Saturday 30 September 2017

New Music Review #89

Ten more songs that you really need to hear!

The Amazons - Ultraviolet


Another upbeat number from the Amazons that will get you rocking along, even if it's not quite as distinctive as some of their other hits. (6/10)

Beck - Up All Night


Not as huge as some of his other recent songs but it still has enough of a buzz about it to win you over. (6.5/10)

The Darkness - Solid Gold



The Darkness are always at their best when they stick their tongue firmly in cheek, and on this song (and video) they certainly do that. Welcome back! (7/10)

Erasure - Just A Little Love


Continuing their strong string of come-back singles this is a fun mid-tempo ballad with bite. (6.5/10)

Imelda May - Leave Me Lonely


'Leave Me Lonely' is another touching, well written and emotional mid-tempo number from Imelda May, balancing her distinctive voice with crisp production. (7/10)

Megan Mckenna - Far Cry From Love


The lyrics might be a little cookie-cutter but this touching, slow ballad is delivered with such emotion you can gloss over the familiar words. Definitely pulls on the heart-strings. (6.5/10)

Nadine Coyle - Go To Work


With quite a different sound to what I was expecting, this is a ballsy, retro-sounding pop hit with plenty of gusto and modern production. Fun! (7/10)

River Matthews - Sunshine


With a delightfully husky voice Matthews brings some real bounce to this upbeat poppy number. Great! (7.5/10)

The Tide - Naked


Lyrically it's not exactly the most highbrow of tracks but it's all wrapped up in a fun pop vibe that will get your feet tapping. (7/10)

Wolf Alice - Beautifully Unconventional


It might have hints of Tenacious D's 'Tribute' at times but this is a funky, slow-indie track from the band that has plenty of heart to enjoy. (7/10)

Wednesday 13 September 2017

KBPS Interview: Jack Found

Jack was conceived in a musical petri dish and then endured and enjoyed years of musical practice. With a musical upbringing at home, then trained at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester, he discovered he had actually been fathered by Bach and mothered by Björk.

What he wants now is to entertain. With catchy melodies and wild stage craft, his live shows have been described as “like watching a fitness video on acid”. What he says he most definitely doesn’t want to be is “another one of those mopy guitar bands frowning and bobbing their heads whilst looking ‘vibey’”.  With trombone, keytar, potty percussion and snazzy synths, he and his crew are more Madness than Indie.

We spoke to Jack about his new single but began by asking him about his recent trip up North to Huddersfield.
It was good. We were playing a private event on the moors. It was an old friend of mine who was having a do so we thought we’d go up there and Eduardo, a member of the band, is Italian and had never been up north so we thought we’d take him and show him as it’s a lot different to living in London. It was a good event, and we popped back to Wales the next day to see my parents.



Your new single is called ‘Sundown’. How would you describe it?
It’s a fun tune. It’s quite a catchy, upbeat song and features a lot of trombone and vocals, which are the main elements. It’s a happy, summery tune. It fits into a pop music structure; it’s very poppy compared to other things I’ve written. It seems to have gone down well and people are enjoying it; it’s a good one to get up and dance to!

You say that you were “fathered by Bach and mothered by Björk”. Does that accurately describe your sound?
It kind of does [but] that’s a little bit about my history. I studied in the Chetham School of Music for a while, studying orchestral composition, and so did Andy the trombone player, who studied the trombone. I’ve always had a love for pop music so that’s where that comes from.

The video is now available to watch; how would you describe it?
The video is interesting [in] the way it came together. You can see Canary Wharf in the background. [We filmed it] on the top of our apartment. We didn’t have long to film it. We went on the roof to film it throughout the day. There are [also] bits in the Greenwich foot tunnel. It’s all based around East London where we’re all living. It features a frog which is something we had lying around that we found. It’s fun, and Ed’s dressed as a Japanese woman. It was a long day. We recorded from about seven in the morning to two in the morning [but] we got it all done in a day. It was good! We had lots of funny looks going around London with all that stuff.

You have live dates coming up later in this month; how are preparations going?
It’s going good. We played last night. We did a charity event for Grenfall event. That was a good event; there were lots of people there and they raised quite a lot of money. I don’t have an exact figure but it was good. It seemed to go down well, and it was good preparation for our main show which is on the 18th September in Nambucca, which is in North London, and there we’re doing our full new show. It incorporates all sorts of theatre elements. There are so many band around, especially in London, who are playing great, but
I wanted to take it visually to another level of entertainment, [that’s visually entertaining].

How would you describe your live show?
Someone once said it is like watching a fitness video on acid! There’s a lot of energy, and I’m running about. The tunes are upbeat. It’s just good fun. We’re there to have fun and we just hope it rubs off on people! There’s a lot of trombone; we have a keytar as well, and we all wear lots of silly clothes. I do the whole white thing. Ed last night dressed up in a skeleton outfit, and there are cloaks and all sorts of mayhem. It’s visually appealing; it’s not just about the sound or the music.



What instruments do you bring to your live show?
There’s quite a lot; we have bits of all-sorts. We’ve got bits of auxiliary percussion; the keytar is lots of fun, and a bit of joke with what’s going on, with this ridiculous eighties keytar solo thing in the middle of the song. We do lots of quotes and themes which are incorporated into songs and run into each other; it’s a piece of theatre in that sense. I sometimes play guitar and sometimes just run around and do my thing!

What are your big ambitions for the rest of the year?
I’m talking to a few people about producing an EP or hopefully an album. I can’t say much about that at the moment but hopefully there’s something on its way. If not, there’s definitely another single coming, and I’ve got interesting things planned, especially with the video. It’s going to have a whole dance group, so it should be quite funny!

Finally, you’re very active on social media but there were a few statuses we need to check on. In 2014 you said you don’t like Michael Bublé. Is that still correct?
Yes, I suppose it is. I can appreciate what he does but it’s not to my taste. He’s great at what he does. He does some music for himself and that big band stuff, and then he’s poppified and produced and does the whole Christmas thing. But he does some music for himself and that’s appealing, but I’m not the biggest Bublé fan!

And back in 2015 you said you dress like a substitute teacher. Has that changed?

I don’t think it has improved really. I’m getting to the age now where I could probably be one. I do dress like that. I am dressed a bit more flamboyant on stage but in my day-to-day life I probably do dress like a substitute teacher!

Tuesday 12 September 2017

KBPS Interview: Affairs

Following recent performances at Dot To Dot & Live At Leeds; AFFAIRS are back, rejecting mundane routines with their synth laden new single Gracious World.

Last year’s Fierce Panda single Life of Leisure spawned a John Kennedy Radio X session, plays from BBC 6Music’s Steve Lamacq & Chris Hawkins, BT Music & Amazing Radio playlists and more.

Previous support has come from BBC 6 Music, Radio 2, Radio X, Clash Mag, BT Music and more.

We spoke to Liam from the band and asked him to describe their new single.
I’d say it is a bit of a change of pace from what we’ve done previously. Most of our previous singles have had a dark element to them, maybe in the subject matter or the synth sound we play with, whereas with this single we wanted to come out with a bit more of a positive message. The whole themes behind the track itself is to do with basically sticking up your middle finger to having too much responsibility, being stuck in jobs that you don’t want to do, and kind of seeing what else there is on offer. We’ve tried to make it more upbeat and more dance-worthy, and without throwing around the term of selling-out we tried to do something more reachable to a vaster audience.

Was there a conscious decision for the sound of ‘Gracious World’?
Yeah, something more upbeat. The percussion tracks on it are a bit more groove-based so hopefully you can get more of a dance vibe to it, and everything’s a bit brighter really, so nice big sparkly synths, things like that!


Will future singles continue in this style, or will it be like your older tracks, or maybe a mixture?
I think it’s something we enjoy doing, so instead of being tarred with the same brush all the time and people expecting what Affairs will do next, we kind of like that we’re stuck into this one sound. Currently the new material weaves in and out a bit so back to the old stuff, new stuff, to keep people guessing.

What was it like to record the video?
We wanted to try and keep things as close to home as possible with the entire single. With the track we recorded parts of it in Manchester in some make-shift studios and then we got our producer, who did our previous record ‘Life of Leisure’ back on board as he did such a good job on that and we were really pleased with it, and we were like ‘why not return to what we know’.

Basically we wanted to keep the video with that kind of vibe as well. With Manchester having such an industrial heritage we wanted to go down that route as that juxtaposed with the track a little bit. Where we used to rehearse there was a big warehouse which we managed to get our hands on, amongst a lot of old artefacts that we found in there. Clearly it hadn’t been touched in a while! I believe there was a crisp bag there from 1984! It was truly abandoned.

We just wanted to go back to the industrial, dark vibe, but juxtapose it against the track.

How’s your summer been going?
Things kicked off for us back in April and May when we played ‘Live in Leeds’ and we did ‘Dot To Dot’ for the Manchester dates and then we’ve just been busy with the promotions company we’re working with who are doing some great things around the city and nationally. We went on tour throughout July and August and it was great to get back out there and get the new tracks to people.

You have live gigs coming up; how are preparations going?
Good! We recently started re-jigging the set a bit after the tour we did over the summer, so there will be new things for those who come to see us again. There’s a bit of a new flow in there with quite a few new tracks in there, so we can keep people guessing and keep them on their toes!

How would you describe your live performance?
I would say that our singer James is very unexpected! In his own words to me, in fact last week, ‘I like to be a bit of a show off!’ He’s got some shapes, let’s put it like that! It’s that thing where if we look like we’re having fun then hopefully other people will get on board with it; it’s as much our gig as everyone else’s. We’re more than keen for people to get involved with us; it usually involves us climbing on stuff! But I’m not advocating that to everyone else!



What’s coming next musically?
We’re working towards our next single release which is coming out over the next couple of months. We’re currently putting together the solid material for our album which will be coming out next year at some point. I think at the minute we’ve been sitting on a lot of material so it’s drilling down and making sure that every track that goes on there is 100% what we want. We’re the kind of people who, if there was one niggly bit on a track, it would beat us up forever!

We’ve also started curating our own Spotify playlists which we add to every week. It’s a mixed bag of other band’s tunes and our own songs, the kind of thing we’re listening to in our tour van as we’re heading around the country, which will give people an insight into the sort of things that we’re into.

What’s your song of the moment that you’re really enjoying listening to?
I’m really digging the new ‘Everything Everything’ album; everything off that is fantastic!

Finally what are your ambitions for the next six months?

One of the things we’re looking at is developing our live show, with a bit more of a spectacle. I know we’ve got some plans in the pipeline for our next headline show in Manchester, which is at the start of November. We’re just trying to work towards that and make it so people step back and go ‘wow, what have I just seen? That was amazing!’. Something that takes it to the next level, but I can’t say much at the moment but it’s very much in the pipeline!

Monday 11 September 2017

KBPS Interview: Hydrocele

Surrey based 4 piece band Hydrocele are set to release their debut single “The Shapehshifter” on 22nd September. Previously described as “The hottest thing to come out of Surrey since Judi Dench in Pride & Prejudice”. These four fun loving rock n’rollers are starting to create a buzz around their frequent live shows. a   The band consists of  Freddie Wortley (Lead Vocals/ Guitar 18) - Neemah Wright (Guitar 20) - Jonny Faires (Bass 18) - Ian Wilson (Drums 19) who met at ACM Music College & Academy in Guildford.  

With influences as diverse as  Nothing But Thieves, The Cure, The Kooks, The Smiths, Primus, RATM, and even a bit of Free Form Jazz (blame the drummer!) the band have steadily created their own sound with brilliant songwriting and powerful riffs that are tearing up the floors wherever they play live.

We spoke to Freddie from the band and began by asking him to describe their debut single.
It’s a indie-rock summer track with big guitars! The lyrics are about the guitarist’s relationship status!

Do you songs come from inspiration from the band?
They come together from us as a band and we bring ideas to the table. The band is like a creative pot [and] we all have our own influences, whether it’s jazz or rock of funk, and everything comes together from a guitar riff or a melody or whatever. With ‘The Shapeshifter’ we wrote the vocals and the lyrics together in a bedroom after a session.



What was it like creating the music video in Menorca?
It was a great experience! We had a night of planning after a rehearsal in England and we thought it would be a cool idea to go out there. We managed to find a guy with a camera who could film it for us. We went out there and blagged our way around. We were sleeping on a boat at one point after a big night out. And then it was filming in the sea. It was a lot of work but it paid off!

As a band you’ve been described as ‘The hottest thing to come out of Surrey since Judi Dench in Pride & Prejudice’. Is that going on your gig posters?
Yes, that’ll be on all the posters!

You have an upcoming EP; how is the recording of that going?
We had a meeting with our producer a couple of weeks ago called Pete, and he sat in on our session and kind of picked the songs apart and re-arranged them, and we formed what are our strongest tracks. We’re taking them up to the studio next week in North London, recording them with him, which should be a good experience.

How do you think these songs will compare to the Shapeshifter?
We’ll see where it takes us. We’re now using a different producer and a different studio. It’s just a new experience recording in as many different places as possible, to see what we like the sound of and see where to take it.

You have live dates coming up this month; how would you describe your live set?
It’s very lively, full of energy [with] everyone sweating! It’s getting the crowd involved, a lot of fun, it gets pretty messy! Lots of energy.



How are preparations going for the live dates?
We’re ready. We’ve had our rehearsals. Ian, the drummer, has remembered the set list finally, so we’ve got that down!

What’s your favourite song to perform live?
‘It’s OK’, which we’re putting on the EP, definitely that one, and ‘The Shapeshifter’. Now that’s out there people are people up the lyrics and singing back the lyrics, which is a weird experience. And ‘It’s OK’ is a club friendly thing, so everyone’s going crazy for that!

Finally what are your ambitions for the next six months?

We’ve actually just signed a deal with a booking agent. Just to get gigs up and down the country would be brilliant. Doing a UK tour, as it were, would be brilliant, whether it’s a support tour or a headline thing, would be perfect for us. We’re taking it step by step so we’ll see what comes up. But gigs would be great!

Sunday 10 September 2017

KBPS Interview: Emilia J

Emilia J has been compared to the likes of Zara Larsson and Hailee Steinfeld, of whom she idolises. Being content on keeping her sound original, Emilia demonstrates powerful vocals, smooth lyrics and hints of rap simultaneously in her new single ‘Radar’. Striving for the perfect R&B sound, here we get to see Emilia exploring with different combinations in creating the perfect catchy tune, revealing a story of both independence and infatuation.

We got the chance to speak to Emilia about her new single and began by asking her to describe the track.
‘Radar’ is a song all about energy. When I wrote the song I had a lot going on in my head, but I think it comes together nicely. It’s all about feeling confident [and] finding yourself. Without sounding too cheesy it’s about having a dream and wanting to share it with everybody and then it’s a little about the balance between infatuation and independent, something I’ve struggled with before. And to be honest I threw it all together and it kind of works, so I’m happy!



Did bringing that personal experience in make you happy with the final song?
Yeah I think so. I’m happy with it.

There’s a mix of styles in there; is that important to you to blend different things?
To be honest, if you listen to a lot of the music that I recorded last year, trying to find a sound takes a long time. But in the last year I’ve definitely found the sound that’s mine. Lots of people, when they hear the things I’ve written, say it all sounds different. I love a good ballad; I love a classic pop song, and a bit of rap and RnB. I felt with this song I could throw a different styles into it. I’m pleased with it and hope everyone likes it.

What was it like creating the music video?
I’ve done a video shoot before but this was really different. It felt like everything fitted together. We had lots of lights and stuff happening. It’s also quite dark as well; I like the contrast of it. We put a lot of our ideas together and it fits the song perfectly. The video is just one big party; it’s a lot of fun!

You’ve had a busy summer live; how did that go?
It’s been really good. We just wrapped up Cornwall Pride on the Bank Holiday weekend. It was the first time I’d sung ‘Radar’ live so it was interesting to see how people would react, but they loved it and it went down really well. I threw some other original material in as well and it went down well, so I was really pleased. Out of all my music, even though you shouldn’t have favourite children, ‘Radar’ is my favourite so I’m pleased it went down a treat!



How does the live version of ‘Radar’ compare to the single version?
We wanted to keep it upbeat with the energy so I did a lot of dancing around, and I wanted to portray the high energy in the live performance too.

Have you got EP or album plans?
I would love to; that would be the dream! At the moment, in the past year, it’s been trying to find the sound I’d like if I was to do an album or an EP. If this goes down well definitely in the future I’d like to explore more things, so that would be the perfect plan!

Finally what are your ambitions for the rest of the year?
To be honest I just want to keep making music. I want everybody to hear it. I want to make sure they can relate to it and jump on board. If I can just keep on doing what I’m doing that would be the best thing ever so that’s my dream: to be able to do this all the time forever!


Saturday 9 September 2017

KBPS Interview: The Fizz

The unmistakable sound of Bucks Fizz – now known as The Fizz – is not only back, but in the zeitgeist. With their first new album in over three decades, 2017 brings back their signature sound updated, with a cannon of radio friendly hits, written and produced by legendary maestro Mike Stock.

A history of pop music would be incomplete without The Fizz. The band were formed in the early 1980s and went on to represent the United Kingdom at the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest in Ireland. It is part of pop music folklore that they won it in spectacular fashion. Bucks Fizz were launched to become a global phenomenon.

We got the chance to speak to Jay Aston from the band and began by asking her to describe the new single!
It’s kind of pop; it’s a bit like what we used to do but it’s obviously got a bit more of a now sound. It’s a mid-tempo happy tune, and being a British band, dancing in the rain is quite appropriate!



You’re back with your first new album in three decades; what was it like to get back together to record it?
Really good. We’ve been working on and off for years but we haven’t done a new album. Certainly we haven’t done anything with the likes of Mike Stock for a long, long time. It’s been really good working with him. He knows what he wants. He’s a real pro.

Your new album is out on the 22nd September. How does the album sound compared to your earlier work – you say it’s more of a modern sound?
Yes. Back in the day it was tape and analogue and it’s now all digital, but he’s tried to capture the Fizz thing with the vocals and some of the old drum sounds, in fact more so than I thought he would. And it kind of works. It’s a good album and there’s some really great songs on there, and we’re already talking to him about a second one. We’re all very happy with the result.

How has the reaction been to Dancing in the Rain so far?
It’s been very good. We’ve only just done the video, which is circulating from yesterday, and it’s been playlisted on Radio 2. It’s good! It’s gone down very, very well.

Can you give us a flavour of the video and what it was like to record?
We did a video back in 1982 for ‘If You Can’t Stand the Heat’ which was a top ten for us, and it’s a bit similar to that video. It’s a behind the scenes look at us meeting up, rehearsing and performing it. It’s almost like a documentary of watching us rehearse.

Was that fun to put together?
It was good fun! It was us doing our Fizzy thing!

You have a tour throughout the autumn; how are preparations going?
Very well! We’ve got one of the most intense schedules since around 1982 coming up. I wouldn’t say I’m chilling today as I’ve been really busy but I’m trying to get a bit of a rest in before it goes crazy!



Could you give us a flavour of what they can expect from you live?
It’ll be all our big hits. There’ll be about 10-15 songs of our top ten hits, three number ones, a bit of skirt ripping! We do a bit of an 80s medley, and of course all the key new songs that are possibly singles as well off the album. There’ll be lots of productions, lots of lights, and costume changes. We put on a good show!

Do you have a personal favourite song to perform?
I like ‘Land of Make Believe’ because it turned us into something other than a Eurovision band. It was our biggest selling single and number one for three weeks in the UK, and sold about two million copies very quickly!

Finally do you have any big ambitions for the next months?
I think we’d just like to keep going; just keep progressing, keep recording, and keep gigging, and see where it takes us. It’s just great to be doing it. Bigger, better, faster, more would be good!

Monday 4 September 2017

New Music Review #88

Another ten songs you have to hear!

Alibi - Space Man



'Space Man' is a quirky indie song with a fun delivery and a pleasing tongue-in-cheek vibe. (6.5/10)

Avicii feat. Sandro Cavazza - Without You



Though the chorus descends into overly familiar territory for Avicii, and the overall sound of the song is not exactly revolutionary, the bridge and chorus is fun and punchy. (6.5/10)

Hudson Taylor - Feel It Again



The boys are back with this new pop-indie number that, though lacking the huge choruses they're known for, has enough bounce and rhythm to keep that old foot tapping. (6.5/10)

Jess and the Bandits - Sister



Jess and the Bandits have good history with strong pop-country ballads and 'Sister' is no exception, and those lead singer Clemmons is more subtle here there's plenty of guts in the delivery of the heartfelt lyrics. (7/10)

Nikhil D'Souza - Beautiful Mind



'Beautiful Mind' is soaring ballad that builds to a huge crescendo. If you like your singer-songwriter tracks well written and perfectly delivered you need to hear this. (7/10)

Rachel Platten - Broken Glass



Platten returns with another great ballsy pop-song that mixes up some well observed lyrics whilst also wrapping up the words in a catchy radio-friendly chorus. Great. (7/10)

Saint Etienne - Dive



If you want to enjoy something a little more calypso-y this summer when you could do worse than going for the summery vibes of this new song from Saint Etienne. (6/10)

Taylor Swift - Look What You Made Me Do



The new song that has split the crowds, I actually quite like it, the production solid and the lyrics intriguing. The switch to the chorus is as poor as in Ariana Grande's 'One Less Problem' though the Right Said Fred connection isn't that noticeable. It's certainly more interesting and dark than a lot of other similar pop music but might divide her fans, and the experimental Sparks-feel at times pleases me. (7/10)

Thirty Seconds To Mars - Walk On Water



'Walk on Water' is a ballsy soft-rock track with an anthemic chorus, Imagine Dragons-style breakdown, and plenty of attitude. (7/10)

Tom Grennan - Found What I've Been Looking For



This new song from Tom Grennan has bags of energy and a powerful building energy that really grabs you. A great distinctive voice. (6.5/10)

Saturday 2 September 2017

Bingley Music Live: A Review

The last time I crossed the threshold of Myrtle Park as a punter at the annual Bingley Music Live festival was 2012. Five years on and with the music line-up this year more to my personal tastes, back to the earlier indie rock rather than more contemporary acts, I thought it would be worth buying a ticket to enjoy some of my favourite acts of all time like Maximo Park, the Kaiser Chiefs and the Wombats, plus bands I'd like to see like Manic Street Preachers, Sundara Karma and Feeder. So what do I think of BML 2017?

In Summary

It's been five years since I've been to Bingley Music Live, the more indie-rock orientated line-up attracting me back. Did I enjoy it? Yes, it was a great weekend with three strong headliners, great supports and some very interesting new discoveries. The cocktail and gin tents were great additions and the atmosphere, lighting and facilities were all on top form. The bars could have perhaps been better staffed, the food a little cheaper, and some of the acts maybe a bit more energetic than chilled out but these are minor quibbles about a friendly and welcoming festival with a great line-up at a good price. I might even start coming regularly again from 2018!

My top five sets from the weekend:
Kaiser Chiefs
Maximo Park
The Wombats
Anteros
Milburn

Day Three

Sundays are the day of rest, right? Which probably explains why I was a bit later to the festival than usual. Either that or it was the 45-minute for a pre-festival full English in a nearby cafe. Anyway, enough of my eating habits, it's time to talk about the day!

The third day wasn't as glorious as the Saturday but the rain was light and didn't dampen the mood. It was perhaps not as busy and the venue seemed to be swarming with chuggers with buckets at every opportunity which got a bit tiresome after a while, but there was a great mix of acts and it made for a quieter, but no less interesting, final day.

On the discovery stage I sadly missed Able's Army and Marsicans but got the chance to see Tom Walker who I've actually seen before acoustically, but with the addition of a drummer and electric guitar he was even better, his powerful, loud and booming Maverick Sabre-like voice and Ed Sheeran-esque set-up playing well, his soulful sound on songs like 'Play Dead', 'Leave the Light On' and 'Sun Goes Down' really entertaining the crowd, which was already huge for the time of day.

Neon Waltz followed and this six-piece retro-sounding sixties-style band from Scotland entertained with their mid-tempo indie with strong synth work, with songs as sombre as Scotland, sounding like a cross between Glasvegas and the View, but they were a strong group.

I missed Island due to clashing sets but was lucky to catch Get Inuit whose catchy guitar riffs and harmonies, in particular on a song that came across as dramatic as the soundtrack to a 30s film, won me over, their pop-punk-rock working well. A song that began with 'All my friends are dead' was more uptempo than a song starting like that had the right to be, and there was plenty of energy throughout their set which came at a welcome contrast to the main stage. "Thank you for joining us and not spending thirty minutes in the toilet", the singer declared at one point before finishing on track 'Barbituate'. It was a great set and far, far superior to half an hour in a Portaloo!

Muncie Girls, the penultimate act on the Discovery Stage, were loud, proud and very entertaining, sounding like a heavier Paramore when singing and very posh when talking. Full of energy this was a great, high octane set including songs like 'Balloon' and 'Locked Up' and they sound promising for the future.

The second stage came to a finish with The Orielles who were an energetic band to finish on and despite their young age really delivered, and they deserved the headline slot.

Over on the main stage I was unable to see the first two acts and High Tyde, who I wanted to see but clashed with Tom Walker, but I did get to watch Little Comets who I'd heard lots about. Their gentle, calming music was a nice addition to the festival but the songs were a little too laid back and bland for my liking. The songs were the perfect accompaniment, say, for a summer barbecue, just not necessarily a festival.

Up next was Badly Drawn Boy and though he was on top form his sedated style felt once more a little too quiet for the time of day and my mind soon drifted from his set which was punctuated by more familiar songs.

Soul II Soul brought a bit more much needed energy to the main stage with their chilled out vibe, multiple vocalists and strings, headed up by Jazzie B who interspersed the songs with commentary and shout outs to various UK places as if he was rehearsing for a Geography exam. Naturally they waited until right at the end to play their biggest hit 'Back to Life' and though the set perhaps meandered a little long it was a strong hour.

The penultimate act was Feeder whose catchy fun and rock songs kept the crowd entertained. 'Lost and Found', 'Just the Way I'm Feeling', 'Buck Rogers' and 'Just A Day' were just some of their many hits that were played out alongside more recent songs like 'Eskimo' and though I'm not familiar with much of their other material enjoyed them!

Before we got to the final fireworks we had the last headliner to enjoy, and that was The Wombats. Confessing on stage that half their equipment had gone missing in transit and they'd had to cobble together the kit they had with bits lent to them kindly by Feeder, it gave the set a kind of urgency and off-the-cuff nature and, coupled with the 30-minute late starting time, led to a shorter set, but to be honest it didn't really have a huge impact and the band delivered a solid greatest hits set list that gave us 'Kill the Director', 'Moving to New York', 'Jump Into The Fog', 'Give Me A Try', 'Patricia the Stripper', 'Here Comes the Anxiety', 'Party in a Forest (Where's Laura?)'; 'Techno Fan'; 'Emoticons'; 'Tokyo (Vampires and Wolves)'; 'Greek Tragedy'; and 'Let's Dance to Joy Division'. If they hadn't confessed perhaps no one would have noticed, the set full of energy and great tunes and a strong way to end the festival and a band finally ticked off my own personal bucket list. The absence of 'Anti D', 'Backfire at the Disco' and maybe a smattering of songs off their new album was a shame but looking back at the set-list these are minor grumbles!

Day Two

The second day of Bingley Music Live was glorious thanks to the bright weather and the complete lack of rain, and a sell-out crowd meant the site was rammed with families and music lovers keen to enjoy a strong line-up.

Heading to the Discovery stage, my late arrival meant I missed opening act The Harriets but enjoyed second group The Shimmer Band whose shades and long-hair made them look like the archetypal rock band. With hefty drums and a catchy songbook including the very enjoyable 'Sunkick', they were a strong start to the new band line-up. 

The Old Pink House, who followed, echoed the main stage with delays meaning the times went out of the window so it was harder to plan when to see acts. However I did get to see a bit of them, their soft-rock sound with harmonised choruses a joy and much more enjoyable than Yak, from whom I'd just left. They finished on a catchy, festival-friendly closer with lots of fun sing-a-long elements.

I was looking forward to hearing Anteros as I discovered their single 'Breakfast' this year and really enjoyed it so was keen to see their set, but even I was surprised by how thoroughly enjoyable their set was and it became the only one on the discovery stage I stayed for the entirety of. Led by a stylish-looking lead single they rattled through a series of very catchy hits that seemed to grab me even though I'd never heard them before. Appearing on stage to a recorded 'Oh My God' the band had a great stage presence and looked like they were having lots of fun, the energy from the singer particularly noteable. Songs like 'Drunk', 'Fade to Grey' (not a cover); 'The Beat'; 'On the Moon', 'Ring Ring', 'Running' and one final track all boasting great pop-hooks, and 'Breakfast', their penultimate number, sounded even better live than on the recording, the energy and faster tempo really suiting it. Outside of the big headliners, this was probably my favourite set of the weekend.

Tigercub who followed were a fun, rockier band with a lead-singer with a dramatic fringe, though they weren't really to my personal tastes so didn't stick around for too long, so maybe it's a band for me to check out more from later.

The last act I saw on the Discovery Stage on Saturday was Stevie Parker whose light and airy 'Be The Bear'-like indie and Danish-styling was fun to watch, tracks like 'Someone Like You' with their quirky, experimental and gentle vibe, a nice addition to the line-up. Sadly I missed The Big Moon as, even though I could have done with them as a break from the awful Pete Doherty (more on that soon) I didn't want to relinquish my good position for the Kaiser Chiefs, so I need to check them out at some time.
On the main stage there was an equally strong set of acts. I was too late for Sifaka (I saw them at the recent Bradford Festival and they were great so was sad to miss them) and Willie J Healey but Dan Owen was a great introduction to the main stage for me. Though visually the singer-songwriter with a guitar should have swapped stages with The Shimmer Band he still commanded the crowd with his own compositions, held together by his powerful and distinctive voice. Tracks like 'Splinters', a touching ballad, and 'When I Die' ("So it's a happy one" he declared) with its clap-a-long moments worked really well, and there was a Mumford and Sons-vibe to his stompbox-songs. Throwing in audience participation and some sing-along sections, he's definitely an act to keep an eye on. His ballad 'If I was made to love you' and energetic cover of blues classic 'Little Red Rooster' really tied things together.

Sadly I can't say the same for the next act up on the main stage Yak. Their multi-layered rock was well done but the hefty feedback and distortion over synth sections with a grungy feel just wasn't my sort of thing, and they came across as a band attempting to make as much noise as physically possibly with the drums without really focussing on the actual songs. Ending every bridge with a swear word and a drowned-out drum-heavy chorus does not a great set make.

With the aforementioned stage delays kicking in there was a gap for me to soak up the general atmosphere of the festival, enjoying some of the pop-up acts repeated from the friday, with my favourite at one point saying his dad would give anyone a free cocktail if they named every song in his mash-up. I got about twenty in when I lost the flow, but that was a fun distraction whilst sat on a deckchair by the continously building queue for cocktails.

I also got to enjoy the DJ on the main stage whose choices of Mylo's 'Drop the Pressure' and Reverend and the Makers' 'Heavyweight Champion of the World' really setting up the mood. Soon it was time for British Sea Power, or from the amount of fake foliage brought onto stage, it was more like British Tree Power. The eclectic band rattled through their long back catalogue and I was delighted to hear recent single and personal favourite track 'Bad Bohemian' appear second. I can't say I know much of their material but I enjoyed what I heard though the songs, delivered flawlessly by a large band including some strings, did blend into one each other a bit too much due to my unfamiliarity.

Sundara Karma were up next and delivered some fun summery songs including 'Vivian' and personal favourite 'Flame', which really got the crowd going. We also 'She Said' from the hippy-looking band who felt like they captured the sound of a classic festival.

The early surprise for me was Milburn whose Sheffield origins were clear in their Arctic Monkeys / Reverend and the Makers sound and though i'm not hugely familiar with their work (they did drop 'What Will You Do (When The Money Goes)?' which I'd forgotten was by them and I loved it) they had the crisp sound and stage presence to really make an impact, songs about going on holiday and 'Lucy Love Me Not' really grabbing me, alongside 'Cheshire Cat Smile'. I might not have had big expectations for them but they were one of my favourite sets of the weekend.

The same, however, cannot be said for Pete Doherty. I can't say I was particularly looking forward to his set but turned up with an open mind. Sadly, however, his sprawling dirge of a set confirmed all my fears and the most interesting parts were when he stopped two minutes in to check someone in the mosh pit was ok and the guitarist started up the White Stripes / Jeremy Corbyn chant; when he threw a guitar halfway across the stage into the arms of a very lucky crew member; and when the band all did a freeze-frame two-thirds into the set.

Dressed like an RAF pilot with a haircut against regulations, Doherty's set was a drawl from start to end only occasionally livened up by some faster paced musical sections, though for the most the band, which included a portable xylophone, sounded like they were a clock that needed urgently winding up. 'Last of the English Roses' was the one song I did hook onto and there was some nice moments in 'Waterloo' but there were too few moments like this in the set to call it a success, and there was lots of yawns and raised eyebrows from those around me. At least his last song had a bit more energy so he ended on a high, though declaring 'Thank You Lancashire' to the Bingley crowd wouldn't have enamored many more to him. I sort of felt sorry for the sign language chap having to translate his drawly lyrics for the hard of hearing who, without making a dodgy joke, were lucky not to have to listen to him.

Thankfully all this was forgotten when headliners the Kaiser Chiefs appeared on stage, and they single handledly pulled together the best set of the weekend with more energy, laughter and stage presence than everyone else put together. From lead singer Ricky Wilson's wry observations about speakers with 'no step' written on them; why there was a clock on the front of the stage (which he threw into the crowd); and his jokey threat to drummer Vijay when he missed a cue ("You saw what we did to Nick") to their songbook, this was hugely enjoyable from beginning to end. With visuals on the big screens for the first time, a huge light-up 'KC' behind the band and so much energy from Wilson as he zipped back and forth across the stage, this was a festival set as it should be.

The set-list was also pretty perfect. We got 'Everyday I Love You Less and Less'; 'Everything is Average Nowadays'; 'Ruffians on Parade'; 'Na Na Na Na Naa'; 'Parachute'; 'Modern Way'; 'We Stay Together'; 'Ruby'; 'Hole in my Soul'; 'Still Waiting'; 'Never Miss A Beat'; 'The Angry Mob'; 'I Predict A Riot' and 'Coming Home'; with an encore of 'Misery Company' and the huge sing-a-long finale of 'Oh My God'. Throw in a snatch of 'Born to be a Dancer' and Wilson's banter with the sign-language chap and those leaving before the encore 'to get to the car park' and it was a joy to unfold, the sound, lighting and stage presence all coming together in one huge moment, and the crowd lapped it up. If I were to find some criticisms it would be that 'Still Waiting' was an unusual inclusion and 'Misery Company' didn't quite have the energy for the encore, but these are minor quibbles in one of the best live performances I've ever seen, and it really wrapped Saturday night up perfectly.

Saturday at Bingley Music Live was a joy. Long bar queues meant I only partaked in one pint but I still had enough of a buzz to enjoy the spectacle, good weather and strong line-up. The pie stand, which I sampled, was great, and aside from the questionable inclusion of Pete Doherty the line-up was superb. Roll on Sunday!
Day One

It was a mixed day weather wise for the first evening but actually, compared to previous years and other festivals, the rain was light and didn't really dampen the impact. After a relatively lengthy queue through security, which in light of the big incident back in May I can understand, I got chance to explore the site and it was as buzzing as I remembered it. There was some entertainment, though, to keep the crowd entertained in the ticket queue including a stilt walker and some acoustic acts performing in the band stand, though this would have been better keeping those queuing for security happier. At least there was some people watching to do whilst waiting including those quickly downing as much alcohol as they could before going through security and some young girls sending messages to their friends already in the venue and discussing whether what they were waiting in was the 'que' or 'queue'.

The discovery stage was surrounded by stalls, a bar and catering outlets including pizza and poutine, while the middle area including plenty more stalls and attractions from games to fashion to those flower crowns that bring Snapchat to life. There was also a gin bar and, best of all, a cocktail bar whose pop-up tent filled with straw, deckchairs, chinese lanterns and lights was the most atmospheric space of all. Both bars featured acoustic pop-up acts which were some of my highlights of the day and it's a shame these acts weren't given more prominence in the marketing.

The main stage, in its usual place, was surrounded by more food stalls alongside the big bar and a fairground ride, with food and drink to cater for the wide audience at the event. My tip for those going over the weekend, though, is to queue early as the bar staff don't seem particularly versed in selling, with a 25-30 minute wait to be served in a queue of 20 people.

Moving on the acts and the Discovery Stage was a mixed bag. The echo and reverb heavy Lea Porcelain, the first act on it, were not really my cup of tea. Their trippy, Britpop-esque sound was a bit of transcendental for my tastes, their experimental and freeform style coming across as a little monotonous. 

Thankfully the Dead Pretties had a clearer sound and to me were a little Red Hot Chilli Peppers in style, with their catchy guitar, grunge-rock and a song called 'Teeth - for those with our without'. For a little part I got distracted by an audience member who had turned performance artist by putting on a mask of a pigeon - complete with a pair of spectacles balanced on their beak - who was going around pecking at people. Quite.

The Pale White followed and they boasted some crisp, indie sounds and harmonies, with a song potentially called 'Let You Down' particularly catchy. The final act on the Discovery Stage was a highlight for me. Tom Grennan, with his gruff voice and fun banter between songs, showed confidence and a great song book, throwing in personal favourite 'Praying' as his final song but also doing a version of his Chase and Status collaboration. 'Something in the Water', a mid-tempo number, proved popular and the huge crowd that had gathered to see him responded with energy.

Between acts I took time to enjoy some of the pop-up artists in the cocktail tent and one particular singer really caught my attention, performing a range of covers from 'Uptown Funk' to 'Dakota' by the Stereophonics. He had a great confident vocal style that belied his young age and rattled through a great songbook of covers in a chilled-out setting that included an Oasis mash-up, the full version of their song 'Half the World Away' and snatches of 'Purple Rain', 'American Pie' and 'Feeling Good'.

Later acts included the trumpet-wielding duo of Marc and Abi from Issimo, who mixed covers (Paulo Nutini's '10 out of 10' a particular highlight) with new material ("Let's Just Wait"), and several other singer-songwriters covering all bases. Sitting on a deckchair, relaxing to these pop-up acts, was actually one of the highlights of the day. Maybe I'm just getting old.

Onto the main stage and openers Cabbage were a catchy and quirky indie group, and their line-up included a fun little song quite possibly entitled 'Born in the USA'. The lead singer pulled some rather unusual shapes on the stage but their observational and fun numbers were enjoyable - they also announced a song called 'Terrorist Synthesizer' - and someone in the audience got into the spirit by tossing around leaves from a cabbage.

Against a large backdrop of a tunnel and the letters 'GLA', Twin Atlantic were up next and proudly declared themselves to be from 'Glasgow. In Scotland', just in case anyone's geography was letting them down. Although I only really knew one song by them - the incredibly hooky 'Heart and Soul' which the band ended on, I really enjoyed their set, the bass-heavy vibe and energy from the Scottish band addictive, their indie-rock vibe ticking those festival boxes. As a friend said, they should have been on later in the weekend due to their stage presence. 

My personal highlight of the day had to be the appearance of one of my favourite band's of all time, Maximo Park. Though I got stuck in the slow bar queues for the first two songs the sound was loud enough and clear enough to be heard and the band, returning to the festival were on top form. Their set might have been a little bit new-song heavy for the setting, but as a fan this wasn't a problem as I knew all the songs, and the energy from frontman Paul Smith and the rest of the band was addictive. Starting with new songs 'What Did We Do to You to Deserve This' and 'Risk To Exist', we also got 'I Want You To Stay', 'Books From Boxes', 'Leave This Island', 'The Hero', 'The National Health', 'Going Missing', 'The Undercurrents', 'Work and then Wait', 'Our Velocity', 'What Equals Love', 'By the Monument', 'Girls Who Play Guitars', 'Get High (No I Don't)' and 'Apply Some Pressure', the energy of the last song getting the crowd going. Throwing in the Yorkshire chant, some political undertones but most importantly lots of buzz, I was excited for this set and the band delivered. 'Let's Have Some Water', Paul Smith said at one point, referring to needing a drink break, but coming across more like an observation about the weather. When it finally cleared half-way through the set we got treated to a double rainbow.

This wasn't Paul Smith's only topic of conversation. He also talked about Salt's Mill and complained about the poor bus service!

Having never seen them live before I was keen to see headliners Manic Street Preachers and though they got a good reception from a lot of the crowd didn't seem to grab me like I thought they would, and in hindsight felt that Maximo Park gave a far better set with more energy. The Welsh band - flags on stage, a Welsh badge on the lead singer, giving some not-so-subtle hints of their nationality - were well received but not really doing much for me.

James Dean Bradfield and friends rattled through lots of their big hitters, with an opening that included 'Motorcycle Emptiness', 'Everything Must Go' and 'You're Love Alone', but the vocals seemed low in the mix and I started to lose focus, not helped by the next songs being not as familiar to me. Songs like 'My Little Empire' lacked power but 'If You Tolerate This' perked everyone up. Sadly, a three-song acoustic set, admittedly including a great cover of 'Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head' zapped my energy and stuck between the choice of waiting to hear eventual big hitter 'Design For Life' or setting off early to beat the crowds leaving and the travel issues which would be present due to Northern Trains' delightfully timed strike, I chose the latter. Many enjoyed them, I wasn't so keen.

Overall I really enjoyed the first day of Bingley Music Live 2017. Most of the bands were great, the extra activities around added interest, and the atmosphere was there. On the negative side, the Manics felt like a more subdued end to the day, the bar staff seemed far too slow, and the food is expensive. But hopefully if those serving the drinks can be given a kick up the bum and the organisers also promote the smaller acts around the bars then the weekend will be as great if not better. Today - it's the Kaiser Chiefs!