T in the Park 2014: Friday, 11 July

Live Review by George Sully | 16 Jul 2014

What began as a relatively small shindig in Strathclyde Park way back in 1994, with some seventeen-odd thousand punters gathering to see Rage Against The Machine and Blur kick it on the maiden Main Stage, has grown to a juggernaught festival ranking as one of the largest in the UK. 2014 marks the Tennent’s-sponsored behemoth’s 18th year in the beloved Balado Airfield, and like many who turn 18, it’s time to grow up and move on – to, er, Strathallan Castle in Perthshire. Thus this year has a farewell feel, with attendees and performers alike revelling in that trusty triangle one last time. The sun is mostly kind to us, the unsigned acts play their hearts out and the veterans deliver the goods, making this year a memorable one. So says the hashtag: bye bye Balado. 

The sweaty Slam Tent houses many a barbecued raver hiding from the unforgiving sun, matched only by the hot, pneumatic beats of London post-industrialists Factory Floor. The crew emerge one by one, each shadowed face introducing a new element (hi-hats, bass, more bass), and the set judders through monotonous, hypnotic layers. Repeated motifs give the set a dry, pared-down narrative, like a conveyer belt sliding inexorably towards the zombified bodies, the dazzling visualiser altar towering above them. 

For Royal Blood, simplicity is king. The guitar and drums setup is not novel, but few duos chug riffs as mighty as these Brighton lads. King Tut’s is generously attended and the aggressive, meaty basslines are met with rapturous cheers, topped off by guitarist Mike Kerr’s silken voice and Ben Thatcher’s kicks. Come On Over might recall Heart-Shaped Box but it’s no Cobain; there’s a serpentine wickedness to the Blood’s tracks, and stuttering closer Out Of The Black is as hellish as they come. 

A lazy but grateful afternoon audience welcome Dan Croll and chums to the T Break stage. The easy, clap-along indie-pop is an ideal soundtrack to the continuing sunshine outside, and opening single Compliment Your Soul puts a smile on pretty much every mug in show. The set is engaging and soulful, the clean-cut Liverpudlian’s endearing falsetto soaring above infectious piano, guitar, and synths, earning whoops from the crowd and leading us nicely to tea-time. 

This Glaswegian synthpop trio actually end up playing three times this weekend, but for their billed slot today, the anticipation for CHVRCHES is feverish. Debut record The Bones Of What You Believe was one of the most exciting releases of 2013 and the fans in King Tut’s are rabid. Launching into We Sink followed closely by the jagged Lies, the performance is near flawless; monster synthesiser melodies bounce along the programmed beats, and tiny Lauren Mayberry’s voice packs a whallop (particularly on Science/Visions). Her stage presence is confident and adorable, quietly advising folk to not “throw cups of piss”. LP bonus track Strong Hand gets an airing, and the packed tent is hungry for more long after The Mother We Share fades out. 

Deathcats versus Ed Sheeran’ might sound like an Adult Swim cartoon or an Enter Shikari track title, but in fact it’s the 9pm choice punters face as the punishing sun finally wanes. A small crop have picked the Glasgow surf-grunge outfit tonight, giving T Break an intimate feel, but the reception is huge. DREAMZ has that addictive cooing chorus like 90s Weezer with extra fuzz, and earnest frontman James McGarragle’s yips and yelps on psych-y Jaguar and Melted complement the gristly guitar lines rumbling beneath him. Finishing with a drumkit leap, the Reverb Militia lay down the law. All Hail Lubo indeed. 

Simon Neil promised that this show would be the band’s best yet; it’s difficult to deny that conditions are just shy of perfect tonight. Ten years of playing T and now, Friday night of the ultimate Balado showdown, Ayrshire titans Biffy Clyro finally headline the Main Stage. It hasn’t rained all day, the moon is full, and the crowd is vast and ready. If there’s one thing this weekend shows, it’s that you can’t beat the reaction of a Scottish crowd seeing a Scottish band make it big.

Kicking off with actual explosions to Only Revolutions’ opening track The Captain, it’s a statement: the Biff mean business. With a gigantic trippy mirror-screen visual and Satanic antler branches bedecking the stage, they rocket through an angular Questions and Answers, by which point Simon’s hair is already a sweaty, messianic mop. Who’s Got A Match gets a site-wide bellowing of ‘I’m a fire!’, a phenomenal 57 levels the crowd, and the inevitable acoustic moments (God & Satan, Machines) slow things down a notch.

Cynics might decry the indulgence and fireworks of a stadium band who were once much weirder and named tracks like There’s No Such Thing as a Jaggy Snake, but mainstream success doesn’t mean they’ve lost what made them great. For all the pop-rock excess, there’s still an alternative heart, and tonight they’re unstoppable. 

Photography by Beth Chalmers and Jassy Earl. For a full look at our pictures from Friday, including Haim, Pixies, Vladimir and Manic Street Preachers see here.