Waterparks:

Waterparks’ frontman Awsten Knight is famous for his broad range of whacky hair colours, with a different shade for each album cycle the band have been through. Now, however, he raced onto the Pit Stage for their headline slot sporting a lurid, multicoloured dye job, which was beautifully illuminated beneath the scanning lights. And, in many ways, this hair dye evolution is also a perfect metaphor for the journey that Waterparks themselves have been on musically over the last five years. Championed by the Madden brothers, of Good Charlotte fame, the band have evolved their sound from its scrappy pop punk origins to slick, stylised pop rock full of enough interesting twists and turns to keep an audience constantly on their toes. From the glossy groove of ‘Watch What Happens Next’, to the tumultuous, electronic ‘Turbulent’, the band owned the stage and commanded the crowd through every ebb and flow. From their first show on UK soil, down the road in the city centre, to now, the journey Waterparks have been on has been phenomenal. So, in their owns words: watch what happens next…

Loathe:

Thought the weekend was winding down to a quiet conclusion? Think again: whipping what felt like white hot fire out from the stage, Merseyside metallers Loathe really know how to bring the noise! From the searing screams of frontman Kadeem France to the thundering drums, and the guitars that tear and scythe at the pit of your stomach, it was impossible to ignore the sheer volume of the eclectic wall of sound pulsating out from the sides of the Pit Stage – so much so that, as the set continued, more and more punters were drawn into the band’s dark underworld. However, there is melody and artistry to be found within the pummelling uproar – tracks such as ‘Two-Way Mirror’ are all soaring choruses and ethereal harmonies, set over the typically grinding guitar tones, bringing a small shaft of light to this band’s murky depths. This is metal, but shaped and morphed into something incredibly exciting indeed.

Sigrid:

Filling the Main Stage East with glowing wonder, pop starlet Sigrid, shimmering in a sparkly silver top, brought all the fun and energy to the slowly wafting afternoon atmosphere. Approaching both soft ballads and effortlessly cool pop tracks with an equal amount of grace and composure, she was a vision at the centre of the stage, relying only on her talent, as opposed to a host of wild production, to make her impact. Her voice was as clear and pure as a running stream, but occasionally dipped with a small amount of gravel in the low notes, like pebbles rattling against the silvery current. Her poignant ballad ‘Home To You’ was undoubtedly the set’s highlight, as the notes of the delicate keys came tumbling out from the stage in waves, a moment of calm amongst the madness. Most impressive of all was the quiet power that Sigrid had about her – delicate and fragile though she may appear, she is also clearly a woman passionate about chasing her dreams, and who has most certainly earned her place on the world’s biggest stages.

Bob Vylan:

Capturing all the fury and antagonism of the lot in life that many people of colour are dealt from the moment they are born, Bob Vylan’s live performance makes a powerful statement indeed. Featuring choruses that come pummelling in with the force of hailing bullets, Vylan blends elements of rap, slam poetry, and metal together to create a thunderously potent sound that is guaranteed to whip any crowd up into an edge-filled frenzy. Wafting a baseball bat aloft, tracks such as ‘Pulled Pork’ veered into threateningly anarchist, denouncing racism and police brutality with a violent wrath.

Leaping into the crowd with wild abandon, Vylan was engulfed by the raging mosh pit as the enthralled crowd chanted and screamed along to each and every lyric. If you’re angry with the state of the world and looking for a cathartic release in which to indulge yourself – you’re welcome.

I Don’t Know How, But They Found Me:

While the cover of Panic! at the Disco’s ‘Vices and Virtues’ was the introduction many people would have had to Dallon Weekes, it is with his new outfit, I Don’t Know How, But They Found Me, with which he is truly making his mark on the music world. While the eclectic and devilishly long band name may be something of a hangover from the days of early pop punk and emo (remember those absurdly long Fall Out Boy song titles?), the sound IDKHOW have so meticulously crafted is all their own. Blending pre-recorded voiceovers with spacey synths that shoot out across the melodies like lasers, the band fall somewhere between old school funk and the futuristic sound of the pop radio stations of centuries to come. Add in the ability to get a whole crowd singing along to a song with no lyrics that are performed live? That is a musical future I can get behind!

You Me at Six:

When it comes to You Me At Six, some may say that their era of generation-defining songs is behind them. But, to those people, I simply say this: come and watch them live. Because when you do, you will see a band who has developed their sound beyond the scrappy pop punk of their youth into sophisticated, but still joyous pop rock, that hasn’t lost any of its angsty heart. While ‘What’s It Like’ is driven forward by an electronic guitar riff in the chorus, it is indicative of a band confident enough in themselves to blend elements of pure pop with their classic radio rock riffs. And, of course, the old punk beginnings are still there to be enjoyed – the melody of ‘Reckless’ is pure pop punk joy, blended seamlessly into The Killers’ ‘When You Were Young’ in a nod-and-a-wink from vocalist Josh Franceschi. Rounding off the jaunt to the past with their cathartic smash-hit ‘Underdog’, You Me At Six have proven that while your past doesn’t define you as an artist forever, it is possible to grow as a band without selling out your roots. And they only found out they were playing the festival on Thursday afternoon. Kudos boys!

The only critique it is possible to find is that their half-hour slot wasn’t nearly long enough, as this is a band with many more classics that will make seeing them again in the not-too-distant future all the more rewarding!

​​The Hara:

Blasting away the cobwebs for the final day of music are stylised rock trio The Hara. With a carefully crafted image and sound that hits on both the power pop and dark rock sides of the spectrum, they are a band guaranteed to pick up some new fans today! Bass reverberated through the ground so violently that it set jaws shaking and eyeballs quivering inside skulls, as frontman Josh Taylor bounded about the stage, decked out in an outfit which consisted of a leather skirt and nipple tape that would put many of the crowd to shame! Their new single ‘Fool & the Thief’ was an instant hit, boasting a rollicking bassline and fist-pumping chorus that will undoubtedly be clanging its way round in the heads of those in the crowd for many days to come. Now THAT is how you get a festival up and moving!