Live & Loud: Headliners Review

Two years ago, X-Factor’s Eoghan Quigg graced the stage at the university’s major event, marking a new low for York’s attractiveness to even half-decent names in the music industry. When YUSU wanted to book the likes of Pendulum, they were already booked to play other universities.

However, president Tim Ellis and his fellow sabbatical officers ensured what seemed on paper to be three (as opposed to two last year for the unpopular Big Bang) popular acts from different ends of the music spectrum to cater to all audiences. The question is could they deliver? The answer was a resounding yes. As opposed to last year, when Central Hall was the sole live music venue, the 3 headliners were in 3 different rooms across the campus, logistically easing the crowds while giving it a larger, festival feel.

First up in the Roger Kirk Centre was young rap duo Rizzle Kicks. Their debut album Stereo Typical is not even out for another few weeks, yet they have already hit massive mainstream success. Accompanied by an enthusiastic and talented backing band (complete with trumpeter), the duo, rapper Rizzle and singer Sylvester, bounded on stage and launched into their first single ‘Prophet (Better Watch It)’. It was in truth, quite a childish performance, youthful exuberance from the 19 year olds clearly part of their image, as they bounced and ran around the stage like kids in a playground.

Rizzle did a fair amount of talking to the packed crowd who loved every minute. The rapper asked at one point “Is this really your canteen?” alluding to how the Roger Kirk was transformed into a good performance space with top acoustics. The band played a cover of Jessie J’s hit ‘Price Tag’ as well as their next single, the fast-paced ‘When I was a Youngster’ and finally, the crowd pleaser, their hit single ‘Down with the Trumpets’. Say what you want about their style of music, but they certainly knew how to get a crowd going.

Meanwhile, in Central Hall, seasoned indie band and Yorkshire locals the Pigeon Detectives looked every inch the Reading and Leeds Festival highlight that they were earlier this summer. They have an uncanny knack for ridiculously catchy hooks, the likes of ‘I Found Out’, ‘Take her Back’ and ‘Romantic Type’ having the crowd singing along to every word. The three aforementioned were all UK Indie Chart number 1 singles, and their other two ‘I’m Not Sorry’ and ‘This is an Emergency’ were also played by a band who genuinely seemed touched by the enthusiastic reception they received.

Lead singer Matt Bowman made some amusing anecdotes about Yorkshire and took a whole load of ice pops from the Red Frogs and began chucking them out to the revellers in the audience with a massive grin on his face. They looked like they were genuinely having fun which made their performance that bit more authentic. They did not look like they just wanted to get out of there, and the large crowd in Central Hall gauged that from the outset.

 

Over to arguably the biggest coup by YUSU for Live & Loud, namely one of the most popular DJ’s in the country at the minute, DJ Fresh. The crowd in a packed Vanbrugh Dining Room were going absolutely wild as he played everything from rap, to house, to hip hop and dubstep. It was 50 minutes nonstop of him DJing, no talking in between which gave it a raw feeling that he just wanted his crowd to lose themselves in the atmosphere he was creating. His single ‘Louder’ was unequivocally the song of this summer and when he played that at the very end of his set, never have I seen a crowd at York go so wild. When his name was chanted repeatedly at the end of his set, the grin on his face told its own story, that he was having a fantastic time.

Speaking to YSTV afterwards, he mentioned his forthcoming album which is “currently a work in progress. I am never happy with anything, but there will be definitely more vocals than on the last record, with more of an electro fusion sound. I will be collaborating with some big names but I am not allowed to say who at this stage”. When asked about his inspiration, he revealed he “never wanted to become a DJ, but my mate Andy C inspired me to turn tables. I stopped listening to music when I was 18, so all my music is very much my own, or with influences from bands I was listening to growing up, such as the Cure and the Pixies.” He also said that to him, “good gigs are all about the crowd. I’ve played all over the world, and for me, Ibiza Rocks and LED Festival which I played a few months ago are the best.”

York Vision asked him about the crowd at York which he had just played to. “I loved it, at one little moment I just felt like I didn’t know where I was, I was just with everyone and it was an amazing feeling. I really enjoyed it. Although I did have a couple more drinks than usual!”

All in all, the three major acts at Live and Loud more than lived up to expectations, as they gave the crowd performances which will be remembered for years to come, playing their hits and feeding off audiences which were having lots of fun, which crucially made themselves enjoy what they were doing, creating a brilliant atmosphere at all three venues. With any luck, this trend of attracting good artists to York will continue for years to come.

Photos: Oliver Todd