By Darren Grayer. Additional reporting: Anita Foxall and Dan O’Farrell.
Saturday
After a highly successful first year, Southampton’s Wanderlust Music Festival returned at the weekend. Expanded to two days this time around, it saw well over 50 artists appear, spread over Saturday and Sunday at three local independent venues, The Joiners, Heartbreakers Bar, and The 1865. As was the same last year, the sun shone on the city and allowed the 700 assembled music lovers to roam freely between the venues.
Local band Lugnut take to the Heartbreakers stage right on midday and prove to be a popular choice in getting things underway, filling the room with their infectious indie rock, coupled with their ability to be funny, engaging, and full of energy.
Just across Hoglands Park in The Joiners it’s so pleasing and fitting to see local artist Owen Hackett first up. Even more so that he’s with full band, and that’s not to take away Owen’s ability to perform solo. He is a very adept songwriter, but the band help to highlight his undoubted ear for consistently producing uplifting guitar driven pop, full of catchy choruses and melodies, and together, their vocal harmonies are a joy.
Brighton’s The Roebucks become the first discovery of the weekend. They produce alt country/blues rock at the centre of which are the beautiful vocals of guitarist Lola Gordon and Sophie Maloney, who is also exceptional behind the drumkit. They play a seven-song set, including latest single Great British Pig, and debut single Sable, which is the dreamiest, harmonic slice of country pop you’re likely to hear all weekend. Truly stunning.
A short but strange (given it’s still daylight) walk over to the 1865 sees another Brighton band, Canned Pineapple, a 5-piece whose scuzzy but joyful tunes cut through like a jolt of frozen margarita on a burning hot day. Frontman Seán Drury’s constant ‘stream of consciousness’ banter – Irish blarney to the max – adds an irresistible charm to the catchy, Undertones-y tunes the band have been writing. Even their prolonged ‘string-change-covering’ vamp is entertaining.
Cardiff’s Midding then provide a much darker proposition over at Heartbreakers, with a definite Velvet Underground vibe to their set, complete with stand up drummer sporting shades and a beret, hammering at a floor-tom and snare as the band build up a hazy drone. All gloriously done, and three-part harmonies that start to emerge through the darkness, giving the set some beautiful, Galaxie 500-esque moments.
Leeds-based The 113 provide the next pleasant surprise. Their set at The Joiners is loud, dark, and full of post-punk energy, with songs exploring deeply introspective themes. Their delivery is a total eruption of energy that is anything but reserved. They are quickly followed by London 5-piece Ain’t, whose delivery of guitar driven shoegaze-influenced alt-rock proves to be another great selection, with the captivating stage presence of vocalist Hanna Baker-Darrow.
The Itch have just started to gain some traction with new single The Influencer getting some airplay from 6Music’s Huw Stephens. It reflects much of their set which is powerful indie electronica fuelled by dual synthesizers proficiently underpinned by a live rhythm section and guitar over which Simon Tyrie provides smart but powerful lyrics.
Back at the 1865 Night Swimming provide a pleasant set of Shoegaze/Dreampop that in no way prepares me for an absolute powerhouse of a set by the Isle of Wight’s Coach Party. Having not played for a while, any cobwebs are well and truly blown away with songs covering their output over the last five years or so, as well as a couple of new outings. Hopefully a new album isn’t too far away.
Dutch band and Marc Riley/6Music favourites Personal Trainer stop by for the last date of their current British tour and prove once again how great they are as a live act, even if they seem to have mellowed a little and crowd interactions have lessened.
The 7 members of KEG fill The Joiner’s stage but still leave just enough room for lead singer Albert the space he needs for his dancing and explosive vivacity. A blend of angular experimental indie, that is full of melodic sound, coupled with lyrics that are quirky, poetic and surreal. All perfectly on show, particularly with set closer, Kids.
Back to Heartbreakers where Birmingham’s The None provide something altogether heavier. Framed in horror-movie tones by their artfully placed ‘up lights’, the band unleash controlled doses of metallic hardcore punk that pretty much pin the audience to the walls. Singer Kayla White is a snarling blur armed with a mic in each hand (one for distortion) and frequently screams into both-but if you look elsewhere the rest of the band are similarly terrifying. The soft Brummie burr of their inter-song stories of trips to Alicante and ‘too-dense bean-burgers’ are a welcome palette-cleanser before the next onslaught. Terrific stuff.
CVC have quickly built a reputation for pleasing their audiences and will no doubt be enjoying lots of future festival performances, given their multi-genre dance floor filling brand of rock and pop. Their cover of Modjo’s Lady (Hear Me Tonight) perfectly reflects their own material, and the triple vocals of lead singer Francesco Orsi and guitarists Dave Bassey/ Elliott Bradfield are absolutely on the money. They only slow the pace for early single, Sophie, which sees arms swaying aloft and the crowd joining in with the “ooh la la la” part of the chorus. By the end of their set the packed 1865 is in full party mode with bodies moving all round, which gives Saturday headliner Antony Szmierek a tough act to follow.
Lauded as one of the leading lights of a new generation of British songwriters, his spoken word songs set to dance beat music are both worldly wise and full of optimism. He clearly loves bringing people together and sharing his experiences of life in his home city of Manchester.
His constant interaction with the audience shows him to be the sort of person you’d love as a friend, not to take away from his songwriting, he’s clearly a gifted poet and wordsmith. His set covers all his debut album and by the end of it the room is totally in love with him and dancing all over the place. Phew, and that’s just Saturday!
Sunday
Sunday arrives somewhat cooler but as with Saturday, first stop is The Joiners, where local three-piece Fudu provide a synth driven, bass heavy set with added Killing Joke guitar riffs. It’s quite difficult to pigeonhole in terms of genre, but their lead singer/guitarist also provides one of the most intense performances of anyone fronting any of the bands so far, slamming down his mic at the end of the set. Rock n roll, eh?
Doops provide the opening set of the day at the 1865. There are a few signs of audience fatigue, but any lingering weariness is quickly dissolved as the band are clearly exhilarated by the decent turnout and warm welcome. They play songs that display modern indie rock that is rich in nostalgia and deliver a highly accomplished performance.
Over at Heartbreakers another Brighton band, Jopy, provide another pleasant surprise. As with Canned Pineapple and The Roebucks, they are signed to local label GOO! Records, who are clearly in the market for spotting great local talent. Based around the phenomenal guitar playing and darkly humorous lyrics of Jo Parnell, the three-piece produce a sound that The Cramps might have made if Poison Ivy and Lux Interior inhabited the same body, then cannibalistically feasted on key members of the B-52S. Jo also bought a PJ Harvey-style intensity to songs and a subtext of a trans journey that lent power and grit to the fun, along with a gloriously un-smiling bass player and an amazing drummer who unleashed serious demons during the song Haunt My House. Smiles all round as we left.
In the 1865 Atmos Bloom present a more straight forward set of very pleasant jangling guitar pop that sat somewhere between Lush, Slowdive, and The Cardigans, all centring around the lovely Harriet Wheeler-like vocals of Tilda Gratton.
Another Cardiff band, Dactyl Terra, sport two drummers both equipped with full kits and play a Hawkwind style space rock set that includes healthy doses of psych guitar and synth squiggling. Watching two drummers pound away with metronomic accuracy, including synchronised fills can be trance inducingly hypnotic when it’s done as well as this.
London based 5-piece Otala then bring their insistent jazzy propulsion to Heartbreakers, with hazy sax-lines and supple 5-string bass twining around Oscar Thorpe’s spoken word story telling. The best songs build to moments of startling intensity and leave me feeling like I’ve been on a weirdly unsettling journey.
I knew very little about Lebanese artist Skydaddy, but after seeing him and his band perform their set, the decision to go to Heartbreakers quickly becomes the best thing I’ve investigated all weekend. The six song set plays havoc with my emotions, such is its beauty, but I admit to being a sucker for lo-fi, twee baroque pop that includes a flute, an amazing violin playing drummer and harmonies that hit every sweet spot possible. Instrumental piece, Lebanon, is dedicated to Skydaddy’s fellow countrymen, which is met with warm applause before bringing the room to complete silence with its aching beauty.
Big Trousers are a remarkable duo truly worth trying to catch live. Harry Geeves and Jack Guy share a uniquely beautiful synergy and effortlessly guide the audience through a captivating and immersive set. Harry displays dynamic skills behind the drum kit while providing vocals that include spoken word, and with Jack’s expressive guitar work they produce a rock sound that is infused in their own distinctive style. Don’t miss them next time round.
Another band gaining recent exposure with radio play and an appearance at the 6Music festival are Adult DVD. Sounding impressive even at soundcheck, their LCD Soundsystem-inspired dancefloor rock is delivered stunningly, with a 40 minute set of songs old and new that leave the hypnotic lyrics of Bill Murray echoing in the head.
Coventry’s foremost purveyors of classically louche guitar rock, Feet, make a welcome return to Wanderlust, having had to cancel last year. They put on a smile-inducing show at a pleasingly full 1865. Singer George Haversham has undoubted star quality, resembling a bemused Robert Pattinson starring in a time-travel movie where he ends up fronting The Rolling Stones circa 1976. Haversham struts and peacocks in full Jagger mode but frequently undercuts the bravado with a nod and a wink, making himself instantly more likeable for it. Show closer Chalet 47 proves they have the massive choruses to back up the swagger.
Over at The Joiners, Welsh band Melin Melyn, who are shining examples of sun laden psychedelic country rock, take to the stage and instantly transform the room into Melin village, which is served by The Mill On The Hill (also the title of their wonderful debut album). The Mill is under threat from a local property developer who wants to knock it down and build some flats, and their mission is to save it. What follows is half an hour of brilliant entertainment that is absolutely lapped up by a jam-packed crowd. The fun set of the weekend.
Outside, the queue for next band, DEADLETTER, stretches a fair way back down Saint Mary’s Street. Once on stage, they open with Credit To Treason, the opening track from their new album, Hysterical Strength. Front man, Zac Lawrence, is a force of nature. He commands the stage, dancing around relentlessly and leaping into the audience as his band play an electrifying and unique blend of post-punk grit with saxophone adding to the richness, with Zac’s sharp social commentary at the fore.
Before headliners English Teacher, Pale Blue Eyes play a set that perfectly warms up the 1865 crowd. Bass-driven indie rock with touches of psychedelia a la Stereolab and Giant Steps era Boo Radleys, all delivered with infectious enthusiasm proves to be a winning formula.
The rise of English Teacher is nothing short of remarkable. This year’s Mercury Prize winners for their debut album This Could Be Texas are a real capture for the festival. Excitement builds in the 1865 before the lights dim and Lily Fontaine and band take to the stage. They start with the title track complete with cello before break through single The World’s Biggest Paving Slab gets heads nodding and feet tapping. This Could Be Texas is a mixture of quiet reflective tunes and outright rockers that bring out all types of emotions, and watching it played out live shows the band to be anything other than just another British indie act. At the centre of it is Lily’s incredible vocal ability that is highlighted in some of the band’s quieter moments such as the stunningly beautiful You Blister My Feet and Space, the outro of which feels like she might take the roof from the building. “That’s enough of that soppy stuff” announces Lily before R&B and Daffodils send the room into a complete frenzy. Albert Road gently closes proceedings to rapturous applause. Apart from Fontaines DC, I can’t think of a currently more apt British alternative rock band to headline a festival like this. An amazing end to a truly memorable and brilliantly organised weekend.
Wanderlust feels well and truly established now and huge praise should go to all involved in having not only the foresight to think of holding such an event but then having the conviction to actually make it happen. Tom Dyer and his Psych Ltd team of Alice Frith and Sean Seymour, coupled with Ricky Bates and Pat Muldowney at The Joiners form the lifeblood of Southampton’s independent music scene and while events like The Summer Sessions will prove popular with a wider audience, it should not be forgotten that nearly all those big names appearing in Guildhall Square would have almost certainly started out at a small independent venue. They should be treasured and protected at all costs.
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