Spread the Social Love:
Ahh Sweden... the last time we were there we got our camera stolen after 4 days of sleeping in a car and missed the plane back to London, having to pay ten times the price of our original ticket! No resentments though, because the line up of Hultsfred Festival was good enough to make us come back! There were so many brilliant acts that I found it really difficult to choose one main photo for this review.
After driving from Gothenburg stopping at every city in between (in an attempt to find spirits (local shops only sell beer and if you're lucky some cider)), we reached the borders of the inland city of Hultsfred. We were planning to start the day with the set of Miles Kane but on our way we bumped into Eagles Of Death Metal who (cover of 'Stuck In the Middle With You' included) handled the outdoor stage wonderfully.
Miles Kane was playing one of tents but at Hultsfred that meant a round shaped barn. It's all good, wood goes well with red trousers! British indie guitar rock seems to be huge in Sweden, and so were Miles Kane's songs. He presented a few new tracks and was also up for doing a cover, an English version of Jacques Dutronc's 'Le Responsable.' But it was the final track 'Come Closer' that truly set the barn on fire with prolonged "woohh ohhh's" sections and a massive singalong from the audience.
We went backstage to kill some time waiting for the sun to go down a bit to allow the mainstage to be invaded by the ultimate britpop gang: The Stone Roses. Little did we know that Mr. Brown himself would have had the exact same plan; he showed up at the backstage bar in a casual mood with his usual bouncy walk, trying to climb one of the fences to spy on the band that was on at the side stage (I believe it was Chase & Status).
After asking him to come closer and join us (to which he gladly agreed) him and his bodyguard stayed there for a few minutes just having a small-talk conversation with us. He said he was well ready for the night, and asked if we had our dancing shoes on, cause "you are going to dance tonight!". And boy he was right!
From the very beginning of 'Love Spreads' a levitating force hugged the crowd and did not let any soul go until the last leaf of the double tambourine stopped ringing in Ian Brown's hand.
'Ten Storey Love Song' marked the start of the sunset and the air around the mass of waving hands felt like warm bubbles. We spotted Miles Kane among the crowd watching the set, and by the time 'Waterfall' kicked in Ian Brown had his jacket back on with his hoodie up which had an incorporated fisherman hat! Coolest thing I've seen all weekend.
The Kooks were closing the night but how can you top up a set of The Stone Roses? You basically can't, we just stayed for a few of The tracks and left the field, but the angry mob of blondies screaming Luke's name remained intact, I'm sure we left the Brighton boys in good company.
The Kooks
Before the beginning of day two we hit the 3-streets-long town of Hultsfred for a quick breakfast and came back to the site for an early set of Tribes. "We have a tumblr, we don't know who runs it, it's a Swedish girl, are you here?" singer Johnny asked, and a fan in the front row timidly raised her hand while covering her face with the other. "Is it you? Yes? This song is for you, thank you." The song was 'Sappho'. They closed with 'We Were Children' a youth hymn that was sang so loudly by the crowd that you could barely hear the instruments or Lloyd's voice.
"Are we going to go see Bombay Bicycle Club?" a friend asked, and I think I spoke for all of my crew when I replied: "Nah..."
The sun was shining and many people were relaxing on the deck near the lake but of course we were on the run again, this time trying to avoid a schedule clash, Spector was playing at one of the side stages but we needed to have our drinks ready to leave midset to see Kasabian. Yes, tough and complicated logistics huh?
It all went well, we saw a few songs by the MacPherson gang who also had a enthusiastic set of fans who showed their dedication by sporting t-shirts with Fred's face on them. Seriously.
We quickly moved on to go and see Kasabian. Tom and Serge took the main stage, Serge wearing an animal print scarf around his head, and Tom holding a fresh pint in his hand. This was the first ever presentation of Kasabian in Sweden, but the crowd instantly fell in love with their empowering and engaging (some would could call it a set, but it was more of a) show.
Old and new songs were received as classics and every time the mood was slightly going down Meighan stepped on the border of the stage turning around the microphone and causing tiny riots after each "COME ONNN!!" scream from his side. Oouft!
We saw just a few songs of The Cardigans from one of the side balconies, and waited around for The Cure who played more than an hour over their stage time, we went to bed, but they said Robert wanted to keep playing until sunrise.
A fast paced 30 mins set of The Vaccines in one of the big outdoor stages trying to squeeze as many hits (and future hits) as possible in one go marked the beginning of day three, and it also made us think that probably the best band of the day was already gone. That's what denim vests (gilets?) and happy punk tracks can do.
But then again the next act we saw was Marina And The Diamonds so it's not really that hard to top up that one. Her set morphed from pop diva to overly posed pre-planned semi sketches (bet she likes to call them choreographs) and we only noticed she was human after she lost one of her curls and asked the fans to give her a moment while she fixed it in between laughs and charming embarrassment.
Mumford And Sons were up next but they had to cancel due to Marcus' broken hand so The Magic Numbers were called at the last minute to cover the spot, at least that's what singer Romeo told us when we ran into him at the airport on the way back to London. Guess the payment was not the same than for the Mumfords cause he was flying Ryanair with us!
A pleasant surprise was Noah And The Whale's set. People queuing outside the tent and climbing on each other's shoulders trying to get a glimpse of what was going down on stage. By the time we managed to get inside the band already had their impeccable shirts half unbuttoned and covered in sweat, and the mixture of steam and smoke help the mood for an encore with a long version of 'L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.'
I'm sure The XX did an amazing set and that all the fans loved it, but I'll never be able to understand their proposal, we watched a few songs from the back and decided to split. 66.66% of us wanted to go see Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds and I wanted to go see S.C.U.M. When I got into the small tent mid set and the alt-junkies were already lined up. Far from being packed, the tent had a fully engaged crowd, nodding and producing serotonin with each dance move of singer Tom. Alright, time to go see Noel now.
A spotless set, with a full repertoire of classics and new songs. A bit too predictable for my taste, but nonetheless enjoyable. Noel's voice on 'Talk Tonight' still manages to get to your bones and the display of Oasis love during 'Don't Look Back In Anger' was overwhelming. Proof that Sweden is a warm country after all!
After driving from Gothenburg stopping at every city in between (in an attempt to find spirits (local shops only sell beer and if you're lucky some cider)), we reached the borders of the inland city of Hultsfred. We were planning to start the day with the set of Miles Kane but on our way we bumped into Eagles Of Death Metal who (cover of 'Stuck In the Middle With You' included) handled the outdoor stage wonderfully.
Miles Kane was playing one of tents but at Hultsfred that meant a round shaped barn. It's all good, wood goes well with red trousers! British indie guitar rock seems to be huge in Sweden, and so were Miles Kane's songs. He presented a few new tracks and was also up for doing a cover, an English version of Jacques Dutronc's 'Le Responsable.' But it was the final track 'Come Closer' that truly set the barn on fire with prolonged "woohh ohhh's" sections and a massive singalong from the audience.
Eagles Of Death Metal
Eagles Of Death Metal
Eagles Of Death Metal
Eagles Of Death Metal
Miles Kane
Miles Kane
Miles Kane
Miles Kane
We went backstage to kill some time waiting for the sun to go down a bit to allow the mainstage to be invaded by the ultimate britpop gang: The Stone Roses. Little did we know that Mr. Brown himself would have had the exact same plan; he showed up at the backstage bar in a casual mood with his usual bouncy walk, trying to climb one of the fences to spy on the band that was on at the side stage (I believe it was Chase & Status).
After asking him to come closer and join us (to which he gladly agreed) him and his bodyguard stayed there for a few minutes just having a small-talk conversation with us. He said he was well ready for the night, and asked if we had our dancing shoes on, cause "you are going to dance tonight!". And boy he was right!
Ian Brown
From the very beginning of 'Love Spreads' a levitating force hugged the crowd and did not let any soul go until the last leaf of the double tambourine stopped ringing in Ian Brown's hand.
'Ten Storey Love Song' marked the start of the sunset and the air around the mass of waving hands felt like warm bubbles. We spotted Miles Kane among the crowd watching the set, and by the time 'Waterfall' kicked in Ian Brown had his jacket back on with his hoodie up which had an incorporated fisherman hat! Coolest thing I've seen all weekend.
The Kooks were closing the night but how can you top up a set of The Stone Roses? You basically can't, we just stayed for a few of The tracks and left the field, but the angry mob of blondies screaming Luke's name remained intact, I'm sure we left the Brighton boys in good company.
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
Miles Kane watching The Stone Roses set
The Stone Roses
Overview of the mainstage with The Stone Roses
The Kooks
The Kooks
The Kooks devoted fans in the front row
Before the beginning of day two we hit the 3-streets-long town of Hultsfred for a quick breakfast and came back to the site for an early set of Tribes. "We have a tumblr, we don't know who runs it, it's a Swedish girl, are you here?" singer Johnny asked, and a fan in the front row timidly raised her hand while covering her face with the other. "Is it you? Yes? This song is for you, thank you." The song was 'Sappho'. They closed with 'We Were Children' a youth hymn that was sang so loudly by the crowd that you could barely hear the instruments or Lloyd's voice.
"Are we going to go see Bombay Bicycle Club?" a friend asked, and I think I spoke for all of my crew when I replied: "Nah..."
Tribes
Tribes
Tribes
Tribes
Bombay Bicycle Club
The sun was shining and many people were relaxing on the deck near the lake but of course we were on the run again, this time trying to avoid a schedule clash, Spector was playing at one of the side stages but we needed to have our drinks ready to leave midset to see Kasabian. Yes, tough and complicated logistics huh?
It all went well, we saw a few songs by the MacPherson gang who also had a enthusiastic set of fans who showed their dedication by sporting t-shirts with Fred's face on them. Seriously.
We quickly moved on to go and see Kasabian. Tom and Serge took the main stage, Serge wearing an animal print scarf around his head, and Tom holding a fresh pint in his hand. This was the first ever presentation of Kasabian in Sweden, but the crowd instantly fell in love with their empowering and engaging (some would could call it a set, but it was more of a) show.
Spector
Spector
Kasabian
Kasabian
Kasabian
Kasabian
Kasabian
Kasabian
Kasabian
Old and new songs were received as classics and every time the mood was slightly going down Meighan stepped on the border of the stage turning around the microphone and causing tiny riots after each "COME ONNN!!" scream from his side. Oouft!
We saw just a few songs of The Cardigans from one of the side balconies, and waited around for The Cure who played more than an hour over their stage time, we went to bed, but they said Robert wanted to keep playing until sunrise.
The Cardigans
The Cardigans
The Cardigans
The Cure
The Cure
The Cure
A fast paced 30 mins set of The Vaccines in one of the big outdoor stages trying to squeeze as many hits (and future hits) as possible in one go marked the beginning of day three, and it also made us think that probably the best band of the day was already gone. That's what denim vests (gilets?) and happy punk tracks can do.
But then again the next act we saw was Marina And The Diamonds so it's not really that hard to top up that one. Her set morphed from pop diva to overly posed pre-planned semi sketches (bet she likes to call them choreographs) and we only noticed she was human after she lost one of her curls and asked the fans to give her a moment while she fixed it in between laughs and charming embarrassment.
The Vaccines
The Vaccines
The Vaccines
The Vaccines
The Vaccines
Marina And The Diamonds
Marina And The Diamonds
Marina And The Diamonds
Mumford And Sons were up next but they had to cancel due to Marcus' broken hand so The Magic Numbers were called at the last minute to cover the spot, at least that's what singer Romeo told us when we ran into him at the airport on the way back to London. Guess the payment was not the same than for the Mumfords cause he was flying Ryanair with us!
A pleasant surprise was Noah And The Whale's set. People queuing outside the tent and climbing on each other's shoulders trying to get a glimpse of what was going down on stage. By the time we managed to get inside the band already had their impeccable shirts half unbuttoned and covered in sweat, and the mixture of steam and smoke help the mood for an encore with a long version of 'L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.'
The Magic Numbers
The Magic Numbers
The Magic Numbers
The Magic Numbers
Noah And The Whale
The XX
I'm sure The XX did an amazing set and that all the fans loved it, but I'll never be able to understand their proposal, we watched a few songs from the back and decided to split. 66.66% of us wanted to go see Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds and I wanted to go see S.C.U.M. When I got into the small tent mid set and the alt-junkies were already lined up. Far from being packed, the tent had a fully engaged crowd, nodding and producing serotonin with each dance move of singer Tom. Alright, time to go see Noel now.
A spotless set, with a full repertoire of classics and new songs. A bit too predictable for my taste, but nonetheless enjoyable. Noel's voice on 'Talk Tonight' still manages to get to your bones and the display of Oasis love during 'Don't Look Back In Anger' was overwhelming. Proof that Sweden is a warm country after all!
S.C.U.M.
S.C.U.M.
S.C.U.M.
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
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