Tonight:
9°c
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New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Theatre
A smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion
Cock
Restaurants
Kitchen W8 is a bargain for this area, if such sophistication is what you crave
Kitchen W8
Too long and drawn out but very entertaining with excellent special effects
This is a peculiar play and does not work for me. Some of it is very funny but there are real flaws
Alex has a strong powerful voice and was faultless, she is far better now than she was on the X-Factor
London,
André Paine's rating
Reader rating
Description: Eclectic music festival also featuring performances from Santigold, King Charles, Fanfarlo, Mumford & Sons, Delphic, Mystery Jets, S.C.U.M and many more.
Groove-based tunes: Yannis Philippakis of festival headliners The Foals
The inaugural Field Day was a chaotic affair, short on toilets, bar staff and decibel levels.
A year on, and the organisers lived up to their promise to do a better job on this festival of left-field music but the rain meant some acts would always struggle. Noisy US band Les Savy Fav cavorted on the main stage in a state of undress but really needed some anthems to rally the crowd.
The damp did hold off for a while, allowing Lightspeed Champion to make an impact with his awkwardly epic tunes and indie interpretation of the Star Wars soundtrack.
There was plenty worth seeking out on the other stages, too. King Creosote had a shocking, multi-coloured cardigan at odds with his terse, brittle folk, while the harmony-heavy Efterklang from Denmark were a revelation. Under cover in the Bloggers Delight Tent, Brooklyn electro-pop trio Telepathe made up for a lack of presence with abundant percussion.
Oxford band Foals were also big on clattering drums during a set of smart, groove-based tunes. "Thanks for staying, it's pretty ****ing miserable," said frontman Yannis Philippakis. They also had to compete with Simian Mobile Disco playing a packed dance tent.
Nevertheless, Foals were worthy headliners, drawing on art-rock and punk-funk for churning, rhythmic songs such as Cassius and Balloons. They got a decent-sized crowd dancing, too, despite the conditions.
Perhaps it needed a couple of bigger cult acts. But Field Day is one of the friendliest festivals I've attended and deserves another outing next year.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
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