Singles That Mingle 

By Captain Stavros 

His Lordship

‘All Cranked Up’

Out now via Psychonaught Records

Does what it says on the tin, two-piece rock outfit touring this April.

 

IST IST

‘Nothing More Nothing Less’

Protagonists out March 31

Can you imagine if bands could give birth to baby bands? IST IST would be an early ‘00s child of Interpol in that case.

 

Angelica Rockne

‘White Cadillac’

The Rose Society out May 5 via Loose Records

Angelica’s music sounds like warm coffee in a conservative on a slow morning.

 

Fazerdaze

‘Flood Into’

Break! out now via Section 1 Records

Another slowburn masterpiece

 

SQÜRL

‘Berlin 87’

Silver Haze out May 5 via Sacred Bones Records

I’m somehow hooked to this track that sounds like it’s lost the will to live.

 

Blondshell

‘Disappointment’

Blondshell out April 7 via Partisan Records

Full disclosure, didn’t take at first. Got distracted and opened up another tab for a few minutes while it played in the background, it stuck.

 

Barrie

‘Empty’

5K out March 31 via Winspear Records

Never fails to hit the mark.

 

London Brew

‘Raven Flies Low’

Brew out March 31 via Concord Jazz Records

Great textures and flow.

 

Kate Davis

‘Long Long Long’

Fish Bowl out March 21 Via Anti

A really inviting tune.

 

Alice Low

‘Fruitcake’

Transatlantic Sugar out April 21

A great tune for the Headwig II OST with Bowie undertones.

 

The Reds, Pinks & Purples

‘The Town That Cursed Your Name’

Tough Love out March 21

Inoffensive tunes for when your parents are over.

 

Westerman

‘Take’

An Inbuilt Fault out May 5 via Partisan Records

New to our ears but hummingly appealing.

 

The Murlocs

‘Initiative’

Calm Ya Farm out May 19 via ATO Records

Best song you could ask for to wake up to.

 

Bully

‘Days Move Slow’

Lucky For You out June 2 via Sub Pop Records

It’s got that sound that Hole sorta had, ‘90s vibes.

 

Geese

‘3D Country’

3D Country out June 23 via Partisan Records

This smooth track by Geese is migrating your way.

 

Lea Sen

‘Luv Him (About U)’

You of Now PT 2 out April 21 Via Partisan Records

Honestly, I was distracted while previewing but it demanded my attention and got it.

 

Aluna & Tsha

‘Killing Me’

Not usually our format but you can’t knock a banger, killing me? More like killing it.

 

Autobahn

‘Silver’

Ecstasy of Ruin out April 28 via Tough Love Records

This track, like the band's namesake, is limitless.

 

Egyptian Blue

‘Geisha’

This is our first introduction to Egyptian Blue, and a favourable one at that. Check ‘em out at the Oslo next week if you’re about.

 

Moor Mother

‘We Got The Jazz’

Jazz Codes Deluxe out May 19 via Anti- Records

A mashup of styles and lyrics that hold their own.

 

Fidlar

‘On Drugs’

That’s Life out now via Wichita Recordings

Great hook.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With Sunday morning comes familiar feelings that go along with any festival, dull aches and deflated air mattresses. Thankfully the weather has been kind to us this year, and spirits are high (and in full flow) when we head to the Main Stage to catch the first band of the final day.

Foregoing the bizarre inclusion of Japenese psuedo-metallers Babymetal in favour of gin and tonic, it's Fidlar who kick off the day's proceedings and prove to be one of the surprises of the weekend. Having heard their debut self-titled album in 2013, and not being particularly impressed, we couldn't imagine it would transfer particularly well to open air stage. How wrong we were. With a set dedicated to getting monumentally wasted, the band plough through tracks such as '40oz On Repeat' and 'Cheap Beer' before finishing on the excellent 'Wake Bake Skate', it's loud, trashy and obnoxious, and it provides a second wind for any of the crowd whose energy levels are lagging. Over on the NME stage, Slaves were just as loud and just as obnoxious, but with a distinctly more British vibe to them. Unsurprisingly they draw an impressive crowd, though that was a given considering the abundance of Feed The Mantaray t-shirts seen across the weekend. 

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the weekend comes in the form of Alexisonfire's incendiary reunion show. A huge crowd swells around the sound desk as several circle pits erupt the moment the band launch in to 'Accidents'. In true festival fashion, an inflatable raft is pushed towards singer George Pettit as he stands on the barrier. Climbing aboard whilst never letting his vocals drop once, one fan's festival is made as sees his chance and climbs in the boat with Pettit, the pair of them grasping each other as if their lives depended on it, before the boat capsizes sending them crashing to the waiting crowd below. It's organic occurrences like this which make festivals as special as they are, and keep people coming back year after year.

Back to the NME Tent, and current indie darlings Wolf Alice suffer from some early sound issues that soon ironed out, allowing the band to really break in to their stride. With a set backboned by their recently released debut album My Love Is Cool it's easy to see why the band are enjoying a surge in popularity. Switching between effortless cool and manic intensity, the band's set is over all too soon, but we expect we'll be seeing much more of Wolf Alice in the coming months. Remaining at the NME Tent, Catfish and the Bottlemen draw the biggest crowd the tent's seen all weekend, spilling out of the sides and around the back. Unfortunately their sound seems a little muddied from our position outside, and we opt to head over to an equally packed 1xtra tent for Lethal Bizzle.

Heaving and sweaty the crowd makes the best of a cramped situation, and Bizzle manages to get even the most reluctant amongst us bouncing. With the standard 'Fuck Reading' chants and the not-so-standard Snapchatting pictures of the crowd, he ends with the resounding 'Pow' causing a small riot in the tent that carries on towards the Main Stage as we gear up for the final band of the weekend.

Having never seen Metallica before, and not really knowing what to expect given our propensity for enjoying the softer side of music [read: whiny and emotional] whilst having quite the distaste for guitar solos, we go in open-minded and optimistic. Thankfully our optimism pays off, and as the band tear through a plethora of hits such as 'Ride The Lightening', 'Fuel' and 'Master of Puppets' we ourselves appreciating the band far more than we ever did when hearing their albums. A much welcome inclusion comes in the form of 'Sad But True' just before the halfway point followed by an astoundingly impressive bass solo from Robert Trujillo. It's all a little self indulgent by the end of it, something exacerbated by Kirk Hammets insistence on getting in on the act after the aforementioned 'Master of Puppets'. It's the band's encore where they really shine though, a Cliff Burton dedicated 'Whisky in The Jar' provides some brief respite from the weight of the rest of the set, whilst a concluding rendition of 'Enter Sandman' complete with fireworks and beach balls cements Metallica as being nothing if not showmen.

It's been a long four days, though given the size of the festival that's unsurprising. Sunday night sees the first real rain of the weekend, and we wake up to a flooded tent porch on the Monday. Still not quite ready to face reality, we struggle once again with bags and an errant tent, slipping on the newly muddied fields back to the car and back to the real world. Same again next year, Leeds?

Read our Saturday review here.