Kendal Calling 2012: Review
A weekend of electrifying performances, fantasy and fun, set against the spectacular panorama of the Lake District
Friday 27th to Sunday 29th July 2012 – Kendal Calling @ Lowther Deer Park, Penrith Words: Natasha Johansson
It’s a land of secret doors, luminous statues, fairy tale creatures and gingerbread houses. No it’s not Shrek 6th - it’s Cumbria’s answer to Glastonbury, Kendal Calling. This year the stunning festival in Penrith’s Lowther Deer Park hits all the right notes - with a weekend of electrifying performances, fantasy and fun, set against the spectacular panorama of the Lake District.
! FRIDAY Having graced the fields of Kendal Calling previously in 2010, first impressions are that the festival has grown considerably, and come of age. Determined to prove that it’s not all grim up North, as well as music and comedy there is the addition of spoken word in the Tim Peaks Diner, a 1950s rock ‘n’ roll spiced rum van, a magical make-up parlour, a gingerbread house bar and an Alice In Wonderland styled woodland Silent Disco, featuring tiny doors and literature extracts painted on the trees. It’s the kind of whimsical world expected of Latitude or Secret Garden Party, and the absurdity enchants many young festivalgoers, fresh from the rough of Leeds Festival.
After a brassy, energetic Jazz set from the WHISKY CATS, the main stage Friday is dominated by DJs and dance music, engaging a respectable crowd of dedicated trance enthusiasts, but encouraging many to find alternative entertainment. One such popular attraction is the Soapbox Comedy tent, where crowds pile in for ALAN ANDERSON – a stand-up show involving unwitting audience members competing for Scotch whisky shots.
But surprise favourite stage for many is the Chai Wallah tent. Adorned with miniature Buddha’s and hookah pipes, it features a diverse array of wildly talented musicians, from the folk, jazz, reggae, dubstep and countless other underground circuits. JESCA HOOP lights up the stage early afternoon with a collection of quirky, sitar infused compositions, but the first performer to fully captivate Chai Wallah is Bombay Bicycle Club guest vocalist and rising star, LUCY ROSE. Packing out the tent considerably, she charms the audience with her subtle yet impressive vocals and intricate string patterns. Although audibly powerful, particularly in numbers ‘Red Face’ and ‘Scar,’ to pint-sized individuals such as myself, she is hidden from view, as the tiredness from a long-haul flight causes her to sit down onstage. It’s a shame because this is one performer I certainly want to see more of.
Dedicated to showcasing new and upcoming talent is the Calling Out Stage. LITTLE COMETS perform a few catchy tracks, and the hanging percussive instruments from the roof add a quirkier touch to the show, but crowds appear to have relocated to the main stage domain of bearded beat junkie SCROOBIUS PIP, whose unique brand of cockney “repetitive generic music,” induces breakout dancing in the pit.
But the night takes a rockier turn, with lively Geordie headliners MAXIMO PARK performing punchy anthems from new album ‘The National Health,’ as well as pacy chart smashes ‘Apply Some Pressure’ and ‘Our Velocity.’ Frontman Paul Smith strikes a chord with the crowd with impressive dance moves and onstage banter. After a fan’s shoes are thrown onstage, Smith launches them back into the crowd shouting, “Maximo Park – Care in the Community! We’re going to throw out balloons next. Just as a disclaimer – we’re not giving out balloons.” It’s an action packed performance, one which engages the crowd without the need for fancy pyrotechnics.
However the unexpected Friday showdown is found in frantic folk outfit MONSTER CEILIDH BAND. With an eclectic assortment of fiddle, accordion, mandocello, dub bass and drums, the jet-propelled jigs and reels transform the Chai Wallah tent from a contemplative space to a Rainbow Rhythms style hoedown(Peep Show, remember?). The intriguing folk-drum and bass fusion goes down a storm with the crowd, and ends the night with a well-orchestrated bang.
! SATURDAY It’s the morning after the night before, and large queues are gathering in the campsite – not for any musical artist, but for “Pootopia,” a surprisingly popular eco-friendly toilet with its own soundsystem and resident DJ. At £3, it’s a pretty pricy poo but equipped with reading material, booming music, sawdust and an endless supply of loo paper, it’s a cheerful alternative to the unpleasant rounds of portaloo peek-a-boo. And for those feeling flush with money, the luxury lavatory experience continues with the £5 Shangri-Loo, complete with a photobooth, selection of books and incongruous portraits of Princess Diana hanging on the wall.
Continuing the toilet humour in the Soapbox tent is COLIN MANFORD, who amuses the bleary eyed audience with tales of bathroom graffiti, practical jokes involving secretly placed chocolate bars, and family anecdotes (his brother is none other than fellow comedian Jason Manford). It’s raining on and off, and people pile into the comedy tent to avoid the intermittent downpours. But the odd showers do not dampen Kendal Calling’s spirit. Saturday is fancy dress day, and people have gone all out to impress. A twenty-strong army of crusaders accompanied by Ronald McDonald pass by; and around the field there are storybook characters, dinosaurs, fairies, superheroes, monsters and transformers as far as the eye can see.
A sizeable, outrageously-dressed crowd gathers for indie-folk collective THE TRAVELLING BAND, whose rustic sound of harmonicas and harmonies endear bleary-eyed music fans. Really brightening the skies though is Jamaican reggae artist LITTLE ROY, who with his backing band, gets everyone shaking, skanking and singing along, not least to his ingenious cover of Nirvana’s ‘About a Girl,’ which, with a new Caribbean twist, has never sounded more appealing. By the time Britpop hit-makers DODGY grace the stage, the sun is blazing hot, and revellers prove they are “Staying out for the Summer” by peeling off their fairy-wings and beards and bopping around to “Good Enough.”
There are a few disappointments today, in that Ms Dynamite fails to show at the Glow Dance tent, and the House Party Tent has been stripped of its food stall, vintage clothing and ultimately its intimate feel since 2010. But it still proves to be a unique attraction, with a hidden door leading to a secret bar, tables, chairs, and a fireplace to compliment the bands and DJs on stage, most notably from Manchester alternative music station Beatwolf Radio, fronted by ex-Smiths drummer Mike Joyce.
A stall owner tells me that more under-18s have attended the festival this year than before, and at no time does this become more apparent than Saturday night. With a crowd composed mostly of screaming teenagers belting out every word to ‘Same Jeans’, THE VIEW are given a raucous reception, as is UK grime pioneer DIZZEE RASCAL, hot off performing to a billion people at the Olympic Opening Ceremony the night before. Accompanied by lasers, smoke machines, tickertape cannons, fireworks, dancing flames and slightly disturbing LED graphics of his face, Mr. Rascal (as he is known by Jeremy Paxman) transports Kendal to Creamfields effortlessly, much to the excitement of the crowd. Dizzee disappears halfway through the set, whilst the DJ cranks out an unusual combination of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ and dance hits, much to the confusion of the audience. But ‘Dance wiv Me’ and last song ‘Bonkers’ enthused rubberneckers, whilst die-hard fans were appeased with first album offerings ‘Fix Up Look Sharp’ and ‘Jus’ a Rascal’. I can’t help feel that the show was mostly smoke and mirrors - style over substance. But people came for a party, and that’s certainly what they were presented with.
Personally however, Saturday’s finale was provided by dubstep/reggae favourites DREADZONE, filling out the Chai Wallah tent with a captivating cover of ‘Iron Shirt,’ and skank inducing originals. Around the site though the music doesn’t stop, with the Glow Dance tent providing hard beats and basslines, the Riot Jazz easing ears into the early hours with innovative jazz performances, and the Sailor Jerry’s cocktail van belting out 50s hits. With so much to do, the site is abuzz with action far into the night.
! SUNDAY It is a murky start to Sunday, with a constant drizzle threatening to dampen the mood, and the news that the Lightning Seeds are off the bill, much to the disappointment of fans. It’s an unfortunate omission but the Main Stage still has a killer Sunday line-up any large festival would envy, the show goes on. Oldham three-piece TWISTED WHEEL perform a solid punk-indie set, but it’s the LANCASHIRE HOTPOTS who really brighten up the day with flat caps, giant snaking conga lines, daft ditties about ex-friends turning emo and an anthem celebrating the joys of a ‘Chippy Tea.’
Humour and hits are also found in an unexpected source - in Berkley trio WE ARE SCIENTISTS. Joking in-between songs about the British climate - “We’re taking off three layers at once – things are really heating up here!” they play the crowd for laughs, before turning up the volume with hits ‘The Great Escape’ and ‘Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt.’
But even more unlikely Sunday main stage heroes are melodic rock band FEEDER, who enter onto the main stage to a deafening chant of “FEEDER, FEEDER, FEEDER!” It’s a sound that brings a shocked smile to frontman Grant Nicholas’s face, and subsequently he launches into a hit-heavy set starting with the ‘Feeling a Moment.’ Showcasing new material from forthcoming album ‘Generation Freakshow,’ and with a back catalogue of crowd favourites such as ‘Pushing the Senses,’ ‘Insomnia,’ ‘Just the Way I’m Feeling,’ ‘Buck Rogers’ and ‘Just a Day,’ the pit is alive with pushing, shoving and elated, yelling fans. I count around four crowdsurfers going ‘over the top’ a minute, and with such an incredible response, Feeder are certainly worthy of a headline set in future.
After the Feeder frenzy, Mancunian icons JAMES put on an inspiring and hugely atmospheric closing performance, complete with their enchanted relatives viewing in awe from the side of the stage. After opening the show with ‘Born of Frustration,’ enigmatic frontman and serpentine dancer Tim Booth dedicates an extended heartfelt rendition of fan favourite ‘Jonny Yen’ to the 27 club - Amy Winehouse, Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix, amongst others, whilst imploring the crowd to ‘Give us your love. Give us your money. Give us your sex.’ But the show takes a breathtaking turn during ‘Sometimes,’ where Booth slowly steps down into the photo-pit in a godlike fashion, before launching himself into a crowd of adoring fans, who desperately grab any inch of him they can whilst chanting away. Returning for a spine tingling encore, the band sit themselves down on the stage front, symbolising what is about to come next. A simple acoustic guitar chord fires up the band’s most famous hit, ‘Sit Down.’ It’s a more reserved, ambient version of the chart smash - a true lighter blazing moment - and the jubilation really begins when the whole band join back in for the last chorus, and their dancing families pile onto the stage for final hit, ‘Laid.’
It’s a perfect end to a magical weekend, and despite its modest size, Kendal Calling is packed with so much excitement, charm, silliness and revelry it is impossible to experience everything it has to offer in three days. With its bunting and fairytale décor, it encapsulates the beauty and imagination of Southern fantasy festivals, whilst taking upmost care to assemble an eclectic and talented assortment of artists, guaranteeing that no dull moment ensues. With the high proportion of young teenagers attending this year, and increased selection of mainstream-artists, I hope the organisers stray away from a more commercialised path for the festival, to maintain its reputation as the best small festival in the UK. It’s a title that is thoroughly deserved, and I will certainly be coming back for more.
Photos: Tom Martin, Pooneh Ghana, Bart Pettman