Photo: BBC
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Bringing the final night on the main stage to a breathtaking close, their performance was nothing short of monumental and the atmosphere magnificent. Performing a career-spanning and jaw-dropping set, The National brought the crowd to life like no other act all weekend - with frontman Matt Berninger up to his usual crowd invasion antics, taking the time to sing the closing verses of 'Mr November from the audience and even scale the viewing platform for disabled fans. Performing entirely unplugged, the band united the entire of Manchester's Victoria Warehouse in unified song for a gut-wrenchingly intimate rendition of 'Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks'. It was pretty special - not only further cementing them as the greatest American band of their generation, but putting an impeccable full-stop on a beautiful weekend. 2. The location
Hearing a silent disco set from Peter Hook in a packed back room of a converted Manchester warehouse is the stuff that indie dreams are made of. Yup, location is everything when it comes to the perfect festival, and in decking out the Victoria Warehouse in fairy lights and trees whilst filling the adjoining hotel area with a silent cinema and record fair hosting the likes of the brilliant Pie & Vinyl and Music Exchange, the folks at 6 were on to a winner. Combine that with the fact that 6 Music somehow attract the friendliest and most charming listeners around, and you've got the best place to be on a bright but chilly day in February.
The best reaction of the opening day was definitely saved for Kelis. Opening with 'Feeling Good', as made famous by Nina Simone and Muse, Kelis and her massive backing band tore through an epic, funk-fuelled set. The packed room exploded into (moderate) dance for classics 'Trick Me' and 'Milkshake, with 'Jerk Ribs' proving itself a future fan favourite - but ultimately, Kelis showcased why she's a modern day icon, and one of the most celebratory live acts on the face of the Earth. Awesome fun - catch her live at any cost.
4. Franz Ferdinand
Following an impressively raucous set from Jake Bugg is no mean feat, but diving into an epic set of classics and fan favourites, partly voted for by 6 Music listeners, Franz f**king Ferdinand were more than up to the challenge. You'd struggle to find a more crowd-pleasing set from a more festival-friendly band. Scenesters may raise eyebrows, others may question their cultural relevance, but anyone with any real sense knows what a good time feels like and will just shut up and dance. It was just really, really fun. End of.
5. The Fringe
As a station, 6 Music is about much more than just playing damn fine tunes - it's about the culture that surrounds it too (without pretence or being overly preachy). And so, it was only fitting that they'd have a dedicated area to exactly that - inviting the likes of John Cooper Clarke, Peter Hook, Craig Charles and 6 Music hero Adam Buxton to the stage to delight fans with exquisite banter. Seeing the likes of Kelis, The National and James Blake grilled by 6 Music favourites Lauren Laverne, Shaun Keaveny, Steve Lamacq and more is also as close as you can get to real 'hero on hero' action too.
The first highlight of the opening day were Haim, who were the first act to draw a huge crowd to the main stage following their Talking Heads Q&A over in the Fringe area. Their short but lively hit-packed set took in their standard cover of Fleetwood Mac's 'Oh Well', but even that paled in comparison to the towering impact of their magnetic radio anthems. They were the BBC Sound of 2013, and certainly the sound of years to come - this is what future festival headliners look like.
Packing out the second room, Lykke Li made up for her three year absence with an intense blow to the chest - making the lucky few present fall in love with her all over again. Welcome back Lykke, never leave us again. 8. Damon Albarn
The interesting thing about Albarn and new band The Heavy Seas' performance, was the potential it displayed. Kicking off with the title track from upcoming album, Everyday Robots, Albarn and co wondered through a fairly esoteric set that leaned heavily on new material, but also included 'Tomorrow Comes Today', 'On Melancholy Hill' and 'El Manana' by Gorillaz and 'Kingdom Of Doom' by The Good, The Bad And The Queen and Blur b-side 'All Your Life' (played live for the first time ever). From this set alone, we don't doubt that Everyday Robots is going to be a heartfelt and accomplished album, perfect for headphones - we only question how well it landed with the majority of the audience whose own chatter often drowned out the more tender moments of his set. We fear they may have been optimistically awaiting the hits. Still, it was an impressive debut from Albarn under his own name - and we're sure that by the time Latitude rolls around, he'd have grown into his solo headline status all the more. 9. The Horrors, Wild Beasts, Metronomy and Bombay Bicycle Club
All bizarrely returning to the scene as established acts in early 2014 with utterly astounding fourth albums, the reaction from the crowd alone was evidence that these guys are destined to follow in the footsteps of Foals in becoming Britain's next biggest exports and future festival headliners. There's no stopping them, and they deserve the world.
One thing that shapes 6 Music as a station like no other is the talent that it employs. These are not just hired hands, here to fill the dead air space between corporately forced radio fodder. Whether you're listening to the broadcast on air or seeing them here in Manchester, compering the main stage, doing after-hour DJ sets, holding talks in the Fringe area or gladly chatting to fans as they buy lunch - the one resounding fact that rings true is that these are radio personalities with ACTUAL personality. Having them in full force here to shine a charming glow upon the festival was as much a delight as the bands themselves. If the BBC had abolished 6 Music the other year as threatened, we'd have lost a trove of real British treasures. Long live Six.
Below: Photos of the best bits and bands from BBC 6 Music Festival 2014
