Festival Review: T in the Park

Everyone loves a good birthday bash, don’t they? Well, after last week’s three-day extravaganza in Kinross-shire, it’s clear that those behind Scotland’s premier music festival know how to throw a shindig. With the sun beaming down almost constantly, and having featured an abundance of truly incredible performances, the 20th edition of T in the Park was a total feelgood-fest, through-and-through.

As with most expansive music festivals, it’s hard to give a balanced review of T in the Park, due to its sheer breadth: a huge tableau of events and performances crushed into a single three-day bonanza. Indeed, there were so many overlaps in this year’s schedule that it would have been nigh-on impossible to catch everything one would hope to. Yet, on the positive side, such bustling circumstances did result in attendees rarely finding themselves at a loose end. With so much to do and musical goodness to consume in every direction, the only option was to take the plunge and make the most of every second.

To the big guns first, then. Although T in the Park’s headliners did not have the same gobsmack-quality of, say, The Rolling Stones, all three flagship performers did admirably well, catering impeccably to the 85,000 punters present in the sweeping dustbowl of Balado Airfield. The welcoming and buzzing atmosphere which pervaded the festival meant that few patrons weren’t swept up in the enthusiasm in the wake of every Main Stage slot.

T The KillersMumford & Sons followed their triumphant Glasto set with an equally impressive performance at T on Friday night. Even for those unconvinced by some of their studio recordings, there’s no denying the power of the group when they rally together onstage. In fact, perhaps the secret to their success is the fact that they seem so damn likeable in a live capacity. Thanks to the 50-foot screens arranged on either side of the stage, it was impossible to miss the sheer joy and passion that each member poured into their craft.

The Mumfords romped through the juiciest offerings from their two studio records, from a tremendous opening one-two punch of ‘Lovers’ Eyes’ and ‘Little Lion Man’ right through new live favourites ‘I Will Wait’ and ‘Lover Of The Light’. And it wasn’t without surprises, either: towards the end of their set, Marcus Mumford himself announced that that they had brought along a birthday present of their own. And thus, a friend of the band (allegedly called John) stepped onstage, wielding a set of bagpipes. ‘Flower Of Scotland’ proceeded to echo across the sunset-bathed fields like a call-to-arms, before a throat-shredding rendition of ‘The Cave’ concluded a majestic start to the weekend.

Due to a timing clash with Alt-J’s performance elsewhere, I missed all but the final moments of Rihanna’s Saturday slot, though even across the park, it was possible to discern the rapturous reception she received throughout the evening. Even after all the radio oversaturation, ‘Diamonds’ made for a magnificent encore, achieving a transcendental beauty as the crowd swooned for the icon herself. The crowds even put up with the slight drizzle, refusing to miss a second of Rihanna’s open-chested thank-you following her performance.

Even with only a sliver of available talent witnessed, from the festival’s joyous atmosphere to the energy of its flagship artists, T’s 20th anniversary was an absolute belter.

Heartbreakingly, on Sunday evening, a decision had to be made between the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, or The Killers’ closing ceremony as the weekend’s final headliners. After much soul-searching, we elected to join the masses at the Main Stage, and we weren’t disappointed. (Even though Yeah Yeah Yeahs apparently played ‘Skeletons’ and ‘Cheated Hearts’. Dang.) Despite the presence of a smattering of – ahem – rowdy (re: smashed and irritating) middle-aged women in the throng, it was hard not to enjoy the final act of the weekend.

The Killers had pulled together a highly crowd-pleasing setlist to see out the festivities, beginning with the streamlined bounce-along of ‘Somebody Told Me’ before weaving through a cache of fan favourites (and a few maverick moves, such as covers of the Ritchie Cordell-penned ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’ and Travis’ ‘Side’). The performance concluded with the thunderous ‘Runaways’ seguing into the mighty ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’, before the inevitable encore of ‘When You Were Young’ and a frenzied incarnation of ‘Mr. Brightside’. The latter set the fields alight once last time, with Brandon Flowers’ perfectly-chiselled face grinning down at his audience from those 50-foot screens as fireworks crackled over the airfield.

HAIMFor the Main Stage, then, three surprisingly deft headlining choices, with some heavyweight sets provoking lively reactions across the board. And while some of the choices for the central stage were a little questionable, there was no arguing with the exuberance of Earth, Wind & Fire and the spikiness of Kendrick Lamar, both of whom also delivered big thrills during their respective afternoon slots.

Adjacent to the Main Stage was King Tut’s Wah-Wah Tent: a truly phenomenal sheltered venue which consistently contained a thrumming environment of excitement and receptiveness. On Friday, audiences were served two back-to-back sets of greatness, from the folk-rock of Iceland’s Of Monsters And Men, and French alt-rock darlings Phoenix. The former displayed true crowd-pleasing capabilities with their arms-aloft anthems, including ‘Dirty Paws’ and ‘Mountain Sound’; while Phoenix blew minds and eardrums with ecstatic renditions of ‘Entertainment’, ‘Trying To Be Cool’, and a healthy smattering of cuts from 2009’s superb Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.

Saturday in the Wah-Wah tent heralded further rising stars across the day, but it was Alt-J’s headlining slot which was the keeper: a muscular performance of the entirety of their debut album, plus extra treats in the form of ‘Buffalo’, and an a cappella rendition of College’s ‘A Real Hero’. It was a thing of wonder to see the upstarts already commanding such a devout following, and I’m almost certain that everybody in the audience sang along to every single lyric from An Awesome Wave. Awesome indeed, and likewise for Disclosure’s foundation-rumbling Sunday set.

T RabbitAt the other end of the site was the Radio 1 Stage, which arguably featured a more consistent line-up than the Main Stage itself. Friday afternoon saw the likes of Haim and Texas presiding over loyal crowds, though Foals’ Sunday set was marred by Yannis Philippakis’ ridiculous, po-faced posturing. The music didn’t suffer, but one still can’t shake the idea that Foals would be more enjoyable if, well, they enjoyed themselves. Thankfully, Saturday’s stellar run more than made up for it. Noah and the Whale (of Warwick Summer Party fame, of course) weighed in with a wonderfully whimsical run, before Frightened Rabbit took to the stage.

Perhaps the greatest (and most euphorically-received, being on native soil) live performance of the weekend, Scott Hutchison and co. had the crowds screaming along in united ecstasy to their brand of stadium-scraping majesty. Fan favourites such as ‘Swim Until You Can’t See Land’ were perfectly wound alongside new singles such as the explosive ‘The Woodpile’. Even after this punk-pop assault, Dizzee Rascal moved seamlessly into the Scots’ slipstream, hosting a deliciously entertaining set of pyrotechnics, earworm-fuelled grime, and good old-fashioned showmanship. And yes, even amidst all the new offerings from The Fifth, ‘Bonkers’ still tore the roof off.

The more indie-centric Transmissions tent was home to a plethora of 2013’s bright young things. From the squelchy indie-rock of Theme Park to the slinky dance stylings of Alunageorge and CHVRCHES (whose set was another of the weekend’s many highlights), the Transmissions tent was always a fine choice in lieu of the more crowded stages. With its more intimate, restrained atmosphere, it was easier to focus on the music over spectacle, allowing the musical prowess of these younger talents to fully blossom. Revelations were found, and new favourite bands cemented.

Given its sprawling, packed-to-the-rafters line-up ranging across seven stages and three days, it is impossible to do justice to every single aspect of the festival. But even with only a sliver of available talent witnessed, from the festival’s joyous atmosphere to the energy of its flagship artists, T’s 20th anniversary was an absolute belter. A cracking birthday celebration, and may there be many happy returns.

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