iArena and In Te Woods where the likes of Lone and Leon Vinehall kept us partying until the early hours.


I started Saturday morning by making my way to Te Alcove to watch Dingus Khan, a band I saw advertised on the inside of a portaloo door the night before. Teir loud, brash sound and playful energy was a change from the more clean-cut indie that was mostly present and managed to fill the tent and area surrounding.


Swedish sisters First Aid Kit were a personal highlight; their chilled out set on what was still a sunny afternoon was perfectly placed and had the crowd swaying along. Te sisters’ voices perfectly complimented each other as they brought a hint of folk to the festival. Te duo seemed to shimmer across the stage, the sun catching their gold dresses as they kept up the wholesome and relaxing vibes with songs such as their new single My Silver Lining and a cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s America. Bombay Bicycle Club were next up with their equally relaxing selection of older and newer tracks including their recent single Luna. Teir uncomplicated, steady indie sound was a perfect soundtrack to the hot afternoon where anything faster would have felt like it was doing nothing to appease the extreme heat.


downpour, the audience was holding onto Albarn’s each word and as he brought out fellow Blur member


“Despite the


Luckily, it cooled down a lot running up to the evening’s main performances, Royksopp & Robyn on the Radio 6 Music Stage and the one we were all looking forward to, Damon Albarn. All weekend there were differing opinions of the choice to have Albarn headline and people seemed equally as sceptical as they were excited. It turned out that all the scepticism we may have had completely evaporated by the time the man himself had begun his performance. Te set weaved in and out of classic hits and crowd pleasers such as Kids With Guns as well as somewhat surprisingly good performances of his newer solo material. Te most exhilarating moment came during the encore in which the storm that had been brewing overhead exploded into heavy rain, soaking the whole site and crowd in minutes. Despite the downpour, the audience was holding onto Albarn’s each word and as he brought out fellow Blur member Graham Coxon to perform the fantastic Tender, the rain no longer mattered.


Compared to the other two days which seemed packed full with massive acts, the Sunday seemed like a bit of a lull, caused somewhat by the ‘last day of the festival’ blues but also lack of exciting bands in the morning on the Obelisk Arena, which usually set the tone of the day. Not knowing what to go see, I chose the band Phosphorescent simply because I Iiked the name. Te music was tranquil and I could appreciate the skill of the writing but sadly the set didn’t seem to act as much more than a soundtrack to a nap. My opinion was mirrored by the lack of crowd as the Obelisk Arena was its emptiest since it was opened on Friday morning. Venturing further into the woods to the almost hidden acoustic stage, I was able to catch up-and-coming musician Meg Bays. Her short set, which consisted all of covers, managed to make songs such as Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream, the rather apt Heatwave and


Tender, the rain no longer mattered.”


Graham Coxon to perform the fantastic


Radiohead’s haunting classic Creep, sound as if they were made to be played together. Te simple acoustic style matched with what is one of the strongest and most intriguing voices I have seen live meant that she pulled off the covers in a very unique and stylistic way that would transfer well to even bigger stages. Te set itself felt intimate because of the wooded surroundings and the sheer passion in which she delivered the lyrics. Definitely one to watch.


Continuing the theme of unique and talented women, next on my personal schedule was the LA trio Haim. Te sisters’ bass driven pop-rock and strong vocals were a very welcome change in what had been a very mellow day so far. Te three of them oozed confidence as they energetically ran the stage, playing their instruments with enthusiasm and interacting more with the crowd and cameras more than most of the weekend’s musicians. Despite only having one album to play with, they managed to mix things up a little with a unexpected cover of Beyonce’s XO which was beautifully delivered and really got the audience, even those who didn't know Haim’s own songs, singing along.


Tame Impala kept the energy up with their psychedelic melodic rock that one of my friends very accurately described as sounding like ‘Te Beatles down a well’. Te dreamy, ethereal vocals were sometimes lost among the synths and hazy


guitars, but they still managed to pull the attention of a large amount of the crowd as their raw, retro sound echoes through the evening air.


Instead of staying at the Obelisk Arena for Sunday night’s headliners Te Black Keys, I decided to join the passionate but modest crowd for Lykke Li at the Radio 6 Music Stage. Originally I stood well back but was coaxed in by the dramatics of the stage show, which included a lot of dry ice and spotlights used in a surprisingly tasteful way. Te whole set is full of melodic angst in a kind of slightly rockier Fleetwood Mac style that entices you in as you find yourself wanting to hold onto your friends and sway. Te music itself is a lot heavier and louder than you’d expect from the more mellow recorded versions, allowing for a more epic feel to the set, especially as the vocals find themselves seemingly bouncing back off the tent and completely filling the room. Lykke Li herself twists and almost aches with passion behind the mic stand, pushing so much emotion into each line and movement. An unexpected sample from Kanye West’s Send It Up creates more of a party atmosphere and a taste of Beyonce’s Drunk In Love continues the theme of talented women for the day. Te audience fill with anticipation as the first few notes of I Follow Rivers are teased, eventually falling straight into the track, which is met with equal passion and enthusiasm. A suitably chilled, epic and euphoric ending to what has been a colourful and overall beautiful weekend in the Suffolk countryside.


Ellie Smith


outlineonline.co.uk /August 2014/ 51


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