Cougar Microbes

It has been a long time since I last visited a proper music festival. I have always hated camping. An attachment to home comforts – colour TV, hi-fi stereo, designer sofa, electricity, running water – exposes me for the materialistic 80s brat that I am. So it was with a degree of apprehension that I migrated north to the Lake District for a summer weekend of music.

Many of this year’s festivals have struggled to shift tickets but Kendal Calling had no such worries. The boutique event sold out well in advance and upon arrival it was immediately obvious why. Showcasing acts like Blondie, Chase & Status, The Cribs and Frank Turner against a backdrop of beautiful rolling hills – and the occasional lake – certainly makes for sunny faces.

We pitched our tent with surprising ease and headed for the arena just in time to catch hip hop old-timers House Of Pain break into ‘that’ song. So we jumped around a bit, investigated what the modern music festival has to offer – posh pizzas apparently – and then checked out headliners Chase & Status. We found the Londoners on hot form, whipping up the masses into a Friday night party. Yes.

Easy Star All-Stars set the beaming Saturday mood with dub and reggae renditions of classics from The Beatles, Radiohead and Pink Floyd. It was certainly a very pleasant way to start an afternoon before the festival’s stand-out act, angular rock outfit Young Knives, took to the stage. I am reliably informed it was front man Henry Dartnall’s first ever topless gig. The three-piece didn’t let that phase them as they stomped through favourites from ‘Terra Firma‘ to ‘Weekends & Bleak Days‘ – complete with appropriate sing-along line “hot summer, hot hot summer!”

After a few complimentary shots of Lucozade – thank you sunburnt Lucozade man – we headed over to watch the fittingly energetic punk outfit The Minx bound around stage to rapturous applause. There was just enough time to scoff a gourmet kangaroo (!) burger before seeing Japanese Popstars take over from where Chase & Status left off the previous evening. An incredibly striking aspect of the weekend was the energetic crowds. Though we did our best to keep up we headed for our nylon home some time after one am with the party still in full swing.

Drawing from a distant memory I somehow had the impression that the final day of a festival has the potential to be an anti-climax. Not so at Kendal Calling. After taking in some festival art and expert hula-hoop performances we decided to plonk ourselves at the main stage for Lancashire Hotpots’ northern humour and Frank Turner’s folk punk. Neither disappointed but the top act of the day was Cougar favourite Blondie. Not looking a day over 26 – ok, maybe a day or two over – Debbie Harry belted out hits including ‘Hanging on the Telephone’ and ‘One Way or Another’ to give this charming festival the rousing send-off it deserved.

Cougar Microbes attended Kendal Calling 2011 as part of Lucozade‘s Play Festivals campaign. Make sure to check back as we bring you more events through the summer.

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Post by Kenny.

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TRACKS:

Expect crazy sports and real live deer roaming around trees that have been there for thousands of years ago as well as excellent tunes from the likes of The Cribs, Blondie, Echo & The Bunnymen and Frank Turner to name a few.

As always we will be bringing you a full report and some photos from our guys at the festival. For more information about the summer line up, as well as competitions and tickets check out the Lucozade Play Festivals website and FB page.

See you there!

TRACKS:

A few years back I caught melodic hardcore band Million Dead play an intimate show at The Camden Underworld to a young crowd gathered to see what all the fuss was about. The band were making an impression on the British music press and receiving rave reviews for their live performances along the way. The show lived up to the hype as the band seemed to peak for this performance and this audience. I still remember that what impressed me most was the bands passionate frontman Frank Turner who was already developing a knack for heartfelt socially conscious vocals.

Following this show I felt strongly enough about one of his lyrics to drop the band an email explaining my frustration. To be honest, I was just getting some stuff of my chest but sure enough Frank wrote back within hours going into detail whilst being very cordial. Though I didn’t agree with his interpretation I respected the fact he took time out of his schedule to write back to a fan. Though Million Dead would disband in 2005 this episode has kept him on my radar ever since.

I was not entirely surprised by his next foray into acoustic singer-songwriter territory. Just like my heroes Jonah Matranga with his Onelinedrawing recordings and The Ghost‘s Brian Moss with his Hanlei project it seemed the “one man and his guitar” route was the preferred medium for former angry post-hardcore kids. When these guys were done shouting and kicking for some  attention they discovered similar results could be achieved through strong words and a willingness to play anywhere and any time.  The lyrics still sliced like a knife but like a top surgeon his wit was sharp enough to get inside the listener while leaving minimal scar tissue.

2006 saw the release of his Campfire Punkrock EP rapidly followed up with the full length ‘Sleep Is For The Week‘ a year later. Both Mix elements of folk, punk rock and country creating the perfect back drop for his expanding ideas. On the back of these two releases Frank took his songs on the road playing seemingly every bar, club house, or venue that would have him. This quick learning curve put the singer-songwriter in a good position when releasing his brilliant Love Ire and Song album in 2008. My personal culmination was an incredible show at Shepherds Bush Empire supporting The Gaslight Anthem. Instead of kicking the door down the singer discovered that with the right words he would be given the key.

I was naturally delighted to find out legendary punk indie label Epitaph were signing Frank to a worldwide deal and re-releasing Love Ire and Song in the US. Apparently Epitaph head honcho Brett Gurewitz took quite a shine to Frank describing his music as a “revelation“. This being 2009 it is not surprising that the news was first broken on Twitter and MySpace with Frank stating:

“It’s official: though I’m happily staying with Xtra Mile in the UK, l signed with Epitaph for the world. Fuck yes!!”

The benefits from this deal are already showing as Frank will be heading on the road with veterans and legends The Offspring in July. Plans are under way to release his third studio album, ‘Poetry of the Deed‘, in September. Do yourself a favour and get out to one of his live shows and buy his music. Frank Turner deserves your attention.

MP3:

Frank Turner – Thatcher Fucked The Kids