Photo: Press
Secret Garden, did that really happen? There comes a time after any festival when the weight of reflection is unavoidable. The magic dust disintegrates (or was that just copious amounts of glitter?) but the burning memories are still locked tightly inside. For me at least, there are far too many. Secret Garden Party is not just about escaping the grind of real life and getting off your rocker to your favourite bands, it’s a haven of absurdity, of expression, and most of all: outrageous tomfoolery.
The fancy dress (shout out to the man with the mohican flower hat), the hilarious dance-offs, space-hopper raving at Wonky Races, a sausage dog called Frank (he made it to the party in the end), mind-boggling plane aerobatics (these guys were insane), spectacular fireworks, Shoe Rescue (conceptualised this year, ready to make waves at next year’s SGP), drug testing (great to see, but depressing it’s taken this long), the most poorly laid out, pointless programme since The One Show, and, of course, a girl I met called Elfyn Tickle Turtle. This was her real birth name. She changed it to Elfyn Forster because no one took her CV seriously. Just beautiful.
Amidst the chaos, though, some music happened. Here are some of the highlights.
Midland
Since he first surfaced in 2010, Midland, aka Harry Agius, has gained a reputation for being a massive flirt. Whether it’s techno, disco, or smooth house, his productions are treated with a nimble touch and a dose of flair that makes any genre feel like a million dollars. His sets are no different. And with an impressive trajectory of originals over the last few years, as well as his Akase side project, his development as one of the UK’s most consistently creative DJ-producers is a tag thoroughly justified.
He opens with ‘Blush’ from the eponymous EP released in April - a deep, synth-soaked roller that sets the tone for 90 minutes of bottomless house and some naughty sleight of hand - geeing up the early Thursday night revellers at The Drop stage no-end. He likes to go dark too, dropping Four Tet’s remix of Jon Hopkins’ ‘Vessel’, a switch which produces a mass reaction of delightedly screw-balled faces and a devilish glint in the eye of many that says roll on the rest of the weekend.
Lancelot
During a quick word with Lance Gurisik, aka Anjunadeep’s Lancelot, before the first of his three Secret Garden Party sets, he vows to “play some trippy shit”. Performing from the Lost Disco - a woodland space with a treehouse DJ booth - Lancelot does what many DJs love to do: build a crowd. From what began with a handful of people, the following 90 minutes was a masterclass in seamlessly stitched wonky house and tribal techno, pulling in a swell of early Friday afternoon ravers.
Original cuts like last year’s ‘Mover’ set the precedent: a lush, off-kilt, soulful trip, and ‘7am In The Afternoon’: a deep, psychedelic roller that mapped an agenda of cliche-free electronica. But it was Maurice Fulton’s remix of DJ Nori’s ‘Happy Sunday’ that really slow-cooked the brain into filthy bass brisket territory, complete with lashings of 115 bpm detroit-influenced groove gravy. Other highlights include Marc Romboy Vs Stephan Bodzin’s classic tech house crawler, ‘Atlas’, and the spiralling sax solo of Nicolas Jaar’s ‘Hage Chahine’. Space disco. Technicolour trees. And by the end, a heaving battalion of sequined, glitter-caked funtime frankies, all beaming and buzzing from ear-to-ear.
Rival Consoles
When it comes to esoteric electronic music, Mr. Ryan Lee West has a trick or two up his sleeve. To the untrained ear, his set - cobbled solely from his own original tracks - is a clumsy, happy-go-lucky clunk-fest. The reality, of course, is quite the opposite. Rival consoles, somehow, perverts the art of blending - akin to the patchworking of Nathan Fake - to achieve something so much more compelling than just seamlessly blending two perfectly quantised tracks. Here, the joy is in the imperfection, in the gaps and the spaces, the overlaps, and the disregard for conformity.
Beefy 4x4 crawler ‘Odyssey’, an opening favourite of his, cloaks the midnight crowd in suspense and bursts into a signature foray of magical melody. ‘Voyager’, from 2015 compilation Odyssey/Sonne, embodies the blissful acoustic-hardware aesthetic that permits his music to explore more intimately than most. ‘Pre’ intensifies this sentiment, with a visibly sun-baked audience (it was 27c today) surrendering to the moment and to whatever lies in store.
He’s not without a brutal side either. Muscular dubstep-influenced electronica ramps up towards the backend of the performance, buoying up an ecstatic audience that are so in the zone it’s now impossible to be lost in the Lost Woods whilst under the stewardship of someone so distinctly rogue. A Brucy bonus by way of some new material from forthcoming mini album Night Melody too, showcasing ‘Johannesburg’, a colourful, one-note synth piece inspired by his mini tour of South Africa earlier in the year.
Teleman
Teleman’s brand of retro indie and Kraftwerk (with a small ‘k’) electronica mutates into something Metronomy and Alt-J could feasibly agree on. And, live, it’s especially easy to agree with their sound too. The late Saturday night crowd were also in agreement. Eventually. The London four-piece, playing to an almost empty tent, entice passers by with a double header of ‘Steam Train Girl’ and ‘Christina’, presumably on account of A) their sheer fluidity and brilliant songcraft, and B) the Latter song’s not so subliminal lyrics: “Feeling came in uninvited / Where is everybody hiding”.
The numbers soon pull in, and by the time the irresistible pop force that is ‘Dusseldorf’ revs into action, The Next Stage is a sea of flailing arms, flashing lights and drunken footwork. ‘Fall In Time’ showcases the band’s pliancy to effortlessly transition from upbeat to melancholy, and with ‘Hallelujah’ and ‘Not In Control’ playing us out - the latter of which is a thrilling powerplay of ever-escalating guitars and raucous rock ‘n’ roll - the crowd are at the top of their voices in adulation for one of the brightest and best bands in the UK right now.
Field Music
When the late great Prince bothers to follow you on Twitter, you know you’re probably doing something right. Sunderland band Field Music have been going since 2004 and have built a solid following ever since. Brothers David and Peter Brewis form the core of the band and serve up a routine of thoughtful, progressive guitar pop.
The secluded Where The Wild Things Are played host, with the band focusing primarily on songs from their sixth, and latest studio album, Commontime. ‘The Noisey Days Are Over’ opens proceedings, whipping up their fans into sing-along mode. Everyone is in party mode too. Rollover nights of no sleep and the lottery of unavoidably uncoordinated dance moves is a spectacle in itself. The band rattle through with pace and precision, delighting with the warm grooves of ‘Disappointment’ and closing with the charming twinkles of ‘Give It Lose It Take It ’. Everyone is visibly glowing and filter off into the night for one last Sunday morning hurrah.
