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Bad sound:The Aliens and others were affected
The man in the queue for the toilets was in no doubt: "This festival is a shambles." That may have been a touch harsh, but this inaugural Field Day - billed as "London's new psychedelic summer fete" - was certainly no picnic.
The event may have been sold as a cross between a festival and a summer fair, but other than the music, there was only the odd bit of bunting, a coconut shy and a game of tug-of-war. And a lot of queues.
The problems started early on when the arena - carved out of a beautiful section of Victoria Park - was still only half full. Bringing your own booze was strictly forbidden, so ticket holders were restricted to two woefully undersized and understaffed bars and a couple of stalls selling wine by the glass. The queues at the bars were 10 deep by mid-afternoon and the wine bars sold out soon after.
Similar problems followed in the sanitation department, though with drinks so hard to come by, those behind the event may have felt there was little need for toilets.
The festival was organised by a gaggle of London's most prominent left-field promoters and party organisers, including Adventures In The Beetroot Field and Eat Your Own Ears, both renowned for putting on the best artists from the current crop of dance-indie hybrids. That meant the line-up was always going to be the greatest attraction, boasting a quirky but consistent selection of new bands and DJs.
Natasha Khan, more commonly known by her Mercury prize-nominated moniker Bat For Lashes, was an early hit, managing to make her whimsical woodland folk sound disarmingly mainstream despite a relatively early billing. Nottingham hopefuls Late Of The Pier followed and, with torsos painted with bizarre geometric patterns, succeeded in notching up the adrenaline levels despite a series of technical glitches and low sound levels.
This latter problem was even more noticeable for the headliners - French dance duo Justice. While their performance was everything you could hope for at the end of a sun-drenched day in the park, a rollercoaster of bassdriven climax and crescendo, a lack of power turned the set into a spectator sport for anyone not directly in front of the small stage.
Despite the quality of the music, the poor sound had people heading for the exit long before the night came to an end; even psych-pop titans The Aliens failed to surmount the problems. The Field Day philosophy is still appealing - a niche, boutique event laid on by people who know and love their music - but the organisers will need to make huge improvements for it to live up to its promise in future years.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
