At the end of another summer of great festivals we headed to the little town of Bingley, more specifically Myrtle Park, for the final day of Bingley Music Live for one last hurrah by way of seeing some great bands in a field with thousands of other people before the winter takes it all away for another ten months. Here’s some of what went down.
Leeds’ Pulled Apart By Horses blow the main stage wide open with a blistering, unrelenting set – any restraint in their recordings is thrown out the window here and they become a powerhouse. An absolute must-watch.
It doesn’t get more local than Bingley’s Marmozets hitting up the main stage. From the opening call of “One, two, three, play!” it’s clear they mean business. The drums are pounding, the riffs are heavy and the hooks are left, right and centre. Vocalist Rebecca MacIntyre swaggers and prowls around the stage as they tear through ‘Habits,’ ‘Captivate You’ and ‘Why Do You Hate Me?’ without pausing for breath. The band finish with ‘Major System Error’ and leave the stage victorious.
On the Discover Stage, Sheffield’s up-and-coming indie heads RedFaces punch through their set with upbeat, catchy and well-crafted songs. It’s clear that they have already built the foundations of a solid following, while the remaining onlookers are very quick to show their interest. Their boisterous northern wit is charming and they’re as fun to watch as they are to listen to. Despite some technical issues, they blitz through early tunes ‘Getting Away With It’ and ‘Katie Come Home’ before hitting the irresistible stomp of ‘Kerosene’. Throughout the set it’s clear that RedFaces have both a songwriting and performance prowess beyond their years and it’s inspiring. Finishing with the explosive ‘Take It Or Leave It,’ the band should be signing off in the knowledge that they’ll return to a bigger slot and an even bigger crowd waiting for them.
Also taking on the Discover Stage, Sea Girls’ set is a seamless collection of indie pop that wouldn’t sound out of place in sold out O2 Academies – thundering drums, spacey guitars and big choruses are the order of the day here. From ‘Lost’ to ‘Too Much Fun,’ Sea Girls’ instant appeal works wonders, and some sing-alongs are very present throughout. Much like RedFaces before them, it is clear that these guys are destined for much bigger stages and audiences, and it is something of a treat to see them grace a mid afternoon slot because before long this probably won’t be the case.
Birmingham’s indie rock darlings grace the main stage just after 5pm and immediately set the gears in motion with a driving rendition of ‘Lovesick’. This is followed by the stomping ‘Power’ and ‘Money,’ and then a hefty dose of the new album; also thrown into the mix was a cover of Avril Lavigne’s ‘Complicated’ with the band’s own sound firmly justifying it. Older track ‘California Daze’ oozes with nostalgia and hammers home the end of the summer season, before launching into the sugary ‘Wraith’. The set ends with the heart-wrenching ‘From Under Liquid Glass,’ with Harry Koisser pouring his soul onto the crowd as well as proving his ferocious vocal talent and growth as a writer.
NOEL GALLAGHER’S HIGH FLYING BIRDS
Swaggering on in a buttoned-up denim jacket and pint in hand, Noel Gallagher’s slight frame more than fills the stage as he and the High Flying Birds step up to finish off the weekend to a packed out crowd. It’s a sonic treat, with tracks from the latest album Who Built The Moon? sounding full and trance-like. The first real sing-along moment comes in the form of Oasis track ‘Little By Little,’ followed immediately by ‘Whatever’. A surprisingly disappointing moment comes in the form of ‘Wonderwall’ – the crowd love every second, but it feels slightly forced on Noel’s part and could have quite easily have been replaced by anything else from his back catalogue. ‘AKA… What A Life!’ stands as one of his greatest songs, and ‘Go Let It Out’ is a real treat. Following the expected sing-along to ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger,’ the High Flying Birds close the set with a euphoric cover of ‘All You Need Is Love’ and send the crowds off in the best of spirits. A great end to a fantastic weekend of music.
Live photos courtesy of Tom Saunders
