Pukkelpop 2015

[TheNewUnion]

Today's highlight, coin flip between The War on Drugs and Ride. Honorable mention for Netsky.

[lightning1000]

Friday highlight

Farther John Misty, by a country mile. Loved it.

Chvrches had technical issues and couldn't finish their set, felt sorry for they, singer looked gutted.

Goat also very impressive.

Father John misty is always the highlight at any festival he plays

[TheNewUnion]

Father John misty is always the highlight at any festival he plays

He's playing in Vegas when I'm there later this year. I was so impressed yesterday that I'll be buying tickets to see him for sure.

[lightning1000]

I'm seeing him in October in Sheffield UK. Can't wait.

[TheNewUnion]

Home from Pukkelpop, considering the hoo hah over the lineup I think this was the best one I've been to. Brilliant, feel like the lack of a headliner was a side issue in the end. Goat instead of Bastille for example was an easy decision.

[DDave]

Home from Pukkelpop, considering the hoo hah over the lineup I think this was the best one I've been to. Brilliant, feel like the lack of a headliner was a side issue in the end. Goat instead of Bastille for example was an easy decision.

What were the main stage crowds like? I know they can be deceiving but they looked massive on the official photos.

And were there any noticeable differences in the crowd in general?

Edited August 23, 2015 by DiscothequeDave

[TheNewUnion]

Didn't properly watch a huge amount on Main, but the likes of Ellie Goulding, Netsky were rammed. The good stuff (in my opinion) was always manageable. War on Drugs, Seasick Steve, J5 etc you could get right to the barrier. Dance Hall was far too busy again, couldn't get near for the bigger acts. Club was always good, easy to get a good spot.

Crowds were good this year, did seem to be a lot of younger girls for Ellie though.

Edited August 23, 2015 by TheNewUnion

[DDave]

PM'd you.

[Trufflehound]

Dance Hall was far too busy again, couldn't get near for the bigger acts.

 

Timing is everything. We were right on the front barrier for Underworld. Fortunately I've already seen Ride twice in the past 3 months, so didn't worry about blowing them out to get a good spot. But as it turned out, the Dance Hall didn't start filling up until around 10 minutes to go, so we could have caught half of Ride and still been near the front.

[Trufflehound]

Loads of highlights for me this year:

 

Thursday: Curtis Harding (how come he was bone dry, and not covered in sweat like the rest of us?), Michael Kiwanuka (who was sweating for England), Strand of Oaks, Interpol.

 

Friday: Algiers, Radkey, Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes, Ought (my top find of the weekend), FFS (or Sparks, as I like to call them), Fat White Family, Amenra

 

Saturday: Slaves, Benjamin Booker, Viet Cong (my wife may have a slightly different opinion on how great they were, but I loved them), The Maccabees (surprised how good they were, last time I caught them they were merely average), The War on Drugs (even on the main stage), Dead Souls, Underworld (immense)

 

Best of the weekend. FFS. They were having loads of fun, so were we, and I haven't heard louder cheering from a crowd, ever. Ron and Russell were great, and I'll even forgive the other four for being Franz Ferdinand.

 

Disappointment of the weekend: Courtney Barnett. Was hoping for more than turgid plodding rock.

 

 

 

Anyone else see The Germans (who are Belgian, despite their name) in the Wablief? They had some "performance artist" on stage who looked like a beer-bellied Stig of the Dump. He did a striptease down to a fishnet body stocking, then stripped completely naked and covered himself from head to foot in white body paint. Then he got joined by a naked woman and another naked man, both pre-covered in white body paint. The man struck a few Greek statue poses, while the woman did naked handstands around the stage. Then all three danced around naked in a circle. There's an image that's going to linger with me for a while. It was, er, interesting.

(And quite detracted from the fact the band's industrial electro music was pretty good. No one's going to remember that.)

Edited August 24, 2015 by Trufflehound

[chimmer]

first time at pukklepop this year and was not disappointed!

getting to the festival was pretty smooth, and arrived at Kiewit station just after 3ish......queing for wristbands, and then the campsite was tragic. this system could be so much smoother and more organised if a few more fences were introduced......also had to deal with that rope-holding-back-campers embargo. good idea, and does well to optimize the space, but pop up tents were the bain of my life for that 30 minute period, especially when the clouds had parted as i was queing to enter the campsite, so i was roasting away......!!

either way, got the tent set up and went to the campsite bar.

(disappointed that there was nowhere to buy big bottles of coke, or crates in the campsite like UK festivals....the shop wasnt a far walk....but it was just too hot to keep walking back and forth for us....lazy, i know)


After we had a bit of food at the campsite, we set off to the arena, and i was massivley impressed, just by the dance stages. boiler room looked bigger and better than expected...dance hall wasn't small, but for the size of some of the acts it was due to stage, i wasnt sure if it would contain the masses!

 

But now the bands:

Altern8 :  Awesome. From the go, they had me and my missus drawn in. loved the gear, the dancers. it was fun, not taken too seriously, and a window back to a time i grew up in, but was far too young to appreciate. 7/10

Tiga LIVE : One of the weekends highlights. Bashed through all his top tracks in fine form. The visuals and sound were terrific. Crowd seemed to enjoy it, plenty of dancing and singing along, and loved the way he re-hashed some of the tracks for it. 10/10

Desprate Soundsystem : Good fun from what i remember, but not memorable evidently. 5/10

2manydjs LIVE : Sadly, just didnt do it for me on this occasion. I have seen them a few times before and thought that the visuals were better and better tracklists. this isnt to say they wernt good, i think if its the first time you had seen this live show, you can't NOT enjoy it.....but just didnt have the x-factor for me this time. no epic intro, no wow songs, a lot of re-hashed things.....but did enjoy 'Giorgio By Moroder'. 7/10


THURSDAY

Sat at the picnic area and was hammered watching Seasick Steve & Jurassic 5, so cant really give real feedback on them.....but it was just ideal in the heat with a few beers!

Madeon: Bit boring. impressive to see someone of his age doing so well, but i think thats a big part of it. All of his tracks are very same-y, got bored pretty quickly sadly. 4/10.

Limp Bizkit: 4th time seeing them, and as per, always deliver. Good setlist, but was hoping for maybe one or two surprises, but with only an hour and at a festival, it was fun. Not heard 'My Way' live before so that was good fun, and all the girls on stage during 'Nookie' was pretty entertaining! Only noticed when watching that Sam Rivers has left aswell....loses some of its appeal with original members dropping like flies...might be time to get that new album out!! 8/10.

Baauer: just caught bits and pieces as we wandered through the Boiler Room. sounded really good, energetic and fun, but didnt get fully involved. will have to try and see him properly at some point though! 7/10

Mr Oizo: The act i was mostly looking forward to all weekend......but just didnt live up to the expectations. Could have been a factor of reasons for this, watched him alone as my girlfriends back was playing up. the setlist just didnt do it for me, not nearly enough of his own music, and just the unreal expectations. He was a great DJ, dont get me wrong, but just throughout, found myself not on the brink of crying, which it was i should be! Still though, it's Oizo. 7/10

FRIDAY

GangTheLabel: Dreadful. 2/10

 

The Communist Kareoke Stand In Food Wood: So much fun. got very drunk and sang 'Parklife'. Awesome. 10/10.

Flosstradamus: Another highlight. Awesome set, energetic, put on a real show, which seems difficult in the boiler room as the venue is the show, but flosstradamus brought something else to it. will defo go see them again. 8.5/10

Ellie Goulding: Watched from a distance. Though she was miming, turns out shes just pretty pitch perfect live. Good fun, and the missus enjoyed her. 7/10

 

Diplo: Bloody busy....but really good fun. Think i was flagging a bit at this point because the heat was kicking my arse. Good setlist, just what i expected! 8/10

Bastille: One of the most controversial acts of the weekend, but i think they shut alot of people up. Pretty big crowd, and from the go, they had me pretty gripped. They looked like they were really enjoying themselves, stage show was great for a band of their size. pulled out all the stops, and spared no expense. Really good show! 9/10

Major Lazer: Everyone one wants for a major lazer show, but we stood a bit further back, think i would have been more into it down the front. Didnt really like the first part of the set, but then when they stared doing more of the stuff i knew, i got more into it, as did everyone it seems. Have ticked for them in October so will be looking forward to that when i can give them my full focus and energy. 7/10


SATURDAY

Charli XCX: Not my thing, but the missus was keen to see her, so gave it a watch. Good fun, but reminded me quite a bit of Courtney Love for some reason? weird having her in Dance Hall.....would have been better of the Main or Marquee........or Club even..... 5/10.

The Dillinger Escape Plan: Dreadful crowd. I know it's hot and sweaty, but this is the metal/punk/hardcore stage, was expecting pits and jumping from the go. Undeterred however, DIllinger raged on in their usual, overly energetic style, bashing through alot of their latest album, before hitting the favourites. When Greg (singer) came down into the corwd, did the crowd start to respond. all of a sudden, it became a real Dillinger show. Energetic, sweaty, rough, loud......had the pleasure of screaming into the mic myself, and being right at the front with greg as his came in.Hadn't seen them in years, but used to be my favourite band, so was a great little nostalgia trip! Loved the set, and got a guitar pick as a wee souvenir. 9/10.

The Offspring: Continuing my trip down memory lane, me and the missus went to see another childhood favourite. From the go it was brillaint. Crowd were feeling it, singing along and moving about. Top setlist, and they sounded great. i know people have said Dexter had lost it a bit, but i thought he was pretty top. Really entertaining from him and Noodles, and couldn't stop smiling throughout. Only bit which had me cringing was the poor chap in the wheelchair. Obviously disabled, but clearly a commited offspring fan, being down towards the very front, but when crowdsurfers were piling over, everytime one came up behind him and the person he was with, i cringed for everyones sake. fair play, but thought it must have been terrifying for him aswell? who knows, either way, everyone survived and enjoyed it!! 8/10.

James Blake: Final act of the weekend, and again, simply awesome. Seen videos of him live before, but they really dont do him justice. You need to see him live. had me gripped from start to end...and made me beg the question as to why Alt-J were headlining, and not him. Nuts. 9/10.



So there you have it, first pukkelpop, and was quite an experience!

Also, can anyone tell me, what was with all the massive ques for the HUMO, cocacola, and other stand as you came into the dance village? was confued and never found out?


x

[TheNewUnion]

first time at pukklepop this year and was not disappointed!

So there you have it, first pukkelpop, and was quite an experience!

Also, can anyone tell me, what was with all the massive ques for the HUMO, cocacola, and other stand as you came into the dance village? was confued and never found out?

x

Glad you enjoyed it, I have camped only once and your experience is typical. It's a dreadful system in my opinion but that's the way they do it. I suggest booking early and staying in Hasselt. Worth every penny. The rest of my gang stayed in Raddison Blu, and we just met them there every day (loads of the bands stay there, saw Paulo Nutini outside the shop, PHryme, Offspring and several more just loitering outside waiting for the shuttle to the festival)

The massive queues are just for free stuff really. Hats, they make badges with you and your mates on, stuff like that.

Edited August 24, 2015 by TheNewUnion

[Semprini]

Nice review chimmer and glad to hear you had a good time!

 

Well I'm back home but not exactly in the land of the living yet. So knackered today, easily the worst I've felt all weekend but I'd rather that than when I was there. Another fantastic edition, loads of highlights and nothing that really disappointed or upset me. Weather was hot throughout, although Friday got a bit too much at times in a number of the tents. The Castello was particularly bad which meant I saw only bits of some of the bands I had down on my list.

 

After a very early start I spent Wednesday in Rotterdam with friends, which meant kicking off the party pretty much as soon as I got there at 10am. Arrived in Hasselt a bit later than expected so after a quick pit stop in the hotel I made my way straight down to the site. Managed to catch the last track from Paranoid London and then Altern 8 hit the stage. Was a lovely trip down memory lane and a great way to kick things off. Crowd wasn't very big but that didn't stop those of us who were there from having lots of fun. Saw The New Union and his group and then met up with Trufflehound and all my friends. We only watched a bit of 2 Bears before heading back into town for a few beers.

 

Thought the Boiler and dance area in general looked great - the theme this year was loads of rectangular LED screens hung at different angles and heights. The Boiler itself must have had at least 50 of them, with probably another 50 in the outside area and the two back hangers. They flashed up messages that were tweeted in, as well as PKP logos and the name of the DJ playing etc. It was a good concept but I found it a bit distracting as it was hard not to read all the messages - bit of sensory overload at times. It wasn't until Friday that I spent time in the Boiler late on and it was really impressive in the dark. There must have been 15 laser systems along the entire stage side wall of the tent and when they all went off it looked amazing.

 

Will review by stage, which might take me a few goes:

 

Main Stage

 

Jurassic 5 - although I've seen them before, I don't know much of their material. However that didn't stop me thoroughly enjoying myself in the sunshine. Came at a nice time of the day when I was starting to feel quite merry and the atmosphere in the crowd was great. The back area as arrive at the Main is often quite busy (which makes you think the crowd is huge) but we always go down the right near the toilets and then cut in to the stage. You can usually stand right in front of the screen which gives a with great view of the bands, as well as space to dance.

 

Sigma - Came on after Jurassic 5 and had a bigger crowd. Been a fan of Sigma for a while now as they used to produce loads of really good DnB tunes, before they went down the main-stream chart route. Their new stuff works well at festivals - 'nobody to love' and 'changing' being good examples - but it was nice to hear 'front to back' have a run out. Crowd were really into it and the live band and MC's/singers did a great job of adding to the atmosphere.

 

Rudimental/Major Lazer - banding these two together as I only watched about 20 mins of each. Was feeling pretty done in by the time Rudimental hit the stage so watched from the picnic area at the back. Saw them at the Big Weekend in May and I was at the front of the tent where all the action was. This probably meant that unless I'd have done something similar then the PKP show wasn't going to live up to the experience. I did enjoy what I saw but the set list was the same so I knew what was coming (unlike last time). Saw the last part of ML and the crowd was massive - probably the biggest one I saw there all weekend. However, I did manage to get caught going the opposite way when both Linkin Park and De Jeugd van Tegenwardig finished and those crowds were immense (heard Ellie had a massive crowd too).

 

The War on Drugs - was elsewhere when they played The Club last year so didn't want to miss out this time round. Met up with a couple of good Belgian friends just after they started, which was nice as I hadn't seen much of them over the weekend. While TWOD put on a great show, we all agreed that it would have been even better in the Marquee. Loved hearing 'Under the pressure' towards the end - had a few beautiful moments when I just closed my eyes and got lost in the music.

 

 

[Slavivlad]

Well I might as well chip in some of my thoughts Was my first festival (nevermind first PKP) so don't hurt me

 

As chimmer pointed out, the camping malarkey is probably the main negative of the festival. We too did not have a pop-up tent so were struggling to find a space, until we just put the poles in and just carried it to the front of the rope and plonked it down when they moved. The rubbish for the missus was also unbearable but I figured - kids will be kids.

 

Regarding the acts, we sat most of Wednesday outside the Dance Hall with occasionally going into Castello - and rather enjoyed The Van Jets. 

 

Thursday - Seasick was great, managed to shake his hand Michael Kiwanuka was, as somebody mentioned, sweating like mad, but also really good. Bleachers with the saxophone were pretty fun too. Kinda wish I saw more of Charles Bradley but we left for Murphys. Thoroughly enjoyed Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park - didn't think they'd play so many of their old songs. Paolo was great too, but missus had to miss Django Django for which she probably hates me.

 

Friday - Passenger, FFS and Parov Stellar band were the best. Passenger's Sound of Silence was a bit too slow for my liking but apart from that he was good. Parov Stellar probably was my favourite of the day. Regarding Bastille, (I only know Pompeii and am not a huge fan generally) I thought the crowd wasn't great. It didn't compare to Bizkit or Ellie Goulding, nevermind LP, but then again we were towards the back and everyone around us was just chatting away until they played Pompeii. 

Saturday - Offspring and Maccabees were great. Never listed to the latter but the missus wanted to see them and we got quite close to the front and enjoyed them. Tame Impala were good fun and alt-J were alright, we managed to get a decent view from up close and the crowd were loving it. Wish I got to see Halestorm but Offspring trumped them  

 

 

Considering next year, but think we'll have to stay in Hasselt or something like TheNewUnion says, the kids just have too much energy for our old souls (we're only 21 ) Only saw one two English people the whole weekend and that was on the train from Kiewit to Brussels

[TheNewUnion]

One other option, camping somewhere other than Camping A. No experience of Camping B but it looks more spacious than A. There's also a non Pukkelpop campsite nearby that might be an option, I'll see if I can find it.

[pryce]

camped in both ...campsite B is like a different festival ...much more spaced out and chilled

 

the wait for the bus is never that long either

 

walk if quite far but manageable, especially in the morning

 

but then again...camping in A in 2011 was cut short so didn't get the full experience

Edited August 26, 2015 by pryce

[TheNewUnion]

Passed Camping B on the bus on Wednesday, there seemed to be loads of space. Were I to camp (unlikely) then I think it'd be B for sure. Wonder if they're missing a trick not offering so called "glamping" in yurts etc, or even a Worthy View-esq pre pitched camping field.

[TheNewUnion]

With apologies for any typos, here's me emptying my thoughts on the weekend

Altern8,

Great trip down memory lane, I think the only people older than me at the festival were in Altern8. Really good fun, bumped into Semprini and his gang too. Brits reliving the rave days I shouldn’t wonder. Nice little start to the festival.

Tiga

Didn’t really get into this. Loved it in Portugal but I think being unable to get in amongst it in the Dance Hall stopped me from really connecting with his set (this was a recurring theme when I had occasion to visit The Dance Hall)

Echosmith

Not bad for throwaway indie pop, nice way to start the day and Cool Kids is a fun tune.

Natalie Prass

Really nice set, just chilled at the back of The Club (which our group agreed was the best venue at the festival). She sounded great, if I had my time again I would have headed down to the front and got more involved.

Seasick Steve

Excellent as always, though I have seen him do the same thing a number of times now I always enjoy it.

Curtis Harding

Again, just chilled at the back. Made great background music. He’s got a great voice.

Jurassic 5

Highlight of the festival for me, full on fun time sunshine music. They were clearly loving it, the crowd loved it. Even those in our group who had no idea who Jurassic 5 were loved it. Just so much energy and the best example of how to do a hip-hop set at a festival that I have ever seen.

Charles Bradley

Very good indeed, wasn’t quite as brilliant as I had hoped for but I wasn’t disappointed at all. Perhaps my expectations were too high. Regardless, great performer, great band and a thoroughly entertaining danceable, swayable soul set. Plenty of James Brown moves thrown in for good measure too. Probably in the top 5 of the weekend.

Lianne La Havas

Pretty good, didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would though. Had high hopes after her Glastonbury set a few years ago. She was decent, just not great.

Limp Bizkit

Sat at the back having a beer whilst they were no. Nothing to report here really, though I did hea Rollin’ which I used to like (for about 5 minutes)

Future Islands

Really enjoyed this. So much more fun than when I saw them in Portugal. Got a good spot in The Club and we really got into it. Still not sure about the death metal growl though…..

Linkin Park

Beer at the back, heard the only song I know and it sounded Ok. Decent crowd, not as rammed as I thought it would be, but still a pretty big crowd.

Paolo Nutini

Started slowly and turned a couple of our party off but once he got going it was great. Like the new versions of the stuff from his first album and the new funky horns and more soulful direction seem to work well live. Saw him in Hasselt the next day, at Carrefour Express.

Rudimental

As you might expect, we were going under by this point. Long day and lots of bands meant we didn’t make it to the end. Taxi back to Hasselt to end our first day. The more you see them live, the more it’s clear they love what they are doing so it’s very easy to go along with them. On the down side it’s very formulaic (you know exactly when the “drop” is coming and exactly when the horns will kick)

Mini Mansions

Late start today, so MM were the first act we saw. They were pretty good actually, I’ll certainly give them another listen at some point.

Chvrches

Felt sorry for them. Technical problems scuppered them, though the singer did do their biggest hit (name escapes me) acapella which sounded very nice. Shame really as I saw them a few years back and wanted to see how far they’d come. They looked genuinely gutted when they had to stop the set.

Father John Misty

Highlight of the day, loved it. He’s a superb performer. Only downside was that I had to miss FFS for him and the guys that went said FFS were ace. I am happy with my choice though, easily highlight of Day 2 and probably 2nd best thing overall

Ellie Goulding

Not bad, I do think all her songs sound the same though. Apart from the annoying quiet one she played last. She’s an excellent, energetic performer. Had a massive crowd and put on a good show, seemed to be really taken aback by the reaction she got too. Only question mark for me. Was she singing over a vocal track? We couldn’t be sure. If not then she has one hell of a voice and a hell of a set of lungs to not miss a beat despite the aerobic workout she does on stage.

The Gaslight Anthem

I really like them. They did seem to have sound issues early on though, waaaay too much bass/drums to the point the vocal and guitars were almost inaudible. Got better after about 3 songs but never seemed to settle properly. Mate left early and said that the sound was much better further back so maybe I just picked a bad spot. Good live show though, lead singer seems like a decent bloke and played a song that an audience member requested (here’s lookin’ at you kid)

Goat

Ace. just hung out at the back doing freaky psychedelic dancing. Two of our party whose musical tastes are more poppy lasted about one song. I thought it was a great show, had a really good time.

a little bit of Mark Ronson

Couldn't get in the and didn’t have any desire to. Hip hop set which seemingly consisted of playing about 20 seconds of a tune, massive spin back. 20 seconds of a tune, massive spinback. We sacked it off and went to the Thatched Cottage for a beer. Greg stayed as he’s a hip hop head, he lasted about 10-15 minutes and came to meet us declaring the set “rubbish”

Slaves

Not sure if they are so bad they are good, or just good (or maybe just bad). I think I enjoyed it but I’m not really sure! I also think that the lead singer is playing a character, there’s more than a touch of Ian Dury about him. Was funny to see the poppier part of our party looking perplexed!

All Time Low, The Sore Losers

Drinking and listening, nothing to report (other than the Pukkelpop beer was good. I like it a lot)

tried to watch Charlie XCX but it was too hot. Seriously, incredibly hot at the back of The Dance Hall. Lasted about 5 minutes.

The War On Drugs

Perfect for a hot, sunny, hazy woozy afternoon. Drew a big crowd, rest of the guys couldn’t get to us stage left near the barrier, but we had loads of room. odd. Did seem to be like that a lot though, massive crowds but loads of space if you weave your way to the front.

Tame Impala

Watched from outside the tent, stage right, I really liked it despite not being overly familiar with their stuff. I think they are destined for greater success but not sure if they are a main stage act, maybe headlining Marquee in a couple of years.

Alt J

Beers at the back, BUT sounded great and (as I said about their show in Portugal) very impressive light show. I’m still not sure if they are a headliner but I think they did a good job really. Perhaps if the have a very successful next album and find themselves a massive anthem/hit them they can maintain that top of the bill status.

Ride

Really, really good. Sound in The Club was great, they were tight as can be. Got totally absorbed by it. Ran The War on Drugs very close for the act of the day, impressive considering I know very little (if anything) of their stuff well enough to even recognise it.

Netsky

Gave up on the thought of seeing Underworld after every single Dance Hall experience since Die Antwoord in 2010 has been terrible. Netsy came on and we were chatting and having a beer, by the 3rd song we’d moved into the crowd and were raving our nuts off. Sadly the raving was curtailed by age and general knaceredness and we skulked off for a cab before he finished. Nice fun way to end the festival though.

Other Stuff

Silent Disco looked ace, but we discovered it too late to participate really

The new bit was cool and the Pukkelpop beer was nice. Had an amusing exchange with the guy serving. I tried to order, he explained in Dutch/Belgian (not sure of correct term) that it was 1 token for the mug and one for the beer. I said I didn’t speak Dutch he turned out to be a Geordie. Thoroughly nice bloke, has lived near Keiwit for 15 years but this was his first Pukkelpop.

The toilets being such good quality really pleased the female members of our party for whom good toilets seem to be the best thing about any festival.

Drinking water in the festival. Hurrah, about time too. Godsend on such a hot weekend. Probably drank more water than beer most days (whilst the sun was still up)

After the late issues with my accommodation it all worked out very well in the end. The apartment we ended up in was lovely. Big, comfy, nice terrace for some morning sunshine over breakfast, and a water bed (which was more comfortable than you might expect).

One other amusing adventure was on Thursday morning. We were waiting in line for the bus and got collared by some people making a film (Paradise Trips) to take a ride on their bus. So we did. They had entertainment before boarding, goodie bags with flavored beer, sun cream and sunglasses. A good laugh and we got to see the Belgian version of the conga.

In summary. Probably my favorite Pukkelpop so far, so I'm going to have to try and go again next year I suppose.

[Semprini]

Nice review TheNewUnion, we were probably quite close to each other on a number of occasions over the weekend!

 

Marquee

 

Bleachers - got quite into this album beforehand and didn't disappoint on the day. Only realised when I read something onsite that it's actually the guy from Fun. I didn't let that spoil my, ahem, fun though.

 

George Ezra - hadn't planned on seeing him but I was a bit worse for wear by this stage and went along with my friends. Thought he was really good, and I knew a few of his songs whiched helped add to my enjoyment.

 

All Tvvins - these were my big find in the run up to the festival and they put in a very solid performance. Was nice to hear the few tracks I'd been able to get hold of live ('Thank you' and my personal favourite 'Too young to live' were stand outs) as well as other material that was new to me. Will definitely keep an eye on these in the future.

 

Radkey - had them on my list from pretty much day one and they were superb. If you saw them in the street you'd probably put them down as a Hip Hop ensemble but they were full-on rock from start to finish. The crowd wasn't huge but very enthusiastic - think this was been the first time I've seen mosh pits in the Marquee. They were very tight musically and the two guitarists put on a great show. In my top 5 (non-dance) bands.

 

FFS - my plan was to watch the first couple of songs from FFS and then hot foot it across to the Club for FJM. However I was having such a good time that I didn't bother with FJM at all. It was clear both bands were enjoying themselves and this transfered into the crowd who cheered, clapped and danced along throughout - was a great atmosphere. Sadly I just missed Ron do the dance, which is one of few regrets I have from the weekend.

 

Slaves - first came on my radar at Big Weekend in May and, while they were good at PKP, it was not quite on par with that performance. Issac didn't have as much to say between songs and they didn't play 'Feed the mantaray', which is never a good thing. Still lots of fun though.

 

Manchester Orchestra - didn't start listening to these until a couple of weeks beforehand but I'm glad I did as they were great on the day. Loads of interesting arrangements in the tracks and they sounded even better live than on the recordings. Will definitely go and see them if they come to my home city.

 

The Maccabees - had planned to do more research on them before I left but didn't get round to it. That wasn't really an issue though as they were fantastic and I enjoyed everything I heard. Crowd interaction was good and the guitarist on the side I was standing kept singling people out (me included) by waving, giving appreciative nods etc to show how pleased he was that we were really into their music. Was a nice personal touch and he (and the band in general) seemed chuffed to be there, which always gives the crowd a lift.

 

Shelter

 

Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes - as is now customary, I only go in the Shelter once each year and this time it was for Frank Carter. I thought the crowd would be bigger but that didn't make too much difference to the overall entertainment. After about two songs he made his way into the crowd and proceded to spend most of the rest of the set standing in the middle of the tent. He got a huge circle pit going for one song and was happy to hand the mic over to the audience to shout the chorus to another. I'm not really into that sort of music but I loved how he was as a front man -  there was a lot to appreciate.

 

Wablief?

 

Hate and Merda - was at a loose end on Friday between All Tvvins and Radkey so thought I'd pop in to see these two. The music was very heavy but what was more impressive was the fact that they both had on a balaclava style hat/face mask throughout the show. I was sweating my balls off in shorts and t-shirt so God knows how they felt.

 

Goat - didn't get in until half way through and the tent was very busy. Sadly the heat meant I didn't stay as long as I would have liked but the music was hypnotic. There were just so many other things going on at that time which meant I felt pulled in different directions, but I hope they come back in the future (and don't clash with anyone!)

[Trufflehound]

Slaves

Not sure if they are so bad they are good, or just good (or maybe just bad). I think I enjoyed it but I’m not really sure! I also think that the lead singer is playing a character, there’s more than a touch of Ian Dury about him. Was funny to see the poppier part of our party looking perplexed!

 

 

I think it is all an act. I saw a backstage interview with them at some festival or other on youtube, and they came across as quite posh kids in reality.

 

Damn good fun though. I really enjoyed their show.

[Trufflehound]

Wablief?

 

Hate and Merda -more impressive was the fact that they both had on a balaclava style hat/face mask throughout the show. I was sweating my balls off in shorts and t-shirt so God knows how they felt.

 

As the guitarist announced at one point, they "are from Florence, Italy. The capital of eee-vil." So they probably have to wear the masks to avoid having the sun's rays strike their faces during daylight.

 

I liked the way the bits on top flopped around as they headbanged. On reflection I think they were just large wooly socks with holes cut out. Reminded me of the bandit mask scene in The Fantastic Mr Fox.

Edited August 27, 2015 by Trufflehound

[Snorefest]

Really enjoying everyone's reviews here guys! Wish we would've gone.

 

Sounds like it was absolutely sweltering again this year though?
Last year was kind of a mixed bag, being mostly overcast with occasional showers, but honestly we really liked that break from the usual scorching heat.

[johnybegood]

I am so happy to read your great reviews of the festival!! Great to hear that the festival had an amazing weather!

 

Some questions:

 

• the new food-zone was fine? more options to eat decent food?
• how about the new tents? bigger? i read that they were hot as a greehouse...
• age average lower than expected due to the programm?
• was friday less crowded that other days? ( I'm sure they didn't sell as many day tickets that day)
• will be a 4 days complete festival next year or same that this year (dance area + castello)?
• were Interpol and Nutini shows at the Marquee too much overcrowded?

 

The most strange thing for me of the programma was seeing the 3 only punk bands (apart from Offspring) in the line-up far from the Shelter (Radkey and Slaves in Marquee and Dropkick Murphys in Main). As a rock/punk/hardcore/metal fan I must say that Shelter programma was unacceptable (apart from Carter, In Flames, Get Up Kids and a few exceptions) and it was one of the biggest reasons for me to avoid de festival this year. 

 

See you in PKP'16 thread!!

[TheNewUnion]

• the new food-zone was fine? more options to eat decent food?
• how about the new tents? bigger? i read that they were hot as a greehouse...
• age average lower than expected due to the programm?
• was friday less crowded that other days? ( I'm sure they didn't sell as many day tickets that day)
• will be a 4 days complete festival next year or same that this year (dance area + castello)?
• were Interpol and Nutini shows at the Marquee too much overcrowded?

 

The new food bit was pretty nice really, didn't spend a lot of time in there but they had a small stage, decent beer and plenty of different things to eat

I thought The Club was bigger this time, but not sure about the others. One thing I would say is that they don't open the sides like with the old tents so you mostly have to be in side e.g. The Club to see anything (side effect, sides in tent = no breeze so it's quite a bit hotter than in the old tents)

I felt like the average age was lower but oddly, there seemed to be a few more folks my age (40+) this time

Dunno

Only watched Nutini, it was busy but not rammed. Problem seemed to be loads of people hanging out outside the tent watching on the big screen made it very difficult to get out at the back and over to the toilets.

[Semprini]

Club

 

Curtis Harding - without doubt, he completely won the 'absolutely zero f**** given' award for the weekend, and possibly the entire history of the festival. Got there a bit late as was watching someone over in the Dance area but was immediately impressed by the laidback grooves and cool funk flowing from Curtis and his excellent band. There were rockier moments that gave the set a nice edge and the atmosphere was spot on.

So five to four comes round (the end of his set time) and Curtis starts playing a new song. Everyone's enjoying themselves so it's no problem at all. Said song goes on for a good 6/7 minutes and midway through some big, burly bouncer type moves side of stage, regularly checking his watch and beginning to look a bit pissed off. Song finishes and Curtis starts another one, totally oblivious to what's going on. By this stage the bouncer is becoming quite irate and trying to get the attention of anyone in the band to let them know their time is more than up. We're all now watching this guy rather than the band as it's more entertaining. I'm sure Curtis played another song before saying 'well it's come to that time when we've only got one song left' - this must've been a good 15 minutes after he was supposed to have finished. We all thought the plug was going to be pulled but fair play they let him finish and it was just pure class. Even at the end he's standing there waving whilst hordes of roadies frantically strip the stage clean. Brilliant entertainment and the music was as good as I heard anywhere else all weekend. Top 5.

 

Future Islands - after Underworld, this was the next band at the top of my list and they didn't disappoint at all. We got right on the barrier in the middle of the stage and had a first class view of the Sam show. He was on good form and nearly all my favourite songs made an appearance (no 'a song for our grandfathers' but I'll let them off as the rest of the set was superb). 'Seasons' was predictably huge but the people around us were singing along to everything - one girl next to me spent nearly the whole set with her eyes closed singing every song word for word. In a strange kind of way it felt almost spiritual at times, like we were witnessing (and were part of) something special. I dunno, maybe the excesses of the day caught up with me but I enjoyed this set more than any other over the whole weekend.

 

Django Django - in stark contrast to Future Islands, I watched DD from the back of the tent and that definitely had an impact on my enjoyment (assisted by the fact I was very done in by this stage). I enjoyed what I heard but it didn't have anything like the same connection, which just goes to show how important timing and placement are.

 

The Districts - had planned to see Mini Mansions but sacked them off as everyone else wanted to see The Districts. I had listened to their album beforehand so knew some of their stuff but I was more than impressed by their live sound. No regrets at all about this choice, would definitely go and see them again in the future.

 

Ride - were one of the first gigs I ever went to so this was a big nostalgia trip for me (and I suspect many others in the crowd). 'Leave them all behind' was a great starter and seemed to go on forever - all swirling guitars and extended solos. It felt very Stone Roses-esque in places, like the live version they play of 'I am the resurrection'. Would have liked to have stayed for more than the first four songs but Underworld were calling. They're coming back in November to the same venue I saw them in all those years ago but at £25 a ticket I'm not sure if I'll decide to roll back the years again.

 

Castello

 

I didn't spend as much time in here as I normally do as it was just way too hot. It's always the warmest tent anyway but at times during the day it was completely unbearable, which meant I often walked in and then almost straight out again. I saw bits of Craze (mad skills on the decks, although the music wasn't really up my street), PHryme, Machinedrum (small crowd which was a pity), Karenn (some of the best dance music I heard all weekend and had a very nice, up for it crowd), Daniel Avery b2b Erol Alkan (bit too hit and miss for me - one good track and then something weird) and Four Tet (would liked to see more of him but sadly clashed with both Wilkinson and Ride).

 

Kate Tempest - I'd listened to a bit of her stuff beforehand and didn't really like it. Was a loose end so popped in towards the end of her set and was totally blown away by how good she was. I only caught about 15 minutes but she was easily the most skillful and talented vocalist I saw all weekend. During one song she went into an acappella rap that must have lasted for at least 4 minutes. The speed she was rapping at was unbelievable and she didn't miss a beat - I was out of breath just watching her! She then gave a sort of poetic speech that went on for ages and was all about how we shouldn't let the pressures of modern society dictate who we are. Again, it was word perfect and very inspirational without at all being cheesy or cliched. She seemed genuinely humbled by the ecstatic reaction she got and even her own band were in awe of how amazing she was. Just gutted I didn't see the whole thing now - was a complete 'WOW' moment.

 

H09909 - PKP have this knack of finding weird and quirky bands that put on an amazing show when playing live (PuppetMasterz spring to mind but I know there have been a few others over the years). I'd listened to a bit of H09909 before I arrived and their music seemed to veer from rap to thrash metal. It was a similar story on the day as they went for it from the first chords. There was a definite punk ethic to the show in that you didn't know what was going to happen next and whether what you just saw was planned or something that just happened. I've never seen mosh pits in the Castello but there were many and they were big. Towards the end one of the band went to the barrier and was then dragged into the crowd and carried across the tent. The energy levels on and off the stage were very high and the atmosphere was electric - easliy one of the most memorable and enjoyable performances I saw over the weekend!