An Ode to Shiiine On
A love letter to the Shiiine On Festival.
“When something’s good, it’s never gone”
In the summer of 2015, after eight long and dispiriting years in the music industry, a childhood dream finally came undone, not with drama, but with the quiet finality of redundancy. I had failed to bring bands to life on music television, failed to be in love, and lost the home that had once felt like a refuge. It was, without question, the lowest point. A season where everything that had seemed certain dissolved into a kind of grey.
*image credit: Big Ed Photography
The Shiiine 1 poster hung in view, its colours fading as if in sympathy, a reminder of something once bright and possible. I would look at it often, not with longing exactly, but with the numb recognition of a man who knows he can no longer reach what he once imagined he might. The idea of rallying friends and heading west felt impossible.
But time, as it always does, crept forward. A year later, the troops were gathered once more. I went to Minehead, body present, soul lagging. Excited, yet still uneasy, the despair still nagging away internally.
Cellar Doors changed everything!
Their brand of Laurel Canyon-meets-psychedelic rock 'n' roll struck instantly. As the crowd grew and grew and edged closer, I felt among my people. I felt at home. People unashamedly enjoy the kind of music most radio outlets had consigned to the dustbin. The weariness I entered with began to lift, a faint current stirring within.
When The Wonder Stuff took to the main stage, something inside me settled. From pop to politics, punk to poetry, they carried the same fierce joy that had first made me fall in love with music. Each song was a reminder of who I had once been, and who, perhaps, I still was. With every return they make, they seem more powerful, more enriching. More more more! Is it really Shiiine without them?
Each Shiiine brings its own quiet resurrection: a cult band, once lost to time, given a stage to unearth its buried treasures. This debut year was Thousand Yard Stare. Their enthralling set on Centre Stage sparked a new obsessive fandom that took me to the 100 Club and Lexington, and led to sharing emails with frontman Stephen Barnes in future years.
In future years, The Orchids would shimmer whilst Bradford played with a defiant pulse in Jumpin’ Jacks, and The Popguns filled the Inn with a melodic majesty. Detractors decree nostalgia; they miss the point. These bands are survivors, striking old friendships for good, for health, for the love of living! Their songs had grown richer in exile and found keen audiences willing to share their love. Furthermore, 99% of Shiiine acts are releasing new material, and so, breathing life back into us, the mortals.
Dance music has always pulsed through Shiiine’s heart. Having Eddy TM close out that year was more than a booking; it was a moment heavy with meaning. A world-class DJ, of course. But for me, it went deeper. His set took me back to my own youth.
As strangers took me under their wing, conversation flowed from Rick Astley to Anna from This Life, and Eddy’s MTV show ‘Up For It’ (specifically the six-pack challenge). Something loosened inside. The faint hopes of my teenage self were not far enough from the reality of the 32-year-old who stood arms aloft on that Sunday night. With every beat dropped, the tension I’d carried for a year began to dissolve. The music, the laughter, the shared recognition, all of it stitched together the fragments of a self I thought I’d lost.
Thank you, Shiiine On, for giving the lost a place to return to.
Happy 10th Birthday Shiiine On
We look back at out favourite 10 bands from the Inn on the Green pub at the festival Shiiine On.
This November marks 10th birthday of the Shiiine On Festival in Minehead.
*banner image credit: A Deeper Groove
Like any long-running festival, Shiiine has built its own traditions over the years. From Sequin Saturday to Where’s Dylan? and Take It Easy Thursday, these rituals have become part of the pilgrimage to the South West.
It may celebrate the icons and cult heroes of the past, but Shiiine On is no nostalgia trip. This is living, breathing music. 99% of the artists here are still creating, still evolving, still burning bright. Shiiine On is their mecca, a place where legacy meets momentum, and the past collides gloriously with the now.
Shiiine has always had an excellent eye for new bands. They gave mainstage debuts to the fleeting brilliance of The Shakes, the baggy promise of Big Image (formerly Ivory Wave), and the nation's current favourites The K’s. Not to mention their enduring support for the mega-sounding Deja Vega!
For me, the festival’s real magic lies in discovering the new acts, especially those playing the Inn on the Green on Friday and Saturday afternoons. As the hangovers lift and the cider is sipped with one eye closed, the young and hopeful take to the pub stage and take their shot at being the next big thing.
Through the cold sweats and comedowns, the snakeite and smell of guff from the toilets, the ritual of flocking to the pub first is the one I cherish the most. As such, here are our 10 favourite (in no order) Inn on the Green slots from the last 10 years (full disclosure, we missed the initial one, and we forever hang our heads in shame):
Cellar Doors (2016)
Image Credit: Brian Cannon
Our first-ever Shiiine set, and what a start! As soon as the San Francisco trip began, I knew I was home. Melodic, psychedelic, and adventurous rock n roll for the ages.
Electric Sheep Inc. (2024)
A breathtaking debut festival performance. The rightful heirs to the thrones, Shaun Ryder and Lou Reed, lit up the intimate venue with their gritty psychedelia and lyrics that could come to define their generation.
The Utopiates (2021)
*Image credit: Shiiine legend Louise Deveraux
At this stage of their career, they were making inroads into the UK scene with their baggy licks and nods to Depeche Mode. Mid-Saturday afternoon, their grooves oozed through the pubs’ ether with an ease that would see them become a staple band of Steve Lamacq’s 6Music show.
Ecko (2022)
Image Credit: A Deeper Groove
A rags-to-riches tale of epic proportions. The Ayrshire outfit opened the pub stage on the Saturday and caused a word-of-mouth stir across the weekend. So much so that, when the Shambolics unfortunately pulled out on Sunday night, Ecko stepped in to play to a 1500 crowd.
Theatre Royal (2017)
Image Courtesy of the band
Not a new band per se, they were, at this point, promoting the release of their fourth album ‘...And Then It Fell Out of My Head’. Nevertheless, their Medway meets Paisley guitars were nothing short of a triumph, cementing their place as the UK’s best-kept indie secret.
Alfa 9 (2019)
Image courtesy of Blow Up Records
Blow Up’ Records signing Alfa 9 delivered a breathtaking array of Laurel Canyon, The Coral, and The Byrds-esque.
The Institutes (2022)
Image credit: Melli Foris
Staying in the Midlands, this time in Coventry, The Institutes gave the festival one its most beautiful performances. Epic guitars and Reid Currie’s delicate vocal melodies were the hand up of the floor we all needed.
Gazelle (2019)
Image Courtesy of the band
Sadly, the Leicester outfit are no more (frontman Ryan Dunn now has a fine solo project underway). Their relentless Rifles-esque anthems were an absolute riot. Proof that great bands still exist but are not backed enough.
Malakites (2023)
Image credit: This Feeling.
A rush of post-punk tension collided with raw rock ‘n’ roll swagger. Beautifully desperate stuff from the Cardiff outfit who are still making waves now.
Mexican Dogs (2024)
Image Credit: Sonic Pr
Last year, both on the pre-party on Thursday, and in the hallowed halls of Inn on the Green, the Liverpool outfit bludgeoned the senses with their monstrous riffs.
Unshiiined
One month out from Shiiine On we look at the best new acts on the line-up,
Today marks the one-month countdown until the eighth Shiiine On festival. To the ill-educated, it’s a weekend of yesteryear. They’re wrong! It’s become a haven to rejoice in the past, but those older acts are still perfecting their craft with new music.
The weekend comes alive on the fringes with the new and unsigned acts making their way. The intimate Inn on the Green has hosted some of the most significant sets in the festival's history. Cellar Doors kissed heaven with their smoky West Coast psyche, Theatre Royal dazzled with their romantic tales of Medway, and The Institutes lifted us all from two years of lockdown agony to bliss.
*banner image courtesy of Bless and Peter Foster
To mark the excitement, we dive into five of the lesser-known (for now) acts on the bill from this year’s line-up:
Ecko
Image courtesy of the band.
Last year’s rags-to-riches story (read more here)! They went from Inn On The Green upstarts to Skyline heroes in 24 hours. They lived, breathed, and bled Shiiine On. Endearing? Yes. Above all, their tunes were raw, ecstatic pieces of rock ‘n’ roll glory.
Psycho Candy
In the second verse, they come alive as a band. Lo-fi lysergic licks wrestle with the attitude of ’77 and the spirit of ’94 as they light up the tales of misadventure in towns:
“Psycho Sandy coming down / Like a whisper growing / Through the town / You live too slow you'll fade away / You live too fast you'll do some”
Still Know Nothing (demo)
When Oasis pulled from the Beatles, Pistols, T-Rex, and The Who on ‘Definitely Maybe’, they went on to world domination within two years.
This demo has the same startling power. The hissing power of Oasis, Alex Turner’s early punk vocal, colossal John Bonham drumming and a solo that blows away ‘Exile On A Main Street’.
Bless.
Image courtesy of Stephanie Faucher
After a few years away, Bless are back! Having recently supported The Rifles in Southampton, they gear up for Shiiine On with a headline show at Water Rats for This Feeling (tickets here).
A Letter To You
With a siege mentality, they blend Ska and psychedelia with the effortlessness of The Coral’s debut. Although written back in 2017, the potency of their lyrics after two huge by-election turnovers for Labour last night remains just as potent:
“we’re sick of the fascists in blue / So this time we’re coming for you”
Daddy Didn’t Make It as a Rockstar
Nothing short of perfect!
A melodic tale of outsiders reliving their shot glory. The fire of The View and the joy of Little Man Tate and The Holloways unite to conjure indie nirvana.
Keyside
Artwork courtesy of Modern Sky.
The Merseyside four-piece have been championed by The Farm and are now signed to the impeccable Modern Sky UK label.
Paris To Marseille
The pop instincts of The Lathums and the jangling edge of The La’s on this ode to the Mersey (“across the water / moonlit reservoir”). Frontman Parker lights up the record with the infectiousness of former Vida singer Jamie Pollock, the defiance of Darren Forbes (Shambolics), and the mysticism of Tom Dempsey (The Kairos).
An instant classic!
Angeline
Their first single signed to Modern Sky is DMA’s meets Johnny Marr slice of alt-pop heaven. Tales of breakdown and family struggle have never sounded so infectious.
Born out of the ashes of the once formidable Shimmer Band, HYM hail from Bristol. They recently blitzed Truck Festival and have their sights set on Shiiine On this winter.
Tranquilizer
Glam-stomping basslines unite with fuzzed-up electronica, and the coolest of vocals unite to demand Kasabian step aside and allow HYM their time on the throne. The euphoric climax is sure to send Shiiine into a frenzied meltdown.
You Thought I Was Dead
Kasabian’s early looping electronic fire goes on a dystopian joyride with Primal Scream’s XTRMNTR. Debauched, decadent, delicious!
Image courtesy of the band.
The Wigan outfit have had quite the year with the release of their debut EP ‘Time Waits For No One’ back in May and their biggest capacity shows in Manchester and London this November (tickets here).
A Better Life
This tale of what might have been depicts a man tragically living in the past. Yet, the sweeping guitars of The Courteeners and the pop sensibilities of Orange Juice lend it a glory that the protagonist can only dream of.
I’ll Try
Their first single since the EP is an ode to love, loss, hope, and despair. Frontman Tom Concannon’s vocal switches from angelic to soul powerhouse, whilst guitarist Jake Dorsman delivers a career-best solo pulling from Style Council, Marr, and Prince.
On The Cusp...Holy Youth Movement
Bristol’s Holy Youth Movement are on the cusp of great things.
In today’s climate, bands and artists blowing up overnight and storming the charts are dead. It is a brutal process, from getting local gigs to performing on the main stages of festivals. As such, there is a swelling of talent on the underground, poised to break through.
So, this week, we are picking five of our favourite artists on the cusp of said breakthrough.
Today, we focus on Holy Youth Movement. Born out of the ashes of the once formidable Shimmer Band, HYM hail from Bristol. They recently blitzed Truck Festival and have their sights set on Shiiine On this winter.
They have been working with the legendary producer Jagz Kooner (Primal Scream / Kasabian / Oasis) who is often found raving at their gigs. They have also collaborated with Primal Scream’s rock ‘n’ roll idol Andrew Innes on former single ‘Tranquilizer’.
To celebrate HYM, we take you back to our first live experience of the soon-to-be iconic band at the Social in London. Enjoy the live review but, most importantly, rejoice in Holy Youth Movement!
*banner image courtesy of Alan Wells.
HOLY YOUTH MOVEMENT
THE SOCIAL, LONDON, October 7th 2022
Bristol's Holy Youth Movement was second up on This Feeling’s Test Transmission night. They have been supporting headliners The Utopiates across the UK this past summer.
Image courtesy of Rocklands TV
In the 00s, many bands tried to bridge the gap between rock ‘n’ roll and breaks. Kasabian and Radio 4 got the closest, although, if we’re honest, neither married the two to a level the scene deserved.
Step forward Holy Youth Movement! A walking remix behemoth of a band!
Everything about them screams Kasabian debut, nu-school breaks, and 3am mayhem in nightclubs (remember them!). Previous singles ‘Information Is Beautiful’ and ‘Tranquilizer’ explode into the ether like a Serge Pizzorno wet dream. The former is blessed with the melodic yet destructive synths of Justice vs Simian alongside the beautiful volatility of the Primals ‘XTRMNTR’. It allows their message of humanity to come together, no matter the chaos.
‘Tranquilizer’ does what all post ‘West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum’ Kasabian albums have attempted and failed. It delivers a post-apocalyptic rave that throbs and thunders to the soul. The guttural electronica of Underground meets the spirit of BRMC's ‘Whatever Happened to My Rock ‘n’ Roll’. It leaves the room feeling hollow afterwards. It looked your soul in the eye, licked it, fucked it, and left whistling, leaving you desperate for more.
It’s easy to see why the legendary Jagz Kooner hooked up with the band in the studio. Holy Youth Movement have tapped into the post-headliner twitching hours of Bestival and Secret Garden Party from 2005 to 2015. Their ability to splice in rock ‘n’ roll showmanship will take the band to another level.
No one knows what it is, but you know it when you see it. This was it.
Here's Where the Story Ends
Trudging slowly over wet sand, how I dearly wish I was not here. The seagulls can smell my vulnerability. I shake. I shiver. I think I about food, no, I’ll sit in the storm a while a longer. Sip the coffee. Should have brought water too. Feet sore, hips killing, I limp my way to the water. Splash my face with the Bristol channel. Regret. Retreat.
Change of scene. That is all I need to breathe again. As soon as I thought it was over. It started again. The running gags re-emerge. Tea. Toast. Fosters anyone? Yeah, go on, I’m not taking it home.
As a child, my family would go to Mill Rythe Holiday camp in Hayling Island every year. Minehead, but smaller. Roaming free, playing football, table tennis, the arcades, pool, fruit machines, swimming, Jacuzzi, tennis, meeting Henry Cooper, Nan getting a table for bingo 1 hour early, and having a picture with Del Boy’s three-wheeled van, it was glorious. I would mope horrendously upon return.
These memories flood back on Sundays at Shiiine. It’s another time and another world and one no one wants to leave. One last hurrah lurks within everyone’s tired glint. We’re all over thirty, we all know we packed Sunday morning but, we’re all going to behave like it’s Friday night again.
Bouncing to TYS, fawning over Miles’ lyrics and wondering what anti-aging serum Jesus Jones are using. We shall not go gently into the night. I don’t want to go home!
Levi digging everyone who is hanging out of a hole. Neds’ fire raises you up and PWEI’ groove launches you back to the party (sorry Burger King, Big Mac fries to go!). Orbital caning it like its 1988 and Stereo MC’s showing out like bosses. I don’t want to go home!
Cast, Dodgy and The Farm. Friends arm in arm, tears roll down cheeks. Reality looms on the horizon but, it doesn’t seem so bad now. Conversation going on all around me. I join some, I leave some and some never found me. And now you must believe me, we never lose our dreams. Stop the slaughter, let’s go home, let’s go, let’s go.
All together now. See you in 2021
Saturday night's alright for Shiiine!
I get up when I want, except on Saturdays, when I’m rudely avoiding the cooking of breakfast. The four-man birth resembles opening scenes of Young One’s ‘Sick’ episode. Someone please god tie a bin bag on my head and hammer the nails in!
Come on man, get up, the hangover cure awaits. Piss looks like iron bru. Berocca, coffee, litre of water, coffee. Piss looks like 5alive. Another litre of water, bacon sarnie, nap, more water, more coffee, shower. Piss looks like a weak Robinsons squash. Back in the game!
Sit on the patio with a brewer’s droop, I get intimidated by the seagulls, they love a bit of me!
The troops are up, every one slightly in shock we’re all intact despite the confession:
“lot more pushing on the bog than normal”.
With that, it’s Inn on the Green time once more. The glint in the security guard’s smile is beaming, yeah, alright mate, we get it, you got some sleep, we didn’t. cheers!
Thatcher’s Haze, the lemsip of booze. Edge is coming off! Time for new music. Theatre Royal and Gazelle have been the truly special ones in this slot!
A feeling of impending victory forever lurks on Saturday. The c86 wars were fought and the Stourbridge massive kicked an academy venue-sized hole into the industry. It’s all we ever wanted. A place to exist. A place to call our own. Then 1994 happened. Masterpiece after masterpiece came out. Dare we dream a little bigger?
This all culminates in the mid-90s triumphalism. Huge skyline singalongs to Sleeper, Ocean Colour Scene, The Bluetones, and Shed Seven echo across the sea. Smiles on every face, band t-shirts glow in the disco lights like a Mediterranean sunset. Maybe it's the clothes we wear. The tasteless bracelets and the dye in our hair. Maybe it's our kookiness. Or maybe, maybe it's our nowhere towns. Our nothing places and our cellophane sounds. Maybe it's our looseness. But we’re Shiiine On trash, you and me!
The skyline filters out, and the indie kids seek out Lammo but the ravers are only just coming out to play. Daniel Fulham fires up the party with his rave sets. The black and yellow become poetic as visibility wanes. Awesome 3 wobbles you to the core and N Joi pulsates through your heart like a shot of serotonin.
Jon Mancini drops acid house, rave, and pop classics. The piano loops a signal for another vodka lime soda. Another hug from a stranger. I lose my friends, I dance alone, it’s 4am, and I don’t wanna go home!
Shiiine On Happy People
On a cold and frosty morning, there's not a lot to say. Have I stolen a pint of milk from work for coffee? Have I packed my Thousand Yard Stare t-shirt? Have I been to the gym enough to get through the onslaught of Shiiine On?
I catch myself in the mirror. Greyer and fatter but, never more ready for the annual trip to Minehead. Why the fuck did I have the 6th pint at Gerry Cinnamon last night?!
The first rush of excitement as old friends meet is allayed by hips falling out of place. Much like 4am finished, hugging around a hand brake is a young person’s game. Four hours of shit jokes, farts, and laughing at your mate for pissing in a bottle as you deliberately ignore Fleet services fly by. This alone is worth 200 quid.
Being the musical geek of the gang, inevitably I’ve spent hours making playlists. Agonising over which new Candy Opera track to add or about which new band is the best Oasis re-hash. The Crooks or Columbia? (it’s The Crooks for me). As you take that exciting right turn past every supermarket under the sun and the Big Top becomes a reality, so does that they haven’t listened to anything you have curated. When Liam Tyson shreds later, then they’ll listen!
Admin. Bleurgh. Queuing for check-in for 30 mins, why didn’t we get here at 10am? Maybe next year. In the meantime, I’ll stare at everyone’s trainers and parkers like a fourteen-year-old staring at strap-on sally chasing you down the alley.
Beers in the fridge. Beers in the freezer. A warm beer whilst we wait. Lammo on 6music. I wonder if he’ll repeat the same John Peel joke again. I wonder if I’ll laugh again. One hour until Ivory Wave, keep drinking!
Then it happens. Like it does every year. There are only three, of the four of us in the lounge. The extractor fan is on. The slow waft of service station expulsion meanders into the room. The wretched fog is here, and with five thousand middle-aged folks digesting the one nutrient between them in Burger King all weekend, it’s loitering with intent.
That first walk to the main arena is like the coronation. The laughter at the Inn on the Green grows steadily, the bouncers friendly (that’s not very 90s), and then it begins, Stone Roses is booming. As it surely always is here. Minehead, in November, is grey, bitter and the seagulls have come beyond the North Wall in Game of Thrones but, ‘She Bangs The Drums’ paints night like a Jackson Pollock masterpiece.
Jug after jug come. I should eat, maybe after Rev. Jug, jug, Thatchers, jager bombs, jug repeat! I should eat. Maybe after Cast and Lightning Seeds. Shit, I can’t hear the Seeds properly, maybe I should eat no? Not before Sice, never before Sice! I eat, it’s not legal, Apollo 440, Adamski and Cut La Rock take me to a buffet of love among strangers I forgot existed. I should sleep. One more pint with this couple as they tell me about meeting at Spike Island.
Chalet. Bed. Sleep smiling. Best friends. Best strangers. Best day one ever.
Shiiine On Weekender '19
The hangovers and comedowns have just about faded nearly two weeks on from this years Shiiine On Weekender. All we’re left with now is, an aching feeling that 2020 is just so far away.
To ease the pain, here are our top 5 highlights from the weekend. Please don’t troll us, we really did love everything about the weekend! Except Phil, he says we’re all c**ts.
Jon Mancini
Classic after classic, rave, acid house, Ibiza anthems and stupendous remixes flooded Reds dance floor. No-one played this weekend without technical proficiency. What set Mancini apart was, his ability to tap into the soul of this festival and its people. By the time he dropped Electronic, the room was ready to fall in the floor and die in a state of sheer happiness. May he always be at Shiiine!
Gazelle
The Shiiine On family continues to grow with new bands each year. Having the Inn On The Green free from the main stage on Saturday was a great touch. Big crowds for every band, more importantly, crowds of music buying generations to hopefully fund the new wave.
Taking full advantage was Leicester's Gazelle. The most aptly named band of the weekend, who among us wasn’t wearing a pair!
Along with mainstage openers Ivory Wave, they have had great run of singles in 2019. Looking like a gang and as free flowing as The Rifles and The Courteeners, they channel Richard Hawley’s Blake-esque lyrics through a flurry of great choruses and solos.
Despite the smell of feet (the room, not theirs), their everyman rock n roll blew away Friday's cobwebs with aplomb.
Sice
What a comeback. No live performances since 2005, Sice returned with a couple of gigs this fall. Neither would have compared to the huge crowd he drew on the Centre Stage. Humble, and full of love, Sice was visibly taken aback by the crowd he drew and, their reaction to the Radleys classics he played.
The Radleys were always full of adventure musically, however, to hear their songs stripped back was one of the cutest and most adorable things known to man. ‘I Wish I Was Skinny’ was jaw dropping, ‘Fairfax’ was heart-warming and, during ‘From the Bench at Belvidere’, Shiiine On possessed a hymnal quality like no other.
Embrace
Doing exactly what it says on the tin, they lift you up, inspire you and release you into the ether a better person!
Euphoric from start to finish, their beauty continues to reign supreme. With a classic record in each of the last three decades, they are becoming Indie’s Cliff Richard, here’s to ‘20s.
The Popguns
As a teenager of the Britpop, Shiiine On offers up several bands not yet discovered. Each of our four trips as unearthed a band that has stolen my heart:
2016 - Thousand Yard Stare
2017 - The Orchids
2018 - The Train Set
This year’s lucky winner was Brighton’s jangle gems The Popguns. Their effortless pop music warmed the arctic seaside conditions effortlessly. If there is a better sound to fall in love to than theirs we’d like to hear it.
Shiiine On: Then, Now, Forever!
“When something's good it's never gone”
New Order, 1990.
From the second summer of love to the end of 1996, saw several cultural spikes from the UK. Acid House, Baggy, the Camden pop art scene and the 60s renaissance of Oasis, Ocean Colour Scene and Cast. They haven't just sound-tracked the lives of the 30 plus crowd at the Shiiine On Weekender, they continue to be the fulcrum for subsequent generations looking for something real. Yes, The Libertines, The Streets and The Enemy have contributed significant albums, but, there has never been that Joe Strummer defamation “finally Beatles mania has bitten the dust” written about the Happy Mondays, Oasis or Stone Roses. Why? Well, as this great weekend showcased, it was music by the people for the people. Not a bunch of tossers kitted out Topman clobber. Every act, DJ, venue host, heck, even the dancing security guard proved that a working class hero is still something to be.
'Do you remember when....' is probably the most uttered phrase this weekend. Do you remember when he Bluetones went straight in at number 2 with 'Slight Return', or, when Steve Lamacq used to help us with our homework on the evening session? On and on the fond memories went.
To cynics, the Shiiine On Weekender is a festival for the outdated and irrelevant. They're wrong. For any artist or band yearning to breakthrough, a lot of these bands hold a the answers their looking for.
Echo & The Bunnymen show the value in looking cool as fuck. Mark Morriss and Rick Witter demonstrate the value of between song banter. Meanwhile, Echobelly's Sonya Madan's ability to connect her dancing to their sound gives that additional meaning to songs and makes her look every bit of a star now as in 1995. In a world where music is stolen as much as its bought, these things matter even more now. Talent is not enough to garner adoration, it's got to be earned!
Recently, the glorious Caitlin Moran spoke about the differences between the approach taken by Radiohead and Kasabian on Richard Herring's RHLSTP (RHLSTP) podcast:
“Radiohead and Kasabian are interested in exactly the same music. Kasabian are a working class band from Leicester and Radiohead are a middle class band from Oxford. I love both intensely and dearly but this seems to absolutely typify the differences between working classes and middle classes.......Where as Radiohead make these impenetrable things and don't really talk to the audience, we make these scary things and to make you cry. Where as Kasabian make the same music and are like oooooaaaaarrrrrggggghhhhh. There was a quote from Serge after a Radiohead gig saying 'there was no birds on blokes shoulders, that's a shit gig'. That's exactly it, they want to share it with everyone and make it joyful.”
This come one, come all spirit is alive and well at the Shiiine On Weekender and can be seen in the various cover songs played. It's an art form often overlooked but cultivates identity so easily, it should be rehired immediately.
The Farm remind everyone of their punk and protest roots via The Clash's 'Bankrobber' and arguably draw the biggest reaction of the weekend when Paul Hooton rightly revels in the victories over the West Yorkshire Police, Thatcherites and the Murdoch press.
The music industry is often looked upon negatively, and often with good reason. The lack of reward for the risk is nothing compared to what it was for this weekends acts. Nevertheless, is there a better time to be in a band? There are more festivals, more radio stations and a ton of more interesting less corporate ways of promoting yourself. The talent that Cabbage, Whistlejacket and The Academic possess, the world is theirs to take if they want it enough.
The odds are clearly stacked in favour of those from more comfortably backgrounds but let the likes of Jake Bugg and especially Skepta and Kano be the example of not only how but why it should be done.
NB:
Please go read Mark Beaumont's Guardian review and the beautiful piece from Step On Magazine:
http://steponmagazine.com/purple-love-balloon-shiiine-on-weekender-wrap-photos/