So, tonight’s (Sunday) at Freedom Festival was pretty epic.
Indeed, seeing something like that go on in Hull is pretty cool and it really makes us believe that there is so much more to the city than it is given credit for.
We were only there for one day this year, and it goes on for three. It’s all about embracing great local and live talent and today we managed to catch the headliners – the electro-classical-glam sensation that is Patrick Wolf and the unclassifiable wonder that is Florence And The Machine.
First though, we arrived at Queens Gardens just in time for a rap masterclass from local lads The Gang – Growth And Not Glory (introduced by Raw Talent host Alan Raw) who’s uplifting pop-infected rhymes give Kanye West a run for his money. The group’s standout track was ‘Kick And Snare’ and this beast had both new and established fans waving their hands in the air and chanting the words. Okay, so these guys are certainly not within our remit, but who cares? It’s from Hull, and it’s good.
You can check out their video for the aforementioned track below:
Next up, we got to see London-based international sensation Patrick Wolf, a man (with a band) that pricked the ears of Industrial legend Alec Empire and then in-turn caught our attention. We’ve heard that he’s ridiculously arrogant but today he seemed humble and genuinely pleased to be in ‘Ull for the first time. Tracks like ‘Hard Times’ (just because it was great to hear people chanting ‘revolution’) and ‘The Magic Position’ go down a treat and allowed this modern day Bowie (or the male Lady GaGa…whatever) to captivate the hearts of many an onlooker with his dark, electronic-pop and violin-driven ballads.
Watch the video for ‘Hard Times’ below:
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We had never heard much of Florence And The Machine before this day, and we have to say that despite not really being that dark, or alternative they are certainly one of the best bands we have ever had the privilege of seeing – not bad for a free event eh?
Any way, the group absolutely wowed the capacity crowd in Hull’s city centre. This was the closest thing to actual magic that we have ever witnessed on a stage. Other great showings like ‘Are You Hurting The One You Love?‘ and ‘Howl’ created a fantastic atmosphere that had the whole crowd bouncing, singing and screaming along doing their best impressions of the charismatic (and very energetic) vocalist Florence Welsh. Actually, for a few moments during standout track ‘Dog Days’ and for some of the band’s cover of The Source and Candi Staton’s ‘You’ve Got The Love’ (before we got pounced on by a very eager festival goer), it felt like time stood still and we were clearly part of something really special. In short, the lady and her Machine blew our minds.
Watch the video for ‘Dog Days’ below:
The whole event made us very proud of our roots and we met some wonderful people. Who knew that there are so many alternative kids in Hull? Where are you all hiding? Please don’t go back into the woodwork until Freedom 2010 – we need you…this kind of thing needs to happen more. What a great day for the northern music scene. Now, because we are so rock and roll and we’ve just finished at our city’s biggest music festival of the year…we think it’s time to put the kettle on?
For more information visit the festival’s official website.
Dom [S]
