Photo:
This year's Field Day was the festival's biggest year yet - stretching across two days in London's Victoria Park. Saturday featured a line-up of cutting edge pop, electronica and dance bands while Sunday was the place to catch some of the coolest new guitar bands around - along with a number huge names performing across both days.
We headed down for the weekend to soak up the sunshine (seriously, the weather was stunning) and the music. These are the ten best bands and artists we saw at Field Day 2014.
Sky Ferreira
Taking to the festival's main stage in a criminally early slot on the Saturday, Sky Ferreira nonethless proved a spectacular live performer - opening the first day with an effortlessly cool run through of the best bits from debut album Night Time, My Time and more. Refusing to remove her parka jacket despite scorching sunshine and keeping audience interaction to a minimum, Ferreira was the very essence of aloof giving a grand total of zero fucks during her brief but brilliant set. Fan favourites such as '24 Hours' and 'I Blame Myself' warmed up the moderate-sized crowd, before tracks such as 'Lost In My Bedroom', 'Everything Is Embarrassing' and 'You're Not The One' drew in casual viewers for the end of her set. The biggest talking point after the set? Her voice. This girl can REALLY sing...
Watch Sky Ferreira's 'You're Not The One' video below
Blood Orange
One of the most consistent and reliable songwriters of our time, Dev Hynes and his band send the fields of East London into a sweet and soulful disco trance. Playing with the conviction and prowess of our generation's Prince, he could well be just that if he continues on this fine form.
Todd Terje
The most talked-about new name on the dance scene this year, if you spoke to anyone on the Saturday of Field Day who they wanted to see - Terje was on their list, even if no one was really sure how to say it. Delivering a selection of tracks from his brilliant 2014 debut, It's Album Time, Terje's live set was minimal (bloke on a stage, playing tracks on his decks) but the sounds were incredible. Album tracks were beefed up with heavier dance beats for the live performance, but lost none of the insanity which makes the album such a thrilling listen. A future dance megastar.
Watch Todd Terje's 'Inspector Norse' video below
Courtney Barnett
Totally unphased by the hype that surrounds her, Barnett's appeal lies in her natural charm and totally unguarded and non-contrived approach to music. Carefree as her sound and attitude may be, Barnett gives it her all and delivers every time without fail, as her showcase of whimsical and intelligent grunge-fuelled alt-folk points toward what could easily be an immaculate debut album. A huge future awaits here.
Jagwar Ma
Jagwar Ma hit the festival scene in 2013 and immediately gained a reputation for being a must-see band at any festival they perform. This reputation is 100% justified. Debut album, Howlin is a collection of flawless psychedelic pop which truly explodes into life when seen performed inside a huge tent as the sun begins to dip at a festival. Now with the confidence of their 2013 festival run, Jagwar Ma are sounding better than ever: bigger, bolders and way more confidence. You haven't enjoyed a festival until you've danced to 'The Throw' at sunset.
Watch Jagwar Ma's 'The Throw' video below
Metronomy
There were, of course, doubts about Metronomy's headline set at Field Day - there always are when a band tops a bill for the first time. These doubts were shattered as soon as Joe Mount and co took to the main stage on Saturday night, with the last of sunlight fading and the day's ludicrous temperatures giving way to a more refreshing blast of evening cool. Field Day attracts a fine selection of hardcore party animals, set in the heartland of East London, and Metronomy delivered the perfect set. Mount has more than enough charisma to easily endear himself to a field of drunken hipsters and alongside unforgettable classics such as 'The Bay' and 'She Wants' from their career-making The English Riviera, new tracks such as 'I'm Aquarius', 'Reservoir' and most notably 'Love Letters' exploded to life on the Field Day mainstage. This was the moment Metronomy took yet another giant leap forward in their career - and we were there to see it first hand.
Future Islands
Probably the most anticipated set of the entire weekend, Future Islands had already delivered by the time their set had even began. Carrying out their own soundcheck, their gave early-comers a taster of what was to follow and hyped up The Shacklewell Arms tent in a manner that only a band who truly reflect the hardcore devotion of their fans can. With a sound that falls somewhere between the synth-pop perfection of early The Killers but pumped up by the open highway energy of Gaslight Anthem or Springsteen and performed by a maniacal madmen who moves a little like a drunk Henry Rollins at a wedding, their set was one worthy of a main stage headliner - and by far the highlight of Field Day. The memory of everyone ecstatically losing their minds to 'Seasons' will stay with us for a long, long time.
Watch Future Islands' 'Seasons (Waiting For You)' video below
Temples
The haze of the early evening of a scorching summer's day is pretty much the perfect setting for Temples. They may not have been too wild about Field Day's stage set up, but they connect with the blissed out East London masses like few other bands can - and bring classic rock and 60s psychedelia racing into the future.
Woman's Hour
Fragile and elegiac loveliness. It's just a shame that more people weren't there to see it.
Pixies
Legends don't come much more seminal or influential than Pixies, and arriving on stage to burst out 'Wave Of Mutilation' into 'U-Mass' into 'Debaser', the order of the day for Black Francis and co was simple: all killer, no filler, no chat - just brilliance. In a career-spanning 27- song set, one is struck not only by how engrained Pixies' twisted alt-pop brilliance is in the public psyche, but how amazing it is that they've done it with just five albums.
Watch Pixies' 'Debaser' video below
