Every single year Bingley Music Live proves that small local festivals can pull legendary massive names, create a happy buzz and be easy on the pocket. Over the years it has presented West Yorkshire crowds with the likes of The Undertones, Echo & The Bunnymen, Primal Scream, Wilco Johnson and Chic (YEAH – Nile Rogers at the height of last year’s disco revival!).
And this year is no exception. They’ve gone and done it again by booking Pet Shop Boys to headline the top Sunday slot! So although we had to miss out on Friday and Saturday, the main headliner alone made Bingley Sunday an essential date.
Although over the course of this 3-day festival the line up was heavily skewed towards the 90s Britpop sound and chart topping mainstream, each day also offered a doze of less obvious new bands, like Woman’s Hour and Avec Sans, who wouldn’t sound out of place at boutique festivals.
First notable Sunday act was Night Engine who started gathering momentum in early 2013, securing support tour slots with Kaiser Chiefs and The 1975. Frequently compared to Bowie and championed by the likes of The Guardian and The Independent, it was perhaps a bit unfair for them to play so early in the day.
Neon Waltz, one of NME’s favourite bands of 2014, fitted neatly into the guitar-heavy 90s nostalgia of the line up and got a very sizable crowd who seemed to enjoy their stomping guitar sounds with boisterous enthusiasm.
Next up were The Wytches, one of the biggest buzz bands at the start of 2013. Since then, they’ve played a lot of festivals and have recently released an album that received well-deserved support from BBC Radio 6 Music. It was an impressive set and their fresh psychedelic take on 90s grunge was clearly another crowd-pleaser.
Over on the main stage, BBC Sound 2014 nominee Chloe Howl got a very warm reception but it was the acoustic set from Ocean Colour Scene‘s Simon and Oscar that truly struck the chord with much of the audience. Even though I’ve never been an OCS fan, there seemed to be something very touching about their new acoustic venture, and the old songs somehow sounded altogether more elegant and poignant. Unfortunately, The South – successor of the 90s favourites The Beautiful South – were severely delayed, which meant we had to drift back to the main stage to get a good spot for the main spectacle of the day, the iconic Pet Shop Boys.
With 22 Top 10 UK singles under their belt and an ever-expanding collection of awards, Pet Shop Boy’s legendary status is also a painful reminder of the times when pop was not synonymous with shit, reality-TV generated muzak. But even though we were all familiar with their discography, nothing could have prepared us for their live performance! Fresh, oddly provocative, visually futuristic… It was a spectacular ending to the Bingley Music weekender. The band certainly didn’t mess about, unleashing a full-on hit laden festival set: ‘Opportunities’, ‘Suburbia’, ‘West End Girls’…The show went up a gear with ‘It’s a sin’ when even those sitting down got up to their feet and started dancing! ‘Always on my mind’ turned into a happy ‘hands up in the air’ nostalgic singalong. ‘Go West’ went off like a bomb causing the entire 16000-strong crowd to erupt into a spontaneous dance. Sadly, it was an early Sunday curfew so the end came all too soon.
Looking back, the first thing that strikes you about Bingley Music Live is the beauty of Myrtle Park. Its natural amphitheatre layout makes it a perfect location for a big stage event and town-central location also creates a community local atmosphere. Although food was mostly of the ‘pizza’n’burger’ variety, there was a limited range of vegetarian and more adventurous options. Sadly, by the time we arrived the only drinks on offer were standard overpriced festival lagers and ciders. No local brews for us.
At less than £50 for the entire 3-days event, Bingley maybe a bargain but do take note that, unlike many festivals, it doesn’t offer anything apart from its musical line up. If you’re after any comedy, literature, arts and crafts, then Bingley is not likely to impress. However, in some respects it feels refreshingly simple, almost a throwback to the days when music festivals were…well…about music. And with only two stages, you’re not likely to have to deal with any annoying clashes that can make bigger festivals both stressful and frustrating.
There were definitely plenty of festival fancy dressers, families with young kids and very young teenagers who – to be fair – probably had little idea of most of the 90s bands. However, what was clear is that everyone was having a good time. Good old unpretentious fun is what Bingley delivers so well and what’s making it such an enduring success. And there’s no doubt, come next year they will do it all over again, bringing the biggest acts to the heart of Yorkshire and staging another massive fun-for-all party.
