Day two at Don Valley Stadium brought dancing and drizzle as the weather took a turn and transformed parts of the site into a mudslide.
This is Yorkshire though and a bit of dampness never stopped this crowd before, made of hardy stuff they sang and danced through the rain to a top class lineup.
Kicking off the main stage today was The Rosadocs, South Yorkshire’s own sons who were met with a warm, home town welcome. They’re on a steady upwards trajectory driven by front man Keelan Graney who, by the end of the set, is on the barrier, almost mobbed by a hugely appreciative crowd.
Another local artist – Harriet Rose – graced the Electric Carousel stage early in the day. Featuring on a few festival bills this year, she’s a polished act these days, and her powerful vocals and catchy guitar work keep the smiles on faces as the rain clouds gathered over the outside stages.
I know it’s only Saturday and we have a packed Sunday bill to get through, but possibly the set of the weekend belonged to Lottery Winners.
The Manchester band [Leigh] have been touring Europe with Robbie Williams recently, and the big stage experience really shows. I’ve seen them several times [ask many music photographers and they might tell you their hard drive is 90% full of this band!], but this is comfortably their strongest performance.
Opening up as is customary with “Worry”, the band immediately engage the audience and the energy builds through the entire set.
Thom Rylance is a first class frontman, each break between songs filled with his particular comedy styling which lands perfectly every time during this set. They chucked in a cover of “Chasing Cars” and Andy Williams’ classic “You’re Just Too Good To Be True”, and had the crowd in the palms of their hands.
“UFO” has the tent lit up with mobile ‘phone lights, and “Turn Around” is accompanied by the dance moves that Rylance is desperately trying to go viral. He’s been slightly outdone by CMAT and Chappell Roan in those stakes though, a fact he laments to the crowd between songs.
Finishing the set with “Burning House”, the crowd, now completely packing out the Big Top, are bouncing, singing, held aloft on shoulders and Lottery Winners finish their festival season in fine style.
Introduced by Steve Bracknall, comedian, the most famous Sunday League “football manager”, and brother of Reverend and the Makers lead singer Jon McClure, the next act up on the main stage is indie royalty in the shape of Peter Doherty and Carl Barat.
Theirs is a set of finely crafted tunes, and a brilliant cover of The Stone Roses’ “Waterfall”, and the pair move around the stage, coalescing around one mic’ on a few occasions to deliver their harmonies.
Groove Armada’s 75-minute DJ set was filled with dance bangers, taking us right back to the feeling in the nightclubs of Sheffield in the late 90s. Maybe it was the rain, but more likely it was the music that kept the Big Top full and the energy up for the whole thing.
Finally, local headliners Reverend and the Makers celebrated their 20 years in the industry, recalling their days in the pubs and clubs of this great city. Indeed, they’re as much a part of the fabric of the city as the giant Forgemaster plant that sits across the road from the Don Valley Bowl.
The returning Bracknall, otherwise known as Chris McClure, gives an emotional intro’ to his brother’s band, imploring us to get behind them and make it a night to remember.
Earlier in the day, Jon McClure was meeting fans at the merch’ desk with a queue that stretched across the site, unfazed by the steady drizzle.
The set was a walk through of their most popular songs, the crowd bouncing, knees up and singing along with almost religious zeal. Joined on stage by flag wavers and circus performers, the latter armed with flame throwers, made sure it was a set to remember. For sure, it’s one of those that will live long in the memory of those who were here.
Check out Friday’s and Sunday’s coverage…
Words & Photos by Huw Williams
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