Glasgowbury 2012 – Review

“Small But Massive” has been the tag line of Glasgowbury for many years now, but if it expands any further they are going to have to change it to just plain massive. By 12 pm on Saturday 21st July 2012 we had tents pitched, beers opened and were merrily dancing along to a carnival style multi-coloured drum circle. As the drummers marched away, the crowd followed them as if they were the Pied Pipers of Hamelin only instead of leading rats out of town they led the people from the campsite to the Glasgowbury arena.

With a tweeked layout this year allowing them to accommodate six different stages the festival really did look bigger than ever. As ever the main stage was flanked in the background by the scenic Sperrins. The addition this year of the Red Bull Generator Stage – helmed by DJs throughout the day – gave relief to anyone seeking escape from live music. Judging by the size of the crowds that danced around the DJ booth/bar it was a massive success. The weather stayed dry throughout with the sun even making a few regular appearances.

This year the G Session stage was moved to a giant circus style tent. This allowed for much improved acoustics and an end to the sound bleeding which the winds on the site had contributed to the year before. It was on this stage that we saw The Wonder Villains play for the second year running. Ripping through their catalogue of sing-a-long favourites and trying out some new material. The year has been kind to The Wonder Villains and much improvement could be seen from this time last year. The extensive touring and gig paying has certainly helped them hone their craft.

It’s recently been announced that Triggerman are supporting Sepultura later this year, and rightly so. They roared through their unique brand of heavy rock with the ease of a bulldozer thorugh a mountain of butter. the were the bulldozer we were the butter. A sizable crowd had gathered and so the moshing and head banging was inevitable. A great band to see live and definately a high light for me.

Silhouette was up next and as Shauna Tohill’s haunting voice filled our ears the crowd was captivated. A genuine rising star whose unique sound is catchy and memorable – definitely one to watch.

As the afternoon well and truly set in, Pocket Billiards hit the stage in order to wake us up, and as usual the crowd was on their feet. The nine-piece ska kings did what they do best and tore through their set of punchy classics, even being joined by Eimear Coyle from The Wonder Villains at one point.

We took a wander round the site and eventually found ourselves in the middle of another drum circle. Just one of the many sideshows that could be found in and around the festival arena. As we left the drum circle and headed towards the main stage we were accosted by seven-foot high silver faced devils. Luckily we made it out in time to see the tail end of Axis Of. The sound was good, the pace frantic and we’re sure we saw Pocket Billiards join in the final track so this is definatley a band we’d like to catch a whole set of in the coming months.

I’m not usually a huge fan of dance music but I defy anyone not to be swept along by the amazing stage show and the bombastic tunes that The Japanese Popstars produce. As we looked around there wasn’t a single person standing still and Northern Ireland’s answer to the Chemical Brothers were a welcome support act for the headliners.

At about 11.05pm Paddy Glasgow, the legend himself appeared before us. The crowd roared as Paddy introduced the headlining act, Therapy?

Therapy? are without a doubt one of the most anticipated Glasgowbury headliners ever and despite this year being one of the quietest – crowd-wise – the amount of people left standing for the final act was impressive. Therapy? looked the part in well-fitted suits and they certainly quashed all rumours that they’re too old for this game as they played for well over an hour, rocking the Sperrins to its very core.

Andy Cairns was on fire, he kept the crowds’ spirits up as the rain set in and was constantly talking to the audience (a trait I love to see in a band, it males you feel a part of something and not just a spectator). Unfortunately drummer Neil Cooper couldn’t be at Glasgowbury this year as his wife had just given birth to a baby, but seeing as Andy recorded a message for him on his phone, he would still get a glimpse of the ‘Small But Massive’ madness. Luckily the drummer from LaFaro was on hand to cover and he didn’t miss a beat. As a massive fan of Troublegum, Knives and Screamager were personal highlights and the entire crowd, both young and old, was singing every word – proving once and for all that Northern Ireland was definitely in need of some Therapy?

I’ve been saying it for a few years now, but as Glasgowbury grows and grows the next step is definitelyto split this into a 2 day festival. With many more going on the first night, even without entertainment, we need that final push to put this up there amongst the Latitude festivals and the Download festivals of the world. A niche festival but on a massive scale, it just so happens that the niche of this festival is local music.

Until next year Paddy Glasgow, Keep her lit and Keep her “Small but massive”