage, it’s over to the acoustic section with it’s “Cruise Ship Disco Turquoise” backdrop. Lighting up the embers on this end is a local band that is as alternative as you can get, the Jumpsuit Collective aren’t content with just guitar melodies, not when they have whistles, shakers, kazoos, keyboards and god knows what else at their disposal. Being on the scene for at least a few years now, there’s a few tunes I remember from the last time I seen them a couple of years back, namely “I’m A Geek”, which the guys proclaim to be their smash hit. Either way, it’s good to see these guys still as mad, jovial and creative as ever.

Back on the main stage, Isabelle are taking up their places for another festival and the weather is holding out again, all good for bands that do soulful, jazzy summer music. As ever, their set is a floaty two-pronged attack of Letty’s vocals and the shifting moods of music supplied by the backline, crossing into folk, rock, blues and soft rock. I actually seem to prefer this set over their last one at MK4U, maybe it’s the sun, maybe it’s a better set but I’d honestly say it’s because the whole Parklife ethos suits them a lot better with a mixed “family” audience rather than the groups of young kids who may not get into their grown-up grooves so easily.

Then it’s back to a laid-back form at the acoustic stage, this time with “Blood Red Shiver”. Billy, the name “under-the-name” has had a fair amount of band experience before, but his acoustic solo project is pretty much “what you hear is what you get”. In other words a very stripped down set with some nice simple songs, though it’s through the vocals that you can hear his main influences of Thom Yorke and Richard Ashcroft but without sounding like a rip-off. With Blood Red Shiver, it seems to be more about simplicity and flow rather than technical playing which results in some melodical sensibilities that give a nod to certain 90’s bands.

After the old switch-over, brooding metallic rock sounds can be heard over on the main stage, Twelve Titans are gearing up for a bit of a set. Metal is still only one facet of their collective sound though, with their tunes edging the line between both metal and alternative sounds. I have to admit that my favourite part of the set was the intro though, a nicely paced bout of instrumental rock has always been down my alley, but the guys seemed to follow through with a confident set with lengthy, extensive and heavy songs. They sounded good, they played well, I was surprised I hadn’t heard of them sooner…

Anyway, I guess a mention has to go out to Benji, the compère of the festival. A chlamydia testing tent was offering free pants to people who got tested, so you can guess who got on stage to introduce the next band a la Superman, though a mysterious brown stain on the back is a bit questionable. With the obvious jokes and protests over it’s time for the next acoustic band, Social Resin, to start up their bit.

I have to hand it to Jeff and the guys at the Cannon, they’ve been having a good go with Parklife this year with Jeff handling the acoustic stage. The Sunset lounge also had a competition for a lucky act to get a slot in the day through an acoustic “battle of the bands”, the result being Social Resin, a three-piece who are up on the stage now, their songs aren’t overly technical or brash, but they do have a certain down-to-earth quality that meanders it’s way through their material. For an early day’s gig it’s not too shabby, it’ll be interesting to see how much these guys come out of their shells as they keep playing.

On that note, The Break are one of the names that really impressed me last year, an energetic three-piece funk machine that’s full of hooks. However, as drummer Jon puts it, the guys haven’t been so busy out of the festival season so the set could go either way, but seeing that the guys have new material I can guess they’ve still been at least a little busy. “Funkatronic” is claimed to be inspired by memories of Ibetha and is the latest of their tracks. “Jenny’s Got A Big Fat Bass” is a bit more of a wholesome affair with a juicy, razor sharp breakdown, though I have to admit mixed feelings for what seems to be a Vanilla Ice cover, it sounds good, but it’s also Vanilla Ice…

Anyway, onto the acoustic stage anyway, the day’s been a quickfire of bands and acts, and Matt Woosey is next on the line. A man and his guitar from Worcester, Matt’s songs are definitely bluesy (maybe a little obvious with a song called “Walking Blues”), not so much whimsical but fairly gutsy and toe-tapping blend, the vocals have a lot of soul and the the licks have a lot of confidence. In fact, he reminds me of a certain local musician playing today…

While Matt’s closing his set down, Sean and Mark of Buick McKane are looking just a little tetchy, waiting for the chance to start up their set, I don’t blame them for being eager when they get into the groove once they start. They may be hard to pidgeon-hole genre-wise, but you can be sure their gigs are energetic as jagged riffs and a slight bit of math carve their way through the set with some weight behind them, breaking any doubts and strings in the the process. They still have a lot of the usual tunes floating around like “Systematic Anomally”, though their newer material is sounding like a solid step forward.

Which is more than what we could say about “The Vile Darling Set”, not that they played bad at all, but they were a total mystery before they stepped onto the stage, not being the program and the only clue being their name scribbled into the bands rota backstage. In a similar fashion, their sound was pretty mysterious too, drifting rhythm and poetic vocals stem from a tousled-haired frontman, while the addition of atmospheric feedback and a few lead lines from his partner add more to the other-worldy, progressive sounds creeping from the acoustic tent. Even as soon as the set is over, the two seem to disappear promptly despite being one of the most striking acts on today.

Three guys, all named Alex, form a bit of a three piece slice of rock n roll that’s actually quite energetic, and a cover of “Born To Be Wild” goes down well with the more old-school orientated crowd, while making me wonder how Steffi and “Mr. Cruisee” are getting on at their biker fest. The set’s a bit of a lively one, there’s a fair bit of banter that almost drags out a bit, but when they play they simply go for it, even having their frontman jumping into the crowd during a hefty break towards the end, running around in a half-dancing, half-confused crowd, now that’s one way to play at a festival.

To call Chris Dobbs a confident local muso isn’t quite enough, the man is always challenging himself with new ideas and always throws in a few extra bits in his gigs, be they poems or even fellow musicians joining in for a few tracks. With the latter in mind, the names Daniela Bove and Gareth Warren shouldn’t really need much introduction if you’re local, adding some vocals and melodeon to the shifting styles in Dobbs’ backcatologue. Apparently there’s an issue with the “body” of the sound, but when you have chutzpah like Chris, body if only a small part of the gig.

Instead of a trip back to the neighbouring main stage, we’re sticking around for Rise Bailey Rise featuring a couple of local musicians with Rich Patmore and Lee Harrington (both with a fairly extensive musical history). Essentially another solo-acoustic project with bluesy guitars and snappy drums, or at first glance at least anyway. But it’s Rich’s song-writing that makes them what they are with songs like “She’s 24” and “Mirrors” cropping up, the latter being a good reminder of the Exit Motel days, a shapely delicate number that remains one of my favourites.

I’ve seen Garry Murphy from Speeding Mellow around backstage through the day, due for playing a set but it’s more of a return to some heavier times along with local musicians Chris Robin and Gareth Warren under the name of Hardfinger, a name that’s been thrown around recently at the Cannon. It’s more of a collection of old tunes though, some of them from the Noon Layer Drive days and a few Cannon favourite(including a cover of “Minnie The Moocher”). Admittedly, it’s more of a collection than anything else, but getting to hear “This Dark Inside” and “Note To Self” live again more than makes up for it.

As you’ve probably guessed, it’s back over to the acoustic stage for our penultimate acoustic act, the Scott Dean Project I have to say that on first looks I was quite geared up for what was ahead, the sight of a lot of effects pedals usually makes me think of a lot of footwork, though Scott wasn’t so quick to go overboard with them. Instead of pure atmospherics we’re delivered a mix of styles with “Clarity” making some nice use of delay with a wandering melody and some harmonics resulting in a sweet melody. By the end the clouds may be rolling in and a string broken, but all was certainly not lost with a clever set behind us.

Casio Kid are the first to admit that they aren’t what everyone would expect, though calling themselves“wierd” stretches it a little too much, their approach is a little unorthodox but anyone who grew up with a gameboy will notice some familiar sounds coursing through the speakers as this local two-piece emotronic outfit make up for their numbers with candy-coated electronic beeps and drones. It’s as if you had a rave on an Atari, though the crowd is obviously not the usual type for the band who are more used to kids waving around glowsticks and the odd strobe setting off. That aside, the crowd isn’t taking the set too bad and even Amy Wadge seems to be enjoying their sound backstage…

After Casio Kid have finished off it’s time for the acoustic headliner, Amy Wadge to start up, a petite frame belies a powerful voice and a fair amount of talent, make no mistake, this poetress has won Best Female Artist in the Welsh Music Awards for two years, released five albums and played with a plethora of people, to say that Amy fills in the credentials is an obvious understatement. Taking the one down to a thoroughly chilled out pace, a delicate mix of piano and guitars compliment some strong vocals, as refreshing as the cool breeze that’s accompanying the lowering sun. I’m even a little surprised by a Manic Street Preachers cover, albeit pleasantly, with Amy giving the track an even more delicate frame on the keys.

Now, the name Black Swan Effect may seem a little outrageous but the band have every right to have it so. Headlining the main stage is no small task and BSE are the band to do it, yes, they look familiar with a couple of members being in Reef, and one may be Ronnie Woods’ son, but that’s besides the point. The band as whole are something new, bright and interesting and that’s where it’s at, if you need proof, check out the band listings for Glastonbury this year…

As the summer sun finally sets, sharp guitars throw in a bit of punk, messing around with feedback and a certain vocal sensibilty suggests a little bit of a Radiohead/ Jeff Buckley inclination and some delicate moments like “Sick” their sound is admittedly a bit of a mix, albeit a natural one that seems to have been grown rather than just a lot of ideas thrown together. Altogether, their tunes are really dramatic, right up to the closer of “Rat In A Cage” which hits the spot nicely for the last moments of the festival, though they haven’t been going for too long, I don’t think they’ll have much trouble generating a following, they certainly got me. When a band has you panicking over whether just to take shots or take a step back and listen, you get the feeling you’re onto something…

Craig \m/

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