There were so many acts I wanted to see on the Saturday of the festival that I had to plan my day carefully! Luckily the intimate size of the festival means that you can get from one side of the site to the other in a matter of minutes, meaning you can catch more performances.
The music on the main stage kicked off with DJ Little Chef, whose remixes of popular house tracks such as Artful Dodger’s ‘Please Don’t Turn Me On’, Chris Malinchak’s ‘So Good’ and Disclosure’s ‘Latch’ got the crowd dancing. Even the sun came out (for a little while!) for Little Chef’s set.
Burning Beaches in the Hustle Den – photo via Blissfields Facebook
I then headed over to The Hustle Den to catch the set of London-based group Burning Beaches, who had been recommended to me by Wolf Alice member Theo Ellis and I wasn’t disappointed. With rock and pop influences and catchy guitar riffs, this band is definitely one to watch.
Later in The Hustle Den I caught the performance of Bigtopp, an eight-piece ska group hailing from Portsmouth. I particularly enjoyed their cover of Gotye’s ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ which you can listen to here. Despite the overcast weather, the upbeat music and enthusiasm of the performers ensured that the crowd was having a great time.
I headed back over to the Wild Stage to see Moulettes who combined classical music with folk rock to create their own unique sound and gave a truly fantastic performance. I managed to grab a few minutes with them following their set (the interview will follow shortly!) They were followed by Australian indie singer Ry X, whose haunting track ‘Berlin’ was warmly received by the crowd.
Photo by Charlie Butler.
I was excited to see the set of Bipolar Sunshine on the Wild Stage. Having released two critically acclaimed EPs, Adio Marchant was eagerly awaited by the crowd and did not disappoint. He ended his set with ‘Love More, Worry Less’ which, I feel, accurately sums up the overall message of Blissfields itself.
After a short interval came Chloe Howl, who returned to the festival after performing last year. She was a crowd favourite and the audience sang along to every track. Her set included tracks ‘Disappointed’ and ‘Rumour’ which are set to be featured on her forthcoming album.
The night on the main stage drew to a close with a performance from headliners 2ManyDJs. I admit I was skeptical about having DJs as a headline act but I was seriously impressed by their two hour set! However, these aren’t just any DJs; since 1995, they’ve released singles and countless remixes of a diverse range of artists and genres including Gorilliaz, Sugababes and Arcade Fire. On the final evening of the festival they got the whole crowd dancing with remixes of old and new tracks intcluding Disclosure’s ‘White Noise’, Blur’s ‘Boys and Girls’ and Eurythmics’ ‘Sweet Dreams.’ The performance was hugely popular with the sizeable crowd, who spilled out from the main stage area and were spread out across the site. The audience was ready to dance the rest of the night away. 2ManyDjs provided an exciting end to the music on the mainstage and, effectively, the festival itself.
I’m now counting down the days until Blissfields 2015!
