Festival Review: CloseUp Festival - Colours, London | September 2021
Triple threat CloseUp dominated Hoxton’s favourite, Colours, with a whole heap of highly-anticipated acts in partnership with Jagermeister.
Hosting their most significant event to date, live promoters, booking agents, and most recently a record label, CloseUp took to the North London’s Colours earlier this month, offering a day of outstanding live music. Partnering with their pals over at Jagermeister, the drinks were flowing and the good times were most definitely rolling.
Having gained quite the reputation since establishing in 2017, the prospect for the day was incredibly enticing. Working closely with some of the most exciting talents the world has to offer, there was no doubt that the lineup for the festival was going to be a corker.
Straight off the bat, we were treated to the delight that is Natalie Shay. Bringing the good vibes early on, Shay’s charismatic and welcoming performance was the perfect setup for the day that was to follow. Far more deserving of a larger turnout, her bubbly personality and amiable presence were enough for her to fill the stage all with just an acoustic guitar and some viral-worthy anthems. A young talent who I believe will undoubtedly go far with her ever-growing fanbase.
Last-minute additions to the lineup, Mona Vale, were next to take to the stage. The brainchild of Jamie Hoddle & Lewis Gregory, the duo’s disco-infused bangers were quite the jump from what came before. Slightly jolting at first, but by the second song, we were transported entirely into Mona Vale’s chasm of cosmic swells and thumping basslines. It was around 2:30 pm but quite easily could’ve been 2:30 am; the party had and truly kicked off!
Following the sound vibrations of Mona Vale came Devon. An artist/producer who says he’s from “the middle of absolutely nowhere”, I believe Devon will soon enough be going to pretty big places. Presenting with such confidence on stage, an immediate familiarity came as part of Devon’s set. Previously unaware of his music, it didn’t take long for me to become a fan, and it felt like I had been so for months prior.
Now I may be biased being a fellow northerner, but The Hubbards were without question a personal highlight from the day. With their raucous yet incredibly humbling demeanour, it only took a matter of seconds for these lads to influence what was now a heavily packed out room.
Halfway through the day and having seen four truly awe-inspiring acts of such different musical vocabularies, the anticipation for what was to come only became more intriguing and what followed was by no means disappointing!
The first of the second half, Indie-rockers Valeras showed no signs of holding back with their empowering and well-spirited display. Permeating such empathy lyrically, Valeras united the room at Colours reconnecting the audience after halftime.
Newcomers of the capital, Sad Boys Club, brought their A-game, demonstrating exactly why they're one of the city's hottest new bands. Think confessional indie bops that it would be criminal to not dance along to. Sad Boys Club are that kind of good! You'll know the lyrics to the chorus by the second repetition, and it'll be stuck in your head for a week to follow.
Self-described as “50s mutant pop”, Trudy and the Romance were CloseUp’s penultimate act. When you’re told to imagine a blend of early doo-wop and early rock & roll with modern-day garage punk, it’s kind of hard to imagine what that would sound like fully. But let me tell you, it sounds incredible and surprisingly makes complete sense. The combination of lead singer Oliver's raspy voice married with such charismatic and dynamic arrangements offers such a unique musical identity. A new favourite of mine, for sure!
Bringing the night to a close, and last but by certainly no means least, we were presented with Bamily, “four beat-making shit-kickers who throw parties and make pop music.” Getting to catch Bamily live was an absolute delight. The quartet offer such a refreshing take on creativity and on-stage award such unparalleled performances. The perfect close to an extraordinary day.
Admittedly it would’ve been nice to have seen some more diversity amongst the lineup, however, as far as music goes, the festival couldn't be knocked. After the trouble, the music industry has worked itself through the past two years, it's so incredible to see young companies like CloseUp kicking ass with killer events like this one. Take it from me: CloseUp is working with some of the most promising talent around, so they should definitely be a company on any music fans' radar. Watch this space, CloseUp are onto something!
Words by Jess Edwards