If Thursday tickets are available for a festival, we always get them. An extra day to arrive, get set up and catch a few great bands before the crowds arrive en masse. Not to mention the opportunity to get to the Merch stall early doors before they run out of my size…
Thursday at Kendal did not disappoint. Merch secured, we hung out at the main stage and saw Watford 4 piece Indie band Corella – really nice lads writing great songs, they thouroughly deserved their main stage place and we hope to see them moving up the set list in the coming years.
Then came Sophe Ellis-Bextor. Ms Ellis-Bextor needs little introduction having had a string of disco pop hits in the early 2000’s but ticking none of our indie, punk, reggae or soul boxes we came to the gig not expecting to enjoy it. How wrong we were! Sophie was exactly the Thursday evening pop princess we didn’t know we needed – speaking to each and every audience member, she gently took us by the hand and led us through a glorious pop party, signing and dancing the night away. Her voice is incredible, her stage presence undeniable and she looked as impeccable as ever in an outfit us mere mortals would not get away with (silver leotard with long flowing tassels anyone?).
Friday continued mostly with a female fronted theme….. I have been a fan of Corinne Bailey-Rae for 20 + years and originally saw her at Somerset House in London years ago. Recently, I have loved Corinne’s new material with a much rockier vibe. This set on the main stage started out with a much more soulful sound which did not disappoint (if you have gathered by this point that I would not be upset with anything CBR produces, you are right!). Surrounded by world class musicians (the most accomplished band of the weekend in my view), she played a mix of her old and new music – Put Your Records On had everyone in the crowd singing away and although New York Disco Queen didn’t deliver the same punch as the radio edit, it went down well. Next came Elvana on the Parklands Stage. Elvis fronted Nirvana. Was it mad? Was it brilliant? Were the crowd ferral? Yes to all of the above! The band, led by Elvis and dressed mid western cowboy stylee, were excellent and clearly having a riot. Elvis was funny and totally in control of the crowd – he raised his arms and we cheered, arms down, we were silent. The mid set power cut only seemed to enhance the frenzy and as soon as the power was back on they launched into Smells Like Teen Spirit – you weren’t wrong Kurt, with the lights out it IS less dangerous. The mosh pit was insane and everyone was having a ball. Scenes that won’t be forgotten in a long time!
Big Moon were Friday’s headliner on the Calling Out Stage – personally I would have put them on the main stage sunday afternoon in the sunshine, to charm us all with their glorious vocal harmonies as we lay on the grass. Alas it was not to be, however their harmonies were every bit as glorious as we have come to expect and it was great to have a female headliner, albeit on one of the smaller stages. Friday morning required an ‘early’ get up and we were at Tim Peaks Diner at the impossible (in festival terms) time of 12 noon. Why would we do such a thing to ourselves?? Two words. Inspiral Carpets. The Inspirals are living legends – the signiture keyboard riffs of Cliff Boon are forever embedded in the late 80s / early 90s Madchester scene. For the last few years, Tim Peaks Diner (hosted for almost 20 years by Tim Burgess, a massive Twin Peaks fan and named before the astronaut Tim Peaks entered the national consciousness) has hosted a band on Friday lunch time – the recorded session is biked to Newcastle for mastering and pressing and a limited run of the vinyl copy of the session is available to buy at kendal on Sunday.
Having secured our limited edition Inspirals at Kendal calling tee, we went into the side door of the diner, politely excused our way through the queue for coffee (it’s an acual diner!) and found ourselves right in front of Clint’s keyboard – brilliant!! The gents who are the Inspiral Carpets could not have been more personable or engaging with the crowd which is a good thing given how close we we standing to them….
They kicked off with a warm up of Two Worlds Collide which did not disappoint – the crowd, who had all braved the early get up, singing along with huge grins on their faces. The rest of the set list did not dissapoint, Dragging Me Down, She comes in the Fall, the band delivering their signature sound with Cliff’s Hammond Organ, Graham Lambert’s guitar riffs, Stephen Holt delivering a deep and soulful vocal and newish old boy, Kevin Foey on drums. Having always been a fan of percussion, I was not disappointed by Kev’s performance – almost military at the end of I Want You. I was really taken by Martyn Walsh’s base – playing ‘lead base’ riffs on some tracks and provding some energetic movement in the middle of the stage area.
A new track came in the form of Drag the Bag, due to be released later this year or early next and we will all be singing it!! With a really catchy chorus and all the hallmarks of classic inspirals stuff – one to look out for. Of course This is How it Feels was in the set list (the band would be lynched if it wasn’t…) along with Move (we did) and Two Worlds Collide. This was the only point at which the band had to break recording and restart – Martyn was being so energetic that sweat ran off his head into his eyes. But we had the joy of hearing Two Worlds Collide 2.5 times – bonus for the crowd.
The set closed with Saturn 5, as is tradition for Insipral Carpets. The whole set was joyful with the band really enjoying themselves and commenting on how good it was to be so close to their audience. Did we buy the vinyl? Of course we did and had the pleasure of briefly hanging out with the band and their mate Tim Burgess on Sunday. We went to see the band play a second set at the Parklands stage – not as up close and personal, but every bit as joyful with a much bigger crowd singing every word to every song. With added joy when Tim joined them on stage for This is How it Feels. Until next time Inspiral’s – can’t wait for the new single.
Saturday Highlights Johnstone McGuckian
The Main Stage lineup on Saturday was perhaps one of the most stacked ever seen at Kendal Calling. I usually like to walk around, take in the different stages, styles and sounds but for perhaps the first time ever, I was unable to tear myself away from a single stage. I did get a chance to briefly pop around to see what else was on but from Reverend and the Makers onwards, I didn’t want to miss a thing. I’d seen Reverend and the Makers once before, in exactly the same place two years earlier. I have to admit that on that occasion I walked away unimpressed. Couldn’t put my finger on it at the time but their set really didn’t resonate with me and they simply didn’t live up to the hype generated by many, many friends who assured me that they were a fantastic live experience. This time however, the total opposite. Full of infectious energy and armed with a set of tracks perfect for afternoon dancing, they tore through a festival set built up over the years. In a nice personal moment, frontman John ‘The Reverend’ McClure admitted that he’d gone a bit ‘George Best’ and acknowledged that now, on the other side of it, he felt as though the band had undergone a renaissance. It’s hard to disagree and a great performance of ‘Haircut’, (their new single, sadly without guest vocalist Vicky McClure on this occasion) proved that they still have a lot to offer. I’m very glad that I
was able to see them back at Kendal and reassess how I felt about them live. A definite winner.
The Lottery Winners followed, a band who have loved and been loved by Kendal Calling for years now. At this point, it would feel wrong to not have them at the festival in some capacity. They strutted on stage to the Vengaboys’ ‘We Like to Party’ and immediately launched into an energetic performance of ‘Burning House’, one highlight of many from their 2023 album ‘Anxiety Replacement Therapy’, one that often finds its way onto my turntables. Everything about their first sixty seconds on stage told the crowd that the next hour was going to be one of the most fun of the weekend. They played with the confidence of a band putting on an old comfortable pair of shoes, a band who have moved from the Woodlands Stage in the not-too-distant past to a prime saturday Main Stage slot following supporting Robbie Williams on his recent Britpop Tour. Thom Rylance is the perfect frontman, full of energy but confident in sharing his deep connections to the songs he writes. His ability to wow a crowd is equal to his ability to make them laugh. The afternoon was declared the best of his life at one point as he addressed the huge adoring audience. He celebrated their two number one albums (the same as Snow Patrol, he pointed out) but bemoaned their lack of hit singles. Regardless, a significant portion of the crowd knew every word to everything they played. It’s great to see that their upwards trajectory is still showing no sign of slowing down. They can’t be far from that hit single. It’s hard to pinpoint the high-point of their set as there’s far too much to choose from: The aforementioned opener ‘Burning House, Reverend John returning to the stage for ‘You Again’, or perhaps the acapella audience-joined singalong of Robbie’s ‘Angels’ (Thom reasoned that if Robbie can pull the hit out of his pocket, then so can he).
They promised that within the next five years, they’d be back on the Main Stage at Kendal and in the headline slot. I think I believe them.
Next up was Travis who played the perfect festival set of well-known and beloved songs. Starting with the brilliant double-whammy of ‘Bus’ and ‘Driftwood,’ they worked their way through some of the highlights of their back catalogue, finishing with ‘Why Does It Always Rain on Me?’ They’re a band who, even after all this time, still have a fantastic time on stage and work so incredibly well together. They’d always make an excellent addition to any festival lineup.
Fatboy Slim, the headliner, followed and I went into this one not knowing what to expect at all. Would it be a DJ set with a few of his own thrown in? It was absolutely not. Instead, he spent almost two hours taking us on a heavy, pumping, energetic musical journey, celebrating his music and the music he loves. Dance remixes of Fleetwood Mac melded fantastically well with Fatboy classics such as The Rockefeller Skank, Eat Sleep Rave Repeat, Praise You, Star 69 and more. The crowd loved it, lapping up every beat, every energetic moment and truly celebrating the art of raving in a field. Norman Cooke has had a career so varied, that it is perhaps unique and here we got to witness some of that uniqueness. I’m not sure anybody else could put on such a show with a couple of CDJs and a mixer. The visuals were just as spectacular, featuring deepfake footage of various famous figures singing lyrics, clips from various films, music videos & so much more, Fatboy Slim himself on an old fashioned television telling us to ‘eat, sleep, rave, repeat’ and
a tribute to the Euro-winning Lionesses during ‘Praise You’.
Not quite ready for bed once the set concluded, a fair few beers in and a desire for more, we decided to explore the arena ‘after hours’. We didn’t have a plan beyond get to the real ale tent (always excellent!) but once we had our ???th pint of the day, we got swept up by a crowd and found ourselves in Lost Eden. This was a heavily lit and decorated woodland area at the far end of the site. Upon entry you’re greeted by a giant light-up globe, floating in the trees. After the mandatory selfie, we wandered further into the woods, struck by how eerily silent everything was. We soon realised that we were the only people not wearing silent disco headphones. Following this surreal experience, we emerged near the Calling Out stage and finally found something to keep us occupied for another hour: Shit Indie Disco. A brilliant DJ set that did exactly what it said on the tin, the perfect post-midnight festival party. Everything from Blur and Oasis to Blossoms and Sam Fender ensured that what remained of our vocal cords were wiped out for the evening. An unforgettable and fun end to what had been an incredibly good festival Saturday.
Kendal Highlights Mandy Grant
Much has been said about the bands, but less about the stages across Kendal calling. We really enjoyed the variety and the decoration. For Kendal’s 20th anniversary, the organisers went all out with dressing the main stage tents in the theme of ‘celebration’ – Parklands was Halloween, Christmas in Calling Out (shout out to the sound and lighting techs dressed as elves – top work). Woodlands is a magical stage, as the name suggests, set in the woodlands of Lowther deer park – a smaller stage with some real treats to uncover. On Friday, we caught the end of the set by Pomona, an up and coming Manchester band – we really loved their heavy indie rock sound and would be sure to see them again on a line up. On Sunday as we wondered through the stunning light show after dark in Lost Eden we caught Stoned – a punk band who were delighting (to put it mildly!) in having separated from their management and having the creative freedom to express themselves. They were brilliant – energy off the charts and everything you’d want in a modern punk band!
Our favourite Kendal Calling venue was Chai Wallah’s. Having been to Green Man twice, we are well familiar with Chai Wallah’s eclectic mix of grass roots music and chilled vibe. Not to mention the rum cocktails that Neil indulged in each afternoon. On Friday we saw Good Habits – a trio of cello, accordian and drums introduced as fusion of indie and folk. I’d add acid jazz and funk into that mix and I loved every bit of it. I’ve never seen a cello played so creatively before – far from the classical sat down style, this cello was held on a shoulder strap, allowing Bonnie Schwarz to move about the stage whilst she played and delivered soaring stunning vocals. It was bowed, plucked and percussed and on one track all three band members were playing the cello together whilst Bonnie and accordian player Pete Shaw singing into a single microphone. Bonnie and Pete have travelled far and wide together and this really comes accross in their story telling both when introducing their songs and in the lyrical delivery. Joined by Jenny Waientski on drums, the trio deliver something truely unique and have earned a permanent place on my play lists.
As long time Reggae fans, we were delighted to see Friendly Fire band at Chai Wallah’s on Saturday bringing some much needed diversity to Kendal Calling. They gave us a mix of laid back reggae and some more up beat Dancehall with laid back passion fo their craft. Paying homage to their home town of Birmingham, It’s a Brum Ting which became the anthem to the 2022 commonwealth games, had us all jumping about and joining in.
Sundays jaunt to Chai Wallah’s bought us the Voodoo Brass Band playing hits of all shapes and sizes in brass stylee. Excellent fun! This was followed by Joe Broughton’s Conservatoire Folk Ensemble which bought no less than 50 musicians to the stage. Formed in 1997, the ever revolving band members are taken from Birminghams’ prestigious Conservatoire and the personal influences of each band membershipe the set list from traditional folk to rock, funk and jazz. Their energy is infectious as the joy of their coming together as one is evident to see. Band leader joe Broughton leads us on a wild journey through a small part of their repatoire. Featuring horns, cellos, percussionists, guitarist, fiddles, flutes, clarinets, electric bass, banjos, accoridian and vocalists, the group move as one through their set, taking the audience with them. Truly a special performance, not to be missed!
Last but by no means least was the green room – with it’s £60 fee for entry for the weekend, was it worth it?? Definitely! There were comfy inflatable sofas and deckchairs gallore (being from Macclesfield where they were invented, we appreciate a good traditional deck chair), a big screen showing what was going on on the main stage, bar, food vendors, BBC introducing area, posh flushing loos (festival goals met right there!) and DJ sets from Woody Cook and Dave Sweetmore. It was a great hang out spot when a bit of down time was needed and we really enjoyed watching John Bishop on the main stage from the comfort of an excellent green room deck chair.
