Longitude 2014 Friday Review & Photos

Longitude Festival has started today and showcased some good acts. The highlights include Bastille who played for a big crowd on the main stage, Bipolar Sunshine that entertained Whelan’s’ “summer house” and of course, the talented Ben Howard who closed the night with a fantastic set.

The best part about the first day of Longitude 2014? Probably the weather.

It might sound harsh, but the nice weather played a very important role in the overall mood of the first day, and that’s good. There was little mud, plenty of sun, relaxed atmosphere and happy people. However, even though there were some pretty good bands, a combination of not-so-great sound, relatively few people and not-quite-amazing performances made the day somewhat mediocre.

The first act seen by us was Bipolar Sunshine, the Manchester artist that played Whelan’s stage. The set started slow, but by the fourth or fifth song, the tent was almost full and the more energetic rhythms visibly pleased the crowd.

On the main stage Bastille started with some entertaining tunes making people run towards the front from all directions. The sound wasn’t perfect, especially for those that weren’t sitting right in front of the stage. At one point Bonobo’s “Cirrus” coming from the Heineken tent was creating a live mix with Bastille. The final track of their set was, obviously, “Pompeii”. The song immediately got people on their toes, singing along. Bastille did a good job and left their fans happy.

Speaking of Bonobo, his set was really appreciated by electronic music lovers, who gathered to enjoy his music.

The last act to perform on Whelan’s Stage were Parquet Courts who started playing to just, maybe, 10 people. Very devoted fans, those ten people, but still a small crowd. That changed rather quickly, with the energy of the band drawing people in fast.

Ben Howard ended the first day of Longitude 2014 with a delightful set on the main stage. A fantastic choice as headliner for Friday, Ben enchanted with both his voice and guitar play. He is a guitar virtuoso in the full sense of the word. Ben Howard’s band also contributed to the success of his set, adding a rich musical experience. India Bourne, one of the members of Ben’s band, played the cello, bass and percussion – sometimes two instruments during the same song. Despite a few newer, slower, sadder songs where the audience seemed to lose interest, Ben Howard’s appearance was fantastic.

Check out some photos of Bipolar Sunshine, Bastille, Parquet Courts and Ben Howard.

Photos by Tudor Marian