Lovebox 2010 Review
This year’s Lovebox was noteable for several reasons. Firstly the event – usually spread out over two days – had expanded to a three day festival, with eager revelers able to kick proceedings off on the Friday. Another factor that worked in Lovebox’s favour this year was the flawless weather. London has recently experienced an enviable amount of sunshine, something that was obviously lapped up by this year’s attendees. Add this to a bulging list of amazing bands, performers and DJ’s and you get what turned out to be a spectacular weekend for all involved. The strength of Lovebox has always been its ability to attract a genre defying, wide ranging line up and this year was no different. Click on the link below to read our full run down of the weekend.
Friday
We arrived just in time to catch the tail end of Newham Generals‘ set, while the pair may have had a helping hand on to the Main Stage through their label Dirty Stank – home to tonight’s headliner Dizzee Rascal – they more than held their own with the burgeoning crowd. Chew Lips‘ upbeat electro pop seemed to strike a chord with many on the Gaymers Stage. The band will be a fixture of a number of festivals this summer in the UK and across Europe. While the sound of Ellie Goulding was blaring from the Main Stage we couldn’t resist diving into to the irresistibly trashy NYC Downlow to catch man of the moment Joy Orbison. Ever since the release of his debut single ‘Hyph Mngo’, the young producer has become one the most exciting prospects in dance music. His set of garage infused house certainly didn’t disappoint.
With the inclusion of areas like the NYC Downlow and Relentless Arena, you truly are able to enter a completely different atmosphere, stepping out from smoke filled dark tent into a sunny field can certainly be disorientating. Especially when greeted by the chirpy, saccharine pop of The Noisettes. Rather than take in Chase And Status, we decided that Mystery Jets were just too good an option to turn down. With their third album ‘Serotonin’ fresh in our heads, it seemed only fitting that tracks like ‘Dreaming Of Another World’ soundtrack our warm up for the headline act. While The Maccabees would normally be a solid option, Lovebox conjured up some other tempting options. Legendary garage DJ Todd Edwards caused a road block of a queue at the Rizla Arena, so we chose to finish up with Dizzee Rascal. Hailing from Bow (just down the road from the event), it seemed fitting that Dizzee close the first night of this year’s festival. Playing a set that dipped throughout his back catalogue, the rapper delivered a show that satisfied those that have been with him since his Grime days right through to more recent chart thumpers such as ‘Holiday’ and his now staple festival anthem ‘Bonkers’.
Saturday
While Friday may have suffered from a few people missing out on the full day’s proceedings due to work commitments, it was clear that Saturday would see many more revelers enjoy a full day of festivities. Kicking things off on the Gaymers Sage were Laurel Collective, who are quickly becoming one of our favourite emerging live bands in the capital. Look out for this lot shooting up the bill on next year’s festival line ups. After trying out our best Snoop impressions at Hip Hop Karaoke, we caught the tail end of a lively performance from Primary 1. His latest single ‘Princess’ proved a highlight as he led his band through their set. By this time the effect of the blaring sun almost had us gasping for the shade, luckily we managed to find a dark enough corner to enjoy the twisted pop of These New Puritans. However time in the shade was cut short as we rushed to catch Wild Beasts deliver one of the sets of the day from the main stage. With their fantastic album ‘Two Dancers’ just being confirmed for a Mercury nomination, let’s hope this lot start to receive some of the recognition they deserve.
After this Midnight Juggernauts overcame traffic and sound problems to deliver a well received set on the Gaymers Stage. Lead singer Vincent Vendetta explained that the band had literally pulled up to the venue five minutes before they were due onstage, not that the packed crowd had noticed. While the temptation to see Yeasayer almost kept us at the same stage, the throbbing sound of Henrik Schwarz pulled us into the Relentless Dance Arena. By the time Jesse Rose was halfway through his set, the realisation that Roxy Music were about to start kicked in. For many the recently reformed band, led by Bryan Ferry, were the most anticipated act of the weekend. While they did deliver a set sprinkled with hits and gems from their back catalogue, they did occasionally drift into dangerously pompous territory. No one ever really needs a ten minute piano solo, but this was soon forgiven when the familiar bassline to ‘Love Is The Drug’ kicked in.
Sunday
Predictably by Sunday many were feeling the effects of a weekend of excess; however Lovebox counteracted this by offering, arguably, the weekend’s most enticing line up. Doom laden indie kids O Children gave the morning a dark tinge with their Bauhaus inspired gothic rock. However with the sun continuing to blast on Victoria Park, our attentions turned to something more upbeat. We were immediately drawn again to NYC Downlow where London’s finest purveyors of Disco – Horse Meat Disco & Disco Bloodbath – were taking it in turns to deliver mind blowing DJ sets. Back out on the Main Stage we caught Hurts, who appeared to be dressed for a day in the office rather than the hottest day of summer. They’ve received a barrage of hype so far this year, but delivered a fairly underwhelming set – we’ll keep our opinions though until the album comes out later in the year. Following on from Hurts were Hercules & Love Affair, who showcased a number of tracks from their as yet untitled second album. The new tracks seem to embrace the acid sounds of early techno, rather than the disco infused pop of their debut. They flowed perfectly into Peaches who, despite being restricted to a wheel chair for her performance, gave the crowd a typically raucous run through of her back catalogue.
We ducked away early as Cut Copy were just about to take to the Gaymers Stage. In their only UK festival appearance of the summer, the Australian electro rock outfit delivered a clutch of new tracks as well as several highlights from the brilliant ‘In Ghost Colours’. They were followed perfectly by Chromeo who almost seemed taken aback by the ecstatic response they received. Similarly to Cut Copy, Chromeo have readied a batch of new tracks and they mixed in perfectly with the familiar crowd favourites such as ‘Tenderoni’. After that there was only one way to finish the evening’s entertainment, in the presence of the irrepressible Grace Jones. The singer cuts an imposing figure onstage, easily enveloping the audience in her grasp. Tracks such as ‘My Jamaican Guy’ and ‘Slave To The Rhythm’ were the perfect end to a wonderfully flamboyant weekend of entertainment.
