Zulu Winter, who are often compared to Friendly Fires, did a pretty decent job at this year’s Field Day on the Shacklewell Arms stage. Never Leave is probably their most familiar track and certainly got the crowd involved. In terms of onstage presence these guys are certainly no Friendly Fires (who usually whip everyone into a frenzy) and displayed more of a generic performance style but that doesn’t mean they weren’t enjoyed.
This year is shaping up to be a good’un for Jessie Ware and it was clear in the sheer capacity of fans that had squeezed into the Red Bull tent. The gal was pretty taken by all the love for her music but didn’t let any nerves hold her back from giving a stellar performance. Ware’s music has soul and R’n'B vibes while still managing to stay on the right side of mainstream and she’s surely set to gain an even bigger following as this summer. See her at Beacons in August.
Metronomy never cease to impress, with the magnitude of energy on display and their catchy baselines its easy to see why they domineered a big crowd at this years Field Day. The guys (two of whom were in matching chinos) were over on the Eat Your Own Ears stage, the largest of all on the Victoria Park site. They played all the songs you would have wanted from LP The English Riviera as well as old hits like Heartbreaker.
After the big reveal and some technical difficulties (the power blew about half way through the first track) these guys were as per, on fire! The crowd were eating up the beats for SBTRKT in the Bugged Out! tent and we even spied Jessie Ware showing off her moves. It was only last year at Field Day, on a much smaller stage, that SBTRKT gave everyone a taste of their first LP and after supporting Friendly Fires this year zthese guys are well on their way to establishing themselves.
Our last but by no means least favourite for the day had to be Beirut who’s brass instruments got us all into the spirit of a summer festival. These guys much like Andrew Bird earlier in the day showcase traditional music, and its nice that everyone can enjoy their simple sounds with a folkier edge. Beirut’s selection of instruments include an accordion that got everyone dancing with linked arms, which was perfect for the Jubilee weekend.
Images: Letisah Grosvenor
