Now in its 21st year, T in the Park sits as the most established music festival in Scotland and alongside Glatsonbury, Leeds and Reading as one of the most well known annual music events in the United Kingdom. Its 2014 event – headlined by the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Calvin Harris, Scottish heroes Biffy Clyro, Pixies, Elbow and many more – marks something as the end of an era for the event. Like many world renowned festivals before it, the time has come for the event to move to a new home. But not before they give the venue – Balado Airfield in Kincross-Shire – where it’s been held for 18 years, a proper goodbye.
Tonight was the first of the event’s three days, as campers got settled and the music got rolling while the weather gods approved, by keeping things uncharacteristically dry. Having flown up from a cold, wet London that morning, I made it into the hot, dry festival grounds just in time to see the closing notes of Maxïmo Park, a band whose popularity still sees them sitting a mid-afternoon spot after all these years. There was a time it seemed like they might conquer the world. Alas, they haven’t, but their music remains strong and their fans remain loyal. Indeed, there was a sizable attendance in a set that clashed with Haim on the main stage, recent Australian visitors Royal Blood and EDM kings Pretty Lights. The crowd gave them plenty of singalongs, particularly off their earliest material, such as “Girls Who Play Guitar”, “Apply Some Pressure” and set closer “Going Missing”.
The Magic Numbers were next, over in King Tut’s Wah Wah Tent (the venue being the size of the main Bluesfest stage, to give you a bit of an idea), performing in anticipation of their long awaited fourth LP, Alias, due out next month. The duo of brother sister duos show no signs of wear or tear from their time away, and enjoyed a warm response as they jumped between old favourites and tracks from their upcoming album. Of the latter, their next single was a highlight and self-described as a ‘song to shake your bits to’. Indeed, the crowd responded in kind, ahead of a big singalong for one of the band’s most loved tracks, “Love Me Like You”, which closed out the set.
Meanwhile, Las Vegas’ Imagine Dragons continued to enjoy their meteoric rise with a main stage performance that seemed to receive one of the best crowd receptions of the day. Their own material, such as “It’s Time”, complete with mandolin, was of course well loved by the crowd, but the highlight seemed to be a cover of The Proclaimers classic, “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)”.
But the festival isn’t just about the known, stages like the T Break Stage and the BBC Introduction (Transmissions) Stage provide plenty of opportunities to discover new talent. On the latter I was drawn in my the sounds of Saint Raymond, a promising young group (though technically a solo project) led by Callum Burrows from Nottingham, who were as tight as they were energetic. You could tell from the vibe in the room that they’d won themselves a lot of new fans from their fantastic performance, myself included.
Then on the T Break Stage there were acts like London buzz band (and SXSW Feature Artists here on the AU) Wolf Alice and Glaswegian trio Deathcats. The former, a quartet, played impressively through some tech issues to bring us tracks such as “Blush” of their debut EP of the same name and “Moaning Lisa Smile” off their latest, Creature Songs.
Alongside some newer material, they also snuck in a brilliant cover of “Wicked Game” by Chris Issak, which had head vocalist Ellie Rowsell crooning in a way that would blow someone like Lana Del Rey out of the water. Put this band next to anyone, really, and they’ll hold their own – definitely one of the most promising up-and-coming bands from the UK right now. Deathcats, meanwhile, brought us fuzzy, guitar driven garage rock in the vein of Brisbane’s own Dune Rats. “Surfing in My Head”, “Melted” and “Danny Dyer” were all stand outs in a set which was high in energy and impressive in substance – even if it’s something you’ve heard before.
Meanwhile, CHVRCHES were enjoying the support of their hometown crowd as they played their debut record The Bones of What You Believe in just about its entirety, ending with “The Mother We Share” and getting everyone in the tent dancing. Ed Sheeran had the daunting task of performing solo on the main stage, something they seemed to supplement by showing him on screens behind him from all four angles. To his credit, he had the crowd in the palm of his hands, and “The A-Team” was a nature singalong.
But you can never beat a full band, and the real singalongs we’re in the warmth of the King Tut tent for legendary five piece Manic Street Preachers who are on the comeback train having just released their new record Futurology. Though the set featured a chunk of new material which received little applause (this is a festival crowd after all), the ‘greatest hits’ all went down a treat – and few better than their ‘working class song for Wales’, the now classic “A Design for Life”, which closed out the set.
Moving back to the main stage, Biffy Clyro had an incredible set up. There was fire and confetti all within the first 10 minutes of the set – and that was only the tip of the iceberg. The stage, adorned by fake trees and moving LED screens added to the experience, but when you have a band like this, playing to such a massive hometown crowd, you really don’t need much more. The energy on the field was electric. And Simon Neil, sweat dripping down his face, helped move this along nicely: ‘…no one sings like a T crowd, let’s prove it!’
Songs like “The Captain”, “Sounds Like Balloons” and “Bubbles” became huge singalongs, while my personal favourite “Black Chandelier” came out stunningly well on the live stage. Following on from the precedence set by Ed Sheeran earlier in the day, Simon also got away with a couple of solo endeavours and the night finished up with “Mountains” and some bagpipes. All too perfect, no?
While Biffy rocked the main stage, Pixies were bringing a new meaning to nostalgia in the King Tut tent. Even without Kim Deal, the band proved themselves to be in good form – though it still wasn’t the same. Paz Lenchantin, who is playing the all important role of the female bassist for the band, just doesn’t quite hit the same mark in songs like “Gouge Away”. We can’t all be as cool as Kim Deal, after all.
But it was a set drenched in the classics and even through Frank Black’s mysterious ‘is he or isn’t he enjoying it’ demeanor the crowd gave it their all in singing along and enjoying it. But how can you not? “Hey”, “Caribou”, set highlight “Here Comes Your Man” and closer “Where Is My Mind?”… you just can’t help but get swept up in it all! Also of mention is David Lovering’s particularly enjoyable vocal turn in “La La Love You”. The only thing for me missing was the title track off their latest album. I love “Indie Cindy”, even if the album itself was a bit of a disappointment.
As the sun bared down on the crowd, many will likely wake up with a sunburn to complement their hangovers tomorrow, for the event’s second day. Calvin Harris, Paolo Nutini and Pharrell Williams will be headlining the main stage, while Elbow, Bombay Bicycle Club and The 1975 will take us home on the BBC Radio 1 stage. Stay tuned to the AU for more from the event, and follow us on Twitter for live updates. To learn more about T in the Park, and to find out about day passes to the event, head to their official website.
Biffy Clyro Setlist
Different People
That Golden Rule
The Captain
Sounds Like Balloons
Folding Stars
Questions and Answers
Who’s Got a Match?
57
Whorses
Biblical
Victory Over the Sun
God & Satan (Simon solo and acoustic)
Glitter and Trauma
Living Is a Problem Because Everything Dies
Many of Horror
Woo Woo
Black Chandelier
Bubbles
Encore:
Machines (Simon solo and acoustic)
Stingin’ Belle (with bagpipes intro!)
Mountains
Pixies Setlist
Bone Machine
Wave Of Mutilation
U-Mass
Something Against You
Hey
Gouge Away
Bagboy
Caribou
Magdalena 318
Ed Is Dead
Crackity Jones
Nimrod’s Son
Here Comes Your Man
La La Love You
Greens and Blues
River Euphrates
Isla de Encanta
Rock Music
Monkey Gone To Heaven
Debaser
Tame
Vamos
Where Is My Mind?
