Now firmly established as one of the must-visit festivals in the East Midlands, the 10th helping of musical dessert that is Summer Sundae slipped down nicely once again.
As always, there were a string of bands repping the NG throughout the weekend. Dog Is Dead have worked their arses off this summer, cutting a swathe through the festival circuit (including Glasto). They took the indoor stage by storm, growing as a more cohesive unit by the performance with effortlessly locked-in harmonies. They have a single launch party at the Bodega on 25 September; it might be the last time you see them in such an intimate setting.
And any review of SS would be incomplete without a mention of We Show Up On Radar's wonderful set on the Last.fm Introducing stage, who - for an all-too-brief moment - seemed to bring the sunshine with them. They create what can only be described as the perfect summer soundtrack; fragile yet uplifting plinky-plonkiness that can't help but bring a smile to your face. Two songs later and the heavens opened to possibly the heaviest downpour during the entire festival, but never mind - we were all under cover and enjoying ourselves far too much to care.
As for the rest...
Fools Gold are a world music collective with infectious feel-good riffs, who merge everything from African beats, to Ethiopian melodies. With non-stop smiles, it’s clear that the band members have a genuine love for sharing their upbeat and warm music, often ignoring the crowd by singing their hearts out to each other.
The upbeat and scuzzy-guitar six-piece The Go Team came on stage just as the gorgeous sun was setting on Leicester’s horizon, providing the perfect mood for their distinguished exultant tunes. Front woman Nkechi Egenamba (known as Ninja) puts on a captivating performance with her renowned zealous buoyancy and effortless skill to engage the crowd. The set was a mix of old and new- but it’s the hip-hop samples with their shouty punk edge, which keeps this band just as fresh as they were six years ago.
The indoor stage soon became filled with fans of cult band The Fall and an excited buzz could be felt as John Peel’s all-time favourite band came on stage. It only took moments before Mark E Smith was all over the place, dawdling towards every single microphone before muttering poetically in the corner. At times the band looked tireless of Mark’s unknown antics, and at one point he pushed his wife away from the keyboards before abrasively stabbing off-key notes. But at their best The Fall merge chaotic garage with 80s post-punk, pulling together sounds reminiscent of The Velvet Underground, The Doors and Joy Division.
Summer Camp pull together the sweet sounds of 80s pop but after a while it becomes a bit too fluffy with songs crammed with lyrics about summer and love. Musically the karaoke style is nothing special and gets a bit tiresome, but there are some witty lyrics about heartbreak, such as, “My brother’s huge and he’s gonna take care of you".
Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wits are the perfect blend of alt-folk for a Sunday afternoon. The lyrics are imaginative and engaging with a mix of mellow and upbeat songs that revive folk music. Johnny is a champion of anti-folk (experimental folk with punk elements), and mixes country, blues and folk to create a unique sound.
Errors mix disco beats with electro funk that creates an infectious instrumental sound that makes everybody want to dance. Swapping between synthesizers and guitars, the member show they can create controlled yet playful music with exuberant bursts. And yet they don’t fail to engage the crowd, which is quite a skill for an instrumental band to develop such cohesion.
Ellen and The Escapades is the adorable Ellen, who mixes delicate and husky vocals, with folky-country melodies. Throw in a tambourine and a Bob Dylan cover and you have one alt-rock act that is worth checking out. In her own words, some of her music is calypso country fusion, but it’s her first single Without You that impresses with its bright and cheery harmonica and brilliant lyrics that are refreshingly honest.
Scottish indie rock band Frightened Rabbit may have started as a one-man project with a 4-track, but it’s the evolved five-piece line-up that has reached hearts and souls around the country with their candid and captivating songs. Scott Hutchison is very talkative and feels right at home with his fans, sharing amusing tales about why he had never been so happy to see Birmingham earlier that day. He swears and jokes as he talks about the plane that zigzagged through a thunderstorm before telling the crowd how happy he is to see them. And by the sounds of it, they’re very happy to have him there too, particularly when he starts playing Old Old Fashioned which leads to an uproar of cheer.
The Futureheads have been making upbeat bursts of pop brilliance since their debut album in 2004 and it seems they still have the knack. New songs such as I Can Do That sound just as good as their classics Decent Days and Nights and Skip To the End showing that their minimalist inspired post-punk is as vibrant as ever.
Summer Sundae took place at De Montfort Hall, Leicester on 13 - 15 August 2010.
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