Festibelly

Deep in the heart of the New Forest, a new festival to add to the heaving summer calendar is brewing. One day of music and fun amidst the trees, with a smart lineup of up-and-comers alongside eclectic indie and folk, it promised something for everybody.

First up for us was King Charles, playing a mid afternoon belter as the sun blazed down. Appearing collectively as the bastard children of the Kaiser Chiefs and Lenny Kravitz, the crowd seemed unsure what to expect from the shy, big-haired man clutching a guitar on the stage. Luckily, he knew exactly what to do, and brought the house down from the first riff. As the initial strains of “Mr. Flick” washed over us, it became apparent why King Charles are so highly rated – fusing several types of music with their own heavy sound, KC manage to turn every tune into a mish-mash of technical skill , harmony and good old-fashioned overdrive. Weaving easily from near marimba to country with a wash of goth rock, these are going to be the guys to watch – I only hope that they can nail down their sound just a little more specifically so as to avoid the occasional lack of identity some tracks can carry. Check out “Polar Bear” or “Love Lust” for a great idea of where they are heading.

Whilst the crowd enjoyed some classic dance between sets, an art battle took place either side of the stage, with two distinct urban artists racing to complete some truly excellent art – an interesting idea that could catch on with some of the bigger festivals over time, perhaps?

Next up were Tek-One, blasting straight in with their own version of “Katy on a Mission”, the massive Katy B hit of the summer. Tek-One are a two piece from Surrey comprising one dance DJ and one furious drummer, melding into an interesting mix of styles. Every track played is overlaid with a frantic drum beat – describing themselves as “the grimiest dubstep”, the crowd at times seemed a touch confused, but the boys brought them back with some excellent tunes and seriously eccentric drumming. Although at times they appeared to be playing an impromptu jam session, with a bit of tweaking they could be in line for some serious festival spots over the coming year.

We headed over to the second stage next, the strangely titled Terrapin Station. Warming up for a set were the oddly-named Skinny Lister, a five piece folk band, who seemed to have trouble getting started, thanks to soundcheck issues and the brief disappearance of drunk nutter-come-ukelele-player, Lorna. In fact, for me, Lorna let the side down a little when the gig got going – so desperate to impress with OTT dancing and skirt swaying, she proved to be a big distraction from the boys trying their best to play their olde-worlde folk tunes to a dispirited audience. Luckily, I caught them again later on in the evening, and they were on far better form. It is fair to say that although they are riding the Mumford wave quite closely, they certainly can get a crowd to chant “Heave-ho!” like few of their contemporaries when they hit their stride.

Back to the main stage, and some dub reggae was playing proudly, with Reggae Roast getting the wellies jumping and bouncing to the groove. Followed up by O Children, who seemed to hit the first real faux pas of the day – gloomy goth doesn´t really fit in the family summer festival vibe. Sounding like a cross between the Horrors and White Lies, O Children really failed to get anyone going, and did flatten the atmosphere with their dirgy, sombre tracks. Tobias O´Kandi was an impressive front figure, however, and O Children should do well with their target audience – unfortunately a field full of cider drinkers, dogs on string and families wasn´t it.

Next band we caught was Man Like Me, and I really wasn´t expecting something so infectiously fun. Imagine every cheesy dance riff and sample ever written, add in one mental group of individuals, all seemingly striving to be frontman, and you should have a disaster on your hands. Think what would happen if Suggs, Friendly Fires and Mike Skinner tried to write a summer pop hit, and you would be along the right lines. However, MLM were incredible – riding on a surge of tacky pop that even your favourite Greek resort would think twice about playing, the band grab you by the dancing regions and refuse to let go. The crowd lapped it up, and it all seemed to be over too quickly – highlights included big single “Lovestruck” and a very shiny red suit. Great guys, and recommended to catch whenever they play near you.

Back to Terrapin Station for some Marmaduke Dando, amidst more cheesy pop (why did all the interlude DJs think we wanted to hear 80s Madonna hits?). Opening with the words “We promise to bring you right back down for the next half an hour”, MD launched straight into “If This Is Civilisation”, immediately drenching the audience in heavy, dark blues. Marmaduke himself possesses an incredible voice, however, throbbing with vibrato and showing an excellent range. Sounding like a 1940s nightmare mixed with some Nick Cave, again I was unsure about the appropriateness of these guys, but it really worked – despite some really low emotional moments in the set, MD really were well received, and thoroughly enjoyed by those who stayed on.

Across the field once more, we caught Radio 1 DJ Rob da Bank playing to a seriously hefty crowd. The mark of a good DJ is the ability to hit the right notes whatever the crowd, and RDB was on fine form, blending big hits from across the last 20 years. Highlight was possibly Beastie Boys “Fight for Your Right” blending into House of Pain´s “Jump Around”, setting the crowd alight and getting the dads out of their comfy chairs. However, a day-long problem became more and more evident as more people crowded round the stage – the volume just wasn´t high enough, and the crowd really wanted it loud to get them going. Shame, too, as it shaped up to be a killer set with something for everyone.

Final band on the main stage was Big Pink, and here the sound system really failed the artists. Frontman Robbie Furze was noticeably frustrated with the sound quality, and a muddy mix lost nearly all vocals and most of the guitar, despite still being too quiet. Unfortunately this lead to a bit of a dismal set, with many leaving to find better sounds elsewhere, despite popular hit “Dominoes” entertaining the remaining faithful. Shame too, as Big Pink can be excellent when on form, but tonight it was not to be.

And then the festival fizzled out – the dance tent wasn´t playing, and Terrapin Station was passed over to a very late folk competition and some site DJs. I´m really not sure what happened – either several artists pulled out at the last minute, or someone complained and got everything shut down, but we found ourselves back at our tent feeling a little miffed at the sudden end to a good party atmosphere.

Overall, I did enjoy Festibelly, certainly enough to be sure my friends and I will be back next year. I just think they need to invest in a better sound rig, and maybe plan the playing orders a little better – some acts were haphazardly slotted in, and the actual running order made little sense (goth rock in the midst of reggae and dance?). I would also love to know why everything ground to a halt so quickly, as it really was turning into a fun night of music. It is a shame to score Festibelly at a three, as they really should have gained a four or maybe a five – at times I was enjoying myself more than I have at some far better known festivals.

Top band? King Charles, closely followed by Man Like Me. Despite the mishaps, when it worked, the vibe was excellent, and with a bit of a nudge in the right direction Festibelly could shape up to be a real must-see over the coming years. Bring on next year, and we could really see what this intimate little gathering could become.