BINGLEY MUSIC LIVE, 30/08/14, DAY 2 (SATURDAY)

With no sign of Jason not so Derulo, lost wellies or £3 plastic ponchos from ASDA, stuck in trees; Friday was fantastic. Not to mention it had staged equally fantastic music, a busy Saturday had a lot to contend with. After a mid-morning fry up and a weather prediction better than any the Met Office report had ever stated – “looks right” – us group of (to quote my Mum) chirpy girls, danced back into the fields. Maybe we’d see Jason today.

John McCullagh & The Escorts

One of the acts I was most excited to see on Saturday was John McCullagh. Not only because his lyrics are some of the most truthful and poetic you will hear from any modern artist but also because Bingley music live had the honour of being the venue for his first performance with backing band, The Escorts. It’s clear to see that he has made the transition from being a solo artist to frontman very easily, as the songs he once performed alone sound like they were born within the band. One of these songs was ‘Towerland Lullaby’, it really belonged with electric guitars. It was incredible to see a band so tight, well-rehearsed and in sync with each other, considering they have only been together for a short amount of time.

New single “Box of Tricks” was delivered to the crowd as if it had been performed for a festival many, many times before. Each band member are individually, very talented musical, so they only way to put it is (cheesy and childish as it may sound) dream team. John, himself, has never looked so confident and comfortable on stage. John McCullagh and The Escorts are so close to perfect, just waiting for the album now.

Catfish and the Bottlemen

I first saw this thunderstorm band around 3 weeks ago at Strawberry Fields Festival, and I can’t say that I listened to much of their music before then. But since, there hasn’t been a day that I haven’t. With probably one of the most widely anticipated albums of 2014 coming in the form of ‘The Balcony’, hype and excitement surrounding them constantly this year, Catfish and The Bottlemen walked onto stage in front of a tightly pack audience all wanting to witness what this fuss was about. These lads are not strangers to festivals, not at all. Bingley Music Live is the penultimate show of their 25 festival appearances, which is an impressive feat for any band, let alone for one who haven’t even released an album yet.

‘Fallout’, ‘Kathleen’ and brand new single ‘Cocoon’ all made an appearance. There was something about the melodic low of ‘Fallout’ that screamed arena band, with its heartfelt softer tones and heavy outburst that addictively make you sing along (or make up the words, either way, make a lot of noise). “Kathleen” got a reception unimaginable to even the best of headliners. Mosh pits, sweat and flying cider. Lead, Van (the man) McCann seemed very appreciative of the reaction, truly thanking the whole audience for seeing their set. But I’m sure it would have been more appropriate for the crowd to thank them for playing such a great 30 minuites.

The Strypes

Very well deserving of the main stage slot, The Strypes hit the stage bringing what can only be described as a Rhythm ‘n’ Blues party, with them. Flying back from a short American tour, squeezed into a globetrotting summer which included a pitstop performance in Australia and Japan, all 4 lads seemed happy to be dancing in the less exotic grasslands of Bradford. There is no doubt The Strypes have always and will always be a fantastic live band, and having seen them a countless number of times (now un-embarrassingly in double figures) they make music you just can’t get bored of. It could be due to their constant gigging or the fact that they are in the midst of writing and recording their new album; but over the last 6 months, The Strypes have matured into their own individual sound.

Recognisable singles ‘What a Shame’, ‘Hometown Girls’ and of course ‘Blue Collar Jane’ achieved mosh pits, girls on shoulders and a fainter being dragged out from behind the barrier. Raspy vocals and relentless bass sent waves of sound weaving through the crowd. They packed their set tight, which was unfortunately only 35 minutes long, but the vast amount of people at Bingley Music Live can all agree that each minute was simply great.

Example

I understand completely and acknowledge that no reader of Gigslutz would ever expect a review of an artist such as Example to be gracing their laptop screens, but his set was just too good not to be mentioned. The sea of weary people, looking as if they were about to give up on the busy day and go home (by home I mean their tents or Premier Inn’s), found a lease of energy as soon as he bounded onto stage. It seemed that from the very beginning, Example was going to play a Ministry of Sound “greatest hits” album of all his biggest tunes to date. ‘Changed the Way You Kissed Me’ and ‘Kickstart’ made the most impact. If spectators weren’t already knackered from bouncing up and down all day, they most definitely were after this headline set.