Sunday at V

Sometimes all you need is one moment to make something worthwhile.

Last Sunday I travelled out to Chelmsford for my first taste of Virgin Media’s V Festival. It’s not normally on my radar, but with a Louder Lounge invite in hand and just a half hour train ride ahead, I couldn’t say no.

The pop-heavy programme isn’t typically my sort of thing, but The Manic Street Preachers were my shining highlight of the day. After years of discussing the merit of its record-breaking title, listening to If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next in the blazing sunshine is something I’ll remember for years to come.

Southbank audio tour

While visiting the Southbank last Thursday night (which is hands down my favourite place in London on a Summer evening at dusk), I spotted this sign on the floor.

The Southbank Centre is currently celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Britain with a four-month programme packed with British culture and creativity (which Dishoom has created its Chowpatty Beach Bar pop-up as part of).

To coincide, the Centre has created a free audio tour (hosted by artistic director Jude Kelly) to guide you through its history and artistry.

I’m impressed that the audio is embedded as a Soundcloud file when you scan the QR code on the sticker above, but you can also listen to it from any phone simply by calling 0203 095 1630 or click here.

Sonar 2011, a review

A brief overview in bullets:

• When you have to get on a plane to go to a festival, the excitement increases tenfold
• Sonar’s organisation is incredibly impressive. You can’t use cash at the bars, so instead buy tickets for specific drinks ahead of time. A combination spirit/mixer (with what I can only assume is a quadruple measure) was €8, a small cup of beer at €4. This cut down on queing for everything, the drinks were strong and it seemed like pretty fair pricing.
• Festivals in hot climate are amazing. No pre-planned layering and bringing several jumpers to banish the cold at 4am.
• Day one (of Sonar by Night at least) was definitely quieter than day two.
• Diskjokke wasn’t given prominent enough position on the schedule, but was brilliant and I loved the Disney-themed SonarCar stage.
• Having bumper cars at a festival is FUN.
• SonarPub was easily the best area. It was the perfect size, therefore retaining a sense of atmosphere, while not feeling like you were getting crushed.
• I didn’t see anyone get insanely messy or need medical attention, which was a welcome surprise.
• Trentemøller was fantastic live. His band added to that; starting with a girl playing guitar with a bow, an incredibly energetic drummer and a host of others on stage. Moan sounded amazing as a crescendo.
• Annie Mac fell a bit flat on the crowd. I’m usually a fan, but it was just too average. Katy B’s live bit with her was fun, but I’m not sure if it really had a place on the programme.
• A-Trak was the best set of the entire festival. He’s been a favourite of mine since remixing Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Head Will Roll, and his Duck Sauce project with Armand Van Helden is huge, but to watch him mix live was in a different league. I’ve never seen a DJ work so fast, or with such little guidance from cans. He obviously knows his tracks inside, out, back to front, and blindfolded. Props for playing in a dinner jacket too. I’ll be seeking him out again.
• The sun comes up quickly in Barcelona. At 5.40am A-Trak finished and it was pitch black, by 6.30am for Tiga(only so-so, but unfairly positined in SonarLab, which had no atmosphere to it) – it was light.
• M.I.A. was, once again, terrible. Newly blonde, but apart from that, nothing has changed since I saw her at The Big Chill last year.
• Chris Cunningham was equally as bad. I had high hopes, but his vibe is too dark to translate in that environment. We ended up leaving after two songs as it was such a downer.
• Yelle is the epitome of a French act. I got to hear her do her cover of Robyn’s Who’s That Girl, which was great, as well as a few others I recognised/enjoyed. She’s 80s-tastic, all synth and electro pop, but was a little whiny live. I prefer the mixes of her tracks, which make them a bit more instrumental, but it was a happy antidote to our previous Chris Cunningham deathtrap.
• Underworld were my other big win for the weekend. As we discussed at the time, you can tell you’re watching a crowd pleaser from the get go. They filled SonarClub like no other act on the programme, and kept an insanely high level of energy for over an hour and a half. Born Slippy was an inevitable closer, and it was definitely one of those moments I’ll never forget.
• New artist spot of the festival goes to Buraka Som Sistema,  an act from Portugal that fuses techno with African kuduro. You’re left with something that knocks you off your feet you want to dance so much, so they were fantastic live.
• Additional useful info. When you leave Sonar, don’t turn left and hope to find a cab. It’ll take you hours to get home. The buses run super regularly and cost €2 each way. They do get busy, but if you time it right, they’re a breeze. Alternatively, if you don’t want to face the crowds, get a cab on the way up. From central Barcelona it’s only €15ish.
• I had a blast at Sonar. It had a totally different vibe to anything I’ve been to before and I’d definitely go back. The space isn’t as big as you’d imagine, so it’s all about the artists. If you spot a few you like, it’s totally worth a trip.
• Ticket prices are €39 pp for entrance to one of the days (12-10pm), and €60 pp for Sonar by Night. SonarPass for everything is €155 pp, but we bought a two-day Night pass for €100 pp, which was definitely the best option for us. All info here.

Bingo at Ultra Music Festival, Miami

Ultra music festival (UMF)/Miami Music Week starts this Friday, and as usual, has a stellar line up of electro acts on its three-day bill. From deadmau5 to The Chemical Brothers and Underworld, it’s set to be another great year.

Barcelona’s SONAR is my focus for this Summer (and my first ever festival abroad), but I’ve got my eyes on downtown Miami’s oceanfront Bicentennial Park for next year. The sheer size of it is phenomenal, with 16 stages featuring more than 300 DJs, bands and producers that will be visited by almost 150,000 people.

As dance and rave culture descends from around the glove, Miami New Times has created this tongue-in-cheek bingo card (click to view full size) that with a few tweaks, could be made applicable to any festival. Particularly the ‘Eurotrash’ spot. Enough said.

Avicii has released the official anthem for UMF – Hello Miami – and as a result is all over the Hype Machine popular chart today. Personally I prefer F**k the Music, which is dripping with sunshine and features a funky electro bassline, capped with a classic female vocal.