FIELD DAY FESTIVAL kept vibrant atmosphere in Hackney’s Victoria Park thanks to its abundant performances.

The last decade has seen Field Day firmly strengthening its position among many not-to-be-missed summer festivals. Bringing you the incredible line-up filled with many big names and hot new artists to watch it gradually has become the annual destination for many gig-goers. And the tenth edition was no different.

Except the mud..

and even more mud..

Alright, I don’t think that’s an exception after all.

Luckily, the sun showed up on Sunday afternoon so not all was lost.

Such a wide diversity displayed across all eight stages requires a few sacrifices. But let’s skip those and I’ll tell you more about the artists I decided to see.

Having showcased the songs from his recent Dreamland EP the former Tribes frontman made a great start to this gloomy Sunday. Playing the early slot at Moth Club stage was not an easy job to do but giving his latest track Hello Death a spin alongside the outstanding Pilgrims, Johnny Lloyd certainly made many Happy Humans even happier.

Dreamland EP was produced by Jamie T and Hugo White and is out now via Xtra Mile Recordings.

Jägerhaus was probably the most lively place at the festival. What’s more, having seen the first sunrays in the afternoon made 3 pm a perfect time to start getting on with those jäger bombs.

Get Inuit have had an exciting couple of last months. Their recent single My Oh My has been receiving great responses and plays across many radio stations (including BBC Radio 1), they went on a massive tour with Spring King and now the festival season is full on. Especially with the sun out, their dirty pop serves a perfect soundtrack to your summer.

Those past months have influenced their improvement as they kept transforming into a great live band. The unlimited energy, the unmissable wit and charm onstage, the unfathomable source of talent definitely work in favour and make them stand out from a deep sea of sounding-the-same upcoming bands. The future looks even more promising so if you get a chance, go and see them play live. Surely, you won’t be disappointed.

As for Mystery Jets, they get better and better every time I see them. Their latest album Curve of the Earth utterly translates into the live format. Tracks such as Bombay Blue, Blood Red Ballon or Bubblegum beautifully echoed in Return of the Rural tent whilst Half in Love with Elizabeth and Two Doors Down received the loudest singalong making their set worth watching, for the new audience as well as for the most devoted fans.

Stockport’s finest, Blossoms, have been very busy this season. If you’re planning on going to any festival this summer there’s a huge possibility they will make an appearance. If you’re planning on going to more that one or two, there’s a huge possibility you will get a little bit bored. The Great Escape had left me with a lot of mixed feelings regarding this band but I must say that Field Day restored my faith in them.

Blossoms‘ self-titled album, due for release on Aug 5th, is one of the most anticipated debuts this year. There’s no doubt about it. Their huge hits Charlemagne, At Most a Kiss or Getaway are catchy indie tunes indeed but the tracks Cut Me and I’ll Bleed, Blow and Blown Rose are still those which make Blossoms, well Blossoms. The acoustic My Favourite Room is a beautiful addition to their set which, in spite of momentary lack of dynamism between all members of the band on stage, has still a big potential to let them gradually head towards the top of the headline festival ladder.

And back for some jäger bombs, shall we?

The member of the Wichita Recordings family, Oscar Scheller, has recently dropped his debut album Cut and Paste which brings a fresh talent to the music scene. The tracks Beautiful Words, Sometimes or Good Things are perfect examples of his guitar-meets-synth-pop sound filled with deep vocals. Unfortunately, all that lost its charm due to some technical difficulties on stage. In result, the singer was undermined by his accompanied band making the overall experience not that great.
Beach House, the headliners under Shacklewell Arms tent, appeared on stage to see the full house eager to see them perform. The expectations were vast but the dream pop band didn’t showcase anything new and played too static most of the time. Of course, if you were a huge fan then the show was certainly worth of your time.

It was a really long and muddy day for all those people patiently waiting by the main stage. We experienced a little bit of the sun but mostly it was a typical British festival season weather.

When in front of the stage at some point I was asked by this one guy in the first row if I was excited to see the headliner. But before I was able to reply the lady next to him shouted “Of course, she is! Just look at her. She’s buzzing! It’s PJ Harvey after all!” A few minutes later, after having a nice conversation with those two, just moments before Polly Jean Harvey took to the stage, the same guy asked if I had any weed. So yeah, FYI that’s what photographers are being asked about at festivals. Alright, not really but he kinda of made my day.

Black feathers and swan costume, the nonet strong in heavy percussion and sax section guarding the singer, all that made a very theatrical and memorable performance. The first five tracks, taken from her last album The Hope Six Demolition Project, steadily and gently hypnotised the audience whilst Let England Shake‘s 2011 songs got certainly more singalongs and louder cheers in response. The spectral When Under Ether and Down By The Water landed on the set list as well.

PJ Harvey simply makes you stop for a second, doesn’t she? You stop and just stare, and devour all the energy and feelings floating from the stage. Finishing off with A Perfect Day Elise you realise that, fan or not a fan, it was indeed a perfect day for some or even many.

Photo: Kasia Osowiecka