Neighbourhood Weekender situated at Victoria Park, Warrington hosted it's phenomenal music festival for the second year running. After a full weekend of live music, many pints and good company, it's safe to say I wish I was doing it all over again this weekend! Here's a review of my main highlights...
Vida
A four piece Scottish indie rock band all the way from Alloa graced the Viola Beach stage on Saturday. I’d heard a lot of good things about Vida so was really excited to see their set. Expectations truly exceeded themselves though as they were by far one of the best live bands i've seen.
Heavily influenced from the likes of Oasis and Stone Roses, I see lead singer, Jamie Pollock as a young Noel Gallagher. Their set included, ‘Where We Came From’ and their hit single, ‘Fade Away’. There was a good support as the crowd were totally mesmerised by the well-polished band. They had such a professional manner and it’s surprising that they’ve only been around for the last few years. If this is how good they are so early in their career I can’t wait to see more of them in the future.
Maximo Park
Now I’ve been waiting years to see this Geordie band ever since they released their debut album, 'A Certain Trigger' all the way back in 2005. I was only nine but I remember my Dad playing it on repeat and since then it’s been one of my favourite albums.
It’s one of those albums that actually don’t have a bad song. The band certainly didn’t disappoint taking the main stage on the Saturday afternoon. Opening the set with their classic, ‘Girls Who Play Guitar’, it was everything I wanted it to be.
So much energy from the entire band and Paul Smith’s purple suit just totally blended in with the electric atmosphere. After the song had finished, Paul stepped up to the mic to announce, ‘I’m here to be an entertainer’ which he certainly lived up to. The set included a good forty minutes of their greatest hits. Other songs included, ‘Our Velocity’, ‘Hips & Lips’ and ended with ‘Apply Some Pressure’. I could have watched them all night - forty minutes wasn’t nearly enough.
They’re the type of band who really make you feel something and I certainly felt nostalgia watching them nearly 15 years after discovering them for the first time. Still not over it and I'm hoping it won't be another 15 years till I see them again!
The Twang
Again this was another band that I had longed to see. As they were initially meant to be clashing with Maximo Park I thought I’d miss yet another chance to see this incredible band. However, a last minute change to the schedule meant I finally got to see them.
Opening up with, ‘Barney Rubble’ was truly special. As much as it’s an upbeat happy vibe, the lyrics perfectly describe the troubles of a modern day relationship and seeing it live left me with a lot of emotion. That’s one of my favourite things about live music - it can just have this impact on you and it’s such a beautiful feeling. That was just the first song as well - can you imagine how I was feeling after the 30 minute set?! I couldn't take my eyes off lead singer, Phil Etheridge throughout the entire set - he was just so lost in the music, you could just feel he meant every lyric he sang.
The song 'Either Way' was also a special moment for me. It was the first The Twang song i'd ever listen too. The song focuses on trying to find the right moment to tell the one that you love them. It's a really beautiful song and seeing it live was just really surreal for me. Another band I could have just watched all night, sometimes it's the smaller bands that really make the biggest impact.
The Snuts
I’ve seen this Scottish indie band a few times but wow, this set was on another level. The crowd really made it for me - there was just such an incredible atmosphere with the majority of the crowd being Scottish. It was peculiar belting out ‘Glasgow’ whilst not being in the city it shares its name with but was still just as special.
They even treated the crowd to their latest single, ‘All Your Friends’. The first few seconds of the song starts with an edgy bass and drum beat totally gripping the crowd. It’s just one of the coolest songs out there. For a song only being released the day before, it was amazing how well it was performed. That just shows you the quality of The Snuts. Sadly, it was only a 25 minute set, nevertheless, it was certainly one of my highlights of the weekend.
Apre
One of my favourite things to do at a festival is to wander around aimlessly discovering new music and this was exactly how I seen Apre for the first time. An English indie band with an upbeat feel good vibe, perfect festival music! I just loved the style of the band - they were all suited up and brought a certain uniqueness to the stage.
The energy the band had whilst performing was phenomenal and the guys just looked totally in their element, the passion from them was amazing to see. One of their songs, ‘Everybody Loves You’ reminded me a lot of Viola Beach. A total feel good summer vibe. As soon as they finished I had to find out when they were next playing in Scotland so I could see them again. Lucky for me they will be playing at the Tenement Trail festival in Glasgow in October. I highly recommend you checking them out if you get the chance.
Average Joe’s
Again this was another band I discovered by accident but I’m so glad I did. We were just chilling on the grass by the Viola Beach Stage when all of a sudden we heard the sound of a saxophone and an English singer turned rapper. An amazing mix. Average Joe’s sound a bit like The Street and Jamie T but add their own unique style with the trumpet and saxophone.
Their lyrics are genius too - all about the general struggles of life including wanting to find a wife and have kids but in a lighthearted way. With the live band, the clever lyrics and the front man’s charisma, I was totally drawn to them. They brought a really lovely feel good factor to the place - essential for a festival.
Gerry Cinnamon
This time last year I seen Gerry was at the same festival but in one of the tents so it was amazing to see him performing on the main stage this year. As much as last year was a lot more intimate, I’m happy to see how far he’s going. Every gig no matter where you go and see him is banging. It’s incredible how one man and a guitar totally engrossed a crowd full of thousands.
Just like The Snuts, it’s weird seeing him perform outside of Scotland especially when his lyrics are so close to home but I think it added to the atmosphere. My full Scottishness came out - making sure every lyric was pronounced as loud as possible in my west coast accent. It's funny how you seem to become more Scottish the further you get from Scotland. Nevertheless, it's nice to see a big support outside of Scotland too. Regardless if you are a fan of his music or not, I feel everyone needs to witness a Gerry Cinnamon gig.
Richard Ashcroft
The ultimate end to an amazing weekend. Having seen Ashcroft previously supporting The Rolling Stones I wasn’t sure how he would be as headliner however he truly exceeded. Belting out all The Verve songs with the rest of the crowd, I totally forgot how good the 90s band actually were. He’s more than just The Verve though, he’s an exceptional performer, lyricist and singer all in one.
The highlight of the end, maybe even the whole weekend, was the finale where he ended it with the classic ‘Bittersweet Symphony’. It’s one of my all time favourites and after the recent news of The Rolling Stones giving Ashcroft back the royalties to the song, it just made it that bit more special. A great ending to a great weekend.
Neighbourhood Weekender has to be up there with one of my favourite festivals – it’s just so well organised and an overall feel-good vibe about the place. This is my second year attending and I’m already counting down the days till next year. I really recommend it if you are looking for a new festival to try out.
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