The Great Escape 2009 - Friday
Mumford And Sons always seem overwhelmed that even one person has come to see them, so tonight they are constantly bowing.
Day number two and yet another hundred or so bands from around the world on offer. It becomes almost a military operation to work out who to see, how long it will take to find the venue and estimated queuing time, writing A and B lists of the best bands on offer. The first bands being on at 7pm allows enough time to take in the seaside sights of (sunny?) Brighton. Sharing an arcade with The Twilight Sad and walking past The Maccabees at every turn is kind of strange, but with so many bands in attendance it became the norm. After the fun of the pier I ventured to check out the numerous debates on offer, Mr Spotify himself, Daniel Ek being one of the biggest guns.
A packed-out room of music journalists get to hear how the young entrepreneur got to be in the divine position of saving the music industry and breaking news about future mobile developments. Also in attendance, two legends of the post-punk era with journalist Jon Savage and ex PIL bassist Jah Wobble, telling tales from the early British punk movement and their thoughts on the music industry now. It's a shame that most of Wobble's anecdotes are far too rude to re-tell, but he proves to have not steered too far from his punk roots. What could have been a tedious affair feels more like two good mates having a chat in a pub.
It is now time for more rock 'n' roll action, but after ignoring the jaw-dropping queue to see The Veils, Concorde 2 - situated on the seafront a good mile from any other venue - seems the to have the best on offer. Outside, a young Road To V Festival contestant being filmed for TV is the only evidence that anyone had bothered to walk through the wind and rain to get to the venue.
Eventually there is enough of an audience for singer/songwriter Ben Howard to perform his surf folk to. Unfortunately apart from his mum, he doesn't exactly entrance the audience; even The Chapman Family's drummer Phil looks to be asleep at one point, which is quite unlike the possessed man he becomes when behind a drum kit. The Chapman Family are indeed a must see act; they deserve to have a far bigger crowd than they have at Concorde 2. Even without the aid of his moribund guitar, frontman Kingsley is a man on a mission, throwing himself around the stage, screaming his lyrics in his unashamed north east accent. Pop on bass pulls some of the most bizarre goth shapes known to man, and lead guitarist Paul is virtually statuesque, hidden under a hoodie. An odd bunch, but definitely not a cult, as their fans' t-hirts proudly claim. They perform 'Kids' and 'Million Dead' as if it's the last gig of their lives - Phil machine gun drumming, under a curtain of hair is an image not to forget. Leaving behind the remains of a smashed guitar for the fans to fight for, they leave the stage to a rejuvenated audience, wanting to start a riot and instead being rewarded by hip New York pop outfit Chairlift.
Quite the opposite of The Chapman Family, the delectable Caroline Polachek stands effortlessly behind her keyboard, and her voice seems far stronger than her tiny frame should take. There seems to be a frosty atmosphere between her and guitar player Aaron Pfenning, who continue to undermine each other through the set. The white t-shirted electro girls at the front seem quite un-fussed at the majority of the show; it's only when they play their iPod supported hit 'Bruises' that anyone really starts to move. After The Chapman Family's performance it's all a little bit wet, and the fact that some of the audience go to the bar at least three times during their show, says it all.
Concorde 2's headline act comes from sleazy French electro boys The Teenagers. Without anything new to promote, it seems odd why they were on tour and don't play or even mention any new material. They must just love a good seaside festival, which is a blessing, because as a live act they surely know how to get the best from an audience. It's an odd sight seeing teenage girls mouthing along to such misogynist lyrics, and singer Quentin Delafon seems to be really enjoying himself and admits that he is in fact 27 and should know better. 'Starlett Johannson' and 'Love No' are ecstatically received, and the singing from the crowd makes up for the poor sound which makes it impossible to hear the any vocals other than Delafon, whose vocals sound far better live than on record. 'Homecoming' and 'Streets Of Paris' carry on the tradition for audience members to invade the stage and duet with The Teenagers. Sadly no one really seems to know the words when the pressure is on, so they just dance around with a 'look at me I'm on stage' smile on their faces.
Another long walk back to the heart of Brighton follows, dodging rats and 7ft tranvestites en route, to the Corn Exchange for Mumford And Sons, who seem to be picking up a bigger audience each time I see them. For a band without an album it is amazing how so many people seem to know their songs inside out. Thank god for YouTube. The four piece folk/rock act always seem overwhelmed that even one person has come to see them, so tonight they are constantly bowing as if it was the Royal Variety Performance. Britain surely does have talent and Marcus Mumford has the ability to drum, sing and play acoustic guitar. Usually a skill left to buskers with cardboard cut-outs of the Teletubbies attached to the drum pedal, Marcus brings it into a whole new dimension. 'Lionman' and 'The Cave' again are the standout songs - audiences always lap up a good swear word, especially when sung with such venom. We are even enticed to getting into a groove of a hoedown by banjoist Winston Marshall, who can't believe we actually 'down' when he says 'ho' in a hip-hop stylee. One of the best performances of the weekend, even Laura Marling and Matt Horne again seem enchanted.
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