REVIEW: Bearded Theory, Sunday
Amyl and the Sniffers by Isla Kerr
The final day of Bearded Theory was a jam packed day of entertainment. With intermittent showers and the threat of an electrical storm looming overhead many decided to call it early. It was their loss as the storm never came and those who stayed were rewarded with a day of exciting upcoming talent as well as fully established musical legends.
Problem Patterns
The Belfast collective who swap vocals and instruments both on tracks and on stage jump started the final day down at the Meadow stage. As they switched places and interacted with one another you really felt like you were getting to know them not just as a group but as individuals too. ‘Poverty Tourist’ was introduced as a song about people who pretend to be working class when they actually couldn’t be further from it. The crowd shouted the all too relatable lyrics back at the band with feverish enthusiasm. Problem Patterns say it like it is and their honesty undoubtedly earned them some new listeners today.
Viji
In the midst of electrical storm fears and a full shutdown of the Woodland stage area just 10 minutes before her set Viji handled tricky conditions in style. I’ve been lucky enough to catch her live twice now and have been impressed with her stage presence and musical talent on both occasions. Today she and her band mainly played tracks from last year's debut album ‘So Vanilla’ with the exception of classic track ‘Cherry’. Viji’s fuzzy sound allowed minds to drift away from the sticky mud underfoot as they were transported into a 90’s esque sleazy wonderland.
English Teacher
The first real downpour of the day resulted in everyone running for the safety of the covered Meadow stage just in time to catch English Teacher’s set. The air was buzzing with energy as the Leeds band began ‘Giant Paving Slab’ from their new album ‘This Could Be Texas’ to an overflowing tent. The quartet’s packed touring schedule shows no sign of slowing down with their recent announcement of another run of shows at the end of the year. ‘This Could Be Texas’ is an exceptionally strong debut and has cemented the genre spanning band as one the most exciting in the UK at the moment.
Bodega
Slope
The German five piece have been gaining more and more traction recently with their music often being compared to US giants Turnstile. Their set today was a foot stomping, head banging affair as the crowd tried to keep up with the band. ‘Talk Big’ had mini mosh pits forming as the band jumped around stage as if it were a trampoline.
Big Special
A duo with a sense of humour to rival their equally impressive music. A crowd had already gathered before the black country lads could finish sound checking and they debated leaving the stage at all. Deciding their big entrance was big and special enough they ran off and reappeared in cowboy hats. No time was wasted as jokes flowed and banger after banger was played. Joseph asked if there were ‘Any Radio Six dads in the crowd’ as they ‘may have heard this next one’. The cheers he received in response prompted him to say ‘I thought it reeked of Ale’. It’s hard not to love a live act when they make you laugh as much as Big Special did today. They are hungry and their music talent not only meets the mark but soars above and beyond it.
Les Savy Fav
You know you’re in for a show when security takes all the photographers to the side of the stage for a ‘briefing’ on the antics of the band’s vocalist beforehand. Tim Harrington bounded onto stage with a bag of apples in hand and began chucking them out into the crowd. Health fix over he shook his beer can and let it spray across the stage before taking a swig and launching into the first track. From that moment on he spent more time in the crowd than on stage, leaving his bandmates to lay down the beat while he riled up audience members. Satisfied with energy levels he jumped back onto stage and climbed up onto the speakers to get a better view of the crowd. The set continued in this way and any last day blues were well and truly shaken out of all present.
Dinosaur Jr
Legendary Dinosaur Jr were the penultimate act to take to the main stage on Sunday night. Their set was one for the books, beginning quitely and building in both noise and content as it progressed. The Dino’s have been making music since 1984 and tonight’s crowd was full of ‘original’ fans. They were treated to the band’s renowned cover of The Cure’s ‘Just Like Heaven’ as well as classics like ‘Feel the Pain’.
Amyl and The Sniffers
There are few better acts to conclude a festival than Amyl and The Sniffers. The Australian band are known for high adrenaline live performances and have built a solid reputation around them. So much legend revolves around the 4 piece it’s sometimes hard to remember they were signed only 6 years ago. Tonight they played a selection of early tracks as well as newly released ‘Facts’ and ‘U Should Not Be Doing That’.
Just like that, festival season has begun. Bearded Theory was an epic start to the summer season of music. The British weather couldn’t dampen spirits and everyone left with a sense of wistfulness for days gone by mixed with renewed hope for the next musical generation.
