Last year’s YO1 festival took place in the midst of adverse conditions. Falling dead in the middle of my first university exam period, the expanse of dark clouds that hung over the race course on the morning of the 5th offered little hope for my Hume heavy mind. Add to this the financial woes of an unemployed second year, and the potential for fun seemed limited. Yet as the beats began to drop, the weirdly reasonably priced craft beer began to flow and the clouds part, so to did our spirits lift. For one day York had a little of everything to offer.
For those intent on nursing hangovers, the combination of Irie Vibes and a spongy grass seat delivered. For the locally invested music fan, the smaller stages offered an intimate setting for York’s homebred talent, spurned on to out-of-their-skin performances now outside of Fibber’s bunkerous walls and into the sun. For those wanting to freak out, there was Rudimental. The end product of flitting between these activities, eating a relish heavy, locally sourced burger and playing in the vacated children’s fun zone was, quite simply and quite genuinely, the best music based day I’ve spent in York to date. Even better than the time The Correspondence came to Gallery. Even better than when I saw two Korean women playing the lute and harpsichord outside McDonald’s at 2 on a sunday morning.(I think it’s a regular thing. Go check it out.)
In light of this runaway success, YO1 2014 has some big boots on its hands. And it plans to more than fill them.
To start with the obvious, the line-up has only gotten better. Where last year’s main stage put most of its eggs in 2 or 3 baskets, this year the eggs are not only more evenly distributed, but much bigger. The early afternoon will see The Renegade Brass Band and Abstract Hip Hop Orchestra induce some toe-tapping with their unique brand of genre hoping ensemble. Limbs loosened, the stage will be set perfectly for the spoken word/trip-beat geniuses Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip. If you were unfortunate enough to miss Scroob’s poetry evening at Duchess last year, do yourself a favour and get to the front of the Night Vision stage at around 6 O’Clock. With the bass heavy Le Sac behind him, the bearded Essex man will happily throw himself into the crowd, open your heart to the possibility of real beauty and lift any lingering hints of Sunday melancholy. Just in time for the dance assault that follows: Radio 1’s Mistajam, the rap world’s discerning voice De La Soul and finally our own Subfocus. Not that much needs to be said. North Yorkshire’s going to get funky.
If wall to wall chart toppers aren’t your thing then a quick stroll over to Irie Vibes, The Bison Coffee and Ministry of Sound stage should see your satisfied. Hosting an eclectic, integrated mix of local up and comers (think Dandy and Delions, Alilou and Boss Caine) and the nationally substantiated (Danny Howard, ÂME and Bicep), rich sounds and extreme competence aside, the diversity should be enough to float your boat.
If it so happens that you are of the hard to satiate sort, YO1 has catered for you. The New Ebor Street Feast, Speakeasy Cocktail Bar, Crepe Lucette and Piggy Smalls will not only offer gastronomical but lexical satisfaction. Guaranteed.
And all of this takes place on the hallowed fields of your very own York. What else are you going to do? Watch Top Gear?