Beat Day is quite an odd music festival. The setup is not like any I have previously experienced. Here you have a huge park adjacent to the river and some particularly non-scenic views (a power station and an uninspiring bridge). There are stages at either end of the field, and the set times are thus that as one stage ends the other starts. A great idea in theory (no sound bleed and you get to see every act), but not too inspiring in practice (there is no escape from The Ting Tings). The festival started in 07 with just Danish acts, but expanded last year to incorporate a close to 50/50 split of Danish/International music. It is now in its third year, and Valbyparken is its third home.
Day One kicks off with a hometown set from Efterklang. This is the first time I have seen them without their usual keyboard player . Anna Brønsted is busy with her own band “Our Broken Garden”, so Peter Broderick has his sister Heather helping out in her place. The band look a lot more relaxed than usual, with singer Casper Clausen exchanging his usual band uniform for some rather geeky looking shirt and cut-offs combo. They proceed to liven up an already sunny afternoon with a beautiful set featuring a mixture of highlights from Parades (Cutting Ice To Snow being the highest) and a few promising new tracks. A great start to the day.
Oh No Ono follow at the other end of the field with a rather pleasant pop racket before The Ting Tings throw their hat in the ring for the most uninspiring live act of 09 award. Queueing for a burger seems a much more worthy use of my time. Wolfmother are up next , with only singer/guitarist Andrew Stockdale remaining from the original lineup. They’ve lost little of the energy that they bring to their live shows, but still just sound like an extremely talented Led Zeppelin covers band. They have a great sound. It’s just not their own.
Basement Jaxx are up next. I’m not a huge fan of their recent output, and I’d heard a few negative reports from their Big Chill performance, so expectations are low. My pessimism turns out to be completely unfounded, as they roll out hit after hit and finally make me start to feel like I’m at a festival and not just watching bands in a park. The front third of the crowd has turned into a massive dance party. They put a huge smile on my face, so I try to steer clear of Crystal Castles and their electrobollocks.
Mew close out the main stage with one of their standard grandiose performances. They’ve come a long way from what started out as a soundtrack project for their art school exam. It’s everything I’ve come to expect from them. Blistering melodies, glass shattering vocals and stunning projected visuals are intertwined to maximum effect. The new tracks from “No More Stories” really come alive alongside classics like “Am I Wry? No” and the epic closer “Comforting Sounds”. A beautiful climax to an entertaining first day.
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