Sunday 30/08/09 Get Loaded In The Park @ Clapham Common, London

After typical bank holiday transport issues I finally made it to the slightly barren looking Clapham Common (probably due to the previous days SW14 festival) for this years electro-heavy Get Loaded in the park. It’s only one o'clcok but the crowds are already pouring in and Telepathe are out on the main stage looking and sounding a little bored – it can’t be easy being out in the sun playing songs intended for night time listening. Eventually managing to overcome some serious sound issues the Brooklyn-based duo pull it together for their final few percussion driven, electronic tracks.

Over at the Gigwise stage it’s a wildly different affair, no miserable looking hipsters here. Instead local girl MPHO is all smiles and treating the crowd to some of her impressively well-crafted pop. Impossible to resist, she has the crowd wrapped round her finger and dancing with equal enthusiasm. Sound problems during a cover of Kate Bush's ‘Running Up that Hill’ do little to dampen the mood - if anything the crowd seem more enthused. Thankfully, the tech issues are resolved just in time for a stylish performance of her Martha and the Muffin sampling debut single ‘Box N Locks’

Less fun and less impressive is Blame over in the Clash tent. Dishing out some seriously hum-drum n bass (chortle), it’s surprising they’ve pulled such a large crowd. There’s something awfully mid-90’s about the whole affair - whooping and encouragement from the MC and the arrival of the equally forgettable Selah on vocals just adds to the unwelcome deja-vu.

In a classic “out of the frying pan and into the fire” calamity I suddenly find myself surrounded by another large crowd watching Basement Jaxx pretenders Sneaky Sound System. Despite their mind-bogglingly average performance and cringe-inducing songs, some people are still watching… and, stranger still, applauding. Time for a long overdue drink….

Cutting back across the main stage I pause briefly to check out Krafty Kuts - yes, he’s still going, and no, he hasn’t got any better. The ingredients are there but something just doesn’t quite work for me and an abundance of decent samples thrown in (Dizzee, Daft Punk, Beach Boys etc.) won’t disguise the emptiness.

Back at the Gigwise stage the Kraftwerk-esque Miike Snow are knocking out a cracking version of current single ‘Animal’ to rapturous applause. Donning their trademark white, featureless masks and black suits there performance is equal parts intriguing and terrifying. Next up, VV Brown is dressed head to toe in black and certainly looking the pop-start part. Contagiously upbeat throughout, she delivers a set littered with hits and even squeezes in a Kings of Leon cover. As one of the few artists with a full backing band at the festival, she really makes the most of it, proclaiming her love for rock and roll and getting the crowd involved at ever opportunity – the only thing missing is a little sunshine.
 
Over in the Dim Mak tent MSTRKRFT are doing a good job of convincing an over-flowing crowd that “all they do is party”. Their trade mark dirty synth sounds and beats whip the crowd into a frenzy. They probably could’ve easily packed out the other two, larger tents, but I suspect the group enjoyed the “full to bursting” vibe. Roni Size is a big draw to people of a certain age up on the main stage. It’s hard to believe their ground-breaking debut ‘New Forms’ was released over 10 years ago. It’s even harder to believe when their set is comprises of new songs devoid of interest and lacklustre versions of the classics.
 
Back at Gigwise, Booka Shade look like they are having a good time, but unfortunately they might be the only ones as it’s so damn quiet that only the people with their heads pushed against the speakers can hear.  Always guaranteed to put on a decent show, Peaches doesn’t disappoint arriving on stage the the A-Team theme tune in pink puffball and gimp mask. Bursting into Talk to Me' she discards the gimp mask and reveals her blonde peroxide hair, seconds later she strips down to an ‘Ashes to Ashes’-era Bowie outfit before promptly scaling the stage scaffolding. That’s entertainment!

A lot of people are talking about the Bloody Beetroots and a quick trip over to the Dim Mak tent reveals exactly why. It’s apparent immediately that they know what exactly they’re doing. The crowd is absolutely buzzing and the masked duo are a frenzied flurry behind the decks. Managing to drop in a remarkable number of different beats, just keeping up is exciting. Beastie Boys ‘Sabotage’ has the crowd screaming before slipping quickly back into some hardcore house. A festival highlight for many no doubt - one member climbs atop of the mixing desk and stands motionless while the other works on a relentless crescendo to finish the set. The crowd are ecstatic and it’s no wonder so many are excited about these guys.

It’s 7pm, and there are already casualties strewn across the common, so where better to be than the XFM stage to witness Royksopp knock out some of there trademark vocoder laced, euphoric pop. It’s a major change of pace, but the ethereal tracks soon lull the audience into a hypnotic wave. Better still Robyn came on the sing 'The Girl and The Robot' and a beguilingly masked Karin Dreijer later provided her unique vocals to 'What Else Is There?'. Inspired. Closing the set with a storming version of ‘Poor Leno’ the band are looking as elated as the audience.

With the other stages winding down by 8pm, if you’re not at the main stage you’ve either gone home or passed out – and the latter, many have. A very old looking Orbital (sporting their torch-goggles of course) are midway through their set surrounded by a fortress of gear. Some tracks are starting to sound a little tame by today's standards, and the sample of Belinda Carlisle's 'Heaven Is A Place On Earth' is nothing short of a tragedy, but as night finally falls the crowd are 100% on their side and they bang out a seriously respectable greatest hits set.

Get Loaded In The Park 2009: Photos