Sunday 24th May 2015
Glastonbudget Festival
on Sunday
with 8Miles High, Ali Clinton, Before The Crash, Bella Diem, Beneath The Lights, Casino Empire, The Catalogues, Chris Ostler, Dark Side of Pink Floyd The Enthused, Four Point Oh, Hard Suction, Mammoth, Mercury, Money For Nothing, Nazarene, New Priorities, Resistance, Ska-Amanga, Skam, Twosixones.
2nd edition: updated 29th May
A full photo gallery of all the pictures our team took at Glastonbudget will be available in a few days.
Photos © RhinoFeroSs Photography and © Music in Leicester, courtesy of Glastonbudget 2015.
See our report for Glastonbudget on Friday
See our report for Glastonbudget on Saturday
The Antarctic Monkeys on the Main Stage
The headline band of this year’s festival was Antarctic Monkeys. Last year at Glastonbudget the Tribute to The Arctic Monkeys played in the Big Top stage. There was a massive turn out of people to hear them. They played all the top Arctic Monkeys hits with the notable I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor being the last track of the set. I remember seeing them when they headlined the Cosby Big Love festival a couple of years ago and was struck at how well they captured the essence of the band they tribute to. Having formed in 2006, the band has become one of the well established tribute acts and has received prestigious recognition for what they do.
8Miles High on the Icon stage
Another of Leicester’s greatest young bands and now an established part of our local musical furniture. This is a band you depend on to deliver a quality musical experience. The band’s cover of Stevie Wonder’s Superstition shows how this band can take a very well-known song and make it their own. Lead singer Oliver Kidd-Martin has a distinctive vocal style and together the band produced a wonderful musical experience. Copies of their demo CD Shots were handed out to members of the audience (it was a remarkably well produced product.)
Ali Clinton on the Icon stage
Ali Clinton and his band was one of seven bands that made it through to the finals of this year’s OBS. They lost out to the winners Dig Lazarus but their performances at the showcase series drew much critical acclaim.
Photo RhinoFeroSs photography
Our view was ‘Powerful, thumping sounds from this trio gave us style of music they describe simply as as ‘rock’ and Clinton’s vocals were imposing. Backed by stunning guitar solos and Olympian drumming, the trio worked together to deliver a set of ear-licking songs. Clinton is a singer/songwriter he has a prestigious background in music. Thrilling stuff.
Before The Crash on the Libra stage
The band’s set included a cover of a song by Jimmy Eat World. Several members of other bands came down to see them play. Their songs were frisky and fast-paced. The band has become well-known on the local gig circuits.
Bella Diem on the Icon stage
We saw this Birmingham band at The Shed in March.and ‘very much liked the vocals from Lucy Dines and other band members. A good performance that drew much favourable comment from many people in the room.’
Beneath The Lights on the Icon stage
Another of Leicester’s most popular and successful bands. It was good to see how our local bands supported each other at the festival. The band’s first song bounced into life and brought a blast of happy and uplifting music to the somewhat dull pitch in front of the Icon stage. This is a band that enjoys a level of support from its fans. The band’s second song was Pompeii by Bastille, a good choice and one that they perform well. It was an exciting performance.
Bruno Marz Tribute
Casino Empire on the Icon stage
What a band! Playing their own songs, led by the voice of lead singer Tommy Cobley, this was a band that we have covered in this magazine many times; take, for example, the gig they headlined at The Cookie Jar in December. Our reporter wrote:
It (their set) started with the familiar intro and Bray Road Beast. We also got Igauna, Ain’t Coming Back, Shine On, Can’t Be Mine, all great songs that feel like we’ve known them for years already. There’s was a new song Fading Away, a mid-paced number which I’m sure will only require a few more airings before the crowd are singing along to this one too. She Loves, the debut single was obviously used to close the show.
Photo: Olly Stabler
There has been a lot of coverage of this band and not only on this website, but it is well deserved coverage. Yes they play fairly typical rock (like Kasabian, Oasis, the Rolling Stones) but like those predecessors their songs are catchy, have singalong lines and are delivered so well and with such assuredness. [Music in Leicester]
The Catalogues on the Libra stage
Formed in 2006, this Midlands band performs classic pop and rock hits from the past 60 years. We saw them at the Shed on 16th December.
Chris Ostler on the Acoustic stage
Chris Ostler is one of the legends of Glastonbudget. His appearances in previous years are ingrained in our memory.
Wizards Photography.
We were at Ostler’s audition for the festival at The Shed in February:
What a great way to start an evening of live music! Chris Ostler is a singer who has been performing on the stages of Leicester for a long time; he was here at University before moving back to his home town of Exeter, from where he travelled to come here tonight. Now he is back and what a pleasure it was to see him again. We have opened a trench in the archives of Arts in Leicester to bring you some vintage Ostler (they don’t call us the Time Team of Leicester music for nothing.)
When we saw him at Glastonbudget in 2012 we wrote
Chris Ostler told us us “There was a lot of positive response from the audience which made the whole festival that much better, let alone just on my set. The crowd reacted very strongly to the covers played Black eyed Peas – Let’s Get It Started, Crowded House – Weather with you, and especially Phil Collin’s Another Day in Paradise. “With the arrangement of cover, composed, cover, composed, and so on, I felt it was enough to get the crowd listening and keen to listen, although as expected, a rapturous applause was the natural crescendo given from the ever so engaging and happy crowd. I was even asked by certain fans to remove my clothes from my body, that amused me but I proceeded to play with the next song in my set-list. [Arts in Leicester magazine, 2012]
Not only does he sing at these events, we also works behind the scenes as part of the festival’s back-stage crew. What a guy!
Dark Side Of Pink Floyd
Dark Side of Pink Floyd played on Sunday in the Big Top. The band plays the best live versions of Floyd’s more modern works, centered around the Pulse tour of 1993.
Watch this Youtube video by Kevin Gaughan
The Enthused on the Main stage
The main stage got underway today with a performance by The Enthused who provided a set of iconic rock covers. The band has played at the festival two times before. The band is based in Nuneaton.
Four Fighters
Four Point Oh on the Icon stage
Leicester band Four Point Oh provided an impressive performance. They are of our most impressive hard rock bands and have appeared at many previous festivals.
Hard Suction in the Big Top
Returning to Glastonbudget after their appearance in 2013, Hard Suction led us to say:
Kicking off the weekend’s musical journey on the main stage were Hard Suction, a rock band from the Leicester area who got everyone in the mood for a weekend of great music and good times. The band played a range of popular covers, with a playlist of everything from T. Rex, U2 and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers to the Arctic Monkeys, they performed well and enthusiastically to an appreciative and enthusiastic audience.
Mammoth on the Loco stage
‘Simplicity, power, no nonsense’ – we could not have put it better ourselves. Neal Hill and Alex Beattie used to be in The Furies – one of the finest hard rock bands ever to come out of Leicester and one that we raved out many times in this magazine.
When their guitarist left (Joe Connor – who played as a solo artist at this festival) the band decided to call it a day. Neal and Alex are now working together to keep the fire alight. We and many others hope that one day we will see them come back with a full complement of band members to thrill us once more with the power of their music.
Mercury on the Main stage
Queen. Freddie Mercury. What would rock music be without them? Mercury is an an act that has graced the main stage of Glastonbudget many times before. Mercury is one of those shows that makes Glastonbudget what it is and it would be difficult to think of a festival without the Mercury set. They are the essence of the Glastonbudget experience.
Money for Nothing on the Big Top
In the Big Top, Money For Nothing performed their tribute to Dire Straights. Formed in the year 2000, the band delivered a set full of energy and musical excellence. A lot of people had turned up to see this band and it is easy to see why. They delivered a top class performance which a large number of people clearly enjoyed.
Nazarene
New Priorities on the Libra stage
New Priorities put on a sensational set on the Libra stage today. A band that formed in 2013, the four members of the band had previously been in other groups. Seeing them for the first time at The Shed, in February, we raved about them:
This is a band I roundly applaud; they ticked just so many boxes. Exponents of popular rock, par excellence, their sharp, snappy playing was both thrilling and amazing. A group of young musicians with lashings of passion and talent, they’ve really got it. All four of them sing; now that stands out for me! I love singing bands. They are good at Arctic Monkey’s covers but someone said to me: “Their own songs are better than the covers.” All You People Are Vampires (Perhaps Vampires Is A Bit Strong But…) was one such cover that they delivered well. In fact lead singer Eros Vellucci looked a bit like the young Alex Turner. Well worth seeing again; let’s hope they will come back soon. [music in Leicester]
The band comes from Kettering – a great shame but hey other towns have to have good bands, not just Leicester!
Nazarene on the Libra stage
A new Leicester band that has caught our attention a few times. The band got through to the semi-finals of the OBS in April.
We saw them at The Shed on 27th March. They were on with two our bands seen at this weekend’s festival: Bella Diem and We The Brave. We wrote
Featuring two very good lead singers – Elle Swettenham and Tom Zbaraski – they delivered a set of enjoyable and ear-pleasing songs, laced with Latin rhythms. Cool, funky sounds with lots of engaging rhythms flowed from the stage. Tom Zbaraski was previously in The Delis Mix with Nazarene’s drummer Luke O’Neill. Altogether one good band with music that we look forward to hearing again. Another interesting point that is Elle Swettenham is the sister of Nate, a.k.a. The Skunkboy Project, another well-known singer on the Leicester music scene [Music in Leicester]
Oasish
Resistance on the Loco stage
A five-piece band with a female lead singer. An easy-going sound that lulls you into a false sense of security before gearing up to a thunderous finale.
The Shadow Cats
Photo: Jesper Joergensen
A funk/Reggae/Dub band from Loughborough. I seem to remember them from somewhere – a previous band I had seen before.
Photo: Jesper Joergensen
Ska-Amanga on the Loco stage
When I arrived at the Loco, it was packed full of people: I could not even get into it and had to stand outside to listen. Leicester has always been strong on ska and reggae. It was a shame that the organisers could not have put this band on in the Big Top – they would certainly have filled that too. the band delivered a set of high energy songs, covering bands such as Madness, Bad Manners and The Specials.
Skam on the Big Top
Skam is one of Leicester’s longest-serving bands. They have been going longer than Glastonbudget and have attended pretty much every festival since it started. The sun was shining outside as Skam started their set in the Big Top. This is one of our local bands that always pulls in a sizeable crowd. The three members of Skam are all top-class musicians. Lead singer and guitarist Steve Hill is one of the best rock singers in the business. On the drums, Neal Hill was display his considerable skills with the sticks. On the bass Matthew Gilmore demonstrated that bass-playing need not be something hidden away at the side.
See our review of Skam at the Leicester O2 Academy in February 2014.
Skam’s new single comes out next month. When it comes to rock, this band has it all.
Twosixones on the Big Top
Twosixones had a set of songs that combined pop with rock, folk and funk. The band’s frenetic live show incorporates multi-part harmonies with plenty of energy and irresistible sing-a-longs.
Our Gastonbudget Team
Media Team at Glastonbudget 2015: RhinoFeroSs photography (France), Kevin Gaughan, with additional images by Trevor Locke and Jesper Jorgensen (Denmark).
All media courtesy of Glastonbudget 2015
See also
