Festival Review: Neighbourhood Weekender - Victoria Park, Manchester - May 2022
Neighbourhood Weekender has always been a favourite of mine. Two days spent in the glorious scenes of Victoria Park, a roster full of the biggest names on the indie-rock scene, and a fantastic selection of food and drink vendors. What’s not to like?
Entering the field on Saturday afternoon, we began to hear the pounding drums and trumpets of Red Rum Club on the Main Stage. Although it was barely 2pm, there was a massive crowd eagerly waiting to hear their most well-known tracks ‘Eleanor’ and ‘Would You Rather be Lonely’. We listened to their set whilst making our way around the festival site, checking out the wide array of vendors and the quirky set-up of the VIP area – where we found a perfect combination of cocktail stands and hammocks.
I was keen to get a good spot for the next band on the Main Stage, up-and-coming indie rock band Wet Leg. Hailing from the Isle of Wight, Wet Leg has taken the music industry by storm and their growing fan base was reflected in the huge crowd that surrounded the Main Stage for their performance. Rhian Teasdale owned the stage in plaits and sunglasses, beginning with ‘Too Late Now’. As expected, the audience were the most receptive to ‘Wet Dream’, an original track recently covered by Harry Styles in the BBC Live Lounge. Wet Leg’s effortless quirkiness is captured in ‘Chaise Lounge’ and its almost conversational lyricism bouncing between vocalists Teasdale and Hester Chambers, asking ‘Is your muffin buttered?’. This band are only going to get bigger and better.
We then remained at the Main Stage for indie favourites The Fratellis, who always put on an incredible show. The Fratellis have a fantastic stage presence, with lead vocalist and guitarist Jon Fratelli donned in his signature hat in the centre of the stage and assisted by three suited backing singers. The audience went wild for ‘Chelsea Dagger’, whilst my personal favourite performance was their undeniably catchy cover of ‘Yes, Sir I Can Boogie’.
Scouting For Girls were up next at The Big Top stage, and the excitement for their performance was undeniable in the stampede-like crowd that rushed into the tent to catch their set. However, we were more interested in The Lathums. This Northern indie band are deserving of their quick success, captured in a string of festival dates from Sound City in Liverpool to SXSW in Texas. Beginning with ‘Fight On’ before moving on to their newest banger ‘Sad Face Baby’, fans graced each other’s shoulders as the band matched the energy of the crowd. Personally, I think the talent of this band is truly showcased in their performance of ‘I See Your Ghost’, where the high notes of Alex Moore’s piercing vocals outshine the heavy guitar riffs.
We raced to The Big Top stage to catch a few songs of Yorkshire indie-rockers The Reytons. The audience nearly drowned out their performance of ‘Kids Off The Estate’ as the fans chanted the lyrics. The tent remained packed for the pounding beats of ‘… Red Smoke’ and their most well-known track ‘On the Back Burner’.
After a busy afternoon of music, we headed to catch a more chilled set from James Bay on the Main Stage. Bay played a great combination of his popular tracks ‘If You Ever Want to Be in Love’ and ‘Hold Back the River’, alongside his newer music ‘Give Me the Reason’. His feel-good music and catchy lyricism provided the perfect backdrop to sit and bask in the glorious Saturday sunshine.
Next up was Australian three-piece DMA’s, who captured the Main Stage instantly with the irresistible guitar riffs of ‘Feels Like 37’. DMA’s performed a perfect balance of heavier, boisterous tracks such as ‘Lay Down’ and ‘Hello Girlfriend’, and slower ballads like ‘Silver’. ‘Silver’ was an incredibly intimate moment for both the band and the crowd, as lead vocalist Tommy O’Dell sang ‘How do I redefine / All my love for you?’. DMA’s are the pinnacle of indie-rock music, and their performance at Neighbourhoods Weekender demonstrated that their spot on big stages is well-deserved.
In the short break between DMA’s and festival headliner Courteeners, we headed to The Big Top tent (which was completely full) to catch a few songs from Example. We got a glimpse of ‘Changed the Way You Kiss Me’ and ‘Kickstarts’, which had the entire tent bouncing and matching Example’s infectious on-stage energy. There was also a moment when ‘Satisfaction’ by Benny Benassi and The Biz was mixed into the performance, which the crowd went equally as wild for.
It was then time for Manchester’s own Courteeners. From the very first second of their performance, flares lit up the sky in an array of colours as the sun set over the Main Stage. Beginning with ‘Cavorting’, Liam Fray took centre stage in a leopard print parka – you couldn’t take your eyes off him. The atmosphere was electric as the band moved on to play tracks such as ‘Acrylic’, ‘Modern Love’ and ‘Bide Your Time’. The audience were very receptive to ‘That Kiss’ and ‘Small Bones’, as they chanted with the band ‘And she’s asking me to dance / When she’s asking me to dance’. Fray then treated his adoring fans to acoustic solo performances of ‘Please Don’t’ and ‘Smiths Disco’, before the rest of the band returned to the stage to end the set. The crowd were united in their love for ‘Are You in Love With A Notion?’ and ‘Not Nineteen Forever’, enjoying one last energetic dance. The brilliant, hard-hitting lyricism of ‘What Took You So Long?’ then closed the performance on a high. The Courteeners are a band that will forever reign over festival headline slots, and rightly so.
We headed towards Warrington Central station after a fantastic first day, ready for rest before an equally exciting line up on the Sunday.
Sunday’s weather was no match to the beautiful sunshine we experienced on the Saturday – nevertheless, we headed down to Neighbourhood Weekender early and were eager to experience more sets from up-and-coming artists on the indie scene. Heading to the Viola Beach stage, an incredible tribute to an incredible band, we began the day with a set from singer-songwriter Oliver Keane. Fans sat in front of the stage, as Keane described it as the “chill stage” before his performance of the beautiful ‘fall down’. However, Keane then drew a big crowd for his cover of Catfish and the Bottlemen’s ‘Pacifier’ and then proceeded to end on ‘3am’.
The star of Sunday was Baby Queen, who ran onto the stage in The Big Top with an immediately energetic performance of ‘Internet Religion’. Baby Queen shot to fame recently through her involvement on the soundtrack of Netflix’s ‘Heartstopper’, and the size of the crowd in the tent reflected her rapidly growing fanbase. Although she faced some technical problems with her guitar, Baby Queen truly owned the stage as she interacted and engaged with the crowd every second of her performance. She jumped into the crowd to dance with her fans and even handed the mic to a member of the audience during ‘Buzzkill’. Baby Queen’s vivacious personality shone through her performance, especially when a fan threw a vape for her to enjoy on stage. Ending on ‘Want Me’, which is attributed to her love of Villanelle from ‘Killing Eve’, we couldn’t take our eyes off Baby Queen on stage for the entire set – this artist is one to watch.
Next up on the Main Stage were Dublin four-piece Inhaler. Inhaler’s sound fits the festival atmosphere superbly, with attention-grabbing choruses, riffs that sound instantly familiar and feel-good rhythms. Beginning with ‘It Won’t Always Be Like This’; frontman Elijah Hewson performs with a perfect blend of effortless confidence whilst reflecting the energy of his audience. The band continued with ‘Cheer Up Baby’, ‘When It Breaks’, before ending with the powerful, echoing choruses of ‘My Honest Face’.
I decided to stay at the Main Stage to catch the first few songs of Pale Waves, before moving to The Big Top for The Amazons. I have been following Pale Waves since the band began performing at small venues, and I was excited to see them perform once again post-Pandemic. I was in awe of lead vocalist and guitarist Heather Baron-Gracie’s confidence as she strutted along the stage, especially in her performance of Lies as she sang with the crowd ‘You called it love but it never had that feeling / Ripped out my heart and left it bleeding’. Pale Waves’ set was a combination of their newer music, alongside fan favourites such as ‘One More Time’ and ‘Television Romance’. After observing the growth in both their fanbase and confidence - this band is destined for even bigger festival slots.
The Amazons then took to the stage in The Big Top with the brilliantly boisterous guitar riffs of ‘Stay With Me’, before moving on to treat the crowd to a performance of their newest track ‘Bloodrush’. The Amazons played a perfectly crafted set of their most well-loved tunes, from ‘Mother’ to the resounding choruses of ‘Junk Food Forever’, where the crowd was covered with fans on each other’s shoulders. Ending on the irresistibly catchy ‘Black Magic’, The Amazons will forever be a festival favourite of mine.
Penultimate main stage headliner Blossoms were next on the roster, entering the stage to ‘Black Skinhead’ by Kanye West. Frontman Tom Ogden spent the set switching between dancing around the stage and playing his keyboard. Blossoms performed a brilliant setlist with a combination of fan favourites from all their records, such as ‘If You Think This Is Real Life’ and ‘Ribbon Around The Bomb’. Colourful flares were set off to the pounding rhythms of ‘At Most a Kiss’ and Ogden told a hilarious anecdote of his inspiration for ‘Your Girlfriend’. The crowd erupted for the closer ‘Charlemagne’, whilst the band elongated the final instrumental so that Ogden could introduce his bandmates – a lovely touch to a fantastic performance.
Closing the Sunday night was Kasabian. I had last seen Kasabian at Leeds Festival in 2017, where Tom Meighan was on centre stage, so I was excited to see how Serge Pizzorno performed in his new role. The relentless beats of ‘Club Foot’ filled the air as Pizzorno leapt around the stage. From the first note, he achieved the undivided attention of the audience more than I had ever seen from Kasabian before. Moving on to a setlist of fan favourites, such as ‘Underdog’, ‘You’re in Love with a Psycho’ and ‘Empire’, the crowd bounced and matched the momentum of the band onstage. My personal favourite performance was ‘treat’, as ‘Sweet Dreams’ by the Eurthymics was mixed in and Pizzorno came down to the barricade to be with his fans. Ending on a powerful encore of ‘Bless This Acid House’, ‘L.S.F’ and ‘Fire’, it was a strong end to the festival as the crowd chanted ‘And I’m on fire’.
Neighbourhood Weekender 2022 confirmed my love for this festival. No matter the line-up – it will always be a brilliant weekend.
Words by Jess Foster
Photography provided by S.J.M Concerts
