Festival Review: Community Festival - Finsbury Park, London July 2022
On a roasting Saturday, a community of music lovers gathered in Finsbury Park to celebrate some of the best in British indie.
Headlined by Irish stalwarts Two Door Cinema Club, it promised to be a good (if sweltering) day — and first up, Just Wondering. Their chilled lo-fi pop, backlit by a neon, thermal-esque pattern, was the perfect accompaniment to the gradually-approaching-30°C heat, and helped ease the mostly sun burnt crowd into the day’s proceedings. The tuned vocals of ‘Drive’ and ‘Idk, maybe’ emanating from the Dublin-based trio washed over the gradually growing crowd — all doing their best to cram themselves into the tiny sliver of shade and shadow cast by the hood of the main stage — and offered a fantastic start.
But all too quickly it was time to jet off for Big Image on the N4 stage. Lead singer George’s slightly-Oasis-whine vocals gave the whole affair a sense of ‘00s nostalgia, while the slightly electronic-tinged instrumentals of opening track Parallel Love Affair got the crowd moving; the Summer-y Something, meanwhile — played ‘for the drum and bass heads’ — saw spotlights and flashes of ocean blue light up the crowd, somehow cutting through the midday sun. It was just a shame that their high energy set lost a little of its lustre from half the crowd standing back in the shaded canopy of the trees, a trend which continued for most of the day. A few more tracks — the mosh pit-invoking Separate Beat, the slightly more laid back Crazier — and then it was time for the final song, ‘Club’; a chorus of cheers boos at the announcement just showed how well received the Midlands-based band had been, and how much they’d be missed. Oo la la indeed!
After a short wait in front of the N4 stage, it was time for Priestgate. From the outset, they were fighting an uphill battle, competing with the piercingly punkish screams of main stage band Courting — yet lead singer Rob Schofield (somehow only 20 years old??), arm in a cast, seemed happily up to the task; his dramatically powerful vocals penetrated comfortably through the crowd. Angst and euphoria combined as he gyrated and contorted across the stage — facing and performing to his band mates almost as often as he was the mesmerised crowd — ably assisted by the afore mentioned four band mates, and blasting through a litany of tracks, including the entrancingly dark ‘Eyes Closed For The Winter’, and the almost manic ‘... Bedtime Story’. Final track ‘Summer’ meanwhile, was a perfect place to end — even if the fact that they’re a UK band makes the song name only suitable for a few weeks a year.
It’s no wonder they have support slots lined up with Pale Waves and a whole host of festivals coming up — their presence on stage alone makes them worth seeing. The tight instrumentals and distinct vocals are just a bonus. Just a very unique band, and one definitely worth checking out.
The dark rock outfit Crawlers were up next on the main stage. Although impacted by a few sound issues early on, lead singer Holly Minto basically inaudible, they recovered quickly — hypnotic second track Statues quite casually clawed the crowd’s attention back, Holly literally crawling across the stage at one point to the song as per the name — though interestingly we’re told during the set that the band were initially going to be called Creepers before finding out it was taken. The band backlit by blood red spotlights through the quickly pumped out smoke, before the yet-to-be-released I Don’t Want It, a fantastic slice of rock, was aired — ‘reckon we should release this?’ was met with roars of approval, suggesting the name might need some work — and the slower Fuck Me, almost vitriolic in its sinisterness. The loudest response came for the quickly building epic I Can’t Drive though — “this ones for all the bitches still on their provisional licenses’, Holly cried, directed by the looks of it to a good half of the crowd. A fantastic set from the Liverpool lot, and an incredible main stage debut.
After a short wait, It was emo indie folk rock outfit — self described as an ‘inoffensive pop rock and roll’ band — Bears In Trees’ time to shine. With singer Callum Litchfield bedecked in what looked like butterfly print overalls and equipped with a trusty ukulele, and Iain Gillespie’s almost scathingly passionate vocals roaring along with him, their upbeat and anthemic blend of acoustic country rock was ideal as the afternoon started to draw to a close. Good Rhymes For Bad Times, for instance, all about undiagnosed ADHD — perfect for their wholesome chaos — saw waves of hands flow across the happy N4 crowd, while Heaven Sent is a Coffee Cup saw Callum race shoeless along the front of the crowd, collecting high fives like he was on a mission, with the by-then dancing crowd surging forward to the barrier. The band simply just look like they’re having fun — and, the great music aside for a second, sometimes that’s all that matters.
“There’s some special people in the crowd today... all of you”! The band announce at one point; with their almost innocent earnestness, you genuinely believe them. The crowd became a family, if only for a few short songs, and Bears In Trees’ set won’t soon be forgotten.
Walking out in all black, a pair of sunglasses the closest thing to colour on his monochrome frame, it wasn’t long before it was time for Kid Brunswick and his slightly trap-esque brand of nihilistic, vitriolic rock gleefully invigorated the otherwise afternoon-lulled crowd; loud, furious, and effortlessly controlled. With just a drummer for company, the wall of sound thrust from the stage was almost tangible. Even unreleased songs were met with adoration — second track Blur had everyone singing along before the song even properly started, and if his guttural screams were alien to the otherwise peacefully indie crowd, you couldn’t tell from the passion and fervour; meanwhile, the unreleased (and personal favourite) Heaven saw the entire crowd screaming along. The mosh pits that came into play in the latter half of the set (talking to you Bipolar Rhapsody) was just the icing on the proverbial cake; the clouds of cloying dust rising up around them seemed just an extension of the smoke rising up from the stage. And, when his own head banging launched his sunglasses on the floor and smashed the lenses from out of frame, it seemed just like the logical conclusion. A brilliant set.
A short walk back to the main stage brought an otherwise strange sight: some 8-bit arcade characters, slowly transitioning to the ever famous space invaders-esque logo. Basically, it was time for the quintessential indie rock band — Murph and Co of The Wombats. Bursting straight into Moving to New York, it was plain to see that a hell of a lot of people knew every word, and easy to see why: they’re a hell of a lot of fun. Techno Fan was next, the stage lights transitioning to a nicely chilled pink and yellow. Basically, Community got all the hits: Lemon to a Knife Fight (featuring, obviously, a lemon thrown from the stage into the crowd); the much-loved Kill The Director; the fantastic new album single If You Ever Leave Me I’m Coming With You. The new album got a good look in too — three others in fact, including Ready for the High, featuring a giant wombat mascot in red sequins with a sax — because why not — as well as the slow, almost introspective Method to the madness, which quickly built into a instrumentally climactic explosion.
But it was in the truly iconic songs that the band shined; namely, Greek Tragedy and Let’s Dance to Joy Division, the former seeing the crowd passionately singing along and the latter seeing the multiple thousands stuffed in front of the main stage jumping along. And on a hot day in July, what could be better?
The first thing you notice when Nothing But Thieves start playing, without fault, is just how good Conor’s voice is. Th second thing, as they break into the reasonably new Futureproof, is that they’re a damn popular band. And, finally, the third thing is just how much their sound has evolved from those early self titled album days to a much darker, more impactful brand of heaviness. Second track Is Everybody Going Crazy, for instance, perfectly blends a foot stomping, bass heavy rock with Conor’s by now pretty iconic falsetto to create a pretty fantastic song. The older ones are still there — Broken Machines’ I Was Just A Kid, early number Trip Switch. But the real magic of the set is in just how well crafted it is, blending the old and the new and making the whole thing feel seamless.
Despite the rock, despite the heart-pounding ferocity of their heavier numbers, it’s still in the hauntingly emotive ones that they shine, however; the moments where the tempo slows down and Conor’s vocals and undeniable ability to write brilliant choruses come to the fore. Take the beautiful-yet-painful Particles, or the heart-wrenching, hauntingly emotive yet-still-somehow-anthemic Sorry for instance; there’s the massively shared feeling of near-despondency uniting the crowd, sure, but it also creates the contrast that makes the rest of the songs shine — a slight lacking for some other UK rock bands. When you can follow Particles up with the fast-paced, electronic-metal-tinged Unperson and both retain their respective poignancy and urgency, you know you’re doing something right.
And then there’s Amsterdam. There’s not really much that can do this one justice; it’s brilliant on record, climbing and climbing to a rapturous crescendo, but it’s an experience live. It might not be the closer anymore but it’s always easily one of the highlights of yet another fantastic set from the Essex lads, and Community was no exception. Tremendous as always.
Leaving just before the end gave us just enough time to get to the N4 stage for indie favourites Circa Waves. As they broke into firm favourites ‘Wake Up’, ‘Get Away’, and ‘Movies’ the ridiculously rammed second stage crowd burst into movement, jumping around and generally harnessing the tail end of the July sun — the perfect weather for the true T-Shirt Weather band. Some guitar fills later due to a technical issue — Seven Nation Army, sure, and Stairway to Heaven, but the brief inclusion of the iconic Duelling Banjos may have honestly been a highlight of the day — and the band were back, racing into Move to San Francisco and firm standout Fire That Burns, before taking a verbal poll on whether the crowd fancied Be Your Drug or Stuck in my Teeth. Because of the sound issues, a few songs had to be cut for time, and Be Your Drug ended up being one of them. Quickly launching into the closely fought winner, the anthemic Stuck in my Teeth, and the more recent Jacqueline, one of the main things to come out of their set is that the Scousers are here purely for a good time. Even the people who didn’t know all the words were just all smiles — and how could they not be? Even some of the songs that might be lyrically darker are just a hell of an upbeat ride. It’s just a shame that they were put on the small stage where being able to see them was a competition — but then Community and Festival Republic would have had a hell of a decision to make with who to swap.
Finally, and all too soon, it was time for *that* song. The sun held up, blue skies all around; undoubtedly T-Shirt Weather. With half of the crowd suddenly growing a few feet up from friends’ conveniently placed shoulders, the mayhem began — and it didn’t cease until the very final notes were played and the final reverberating echoes of a few thousand claps had faded away, though the chorus kept up for much of the ten minute wait for Two Door Cinema Club. A true triumph, even beating technology itself.
However, Circa Waves’ end simply meant Two Door’s start. Coming out in a selection of slick suits, the headliners had arrived, and in such style too. With the dazzling gleam of spotlights shining in front of an almost retro-3D themed backdrop, I Can Talk led into Undercover Martyn, complete with the explosion of confetti; thousands of airborne drunk hands flailing to grasp one of the blue strips casually gliding over their heads to call their own can only ever enhance a song, and the early album favourite was no exception. Are We Ready? (Wreck) and This Is The Life came close on their heels, practically falling on top of one another in their haste to grace the adoring crowd, and then it was time for some new stuff — specifically, the recently released Wonderful Life. A transition to bright blocks of colour on the massive screens displayed behind them gave the whole thing a slight hint of nostalgia, almost childlike in its construction, and the incredible song seemed as much a soundtrack to one of those halcyon summers of old as it did the 2022 festival it was being played at. It was almost a shame when it ended — but then Bad Decisions, Talk and ‘first single [they] ever released’ Something Good Can Work (is it really a throwback if it’s a phenomenal set mainstay??) more than made up for it.
Having headlined Community back in 2018 — with previous day headliner Sam Fender playing early afternoon on the small stage — there was a hell of a lot of pressure on the band: both to top their last appearance and to deliver something new. Suffice to say they sure delivered, especially with lighting. Changing of the Seasons was especially impressive, bars of orange-gold flashing behind a band in silhouette, as was Next Year, with beams of blue and red seemingly extending from the stage into the crowd.
But, as with any long awaited festival headliner, it was the final few tracks that etched them into memory: in this case, Sun, the soft purple, orange and gold lights underneath a slowly sinking sun giving the impression of some tropical paradise, perfect for the chilled indie pop of the Irish lads; and, of course, What You Know. With a hypnotic spiral of red and blues mesmerising the crowd, the club-and-sun classic went down a genuine treat, with its sudden abrupt ending leaving everyone wanting more.
Community Festival — as always a fantastic day.
Words by James O’Sullivan
Photography by James Baker
