FEARS OF a wet weekend amid the calls of ‘the end of summer is nigh’ proved unfounded on the northern leg of V Festival – apart from a brief sprinkle of rain on Saturday afternoon at least.
A shower of party spirit was in full swing however, with many festival-goers making the most of their weekend by donning some very colourful fancy dress. So alongside the festival staples of floral hairbands, neon facepaint and wellies were several superhero costumes and animal outfits – and even a collection of human crayons.
New to V this year was a comedy tent, featuring a host of comics across the two days including TV’s Milton Jones and Stephen K Amos. But music took centre stage as always, with a wealth of treats on offer across the weekend.
Manic Street Preachers' set was a solid selection of hits including You Love Us, Your Love Alone is Not Enough, If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next and Motorcycle Emptiness (dedicated to “existential petrolheads” by frontman James Dean Bradfield). But it was the anthemic set closer A Design For Life that really got the crowd singing along.
Eliza Doolittle, playing songs from her terrific self-titled debut album, was a treat and a well-placed cover of fellow performer Bruno Mars’ number one hit Grenade and the finale of her biggest hit Pack Up were the highlights of a fantastic set. Folk sisters The Pierces meanwhile celebrated their successful 2011 with a wonderful set on the undercover stage showcasing their sublime harmonies on songs such as Love You More and Glorious.
With Duran Duran forced to pull out of their headlining Arena Tent slot due to illness it was up to Mancunian duo Hurts to supply the electric 80s vibes.They may have only released their debut album Happiness last year but their dramatic suited look and moody synths created great drama.
Barbados beauty Rihanna certainly attracted a lot of interest at the main stage, with a surge of anticipation before she arrived onstage late in true diva fashion, resplendent in a Union Jack top and denim hotpants. But she made up for lost time, wowing fans with an energetic string of R&B favourites including Only Girl (in the World), Disturbia, Shut up and Drive and Umbrella.
If the anticipation was high for Rihanna it was at fever pitch for Eminem and he didn’t disappoint with a quality set and the return of Rihanna for the pair’s number one duet Love The Way You Lie was unquestionably special.
Scottish indie dance maestros Primal Scream closed the Channel 4 Stage on Saturday with an uplifting celebration of their seminal 1991 album Screamadelica. Opener Movin’ On Up lit up the dark field like a firework and set the scene for just over an hour of gospel choir and acid house-infused joy. Loaded sparked a surge of laid back grooving while Come Together seemed to unite the field in euphoria. But there were relatively newer tracks to thrill too, in the form of Country Girl and final track Rocks, which whipped the crowd into a dancing frenzy.
Sunday brought even more sun to Weston Park so the summery sound of Hawaiian sensation Bruno Mars on the main stage was a suitable way to start. Olly Murs helped festival-goers soak up the sunshine at the Channel Four Stage too. He proved he was not just an X Factor runner-up with tracks including Thinking of Me, shot through with tropical spirit, and covers of Madness hits It Must Be Love and One Step Beyond which were enthusiastically received.
Hundreds were left outside the Undercover Tent as The Enemy rocked through their biggest hits in a thrilling set which reminded everyone what festivals used to be about. And Jessie J with her injured leg still in plaster, fought the pain to perform an empowering show which ended sweetly as she invited some young fans on the stage to sing Price Tag with her.
Katy B absolutely nailed it with a phenomenal performance which confirmed her as one of the new British stars of the moment. It was a short but sweet set by Scottish rockers Glasvegas that followed as they shaved nearly 20 minutes of their allotted stage time but cutting the filler did mean there were no disappointments in a loud and pulsating performance with a mass sing-along for their signature hit Daddy’s Gone a great way to finish.
Kaiser Chiefs brought poppy indie energy to the main stage from the word go and frontman Ricky Wilson seemed to have springs attached to his shoes, bouncing and leaping across the stage throughout, with I Predict a Riot unleashing a surge of celebration in the field.
Fellow indie stars Arctic Monkeys closed proceedings on the main stage, with an atmospherically rocky start to their set echoing the heavier sound of their latest album, Suck it and See. But the cheeky chappy undercurrent of their earlier offerings such as Teddy Picker came through too and I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor and When the Sun Goes Down were greeted like old friends. The set was at times sparkling, moody, contemplative and explosive, demonstrating how far the Sheffield lads have come since they broke into the mainstream six years ago – and how versatile guitar-driven indie can be in the right hands.
