Whereas watching live music in fields used to be the exclusive pastime of guitar heads, now dance, pop and everything in between are also fair festival game. From the one-off gigs in Hyde Park to Wireless Festival, Field Day and Lovebox, it seems like there’s something for every type of music fan – and also for those who just want to get sozzled wearing a floral headband. In fact, its the more commercial acts that sell out better: when Taylor Swift sells out Hyde Park before The Who manage to do the same, you know there’s been a shift in the live music landscape.
New festival in a park Citadel therefore looks rather at odds with the new breed of flashy day festivals, harking back to simpler times with its large number of guitar-toting acts and less (visible) corporate sponsors. But the organisers aren’t stupid: with day gigs being as much about the experience as the music acts, there were enough buzzy new elements to keep visitors entertained at the first ever Citadel.
Disco dodgeball got festivalgoers themselves to form teams and perform dance offs before a game of dodgeball, while the leotarded crew manning the games and geeing the crowd were a spectacle for the eyes. Nearby volleyball, ping pong tables and croquet continued the East-London-village-fete-meets-70s-glam-rock-sports-day theme.
In the art tent you could make perspex-style jewellery and, nearby, your own Bloody Mary masterclass workstation, and a comedy tent (far too small, I might add; we craned our necks to hear the punchline about a chicken shop in Hackney but failed) added to the variety of activities on offer.
Using the same site that Lovebox had occupied two days previously proved to be a canny move: the roller disco and ferris wheel were still there, as well as all the bars and food stalls, but punters also had the option to go to Feast, an add-on meal experience serving up food from Hawksmoor’s Richard Turner.
From the looser outfits and lower hemlines to the number of children wearing ear protectors and families sitting on picnic rugs it’s no surprise the team behind Wilderness are responsible for Citadel. It wants to recreate that laid back Sunday afternoon feeling rather than a mass party in a field.
At the nearby bandstand stage, conveniently located in front of Victoria Park’s very own bandstand, swing dance sessions, Hula Hoop lessons and musical performances encapsulated that lazy afternoon in a park feel. Brass ensemble Perhaps Contraption had managed to amass quite a crowd playing their brass funk and Balkan-tinged folk music. In a uniform of mustard and maroon, the musicians sang in rounds and harmonies as well as playing, dancing and, in the case of the trombonist, yelling down a megaphone. Such fun.
Although the main and Communion stages served up traditional bands principally, the disco-ey dance of the 2 Many DJs-curated ‘Despacio’ tent offered an alternative, as did the Sound Crash big top tent, with Neneh Cherry last on stage. Before that a large crowd waited for Roots Manuva to make his set. Over 20 minutes late Roots burst into action with no apology. Two thirds through his set he dropped Witness and joked that afterwards the crowd would start leaving his performance early – he was right, many did but they missed out on the zippy Buff Nuff, rallying UK Warriors and sing-along-finale Dreamy Days – if ever there was a song for lazy Summer afternoons this was it.
There can be no doubting headline act Ben Howard’s musical talent. His soaring vocals cut through the chilling summer air and he repeatedly changed guitars, showcasing his excellent finger work, but if fans were expecting a punchy, folky performance in keeping with his first album Every Kingdom, they would be disappointed. Well over 40 minutes into his set Howard finally played a crowd favourite Keep Your Head Up and was rewarded with the crowd heartily singing along – only to immediately retreat back into his newer moodier, slower paced material. The Fear and even to an extent encore The Wolves were slowed down and in another context (you know where the tempo had varied a little) the alternative versions would have been welcome but it all just felt a little draggy and self-indulgent.
Penultimate main act Bombay Bicycle who, as the sunlight softened, played crowdpleasers Luna, Feel and It’s Always Like This would have perhaps been a better headline act. The sunny music perfectly matched citadel’s vibes and lead singer Jack Steadman encouraged the crowd to clap along, ‘do some dad dancing’ and just, simply, have a good time. Not that the band needed any gimmicks to gee the crowd up but canons of orange streamers, yellow confetti and gold sparks pouring out of the stage added to the feel good vibe. Bombay Bicycle Club were clearly happy to be here and we were very happy to watch them.
But perhaps the biggest discovery – and certainly my personal highlight – of Citadel was the Sunday Papers tent. Hidden behind the back of the main stage, a crystal-look chandelier hung from the centre, surrounded by tassells, and colourful swathes of fabric. Rugs and velour chaise longes made up the stage in the round while odd armchairs, sofas and coffee tables topped with vases and lamps surrounded the stage. Earlier in the afternoon visitors could listen to talks on gardening and page 3 in The Sun. A mix of debate, spoken word and music, I could have happily whiled away my whole Sunday afternoon in there. Last on was a trio of solo artists come together under the project name Ghost Lights: Dizraeli, a spoken word artist, Reeps One, an ear-boggling beat boxer and Bellatrix, a jazz double bassist and beatboxer too. With just four minutes to perform the trio crammed in one last improvised song, getting the audience to shout out words that had to be included.
As I dashed back to the main stage to catch Bombay, I heard the Sunday Papers sound manager tell the audience, “This whole festival was a bit of an experiment…I think it might have worked.” I think he might be right.
Citadel Festival took place in London’s Victoria Park on Sunday 19th July 2015. For more information on the line-up and other activities, and to sign up for the newsletter for forthcoming dates and events, visit www.citadelfestival.com.
