Field Day, Victoria Park, London. Sunday 8th June

Field Day is the perfect festival for anyone who is not a fan of camping or the down and dirty vibe of a festival. There is no camping on site as the festival runs over two days, each say is self - encapsulated. Everyone is kicked out after the headlining act have finished their set and you are just a walk or train journey back home to your bed. Can you see why I'm a fan?!

If I was to define a perfect day at a festival it would be Sunday at Field Day. The sun was shining, the people were friendly, the food was beautiful and most importantly the music was top notch!

I arrived, best friend in tow, in time to see Temples take to the main stage. Temples are a band who's name I have heard so often that I felt it was important to see them. They effortlessly sailed through a set of 70's tinged psychedelic rock. We sat on the grass, soaking up the sun and just listened. Temples could be the soundtrack to a lazy summer day. Their music is so easy listening yet very addictive and the aura of cool around them just adds to the overall persona. No wonder everyone is talking about them.

The festival site was spacious but easy to walk around and thankfully there was no mud in sight! The stages and tents were scattered so that there was no noise clash, but close enough to drift from band to band easily.

There was a brilliant array of food stalls, you could get anything from falafel to paella, to a hog roast. We spent quite a while deciding what to feast on before we headed to the main stage for some music.

I have to address the toilets. Yes, there were portaloos, but they were quite possibly the nicest festival toilets I've ever been in. Although, as Field Day is only a day long, you wouldn't expect too much chaos.

The drinks were pricey, which I expected,  but as it was such a beautiful sunny day I didn't really mind paying to stay hydrated.

We topped up our drinks between bands and checked out some of the fashion.  I noticed that denim shorts are always a favourite for ladies at a festival. There were a lot of beautiful playsuits as well. The men tended to stick to quirky hats and shorts.

When The Horrors began their set most of the crowd seemed to be settled in front of the main stage. Their set was flawless and they were a perfect act to follow Temples. They played a varied set which included mainly new material, their new album continously being advertised on the big screen. They played a lengthy set as the sun went down and the crowd began to disperse. I feel that The Horrors have drifted away from their old sound, for which they are famous, and evolved it into something more grown up. I just hope that they have the energy to stick with this sound and really do it justice like they did at Field Day as think that if they carry on in this direction they could end up on the same kind of scale as a band like The Arctic Monkeys.

Pixies were the headlining act and boy did they deliver! They blasted straight into an epic set list, and by epic I mean quantity as well as quality. There was very little conversation from the band to the audience, but it just meant there was more time for music! The sun set as they played and for the first time all day it got a little chilly. Not that many people noticed, most were dancing or cuddled together. There was a really nice vibe from the audience by the end of the evening. Pixies played a quality set which kept the mood levels high. If you have heard of a song by the Pixies then I can guarantee that they played it!

Leaving Victoria Park was easy enough in the dark, there were plenty of wardens to help people on their way.

Field Day Sunday was overall a chilled, sunny and beautiful day and I can guarantee I will be back next year. And I'll probably go to both days!

C x

LIVE REVIEW: Professor Green & Rizzle Kicks @ Liverpool Guild Of Students

Professor Green (real name Stephen Manderson) has worked his way up the music scene since debuting his music in 2006 on Mike Skinners music label The Beats. It’s well known that he has had a turbulent time in the last few years; his father committed suicide in 2008, and in 2009 he was attacked and stabbed in the neck, on his tattoo which reads ‘Lucky’.  Tonight he should feel lucky. The debut night of his ‘At Your Inconvenince’ Tour in Liverpool is sold out and the queue managed to snake down Mount Pleasant as far as the eye could see.
The large size of the queue and the slow speed at which people were let into the venue lead to Rizzle Kicks playing most of their set to a half empty room, not that they let that affect their performance. They bounced their way through new single ‘When I Was A Youngster’, while the audience settled in. Their performance was reminiscent of a young, modern Madness.  They were eager to please and talked to the audience, encouraging chants and screams. A ska cover of the White Stripes’ ‘Seven Nation Army’ added some gusto to the set, not that it needed it. Energy was high throughout their performance, and they ended with their hit debut single ‘Down With The Trumpets’. It was a fun and bouncy set. I don’t know if they have the staying power to last long, but at least they are having a lot of fun doing it.

Next on stage was DJ IQ, and hype man Felix Billion. They announced that it was Professor Green’s birthday, so a round of Happy Birthday was sang.

Professor Green’s band took to the stage, consisting of two guys on laptops, a drummer, guitarist and bassist and two backing vocalists, who took their places either side of the stage. The lights went low and Professor Green burst onto the stage to sing album title track ‘At Your Inconvenience’. The first part of the set compromised of five songs from his newly released album. There was a very rock ‘n’ roll vibe, which worked very well in contrast to his spitting vocals. The audience seemed to lose interest towards the end of this, but energy picked up when he announced he would perform some ‘older’ songs. The band bounced through hits ‘Need You Tonight’ and ‘Be Good To Green’, with his male and female vocalists filling in for Ed Drewet and Lily Allen respectively. 

The set continued with new material, which seemed to be quite a strong contrast compared to his old msongs. The vocal remained strong throughout from Professor Green and you could feel the raw emotion from him on songs such as ‘Forever Falling’.

Tempo picked up with guest appearances during ‘How Many Moons’ and remained high with ‘Monster’ which completed the set.

A humble Professor Green returned to the stage for an encore of ‘Jungle’ and ‘Avalon’, providing a perfect example of his range of musical talent, and hit single ‘Read All About It’ was met by deafening audience interaction.

Professor Green was a success. His music has evolved into a much more grown up sound, but his fans are loyal, and he’s not going anywhere just yet.