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Community Festival Review

Hey guys, welcome back!

Today I will be reviewing Community Festival, which I attended on Sunday 1st July at Finsbury Park (London) with my partner Paul. This will be fairly different to my concert review posts, but I will still give a rating out of 10 at the end! We both had an absolutely fantastic time at the festival even with the 30 degree weather, and we hope to attend again in the future!

Getting to the venue was simple and straightforward; we were staying in a hotel in London, so we took the tube to Finsbury Park. Of course, the area was highly populated once we stepped off the tube, so we followed the crowd and sign-posts to arrive at the venue easily. Pubs along the route were full, and grassy areas were full of people pre-drinking and picnicking; we decided to head straight into the festival to grab some food.

Security checks were very disorganised and confusing; not many people were heading in at this point, but we had to get through at least four different checks before heading into the venue. The first check saw us all squeeze through a tiny gate showing our tickets; they were not scanned, we just had to prove we had them. The next check involved a security guard pulling random people over and asking for our ages if we looked under 16. Even after showing my ID to prove I was 19, the guard continued to ask me who I was entering the festival with (???). Next, we had our bumbags "searched" by a security member who simply opened my zip and shut it again. Finally, we put our bumbags in a tray to be scanned, and walked through a security gate. This was the most long and drawn out security process I have ever witnessed, and my partner and I never knew what the security member wanted! Though, as we went through the security measures we  found a big "Community" wall to take a photo in front of!

Once we were in, we chose to walk around the whole festival site to see what was there, and to learn where the stages were for later on. The main stage could be seen immediately as we entered the festival, and the second 'N4' stage was down a small grassy path at the top of the field. Food and beverage stands were situated all around the arena, and we were pleasantly surprised at how many there were! Another barrier we had to overcome was the cash machines; many people had problems withdrawing money, and both my partner and I's cards got declined. This meant we could only purchase food from stands that allowed card payments, which was quite difficult but not impossible. We decided to share a portion of cheesy curly fries, and headed over to the main stage in time for our first act of the day.

The first artist we saw were Sundara Karma, who started their set at 3pm. We decided to sit on the grass right near the stage, as it was too hot to get into the crowd. Sundara Karma played a good set, playing fan favourites including 'Flame', 'She Said' and 'Explore', and also playing a new song from their up-coming album. Sundara Karma's set wasn't absolutely amazing, but it definitely wasn't bad and put the day to a good start! They were better when I saw them play Reading Festival so I was expecting more, but I'm sure it would've been more enjoyable if we had been in the crowd.

Next on the bill was Rat Boy, who was one of our favourite artists playing the festival so we were very excited! We decided to stay where we were as it was still super hot, but we stood up so we could see the stage perfectly. Rat Boy and his band played absolutely fantastically; they were much better than we expected, and it was hard to fault their performance. Lead singer Jordan Cardy had awesome stage presence and the crowd were doing whatever he asked them to. The set-list was on point and featured every song we'd hoped to hear including 'MOVE', 'FAKE ID', 'REVOLUTION' and 'LAIDBACK'. They also opened their set with a new track called 'Chip On My Shoulder' which sounded great. Rat Boy definitely hyped us up more, and we looked forward to the rest of the day.

After grabbing a pizza to share, the next band we watched were Circa Waves; we decided to chill out to save our energy for later, so we sat in the shade and watched the band from a distance. Circa Waves were far better than I had remembered from Reading Festival last year, and not one song they played sounded bad. Circa Waves' 10 song summery set-list was everything you'd imagine for an indie festival; 'Get Away', 'Fossils' and 'Stuck In My Teeth' were of course played, and the set was finished with everyones favourite 'T-Shirt Weather'. Although they weren't bad, I still stand by what I said in my Reading Festival post; Circa Waves just aren't a memorable band, and I once again remember their set the least throughout the day.

Next up on the Main Stage were You Me At Six, who we didn't see all of as we headed to the other stage, but we saw just over half of their set. Although they aren't my cup of tea (12 year old emo me is shocked!), You Me At Six played surprisingly well and it was a nice change-up to hear something a bit heavier. Their set was packed with energy from start to finish (well, until we left!). Paul had never listened to any of their music before this festival, and he said they were one of the best throughout the whole day! No matter my views of the band, I was pleased to finally be able to hear 'Underdog' and 'Reckless' live.

We headed over to the main stage after 'Reckless' to catch Pale Waves' set as they are currently one of my favourite artists. This decision was one of the best made all day, as Pale Waves was our second favourite set from the festival. The entire band but especially lead singer Heather Baron-Gracie portrayed so much energy; her stage presence was fantastic, and you could tell the crowd were absolutely loving it. For such a small and new band, their set was flawless and they made such an effort in all areas. Pale Waves are renowned for being quite a "samey" band and I too can agree with this statement, but the songs sounded very unique and different to one another - they are one of those bands who are better live!

It was getting near the end of the festival, and second to last on the bill were The Vaccines. I wasn't sure what to expect from this set, but there was something missing which I couldn't quite locate. Lead singer Justin Young was making a huge effort with the crowd and portrayed good vocals, and the other three members played their instruments well. The set-list was also very good, featuring new favourites 'Nightclub' and 'I Can't Quit', and old bangers such as 'Post Break-Up Sex' and 'Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)'. I'm not sure if it was just us, but we didn't seem to enjoy this set regardless of the good factors; it was just not anything special and earlier artists performed better. The stage set-up also wasn't very intriguing, and they didn't even have a back-drop behind them. Everything about the set seemed sub-par and average; we got in the crowd for the last song 'I Can't Quit', and even that didn't improve things. I wanted to love it but unfortunately didn't.

The wait was finally over, and it was now time for the reason we were here; the headliners Two Door Cinema Club, ready to play their only UK headline show of the year! We managed to be sneaky and squeeze in for a barrier spot, so we were glad we saved our energy & that it had cooled down by this point! Two Door Cinema Club were flawless from start to finish; they were easily the best band of the day, and it was obvious why they were the ones headlining. It had everything you'd want from a headline set - crazy lights, smoke machines, an awesome stage set up with grid-style backlighting and fireworks to end off. The best thing of all was of course the set-list, where they played non-stop banger after banger for 19 songs. They of course played most popular tracks 'Undercover Martyn', 'What You Know', 'Cigarettes In The Theatre' and 'Something Good Can Work', but they also played tracks I hadn't heard live before such as 'Lavender' and 'Handshake'. Our favourite songs from the set were 'Bad Decisions' which was played perfectly with great vocals and great energy, and 'Sun' which was accompanied with a good fireworks show to end off the day in style. I would definitely love to see Two Door Cinema Club again, hopefully at their own show.

The festival finished at an early time of 9:45pm, so no-one was ready to leave once the bands had finished playing! Luckily all food stands were still open, so we were able to grab a snack on our way out. The festival exit was very easily sign-posted, and tube station directions as well as coaches and taxis were made very clear. The leaving process was one of the quickest and easiest I have ever experienced; there was no stop-starts and the constant movement made it speedy and efficient. We chilled out in the local McDonalds, so by the time we got the tubes back to our hotel they were pretty much empty.

All in all, we both had a fantastic time at the festival and would love to go again. Although we loved the line-up, some artists we just weren't interested in seeing, therefore the line-up was of no fault of the festival but could've been more suited to us. Food, toilets and water points were all very accessible and well sign-posted and a good atmosphere was set throughout. Our favourite artists throughout the day were Rat Boy, Pale Waves and Two Door Cinema Club, all of which I have seen before but glad I have seen again. In total, I rate the festival

7/10!

Thanks to everyone who read this post - as always, you can visit my Instagram to find videos of all the artists plus more photos - just click on the 'COMMUNITY' story on my highlights!

See you soon,

Chloë Xxx

[cloverscomforts-blog]

Slaves Concert Review

Hey guys, welcome back to my blog!

On Sunday (22nd July), I had the pleasure of seeing one of my favourite bands 'Slaves' in my own home town! They played a series of intimate gigs in small pubs and venues around the UK, and my local Arts Centre just happened to be one of these. Tickets were extremely limited, so my partner and I pre-ordered their upcoming album to receive a ticket code - we fortunately managed to grab two tickets! Of course, I will be reviewing this gig in my normal format, so keep reading to find out where they placed on my leaderboard!

Venue

Of course, a massive up-side to this gig was how close it was; not having to travel up to London or further was a bonus, and the gig was just a train ride away. Me and my partner went to the local Nando's for some food before the concert, which was two minutes away from the venue alongside many other restaurants and bars.

As the gig was so intimate, the venue was of course absolutely tiny. There was one member of security checking bags etc, but not everyone was selected for this; me and my partner just simply walked through the doors. I'd say I would've felt safer with proper security measures in place, but this isn't the type of venue for those measures. Ticket scanning purely consisted of two women taking tickets from you whilst sitting behind a desk; they said you could come and re-collect your ticket for a keep-sake after the gig, but I admit we forgot whilst we ran out of the venue for fresh air. This is a fault of my own of course, but being able to keep hold of the ticket would've been a bonus.

The venue was well equipped with small bars and a merch stand with a lovely selection of t-shirts and other goodies; we purchased a t-shirt for £15 which we thought was very reasonable and better than what we were using to paying. Due to the size of the venue, everywhere you stood meant you could perfectly see the band; it was a very surreal concert! We stood second row in the crowd for support act 'Sports Team', and then stood to the side of the stage for 'Slaves'; both outstanding views and good choices. The venue was very picturesque resembling a church - the size was no bigger than your local village hall, but we always had enough room and it never felt packed out.

There was one rather large down-side to this venue - the heat. Before any artists even began to play, sweat was dripping from each and every crowd members head - people were rushing to the bars for water after only being in the venue for five minutes. This obviously only got worse throughout the entire gig; I don't recall a time I have ever sweated as much as this day! Those in the mosh-pits didn't seem to mind and there was air-con in the venue, but you could see many people were very uncomfortable with the severe heat and it was impacting their enjoyment. I was quite engrossed in the gig so it didn't bother me too much, but I definitely would've appreciated being much cooler. I don't place the venue at fault, as it was a very hot summers day and they were doing all they could; this just isn't the type of event the venue is used to, and having this experience was definitely worth all the sweating.

Leaving the venue was simple and quick, and all-in-all it was a very nice venue with friendly staff and all amenities you could ask for. I rate this venue

4/5

Support Act

The chosen support act for this gig was six-piece indie rock band 'Sports Team'; I'd heard of the band and listened to them before as they featured on the front cover of a magazine I write for named 'Into The Grooves', but I wasn't very knowledgeable about them before their set. 'Sports Team' currently have one EP released named 'Winter Nets', and have recently released a banger of a single named 'Kutcher'.

Sports Team are 100% one of the best support acts I have EVER seen, which is a massive compliment as they are probably the smallest I have ever seen. The first thing that caught my eye was the fashion of the group; they all had their own individual, unique indie styles, but came together as a group very well with an 80s/90s vibe. The next redeeming feature was just how great the band performed; all five instrument players were fantastic and showed a lot of talent for a small group, and the deep, soulful vocals from lead singer Alex Rice were beautiful and totally unlike anything I have ever heard before. Indie bands do sometimes suffer from judgment due to them 'all sounding the same', but 'Sports Team' show that you can come under a certain genre but be completely different to any other band around.

The thing that stole the show, even though every member was fantastic, was the stage presence and interaction from lead singer Alex. His style of dancing was interesting and quite comical at first, but once you got used to it, it became a vital part of the whole set. Alex Rice tried his absolute best to interact with the crowd, actually chatting to members in the front row and sitting on the front of the stage to level with us. He got everyone in the crowd pumped more than I have ever seen a support act do before; everyone was so into it, and couldn't take their eyes off him. The effort he made was something of an icon, and not once did he or the band as a whole come across as cocky or amateur.

I cannot fault this bands performance, so I will have to give them

4.5/5

Set List

The crowd, thanks to Sports Team, were 100% ready and hyped by the time Slaves took to the stage at 9pm. They opened with favourite 'Sockets', and the crowd went absolutely mental; the mosh-pits and crowd surfing had already started. They then played 'Live Like An Animal' from their 2015 album 'Are You Satisfied?'. Next came 'Ninety Nine' from said album, and everyone knew that Slaves weren't here to mess around - they were there to play their best, most lively tracks.

My favourite song was played next; 'Cheer Up London'. This is the song that got me into the band, so to hear it live was amazing - it was definitely one of the best songs they performed all night. They then took the opportunity to play a song from new album 'Acts Of Fear And Love', which is out on the 17th August. This song was called 'Chokehold', and I'm exciting to hear it officially released! They then played first and only track of the night from 2016 studio album 'Take Control', and this song is much loved 'Fuck The Hi-Hat', which everyone went crazy for and were chanting the lyrics back to the band. They continued with 'The Lives They Wish They Had' from new album; even though it hasn't been released as a single, I was shouting the words and already feel like I know it.

Slaves continued their set with cult classic 'Where's Your Car Debbie?', which saw lead singer Isaac cracking a joke about how he wrote the simple lyrics 'all on his own'! Next was most recent single 'Cut and Run', which the crowd absolutely loved and sounded much heavier live than recorded. They continued with another new song that is yet to be released named 'Photo Opportunity', which was a stand-out song to me and was one of my favourites from the evening. By the sounds of all the new tracks Slaves played, the next album is going to be an absolute belter. Next came 15-second heavy track 'Girl Fight', that welcomed the most brutal mosh pits from the entire evening.

The set was now drawing to a close; the band decided to tone things down a bit with 'Are You Satisfied?' track 'Sugar Coated Bitter Truth', which only stayed calm until the powerful chorus began. 'Sugar Coated Bitter Truth' is another one of my favourite songs by the band, and I was actually quite surprised to hear it live. Penultimately we had 'Beauty Quest', which comes from their first album in 2012. The band of course ended on their music popular track 'The Hunter', which was easily the most well-performed song of the entire set. It was the best song for the band to end on, as everybody left on an ultimate high and reminisced over the whole gig.

The set-list was absolutely fantastic, but I would've liked it to be a little longer and there were a couple of songs they didn't play that I wanted to her. I rate it

4/5

Overall Performance

Both members of the punk duo performed their tracks absolutely fantastically. I expected the band to be very energetic and dynamic, but they exceeded my expectations and gave a performance using 100% of their effort.

Both members could be seen jumping into the crowd at different parts of the gig, encouraging mosh-pits and getting into the crowd. What made their performance totally unique is that they interacted with the crowd in ways I have never seen done before. During 'Cut and Run', two fans were invited onto the stage to perform the dance from the music video; both girls performed it absolutely flawlessly and appeared to be very grateful for the chance to be on stage. Another highlight from the gig is when lead singer Isaac walked into the crowd and encouraged everyone to sit on the floor with him so he could 'tell them a story' about how the track 'Girl Fight' came into being. Whatever Isaac or Laurie told the crowd to do, they did without hesitation.

Isaac's vocals were very good on the night; at times he sounded exactly like the recorded version! Of course he heightened his vocals at times to fit the live setting, but when he was singing naturally, his vocals were on point. Laurie was also exceptionally good on the guitar, moving around the stage all the time and even jumping into the crowd guitar-in-hand! The whole set just sounded like an amplified version of their CD, which is exactly what you want from a live band. They have the makings to be absolutely huge and iconic, and their passion could be spotted from a mile off. The gig allowed both members to shine and show off their talent both individually and as a group.

Their overall performance is difficult to fault as they both displayed 100% effort and talent, so it has to be

5/5

So, that's my overall view of the gig, which scored a very high

17.5/20!

This means that they have placed 1 point below Foo Fighters, and 1 point above The Wombats! I stand by this rating, as Foo Fighters honestly performed an unbeatable gig, but the Slaves gig was one of the best I've been to! As usual, I have a whole 'story highlights' dedicated to this gig on my Instagram, so head over to @musicwithchloe! If you're enjoying this series, I have two super exciting gigs coming up in September and November, so stay tuned for those reviews!

For now,

               Chloë Xxx

[cloverscomforts-blog]

The Wombats - Bee Sting Single Review

Hey guys, welcome back!

So after releasing dates for a massive UK arena tour, The Wombats surprised us yet again with the release of new single named 'Bee-Sting', coming not long after February's album 'Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life'. My opinion of this album was varied; the singles were great, some deep cuts were also great, but there was something about the album that didn't quite grab me like their other album's did. After going on their album tour and hearing the new songs live, I liked them a great deal more - I still don't think it was their best album as it was very commercial and lacked the 'edge' that they used to have, but it definitely wasn't terrible. I was intrigued to see what route they would take with this new single - would it be like their previous album, or are they going back to their roots?

On my first listen of 'Bee-Sting', which was a short clip played from their Instagram account, I thought the song sounded catchy, but very similar to their previous album. I must admit I expected this as the album only came out in February and this single is being featured on an extended version of said album, but deep-down I had hoped it would showcase something a little different. Listening to it in full via Spotify, I enjoyed it a lot more. The guitar at the beginning has a nice summery feel, and the riffs are repetitive and catchy. As always, I loved the unique lyrics that The Wombats usually experiment with, for example the opening line 'Jumping like a dog on Prozac' which they chose to advertise the song via the single art. At first I wondered why they had used this image for a track named 'Bee-Sting', but after listening to the track I thought it was a clever idea to use the first line of the song! The album art is just as good as the other singles; some of my favourite album/single art I have seen to date.

My favourite part of this single is probably the bridge; it's unique, has a psychedelic feel and creates an awesome build up to the final chorus. It compliments the chorus well, as by the time the it comes again after the bridge, you already find yourself singing along to the words! All in all its a well composed track; the verses have great unique lyrics, the chorus is catchy and upbeat, and the bridge leaves you wanting more and ready to jam out! I think the track will work perfectly on an extended version of 'Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life', and is actually better than some of the existing tracks already on the album. This single, along with the album, isn't my favourite The Wombats style, but I appreciate the slight change and do have a soft spot for commercial indie-pop music.

See you guys soon, Chloë Xxx

[cloverscomforts-blog]

Pale Waves - My Mind Makes Noises Album Review

Hey guys, welcome back to my blog!

Yesterday, Pale Waves released their debut album 'My Mind Makes Noises'. Pale Waves have taken the indie-pop world by storm recently, becoming near enough overnight superstars with the help of home to The 1975, Wolf Alice and more 'Dirty Hit'. In just over a year, they have gone from playing tiny stages at festivals with only a couple of songs released, to touring sell-out shows all over the world and releasing a debut album! So, I thought I would briefly share with you my thoughts on the album, as Pale Waves are a band I have watched grow over the last year - a more concise and professional review will be featured in the next edition of the 'Into The Grooves' magazine, so do keep an eye out!

'My Mind Makes Noises' is a 14-song, 50 minute album full of love songs, break-up songs and even a heartfelt ode. The album opens on a high, with much-loved singles ‘Eighteen’, ‘There’s A Honey’ and ‘Noises’. ‘There’s A Honey’ still packs a punch after its slight re-master – it’s a beautiful indie-pop love song. Next, we are introduced to five new songs including ‘Drive’, a track about falling in and out of love accompanied by a fast guitar riff, and personal favourite ‘Came In Close’, a pop track with an underlying sadness to the lyrics. Many songs from the album come across as just a catchy, boppy pop track, but once you listen to the lyrics, you learn that this isn't quite the case.

Next we are blessed with super catchy ‘One More Time’ and fan favourite ‘Television Romance’ from the early days. 'Television Romance' will always be one of my favourite tracks, as it reminds me of how naive and shy Pale Waves came across when they first started. I saw them play last year at Reading Festival and again this summer at Community Festival, and the talent and stage presence portrayed from the band has grown by miles! As the album draws to a close with the final four songs, single ‘Kiss’ pleads ‘kiss me hard like you did at the start’ repetitively along with a guitar-heavy pop beat. The album introduces us to lead singer Heather Baron-Gracie’s emotional side with final track ‘Karl (I Wonder What It’s Like To Die), a song about coping with losing a loved one.

All in all, I really enjoyed the album. As much as I love Pale Waves and think they're an incredible band, this album isn't groundbreaking. The band have a definitive sound, but the songs do portray a lot of mimicry and repetitive-ness. Although all tracks are good, a lot of them sound the same which really brings the album down for me. However, the album has some fantastic indie bops that are completely unforgettable -  it’s worth the listen to anyone who is unsure. Is it one of the greatest albums of all time? No. But Pale Waves are definitely showing they are a band to look out for. Even bigger things are coming.

I rate this album 3/5!

Thanks to everyone who read this post! I will have a vlog up on my YouTube Channel either tomorrow evening or Monday (musicwithchloe), and hopefully another post in the next few days too!

For now, Chloë Xx