THE BINGLEY WEEKENDER // BRADFORD & BINGLEY RUGBY CLUB
30th August – 1st September 2019
Rising like a phoenix from the ashes of Bingley Music Live, the Bingley Weekender triumphs at a local Rugby Club venue
★★★★☆ (4/5)
When the council pulled out of supporting the only music festival in the local area, which boosts the economy and attracts thousands of people from all over for their traditional end of festival season party, everyone thought – “Well that’s that then, no more Back to School festivals for us”. However, step forward SSD Concerts and the Bradford & Bingley Rugby Club to jointly organise ‘The Bingley Weekender’, a subtle change of name, but SSD Concerts had actually organised Bingley Music Live (BML) for the last 2 years, and the Rugby club had traditionally offered camping and breakfast accommodation for the weekend, but obviously had a lot more space to offer with the rugby pitch doubling up as the main stage arena and a couple of side fields for 2 more stages and food/drink vendors. The club also used their clubhouse as the VIP/Artist area, so this should have worked out perfectly.
IDLES // Bingley Weekender // © John Hayhurst
With any new festival venue there will always be teething troubles and the Bingley Weekender wasn’t short of a few. We opened late on Friday as they were still building some parts of the festival, the first band had to be moved to another timeslot, a few bands dropped out (The Night Café and Ormstons) and Craig Charles seemed to forget to bring any equipment with him, so his set was a monologue of an apology for 5 mins and then we all went back to the bar.
These problems aside they had brought a stunning line-up to a smaller site than usual and one of my new favourite bands were playing on the 2nd stage as people were still arriving.
Saint Agnes were my new find of 2018 at Kendal Calling, an independent band who this year released their debut album Welcome to Silvertown. They did not disappoint, at the front and centre of this band you have a pure rock goddess in Kitty Arabella Austen – she shimmies, screams and stomps, bites microphone wires and plays occasional guitar. Her presence on stage in a white silky slip of a dress and boots is to die for, and this is backed up with Jon Tufnell’s ‘Jack White’ styled guitar work. Outstanding punchy blues-based riffs and songs worthy of a Tarantino bloodbath western soundtrack. Diablo Take Me Home will always be my fave song, and I had to wait till the final number to hear it. Kitty normally throws herself on to the audience at the end, I still have a bruise from her boots after their Leeds Key Club performance in May. This time though Jon just hands his guitar to a punter at the front while he and the rest of the band have a meltdown on stage. Not quite the same effect but Bingley Weekender had already succeeded in my view, when they booked them to play.
Andy Gill // Gang of Four // Bingley Weekender // © John Hayhurst
The site here is smaller than Myrtle Park but equally I don’t believe as many people had bought tickets, this was probably due to the price hike necessary after the Council withdrew their funding, at less than £100 for the weekend, this is still great value when you consider Idles, Ocean Colour Scene, Doves and James are playing.
On the main stage the young scouse rock n roller Louis Berry is stoking up some early dancing and then Gang of Four are playing. A coup for Bingley as the Leeds based post punk group are cited as major influencers of many bands like REM, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nirvana to name just 3. Of course, like a lot of 70/80’s bands there are fewer original members, Gang of Four are now just Gang of One with guitarist and vocalist Andy Gill being the remaining stalwart in the band. It doesn’t stop them punching out a few tracks from their 1979 opus Entertainment! The left-wing political statements still sounding as fresh as they did back in the day. Damaged Goods and Not Great Men were always going to be on the setlist.
Idles win the battle of T-Shirts on day 1, so it’s not suprising that they have a good turnout near the front for their set on the main stage. Their punklike poetry sounds magnificent through the huge speakers, and with more room to move than on their normal sized stages Joe Talbot works the crowd occasionally drifting on to the runway which presumably is really there for Tim Booth on Sunday. Guitarists Mark Bowen and Lee Kiernan waste no time in getting into the crowd during Heel/Heal and Mother. Probably the most exciting live band around right now and they are drifting into populist culture too with their nomination this year for breakthrough act at the Brits. Joe always brings the message back to the socio-political statements relating to antifascism, the NHS, Male Suicide Prevention and with Danny Nedelko his love of immigrants in the UK. This band are not just an angry noise as I heard one woman describe it, they are a voice of reason in the current crazy political world we inhabit and yes, it’s very angry and needs to be heard.
The lady in question was walking to the Discovery Stage to watch James Walsh and I extracted myself away from Idles for a couple of songs, hoping he would leave some Starsailor songs at the end of his set and I heard Alcoholic and Silence is Easy - so that worked out quite well. Couldn’t believe how rounded the sound was with just him and an acoustic guitar, but as a contrast to Idles blistering live performance it still felt a little lacklustre.
One band to go on the first night and whilst I was keen to see Steve Craddock play his Les Paul guitars, the whole Ocean Colour Scene show was a little dreary to say the least. It was noticeable that quite a few people left after Idles and if I didn’t have to watch and review, I would have done the same. The beat picked up for The Day we Caught the Train and The Riverboat Song, but I’m guessing that’s because they were the only tunes most of the remaining crowd knew, anything off Moseley Shoals was much more recognisable than later pieces. Simon Fowler is looking a little battle-weary tonight and Steve Craddock at only 3 years younger is much sprightlier, ultimately though after Idles anything is going to sound more relaxed.
Steve Craddock // Ocean Colour Scene // Bingley Weekender // © John Hayhurst
Saturday begins with Twisted Wheel and great to see these Manchester lads back on stage together after a few years apart. Cutting a nice slice of that post brit pop rock’n’roll pie and then twisting it to their own taste. They are never going to headline big festivals, but as openers they sounded brilliant in the early sunshiiiiine, and at least they aren’t The Sherlocks.
Nice to see a bit of diversity on the main stage, as a very pleasant country sound was coming from Catherine McGrath and her band this afternoon. Tipped for a while as the new UK Country talent (from Northern Ireland) she played C2C at London’s O2 Arena last March. Her album Talk of this Town has been on my Spotify list for a while - ever since I saw her perform at Cornbury last year in fact. Just in Case is my favourite and she played that first, even fitting in a Katy Perry cover towards the end of her set – new fans won over, this 22 yr old will hopefully return soon for more gigs.
Other than Catherine McGrath it all became a little too blokey for my liking and only Zuzu was going to stop the masculinity taking over. Craig Charles forgot his decks (or someone at the festival forgot to book them?), he ended up going out on stage to apologise to everyone and then left in a car to go to Manchester to do his radio show. Local band from Leeds Apollo Junction who had just had a photo taken with Charles in the bar, capitalised on his early exit by gaining the biggest turnout at the New Music Stage over the weekend. Playing tunes from their debut album Mystery which sound remarkably Killers(ish) these lads worked the crowd by jumping in and getting the kids to strum guitars, with lead singer Jamie Williamson walking around with the confidence of a frontman twice his age and experience. They wouldn’t have looked out of place on the main stage and perhaps next year they might get the call to do just that.
In truth Apollo Junction are a little more palatable than Marsicans who seem to act a bit too cheesy on the main stage, and have the cheek to go on early and announce “Good Afternoon Bingley We are Craig Charles” I love to see a band enjoying themselves on stage but the grinning felt somewhat forced. They are touring as support to The Sherlocks in November so it will be interesting to see if they are still smiling after that. Circa Waves brought the first smoke flares of the weekend in the crowd, and that was about the most excitement from this band, which I find quite boring to watch. T-Shirt weather is a fine song, but there isn’t really anything more to write about here.
Far better to get to the Discovery Stage early for another of my must sees – Zuzu. If there was a prize for singing in your regional accent Zuzu would win hands down, the scouse brogue is strong and clear, the way she sings the lyrics “Don’t speak the language or the tongue” in I’m Good is worth missing any amount of Circa Waves. Beauty Queen is one of my favourite songs that I’d not heard live (and I’ve seen her 3 times this year) and thankfully she played it at Bingley. Over far too quickly with I’m Good sounding incredible and guitarist Kurran Karbal is dancing and laughing as he pulls out an extended fuzzy solo towards the end of the track. Her bass player and drummer are also in Tom Grennan’s band, so they had to hotfoot it over to the main stage, maybe that’s why it felt over too quick.
Tom Grennan has improved massively since his debut Bingley performance on the Discovery Stage only 2 years ago, now with a huge band, horn section and backing singers, he romped through his debut album Lighting Matches and used Tim Booth’s runway like a pro, although wearing a tracksuit might not have been the best option in the sunshine. Plenty of fans there for him as Barbed Wire started the first big singalong of the day, and then the build-up to Found What I’ve Been Looking For was a bit tense as he predictably left it to the end. However, a major player at this festival and professional to the last, another great booking for the Main Stage.
Meanwhile back at the Discovery Stage Alex Rice is climbing the scaffolding as Sports Team launch into Kutcher, their homage to Ashton Kutcher with the lyrics “I just wanted to be your mid-noughties MTV star”. The band are immense in their energy and drive, two fans on the front row are pounding the metal boards in time to the driving beat. Frontman Rice is like Jagger on speed dressed in all white, whilst the keyboard player to his left is a comedy act waiting to happen, as I swear he seemed to just squat down, look seriously bored shaking a bottle of chewing gum pieces wondering when it was all going to end. The answer came shortly after as they played Stanton to finish. The show was impressive and a shame more didn’t witness it.
We waited at the same stage as Doncaster’s The Blinders were next and their stage set is dark and eerie, minimal red lights and smoke billowed out and Thomas Haywood emerges wearing regulation black with his warpaint of black eyes smeared to his cheeks. Gotta Get Through and Brave New World are tossed out like old rags, the album Columbia has been a constant over the last 12 months and it is practically a criminal offence that Bingley didn’t put these lads on the main stage. Faithful fans are equally decked in the black make up – even a baby in a pram was seen the same, that’s dedication! And one lad stood on his dads shoulders wearing Christmas lights to get a better view. The band are dark and dangerous, the music is a brooding mix of thumping punk poetry and powerful guitar riffage, set to a dystopian soundscape. Ramona Flowers sounded great tonight and I can’t wait to see them again, which I will at Stockton’s ‘Gathering of the Sounds’ in a few weeks’ time.
Doves // Bingley Weekender // © John Hayhurst
Saturday headliner was another return of Doves which seems to be happening at many festivals this season. It was an hour or so of a musical journey proving with that pedigree they should have been bigger than they were back in the day. Blissful tracks like Snowden and then Black and White Town started us off, it is surprising exactly how many you can remember. There is a lot of love for this band and it feels like this second coming could be the making of them in a similar way that Elbow managed to garner a multitude of new fans with A Day Like This just before their potential break up. The pinnacle of their performance is Cedar Room with all its majestic build up and as an encore they run through There Goes the Fear and bizarrely ending in a Hacienda like daze of former band Sub Sub’s Space Face. A superb day at Bingley capped off with a band who deserve their moments as headliners – new music in the pipeline for Doves means that I expect another decade of performances like this at festivals all over Europe.
Fudge // Bingley Weekender // © John Hayhurst
Sunday brought some rain early doors but that didn’t stop local Leeds boys Fudge creating a mini moshpit of 6 lads crashing into each other in the rain. Turned out that 2 of them were singers in the band, although in the chaos surrounding their set in the rain they might all have all been in the band – who knows. Newly head shaven Cam on vocals at the start managed to spill half a can of Carling over the monitors, but second single NATJAW and a blistering version of Rage Against the Machine’s Testify at the end, meant I really must catch them again soon at a local gig – they play Lending Room in Leeds on 11th October!! Watch Out!
York pop band King No-one were next on the main stage and frontman Zach Lout made use of the steps installed at the front of the stage runway, teasing a few of the young girl fans who eagerly lap it all up. These lads have built their reputation from the ground up DIY style, busking in the streets of York before selling out major venues in the North of England. Great opportunity for them on this main stage and they proved a worthy opener. Later, George Ezra’s younger brother who goes under the name Ten Tonnes would be playing mostly in the rain, but this didn’t stop his sugary pop, quite reminiscent of older bro (hey if the model isn’t broke don’t change it) shining through. Older and much more politically vocal – Billy Bragg started with a stirling version of Sexuality and Accident Waiting to Happen. In fact it was surprisingly a bit of a greatest hits package from Billy, wearing shades and a shiny suit he looked more panto than post punk poet and a long way from those The Tube performances when he travelled up and down the UK on his bike. Levi Stubbs Tears and then tears all round as he dedicates A New England to Kirsty MacColl. He played the festival set perfectly and probably the biggest surprise of the day.
We crossed over to the Discovery stage to see Rothwell, who we expected to be an indie 4 piece from Leeds, given the name – however, it turned out to be a lovely chanteuse soul and electro pop singer from Bristol called Ella Rothwell and with a great voice and style she cut through the blokey bill again to stand out from the crowd. Velvet Heart has been a bit of a viral sensation for her in the last 12 months when it appeared on Love Island and she is hotly tipped by Radio 1, Clash and now us here at The Modern Record.
We knew all about Miles Kane though and the main stage saw another blistering performance from him in the late afternoon sun. Inhaler was epic and Cry on My Guitar had all the glam metal sounds and moves of Marc Bolan coming out from Kane who, like Tom Grennan yesterday, looked incredibly comfortable on a larger stage. He doesn’t need that Alex Turner association anymore; album Coup de Grace is a stonker – watch out for some intimate dates coming up soon – Leeds Wardrobe 17th October anyone??
Finally, my regular festival dose of Anteros arrived and in stunning sunset conditions Laura Hayden owned the Discovery Stage exactly as she did 2 years ago. This band should really be playing bigger stages as every track is a belter, and the finale of getting all the young (and some older) girls on stage for Bonnie is inspired. Call Your Mother still sounds like it should be on Blondie’s Parallel Lines and if there was ever a replacement needed for Debbie Harry well Laura Hayden is more than equipped in the blonde, sweet but slightly psycho stakes. First class performance from this band and I’d love to say the same about Echo & The Bunnymen, but they were the only band to not allow pit photography or to be put on the video screens. So, unless you got up close, the viewpoints weren’t great, as I understand it, they were depressingly drab and Ian McCulloch was in poor shape physically and vocally, but I decided to take a break at this point.
Scotland’s new indie hopefuls The Snuts were bumped up the bill on the discovery stage as The Night Café had dropped out due to illness. They gave a decent performance in difficult circumstances as most attendees were making their way to the main stage for James.
The final stage was set and Tim Booth dutifully came down the steps during the first song – Waltzing Along, to be greeted by hands eager to hold his, and to steady him for several minutes whilst he crooned through Ring the Bells and Hank. This wasn’t a greatest hits setlist by any means, but they did fit in Tomorrow, She’s a Star, Sit Down, Come Home and final song Laid. A little self-indulgent perhaps considering this is a festival, however it sounded amazing and Tim knows how to work a crowd even with his patented ‘octopus in a flap’ dance moves.
The first Bingley Weekender, in a new venue, despite everything being stacked against them, was an incredible success that SSD Concerts and Bradford & Bingley Rugby Club should be proud of. I’m expecting next year to be bigger and better, with even more punters attending. The Bingley Phoenix has arisen!
REVIEW & PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN HAYHURST