REVIEW: Kendal Calling, Day 3 – 02.08.15

Entering into the final day of the weekend at Kendal Calling, the sense of reality was nipping at everyone’s toes; especially those who were already beginning to pack away their tents and traipsing to the car parks. With mud levels reaching what felt like an all time high and the fields slowly beginning to turn into hazardous ground, I couldn’t wait to get these Doc’s off after singing a “Happy Birthday” to Kendal Calling.

Best known for his politically themed folk/punk music throughout the 80s’, Billy Bragg took the 3pm slot on the main stage with style and execution paramount. As expected his passion left wing activism and the current state of the UK Government shone though stronger than ever. Even though it was simply him and his guitar, with the occasional appearance of a slide guitar played by a fellow band member, Bragg still has the charm to attract and enrapture all who are watching him, making them listen to his meaningful lyrics intently. Along with classics such as ‘New England’ the songwriter also dedicated ‘Sexuality’ to the Irish and their recent triumph for marriage equality, as well as the odd tune backing the labour leadership candidate Jeremy Corbyn. Beautifully covered and explained fully was his cover of Anais Mitchell’s ‘Why We Build The Wall’, which could be considered very relevant, considering today’s political climate and attitude towards immigration. Compared to the rest of the weekends line up, with the exception of Kate Tempest, it seemed that Billy Bragg was the only one who spoke the real truth in all of his songs, observational or not, everything had a strong air of believability.

One of the best things about Kendal Calling is the widespread genres of music it champions. There really is something for everyone, no matter your taste and age. In addition, the stages are so close together that you can nip to the nearest porter loo, grab a pint and make it back all in one song (mud dependent). The tent that seemed to boast most variety was the House Party Stage. On passing, we would often hear a song that sounded good enough to venture in, unplanned as it was, this is where the best discoveries of the weekend seemed to take place. JJ Rosa and Feed The Kid were two of these mystery bands that have now become part of the Kendal playlist. Both Manchester based, although very different, gave off the hard working ethos that really came through in their sets – clearly paying off, they ended up drawing ever growing crowds.

Probably the most risky booking of the weekend, if not in the 10 year history of Kendal Calling Festival, appeared on stage in style on Sunday evening. Although being billed a step lower than Kaiser Chiefs (this being a shock to many, especially those who understood how difficult it would have been to book him) Snoop Dogg enticed what was in no doubt the biggest crowd of the weekend to the main stage. Bringing a mix of bad language and a well built set of his biggest solo and collaborative tunes together, there was an overall mixed response to his stage presence and entourage. Talking non-stop about Californian girls – how many of those he found in Penrith, we’ll never know – he even had two of them dancing around him, much to the disgust of many at the “family friendly” festival. As rap/hip hop royalty goes, Snoop Dogg has got to be up there with some of the most known, although if anything, it was slightly disappointing compared to many of the newer artist of the similar genre breaking through at the moment. After also playing backing tracks to songs that weren’t his, he left the fields leaving people feeling short changed and wishing that the money spent to book him, was spent elsewhere.

As the sun was setting over the main stage and Snoop’s ridiculously large crowd, it was time for a change from the constant bombardment of bad language. Unwanting to sound further alike to an 80 year old woman, I kept to the theme and wondered back over to the Calling Out Stage to see Manchester’s Bipolar Sunshine. With a bag of chips in hand from the Hip Hop Chip Shop (am I cool now?) we waited patiently for a late burst of Sunshine. 15 minutes into the set time, he finally appeared on stage accompanied by his right hand man, Jazz Purple. Relying on him as much as an arm rest, his electric overlay provided the backdrop to his well crafted and current lyrics. There were moments during his short but sweet set, where he could have benefitted from a backing band or at least some live drums. ‘Deckchairs on the Moon’ and ‘Love More Worry Less’ managed to combine both heartfelt melodies and striking instrumentation. Although still waiting on a debut album, everyone took advantage to have a shout along, especially to ‘…Worry Less” which gave the tent a really positive vibe. What was most noticeable was how crisp and clear the elements of both funk and contempory pop that were weaved into his set, it gave it a much-needed lift.

Having freshly come out of a long term touring relationship with Foo Fighters, Kaiser Chiefs we’re set a mission to end Kendal’s 10th Birthday celebrations in style and although pulling a slightly smaller audience than expected, they did close the chapter to this year’s diary entry. Consisting of newer, lesser-known tracks from their most recent album Education Education Education & War, as well as those constructed specifically to become jump around classics, there was something to please all. Mini (and muddy) mosh pits, crowd surfing and screaming along; there is no denying that Kaiser Chiefs are a band made for festival domination. The performance didn’t come without its slightly cringe worthy, overdramatic elaborations from lead Ricky Wilson, showing off by hurtling the length of the stage and failing to start a Mexican wave. A short video cameo made by none other than Dave Grohl bridged the gap between their main set and encore, once again ensuring that the audience knew of their “importance”. Without overthinking it though, Kaiser Chiefs are simply a good time.

Rachel Young
@_rachel_young

Rachel Young

Rachel Young

Likes: Ponchos, cornflakes and Almost Famous. Dislikes: Egg with any red food, Leicester's seagull population and having no ID.