Longitude Festival 2014 - Saturday | Review

After a successful first day, where nothing seemed to go wrong, Longitude was back for its second act. Saturday was the hot ticket in the weeks leading up to the festival and it was no surprise that the day tickets sold out weeks in advance. The obvious allure of going on a mad one for the day with the buffer of a hangover day on Sunday obviously attracting many a punter.

Unfortunately, this resulted in a huge footfall, surely bordering on the limit for this small site. However, the crowd in attendance seemed to differ tenfold to the crowd that attended the festival last year. Last year, a far more chilled, relaxed vibe oozed from all sections of the festival. This year, drunken eejits and paralytic youngsters seemed to be more prevalent. Even so, trouble seemed to be at a minimum; the sun was out and there was a lineup of seriously good music to get stuck in to.

The site was kept more or less the same as last year with small improvements making all the difference. The reappearance of the TXFM area (formerly Phantom) was a no-brainer, offering festival punters the chance to meet and listen to their favourite acts being interviewed. Not to mention the endless dancing provided by the likes of Claire Beck and Kelly-Anne Byrne.

Sun – shine on!

Tvvins

Opening the main stage on a Saturday afternoon can sometimes be a daunting position to be put in. The crowd is still gathering, the atmosphere hasn’t been cemented yet, and there is often a chance of playing to nothing more than passers-by. This is not the case for Tvvins, who have found a reasonably upbeat crowd so early in the afternoon to dance along to their uniquely infectious robot rock. With a small trail of fans making themselves known as they sing along, the rest of the crowd seems to bop along to Longitudes opening beats and Tvvins have clearly made an impression. Let’s hope this is where we see the rise of this act up through the main stage time slots with a rumuored record deal and potential forthcoming album. From what we’ve heard, they don’t have a track that wouldn’t make an infectious radio hit. (GS)

Hozier

There is a lot of pressure these days on Hozier to perform and taking the main stage so early in the day on a Saturday is a perfect opportunity to prove yourself. Having gathered an unsurprisingly large and excitable crowd, Hozier brings about an audible hush to the main stage. Take Me To Church and From Eden are staple fan favourites, but little of the crowd sit and eagerly lap up everything the Bray native has to offer. With album number one coming out soon, this is the perfect chance to prove that the two radio friendly songs aren’t his only defining element. There’s substance, there’s style, and more than ever before there is a level of confidence and charisma that Hozier showcases well ahead of many other newly discovered acts. Highlight of the set might just be when they sing Happy Birthday to a 12-year old neighbour. (GS)

Sam Smith

Sam Smith is another one of the UK’s (more specifically London) shining lights. This new waft of acts hailing from the capital city are coming thick and fast. Yes yes, this usually happens when labels latch on to a popular type of act; but at least with this waft of performers – the talent is there to back it up. If you haven’t already mistaken Sam Smith for John Newman (another part of the latest batch), then you’ll have heard Smith’s singles all over the radio. This sun-drenched set on the main stage acts as a continuous “oh, I know this one” type of sets as he rifles through his hit singles like Latch and more impressively Money on my Mind. Smith’s band deserve special mention as they ease their way through a funk, soul and pop set packed full of lifts, lilts and passion. Sam Smith ends his effortless performance with Stay With Me as the surprisingly jammers-mainstage crowd roar back every word. Smith, for sure, will be one of this 2014 class who will stand the test of time. (RM)

Joey Bada$$

For the past year or so, Joey Bada$$ has been providing fresh rhymes – in keeping with that popular style of Tyler, the Creator or our own Rejjie Snow. Joey is another act for whom YouTube has been pivotal, with a couple of his tracks racking up millions of views. Unfortunately, his set in the mid-afternoon Dublin heat would do little to enforce all the hype flopping around beforehand. A decent crowd enthusiastically followed instructions and did that oh-so cringeworthy rap-hand-bounce – a sea of limp Irish hands more like. Joey Bada$$ possesses a raft of decent tunes, but instead, the rapper decided to churn out corny samples such as House of Pain – Jump Around, then allowed the bored crowd bang out a few loops of “Ole Ole Ole”. Then just before we thought it couldn’t get any worse, he decided to lay down a straight sample of Fatman Scoop. Really? Fatman Scoop? All in all, pretty much the epitome of a cringeworthy rap show. Joey Bada$$ has a long way to go in order to improve his live performances – we won’t be sticking around to wait and see. (RM)

Haim

The three Haim sisters have been on the road touring the same songs for the past two years solid. Much like Kodaline and Chvrches, some of the other most popular acts on the BBC Sound of 2013 list, they have been getting the most out of their massively popular debut album. And sure why wouldn’t you when the bulk of the money to be made in the music business is from playing live nowadays. Well, the huge crowd that flocked to the mainstage on Saturday will sure be glad they have stuck around as their current set is jam-packed with huge festival tracks. From early on, when they unleash their “jam” of Fleetwood Mac’s Oh Well to the more mellow and paired-back Honey & I. Despite the lengthy time on the road and festival circuit, the three sisters still manage to to deploy such power, emotion and heart in to their performances. Forever sees Este Haim deplore all in attendance to get on top of each others shoulders, much to the frustration of the security team who spent most of their time pointlessly telling people to get down. They finish with The Wire – the perfect close to another tour de force performance from HAIM. Surely, they deserve a break now right?

Disclosure

Ok, let’s get this straight. The lads in Disclosure are 20 and 23 respectively. That’s just not fair. Probably the most successful act from that school of performers that are just blowing up right now (see Sam Smith, London Grammar etc), these guys have come from virtually nowhere to headline not only one of the days at Longitude Festival, but also the Sunday night at Glastonbury this year. This is an act that has one EP (‘Control’) and one album (‘Settle’). But from the first song of the set, it’s clear to see why so many bookers opt to place these two Surrey-born brothers atop their bills. Their cleverly deployed stage set-up sees Disclosure fiddle and play with loads of live elements including drums, pads, loops and their own voice. Their light and visual set-up is also massively engaging with large diamond shaped screens scattering the back of the stage. The use of VJ video controls also adds a really tight element to the visuals. F For You ft. Mary J. Blige (well her voice track anyway) is the first track to catch the attention with both audio and visuals thrilling in equal measure. Another set highlight was When a Fire Starts to Burn which will no doubt go down as one of the best dance tracks of the past few years. This standout set finally came to a close when they reintroduced Sam Smith who played on the same stage earlier in the day, to perform their version of Latch. Sam Smith, obviously encouraged by the packed main stage crowd, delivered a performance with double the energy of his own performance earlier that evening. The perfect end to Saturday’s festivities.