Friday 8th Day Festival
From the 5th-9th of August Newquay played host to the Relentless Boardmasters surf, skate and music festival. All week surf fanatics could catch the Relentless boardmasters surf competition on Fistral beach accompanied by evening beach music sessions on the 5th, 6th and 9th. The weekend was where the real party began at the Watergate Bay music festival where festival goers could catch great upcoming and established acts at less than usual festival prices with day tickets costing as little as £30 and weekend tickets for £60. Intimate in size but boasting 4 great stages, this was destined to be a good get together and the music didn’t disappoint.
Two of the great stages were sponsored by Vans and Relentless energy drinks and played host to a mixture of new, established and just on the radar band’s with a great line up including acts such as Dinosaur Pile Up, Filthy Dukes, Pulled Apart by Horses, This City, Crazy Arm, Gold Teeth, Jettblack and others. Jagermeister were keen to show local talent on their local stage, introducing more than 23 different acts over the 2 day festival. The main stage though was definitely the place to be showcasing great performers such as Super Furry Animals, The King Blues, Cypress Hill, Calvin Harris and The Streets. It was the perfect weekend for the easygoing festival which saw everyone chilling out in the beautiful sunshine during the day on the Friday but more than ready to rave on come twilight. No band can be faulted for performance as all upped the ante in the first really great piece of sunshine seen in over a month, but as always there were a selection of really brilliant performers who stood out against the crowd.
Firstly, Answering Machine, playing on the Relentless Live stage were a great act to watch and are seemingly destined for great things. This 4 piece band best described as indie rockers stormed the stage with their loud catchy tunes but played to a lesser crowed then they deserved. The lead singer had a great work out on stage, engaging with the crowd and singing songs dancy and catchy enough to get your feet tapping and body moving. Singing a track called Time, the vocals were alike to those of Jamie-T, although the whole track was backed up with a catchier commercial indie tune and sung alongside brilliant female backing vocals. Their new single out on Monday is called, Oklahoma, and lyrically speaking can be likened to those of The Fratelli’s, something that will get into your head and stay there for sure. Great performance, definitely worth a google if you’re searching out for new bands to listen too.
Staying with the Relentless live stage next up for the duo called, Party Horse. This 2 piece 80’s styled glam rock band were surprising to see at first as their look is a shocking visage of bleach, perm and spandex. You have to hear the music to understand the band, think Bryan Adams meets the Darkness and you will have a clearer idea of just what you’re dealing with! Electric guitar and keyboard the lead singer’s voice suits the music and it is a great modern take on 80’s electro fever. Listen out for the track, Going to Hollywood, which has an immense electric rift and wouldn’t sound out of place on the remake of the film Footloose.
Everyone turned out at the main stage to see the King Blues for their own version of soft London town Reggae. This band was really going for it and enjoying the sunshine, intent on getting the crowd on their feet and dancing even singing their own amazing rendition of Dizzee Rascal’s hit track, Bonkers. Playing their own popular tracks such as, Lean on Me, Save the World, and I got Love, this band are politically minded in their lyrics and in their performance, condemning the BNP, criticising the RAF recruiters at the festival and proclaiming ‘going to war to prevent the war was the stupidest thing I ever heard’!
Over at the Jaegermeister Local stage among the many great bands stood out a 4 piece all guy, young indie band called San Pablo. Apart from the lead singers apparently fashioning his dress sense on that of Johnny Borrell, this band have a lot to offer and seem like a fun group of guys. With catchy tunes and a good stage presence, they encourage bands to check out their myspace to get a better understanding of their music, “I know it’s dead and everything but check us out on myspace”. The band Pete and the Pirates also made an appearance at this year’s festival on the Relentless stage, causing a stir on the dance floor when it descended into a mosh pit half way through their set. With music that sounds similar to a Killers/Interpol mix, this band were unlikely to fail especially after playing their amazing single, Knots. It is important to note the great performance by Mater Shortie with his style of Electro ghetto, following the recent trend set by artists such as Dizzee Rascal and Kid British. Showcasing electric rifts over his rnb, Master Shortie interacts with the crowd and encourages them to interact with his songs especially when playing the track, Dance like a White Boy. Surprising the crowd with a rendition of Adam Ant’s, Prince Charming, this performer drove the crowd crazy and clearly belongs on the main stage as smaller stages could just not do his act justice.
The Headliners at this year’s Boardmasters Friday day festival were great performances from Calvin Harris and the Streets. Both acts were perfectly placed at around sundown, playing all of their popular tracks to a crowd who were just lapping it up, it was the ideal time to get out the glow sticks and get your rave on. Both acts proved why they do what they do, driving the mammoth crowd into a dance frenzy. The Streets front man Mike Skinner was intent in getting the crowd to work as one and all dance, jump and stop at the same time, and of course the compliant crowd was more than happy to follow suit. According to him, this unity was a spectacle “if you could see what I see now, this is why I do this!”
Perfect sunshine and perfect music, not even the un-explained cancellation from the Noisettes could spoil the Relentless Boardmasters Watergate bay festival. Check early next year for updates on the best kept secret festival that next summer has to offer.

By Hannah Johnson.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 12th, 2009 at 12:37 pm and is filed under Hannah Johnson. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.