Splendour 2011 Nottingham – review & pictures

Posted on 25 July 2011
By Lara Cullen
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Scissor Sisters certainly achieved their aim to put the “Naughty” into “Naughty-ngham” last night as they played a phenomenal set to close the third and without a doubt, the best Splendour festival that Nottingham has seen yet.

The camp Stateside popsters headlined a mightily impressive bill including Blondie, Feeder, Eliza Doolittle and Bluetones in the annual event held in the grounds of the beautiful Wollaton Park Stately Home.

The glitzy New York band comprised of members Jake Shears, Baby Daddy and oh so sexy Ana Matronic bounced onto the stage to the tunes of Take Your Mama out before launching into a raft of tunes which got the 20,000 strong crowd dancing en mass as the sun finally set on the evening.

It was the band’s last UK performance on their current tour and they promised to make it a good one for all to remember. They certainly delivered with a superb lightshow, glam dancers and most of all infectious pop songs that couldn’t have been any more perfect to close such a feel-good event.

From the offset of Splendour 2011 the day held high promise as the sun blazed down and the Nottingham crowds descended with picnic baskets and camping chairs aplenty for a day of live music, family entertainment and general good vibes. Splendour festival boasts two main music stages and a small courtyard stage giving it a nice intimate feel.

Children under the age of 10 are admitted for free adding to the laid back, friendly, family atmosphere of the city’s main outdoor festival.

Early performances included local band Swimming on the Jagermeister stage followed by Romance, a London based rock band with serious attitude and oodles of sass and confidence. The four piece, fronted by a snake-hipped blonde male singer and a smoking hot female bassist who chewed gum and blew bubbles in a too-cool-for-school way, attracted a good crowd for their relatively early slot and appeared to leave an impression on the Nottingham audience.

Next up were Purple Revolver favourites and a band destined for greatness The Virginmarys. For those not in the know, this Macclesfield three piece have been touring with the likes of Slash and Skunk Anansie over the last year and building a name for themselves as the next big thing in UK rock music.

Their kick-ass, no bullshit sounds went down a storm and they dedicated their final song “Off To Another Land” to Amy Winehouse. Both Romance and The Virginmarys will be at Kendal Calling next weekend, we strongly recommend checking them out.

After The Virginmarys it was back over to the mainstage for something completely different as Eliza Doolittle delivered her poppy, upbeat tunes which seemed to fit the lighthearted atmosphere and sunny day perfectly.

It was clear to see that this was the moment the younger members of the audience had all been waiting for but her infectious songs seemed to get even the gruffest of rock dads tapping his foot and bopping to the music.

Next up on the second stage were local band Dog Is Dead followed by Liverpuddlians Cast on the main stage. The latter delivered a flawless set churning out their back-catalogue however the anticipation was rife for Blondie who were the next act to take the mainstage, and who some would argue, stole the Splendour limelight from the headliners like sweeties from a baby.

It appeared that the crowd weren’t the only ones overcome with anticipation for the Blondie set as, in a reverse Axl Rose manouever, Deborah Harry arrived on stage 10 minutes early rocking an electric blue tu-tu and sparkle-studded sunglasses.

She looked incredible, she sounded amazing and she owned that stage in a way that many a modern rockstar could only dream of. Blondie held nothing back and from the off smacked you right between the eyes with a set that weighted the old classics to the early part of the set. By the time they got around to showcasing their newer material the crowd were snared hook, line and sinker and lapped it all up with delight.

It was a quick jaunt back over to the Jager stage then to see Feeder a very underrated band who managed to amass quite a crowd and won the award for most crowd surfers of the night. Their set exuded massive amounts of rock n roll energy and they were a perfect choice to close the second stage before the Scissor Sisters brought the festival to a cider filled, loving conclusion for this year.

The festival which is run by Nottingham City Council and promoted by DHP could only be described as a phenomenal success and punched well above its weight in terms of line up, facilities and atmosphere. It’s a cracking little festival with a big personality and will hopefully go from strength to strength. Til next time Splendour.

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