Hi-Times
(HiFi Festival, Matfen Estate Nr Newcastle, May 27th)<br/><br/>The Skinny hits HiFi for the first of the Summer festivals
| 15 Jul 2006
It's a special moment when you find a festival brimming with the cast of Kevin and Perry Go Large. Pete Tong, David Guetta and John Digweed were out in force and their faithful followers were present in fluffy boot regalia and glowstick accoutrements. The transition from the club to the field was slightly misinterpreted by other festival-goers as they teamed white trouser suits with nice stilettos despite the onslaught of mud and wet grass. There was facilities to accommodate 25,000 but unfortunately only an estimated 4000 made the trek to the muddy estate 14 miles outside Newcastle. It was billed as the first purpose designed dance and rock festival, but it became more dance festival than rock when one of the stages showcasing new band talent was cancelled after suffering severe weather damage. But, the show must go on, and it fuckin' went on!
Godskitchen's early bird special featured James Zabiela (3/5); looking like a former Hanson member does not get him down, and he spent an unhealthy amount of time jumping behind the decks while mixing his brand of infectious house and breaks. Subtle Plastikman Spastic clicks breaking into tech-house chugs and heavy reverb built up to a solid groove, but the climax was slightly lost. The problem is an early slot always performs to a public who are still milling and acclimatising; push it back five hours and you would have had a packed out tent rather than forty dancers givin' it the chicken flap.
The Strongbow tent, which was not so much tent as uber trendy open-air bar with ice-cold cider on tap, played host to Super Discount (4/5), whose driving house and electronica - and harmony changes in sync with the trio's unison bouncing - was an outright success. Drinkers on either side of the stage started shouting lyrics at each other and the atmosphere was electric as everyone in the place had a simultaneous spontaneous 'Fame' moment. The Shapeshifters (2/5) were a dud, however; they even looked slightly disinterested with the whole affair. The set of deep house simmered at tepid: it wasn't that the tracks were bad, but there was something uninspired about it.
The Nite Versions (4/5), yes! Live and loud, and a massive improvement on the trashed caterwauls of Ian Brown across the field. You could feel the energy as they weaved back and forth between rock and electro, and the audience were encouraged enough to add their own toots and misguided syncopation with stall bought horn-tat. You need something special to follow that up, so the Audio Bullys (live, 4/5) were more than happy to oblige. They do working class accents and pseudo-singing right, never mind The Streets and their cheeky-chappy persona. Even the music, a blend of punk, garage, house and a little bit of hip-hop, began to sound like it was swaggering across the stage. They abruptly changed the pace by dropping Strawberry Fields, and blasting it out to a confused crowd. It gradually began twisting into a new glitched and thundering form which surprisingly worked well to round off the set. Another festival highlight had to be from 11.25pm onwards in the Electric Arena, when Erick Morillo (4/5) took centre-stage to perform the best DJ set of the festival. He crossed house and electro with his unique soulful vibe and signature acapellas to create hours of non-stop entertainment for the packed out crowd. More of that, please.
HiFi's vibe for the North East was positive despite the torrential rain and below-freezing temperatures (well, it felt like below-freezing, cider may have had something to do with lowered Skinny body temperature). Although the event was not the crossover success it should have been, it was a good first run – bring on the gauntlet of summer festivals, this was excellent prep.
Godskitchen's early bird special featured James Zabiela (3/5); looking like a former Hanson member does not get him down, and he spent an unhealthy amount of time jumping behind the decks while mixing his brand of infectious house and breaks. Subtle Plastikman Spastic clicks breaking into tech-house chugs and heavy reverb built up to a solid groove, but the climax was slightly lost. The problem is an early slot always performs to a public who are still milling and acclimatising; push it back five hours and you would have had a packed out tent rather than forty dancers givin' it the chicken flap.
The Strongbow tent, which was not so much tent as uber trendy open-air bar with ice-cold cider on tap, played host to Super Discount (4/5), whose driving house and electronica - and harmony changes in sync with the trio's unison bouncing - was an outright success. Drinkers on either side of the stage started shouting lyrics at each other and the atmosphere was electric as everyone in the place had a simultaneous spontaneous 'Fame' moment. The Shapeshifters (2/5) were a dud, however; they even looked slightly disinterested with the whole affair. The set of deep house simmered at tepid: it wasn't that the tracks were bad, but there was something uninspired about it.
The Nite Versions (4/5), yes! Live and loud, and a massive improvement on the trashed caterwauls of Ian Brown across the field. You could feel the energy as they weaved back and forth between rock and electro, and the audience were encouraged enough to add their own toots and misguided syncopation with stall bought horn-tat. You need something special to follow that up, so the Audio Bullys (live, 4/5) were more than happy to oblige. They do working class accents and pseudo-singing right, never mind The Streets and their cheeky-chappy persona. Even the music, a blend of punk, garage, house and a little bit of hip-hop, began to sound like it was swaggering across the stage. They abruptly changed the pace by dropping Strawberry Fields, and blasting it out to a confused crowd. It gradually began twisting into a new glitched and thundering form which surprisingly worked well to round off the set. Another festival highlight had to be from 11.25pm onwards in the Electric Arena, when Erick Morillo (4/5) took centre-stage to perform the best DJ set of the festival. He crossed house and electro with his unique soulful vibe and signature acapellas to create hours of non-stop entertainment for the packed out crowd. More of that, please.
HiFi's vibe for the North East was positive despite the torrential rain and below-freezing temperatures (well, it felt like below-freezing, cider may have had something to do with lowered Skinny body temperature). Although the event was not the crossover success it should have been, it was a good first run – bring on the gauntlet of summer festivals, this was excellent prep.