Sunflower fest 2010 – Day One

August 25, 2010 2 Comments

In the few short months MLNI has been covering the music scene here in Northern Ireland, there has been something of an explosion. In June we witnessed the biggest ever gig in our province courtesy of Snow Patrol at Ward Park. In July, Glasgowbury celebrated its tenth anniversary in style, showcasing over 50 local acts. And just when you thought August was going to be a quiet month, the Sunflower festival comes along and leaves us utterly stunned.

The Sunflower fest boasted over 40 acts – all Northern Irish (+1 Scottish) and talented, a beautiful field dripping with gorgeous artwork and amazing food, with all profits donated to Haiti. Founder Michael ‘Tubby’ Magowan has made not just Northern Irish but musical history. We don’t need Bono, Bob Geldof and over-pampered rockstars to set up an ethical festival – we’ve got a compassionate man with a farm, bucket loads of exceptional bands and a merry band of music lovers to support it all…

Day one

I was greeted at Tubby’s farm by a sense of humour – it had taken a few wrong turns to find, guided only by tiny black ‘cycle route’ stickers, and once you finally get to the home straight, large red and white signs emerge with teasing captions, “Keep going, almost there!”… “Well done, just a little further”… etc

When I arrived, The Everyday Super Heroes hit the main stage but I was stuck wrestling with a giant tent against the wind. What I heard was great – their opening track, “Waste of Space” surged across the festival campsite with a stinging riff, reminiscent of Bloc Party’s frantic and uplifting guitar style. The band’s vocalist, Frances Mitchell, grows with confidence too, sounding much better than I’ve heard at previous gigs, clearly benefiting here from a decent sound system. For a band in its premature stages, the Every Day Super Heroes are already sounding pretty tight and tasty.

By the time I’d finished helping pitch the second biggest tent on the campsite, Silhouette were due on the main stage. Even amidst the modest crowd, you could sense the anticipation – perhaps they’d seen the band’s exhilarating Glasgowbury set or heard ‘Volumn Destroyed’ on Cool FM. Either way, front woman Shauna Tohill has penned some of the most polished tunes of any Northern Irish band and she delivers them all with impeccable charm.

Her vocals soar across Tubby’s field with a touching, emotive quality and the accompanying cellist, double bassist and drummer inject an irresistible beat. I haven’t seen Silhouette put on a less than impressive show yet – maybe Shauna should add a couple of solo acoustic performances to her set though, just to show off that beautiful voice of hers a little more.

Already enjoying myself, I decided to walk around and get a feel for the festival site. The atmosphere was remarkably cosy and relaxing and above all, charming – bright yellow sunflowers everywhere, gorgeous artwork adorning the barn stage, a football pitch, street art and immense food (I could live on noodles and crepes). Not to mention the friendly family presence – lots of smiling kids having a great time – and all the live acts spread across three days with no line-up clashes (meaning that unlike Glasgowbury’s constant tent-hopping challenge, Sunflower fest provides a truly chilled out affair).

Next were a few bands I hadn’t heard of, and rather than this being a negative thing, it was hugely positive, introducing my ears to new, genuine talent. Despite an unfortunate name, Kyle Suckling & Band presented a confident bluesy swagger, bringing a welcome sense of musical maturity to the festival. Deadlights sounded much tighter and edgier than on record, bringing an intriguing blend of U2 ambience and Goo Goo Dolls indie-grunge to the fore.

Best of all though were Phoenix Fire – a truly stunning outfit, who had all the diversity and uplifting melodies of The Magic Numbers but with more accessibility. Front man and woman, Dave Jackson and Fiona O’Kane blend their vocals to produce gorgeous, simmering harmonies, backed up by a tantalisingly urgent rhythm section. Check them out live, you won’t regret it – these guys know how to create an atmosphere.

So, on to the main stage headliners – Rams Pocket Radio have been touring up and down the country and seem to be maturing like a fine wine. Frontman Peter McCauley’s stage presence and vocals are increasingly strong, the band chemistry is at its most intimate and tight and their set is jammed with great songs. Particular highlights were the atmospheric and spellbinding, ‘Dogs Run in Packs’ and Pete’s solo moment – ‘Love Is a Bitter Thing’ which he pours his entire soul into, visibly shivering as the emotional chorus is forced from his heart.

In a nostalgic treat for some, Rams dusted off a song called ‘Swallow’ from an old Northern Irish band called Ego (which featured two Rams Pocket Radio members). Thankfully, the song comes across much better on piano than in its original guitar laden form, with its hooks carrying a much more optimistic and refined tone; a clear mark of a band that is growing in every sense.

Headlining the barn stage and closing the first night of Sunflower fest were the aptly named Mental Deficiency – incorporating silver spandex, 3D specs, halloween masks, pyjama bottoms, playing cards and a set of zany tunes.

Sounding raucous and rocky, the band put on one hell of a show as they leapt into the crowd, encouraging the bemused audience to chant the chorus of their infamous anthem, ‘Get Her Home Get Her Bucked’ – there is no doubt in my mind this would have been a brilliant Edinburgh festival show and it really was the cherry on top after a terrific opening day of Sunflower entertainment…

For Day two, click here

Festivals