Field Day

Field Day

02 August, 2010
by: Robmccallum

We came, we saw, we got drunk...

Sitting in an east London café filling up on fried food and caffeine, all talk is of the impending afternoon in Victoria Park, put together by a selection of London's finest promoters. However, perhaps unsurprisingly to those familiar with the festival, much of it is not of the incomparable musical line-up on offer, but as to what this year's disaster might be. See, from a lack of any discernible sound, to running out of alcohol, or the monsoon-like conditions last year, Field Day has seen its fair share of relative disasters. So with the organisers claiming to have learnt from previous errors and to have worked more closely with the local council to ensure sound levels are kept at an optimum level, if Field Day is, as many suggest, cursed, what would this year's disaster be?

Arriving to an already bustling festival just in time for Mount Kimbie on the Blogger's Delight stage, I find a crowd in good spirits and minds seemingly taken away from any thoughts of any rumoured 'curse'. Flitting from deep percussive glitch to chillwave garage via wonky psychedelic windings, the Peckham duo present music you can immerse yourself in from head to toe as it loops into infinity. 'Before I Move Off' draws the biggest response and where everything feels tight on record, the music sounds loose and alive as the small, packed out and rather sweaty tent witnesses two ground-breaking musicians seemingly on the verge of leftfield greatness.

A small walk over the compact, yet cleverly arranged site to the Eat Your Own Ears stage means we can arrive just in time for Steve Mason to be working through tracks off his new solo record 'Boys Outside'. For me, it's nothing on The Beta Band in their prime, but there's still something alluring about his new slant on guitar-laden psych-tinged storytelling. 'Lost and Found' seems to shed all its pop sensibilities, replacing them with searing lead guitars in a new sonic space for the lyrics to wash over.

It's at this stage, flicking through the rather pretty guide, that problems begin to present themselves. Memory Tapes' and Dam Mantle's slots have already been sacrificed to the festival clash, and the issue with having so many great artists crammed into one afternoon means that some rather difficult decisions have to be made. No Age or The Fall? Ramadanman or Joker? Atlas Sound or Fake Blood? Caribou, Toro Y Moi or Silver Apples? Moderat or Mouse on Mars? All just too tough to comfortably call.

Gold Panda is a cert back on the Bloggers' Delight stage, where a packed out crowd surround the tiny tent for a distinctly more mature set than those given in support of Caribou's European tour just earlier this year. The four minutes of 'You' are dragged out to more like ten with a more progressive approach and, with it, the sound of far more than one man, his laptop and a myriad of effects units.

I opt for the allure of some frantic dancing in the shape of No Age, but the crowd are, surprisingly, a little flat for the most raucous band on the bill. It's not until the hook of 'Teen Creeps' kicks in that the band get to see a bit more of what they're used to, as a small crowd of excitable moshers breaks out.

After opting for a searing set from Caribou, it's at this stage that a slight feeling of nerves begins to set in. The sky still looks too clear for any impending monsoon. The queues still bustling at the bars suggest no lack of booze and no sign of any late night sound restriction is apparent. So just what could this years' disaster be? I don’t take a chance on it being Phoenix and head to the Bugged Out! Stage – which has been positively rammed all afternoon – to finish off the night with German collective Moderat. What a way to end the night.

It's testament to the work of all involved that in its fourth year, after having had so many problems, I'd say the only real disaster I can pin on it this time round is that it's only Field Day, and not Field Weekend.

The organisers of Field Day run a few pubs, notably the Amersham Arms and the Lock Tavern, where the rain is kept outside and the beer is even quicker to come by most of the time. Click on the links to see what they're up to or check out Field Day's Website to see what they're cooking up for next year.

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Robmccallum