Review: Saturday at Field Day

Photo: Field Day

The novelty of camping at festivals seems to be wearing off, and people have realised it's neither hip nor novel to sleep in filth for two days straight, especially when there’s a chance of a foot in the door at the Oval Space afterparty.

The older you get, the less appealing it is to scrape mud from your hair and resort to brushing your teeth with a can of Stella at half one in the afternoon, and let’s not forget; the ground isn't really that comfy.

For the last eight years, Field Day has continued to return to Victoria Park for a two day fest of no­-thrills­-stomp­-your-­feet-­madness, oh, and no camping. A twenty-­something's' dream binge of body glitter, overpriced beer and bare flesh, it would only seem fitting to locate such an event in East London.

Kicking off, we were welcomed by Father and son collaborative Toumani and Sidiki Diabate with their eclectic 21 ­string African harp compilation at Eat Your Own Ears' main stage. Bringing a part of West Africa to East London (which couldn’t have been more fitting considering the weather), the crowds soon flocked to grab a space on the grass. Spirits were high, the line up had us squirming and it looked like another promising year for Field Day.

The i­Dtent was much more intimate with Sad Boy producer Yung Gud setting the tone for a more alternative crowd with MC Brinquedo's 'Roça Roça' blasting through the speakers.

We found ourselves disappearing into the crowds of the bar queues, taking up to 40 minutes to be served just to be told that cards weren’t accepted unlike advertised. Giving up on our conquest for a second £10 mojito, we retreated back empty handed.

London based art rock band Django Django captivated the EYOE audience with a collective of tracks from their recently released album Born Under Saturn, with ‘First Light’ and ‘Reflection’ setting the crowd wild. Staying for the whole set from start to finish, the crowd more than tripled in size over the hour and we found ourselves harmlessly shoulder to shoulder in true festival style.

PC Music embarked on a Field Day invasion, infecting the crowds with their customary sugary sounds from label head A.G Cookalongside SOPHIE, Danny L Harle and QT at the Crack, RA and i­D tents. QT's 'Hey QT' (below) saw a surge of high pitched screams from RA's audience and provoked an influx of energetic interpretations of the sticky lyrics, with high ponytails and body glitter flying.

Manchester cartel Murkage took over the Jägerhaus with a grime DJ set that had festival goers climbing on the stage till "high vis shut us down”.

Failing in their bid to get the crowd behind the decks, it seemed more fitting that they joined us instead. Mixing a plethora of ragga, jungle and the occasional shouting rant, it was fair to say they knew how to feed a crowd. Making a final return to the main stage, Canadian producer Caribou was joined by a live band, with their rendition of 'Our Love' the ultimate crowd pleaser.

Hudson Mohawke was without a doubt one of the best performances of the day. Completely sending the crowd wild with one of livest, rawest sets known to mankind; his remix of TNGHT's 'Goooo' created an explosive atmosphere within the RA tent. Throwing his classic hits ‘Fuse’, ‘Cbat’ and more recent ‘Chimes’ into the mix, Mohawke ended the night on an unmissable high, re­-awakening party goers before their departure.

A paradisaical experience for any alternative character, just be sure to bring plenty of cash with you.

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