SUNDAY

Stumbling out of the Travelodge at dawn (around 10:30), it was decided that Sunday would be the day that things were really mixed up.  By which I mean we went to Sainsburys for breakfast instead of Tesco.  It cost a little more, and the service was a little bit slower, but it was rather more tasty, so that’s a good result I think.

Shambling onto the site just before the first bands on, it was time for another superb new discovery.  Be Like Pablo are a Scottish band that were apparently playing their first gig in England, and they couldn’t seem happier about it.  I went into them with a sense of trepidation given the song they included on the Indietracks CD featured rapping.  Which may be the one genre that still absolutely doesn’t fit in with Indietracks.  Fears were quickly dismissed though as the band turned out to be rather more poppy than expected, and by the time they reached the aforementioned song, I was even willing to go with it.  As was everyone in the shed it seems.  If there was one band I kept hearing about again and again that people seemed to love, it was Be Like Pablo.  Hopefully big things, and more gigs in the south, await them in the next year.

It was over to the main stage next where MJ Hibbett & the Validators were playing in the self-titled “Legends slot”.  Now rather shamefully, this was my first Validators gig (though I have seen Dinosaur Planet!), and it was awesome just how much the whole crowd was into them.  The band run through what was essentially a greatest hits set (along with a few from the new record of course) including Hey Hey 16k, My Boss Was In An Indie Band Once and the highlight of the set, Do The Indie Kid, which actually featured almost the whole audience following the steps.  Hibbett also found time to conduct a “social media experiment” mid-set, so if you were wondering why everyone at Indietracks suddenly tweeted “Happiness” on the Sunday afternoon, that would be why.

There appeared to be a crowd in the merch tent afterwards, and venturing in, it was a delight to discover Antarctica Takes It! performing a acoustic set in the corner.  There wasn’t really anything new here compared to their set yesterday, but it was nice to hear that their songs work just as well in such a stripped down fashion.

The Specific Heats were apparently the hit of the festival in 2009, playing a stunning set to a packed out church, and this year they were back, but in the shed where a huge number had turned out to see them.  If I’m honest, they didn’t do very much for me.  Nothing really wrong with them, and I can see that their garage rock kind of sounds would work well on record, but I left the shed feeling pretty cold toward them unfortunately.  Kind of hard to not respect a band that plays in capes though.

There was a gap in the schedule at this point, which meant it was time to explore the surrounding railway and it’s museum, something I missed entirely last year.  While dusty, the museum provided a welcome relaxing and quiet break from the festivities.  There’s even a lovely little narrow gauge railway that will run you out into the countryside and back again too!

Back to the shed for Internet Forever, a band that I still can’t be certain if they are taking the piss or not.  Utterly shambolic and ramshackle, the band power through a set that barely clocks in at 25 minutes, and manage to find time to get a Dire Straits cover into that.  It’s all over the place, and a complete mess, but it’s horribly entertaining.  You’ve got to admire their drumming skills at least.

Standard Fare are band that have risen quickly through the indiepop ranks over the past year.  They were well received at London Popfest in February, and even managed to nab themselves a decent slot at Latitude the weekend previous to Indietracks.  As a band, they always seem rather nervous on stage, and still somewhat shocked that people have turned up to see them, but it only adds to their charm.  The band bound through the songs from their debut album, even throwing in some new ones along the way that get an equally welcome reception.  By the time they bring out Brad from One Happy Island to add a little trumpet to one of their new songs, the audience are eating out of their hand, and a future Indietracks headline slot is surely inevitable.

Shrag are an odd band.  I first heard them a year ago and couldn’t really stand them.  Then at London Popfest I actually quite enjoyed their set, and since then I’ve gone on to get both of their albums.  Their recorded output doesn’t manage to live up to the show that they put on live though, or rather, how much front woman Helen really throws herself into the performance.  The songs from the new album turn out to be the unexpected highlights though, with current Heavenly-esque single Tights in August and The Habit Creep sure to be amongst this year’s indiepop anthems.

After that there was just time for a little Slow Club before it was time for my Indietracks to come to an end.  Sadly work commitments meant having to leave before the headliners The Pains of Being Pure at Heart took to the stage.  This was very unfortunate at the time, but the band played a secret gig last night (as George Washington’s Penis no less) that I was able to get to, so all is right in the world once more.  Huzzah!

Indietracks still remains my favourite festival on the musical calender.  I’ve mostly written about the bands in these posts, but there’s so much more that makes it what it is.  Primarily how friendly just about every single person you meet is.  Bands wander the site and mingle with everyone else (leading to lovely chats with MJ Hibbett, Eddie Argos and at least one Smitten, amongst others), and even the volunteers who work on the railway.  You’d think they would be entirely baffled, if not slightly put out, at this descending on them every year, but every single one of them seemed lovely.  I even managed to have an excellent conversation with an older man who quite happily told me about how he usually restores the train but is perfectly happy to be here directing cars and picking up our rubbish this weekend.  In amongst stories of hotels at Heathrow Airport.

Of course, discussions about just who should play next year are already in full swing, but honestly, it doesn’t really matter.  If the Indietracks team came up with a list of 50 bands I’d never heard of before, I’d still go, perfectly trusting in their abilities to select ideal bands and put on a perfect weekend.

In preparation for writing this, I’ve been concerned that anything I say is just going to be horribly gushing.  I’ve gone over the weekend again and again looking for negatives to include in this.  I didn’t come up with very much.  This is a festival that can seemingly do no wrong to me, and what’s written below will reflect that.

With that said, let’s jump aboard the train toward the Midland Railway Centre in Derbyshire for a look back at this year’s Indietracks.

FRIDAY

I skipped out on the Friday opening of the festival last year, a decision I immediately regretted upon getting there, so this year I went for the full experience.  Granted this meant a lovely drive up on the M1 on a Friday afternoon which took a mere five hours.  Friday is more of a preview of the weekend rather than a proper day of it’s own.  Only the main stage is open, with only three bands playing, but it’s enough to let everyone get settled in for the weekend ahead.

By the time I got in to the site, Veronica Falls were already about halfway through their set, meaning I missed out on a debacle that apparently saw their soundcheck being confused for their actual performance.  Now I quite like Veronica Falls (or rather I like Found Love in a Graveyard), but the rest was pretty much lost on me, so most of the time was taken getting reacquainted with the site itself, and admiring the two hot air balloons that decided to pass over the site at the same time.

Next up were Allo Darlin’, a band I have spent the last year or so raving about, and have managed to see a record five times in the past six months.  I was a little concerned about seeing them as I couldn’t really get into their set at the Luminaire on the previous Wednesday, but any worries were quickly dispelled by just how much they threw themselves into it, and how much the crowd reciprocated.  One of the best things about Indietracks is how happy almost every band seems to be to be playing there, and nothing summed that up more than the massive grin Bill Botting had on his face throughout their set.  All of the usual favourites were busted out, from The Polaroid Song (which had some added Walk Like An Egyptian) to Henry Rollins Don’t Dance to Dreaming, which saw Max from The Smittens ably taking over the male vocal duties from Monster Bobby.  By the time the enthralling Tallulah was brought out (a brave move in a festival environment), it felt as if they could easily be headlining the festival as a whole.  Yet we’re only two bands in.

The Friday headliners come in the form of Eddie Argos’ side project Everybody Was In The French Resistance… Now!.  Art Brut were a mildly controversial choice as a headliner last year, but Argos’ enthusiasm for the festival and it’s music along with a superb performance seemed to win everyone over.  This year he had to convince people to go with a band that spends it’s time “responding” to other people’s pop songs, including many that no one has ever heard of it.  It’s a tall order for sure, and it’s one of the reason I’ve yet to be won over by the record itself.  Somewhat inevitably though, Argos takes to the stage with such excitement that it’s hard not to be pulled in by him.  While it seems at times that the stories between the songs are more fun than the songs themselves (the lead in to Billie’s Genes, a response to a certain Michael Jackson classic, was a particular highlight), you end up going along with it completely.  It’s clear that Argos feels at home at Indietracks (he cites sadness at having to miss MJ Hibbett and Shrag on the other days) even if his music isn’t necessarily the same.  By the time the band finish up with Formed a Sideproject (“we’ll make Israel-Palestine worse”), it’s almost inevitable that he’ll be back again next year in some form.

SATURDAY

After a quick Tesco breakfast, I was back on the site bright and early which enabled me to raid the merch tent, where I ended up walking out with 6 Fortuna Pop! CDs for a mere £20, and then got an extra one for cheekily asking if I got a free gift for being the first buyer of the day.  Can’t believe that worked, but it goes to show just how lovely indiepoppers are.

The first band of the day were The Hillfields in the train shed.  I wasn’t familiar with them beforehand and went along partly because they were the only band on that early and partly because the drummer sent me a cheeky tweet asking me to.  I’m quite glad that I did though, as while they weren’t the most spectacular band I saw all weekend they were rather enjoyable.  I was particularly impressed by their bowling shirt style uniforms too.

Over to the main stage for Red Shoe Diaries, who turned out to be first great surprise of the weekend.  Indietracks was the first I’d ever heard of them, and their slightly awkward banter between the songs revealed that they were perhaps the most local band of the festival, with the lead singer having grown up “just down the road”.  Their songs were fun and poppy too, ideal for the bright Saturday afternoon that the day was developing into.

After a quick gander at The Felt Tips (also enjoyable), it was back to the main stage to see This Many Boyfriends, one of the bands I was most excited about seeing.  Their Getting a Life With… EP has been one of the best releases of the last few months.  While the start seemed a little shaky, by the time they reached their hit I Don’t Like You (‘Cos You Don’t Like The Pastels), any doubt had been removed.  Their pure joy and enthusiasm to be playing (including a rambling anecdote about how they have Ballboy to thank) made them all the more enjoyable.

There wasn’t much on after that for a while so it was time for a cursory wander of the site.  That was until I could hear La La Love You playing on the main stage.  Now I had no idea who they were, only that they sounded utterly insane even from a distance.  Songs were being powered through at seemingly the wrong speed, so it seemed prudent to check them out.  Little could have prepared me for the sight of five Spaniards in bright pink satin jackets playing like there was no tomorrow.  Now, I say five, but what I actually mean is four, and a fifth member who didn’t appear to be playing any kind of plugged in instrument, just running around on stage pretending to play things and having the time of his life.  This reached a head with him leaping into the audience to dance with a girl the band decided to dedicate a song to in very broken English.  The whole exercise was batshit insane but quite possibly the highlight of the festival.

Antarctica Takes It! are an American band who managed to tear up The Luminaire on Wednesday night, managing to win over an entire crowd of people who had likely never heard of them beforehand.  Their power to do this had me looking forward to them even more, and they didn’t disappoint.  It only takes one great performance to completely win you over with a band, and that Antarctica Takes It! managed two in the course of a few days had me quickly shifting from somewhat appreciating them to them becoming a band I’ve had on repeat ever since I got back.  Those only familiar with their recorded output might have been surprised by just how much they managed to rock, to the point where they managed to make their keyboard collapse during a song.

I’ve never been able to get into The Just Joans beyond one or two songs, and the little bit of their set that I managed to catch didn’t do much to change that opinion.  Thankfully it was time for The Smittens next though, even if they decided to play a Just Joans song as part of their set.  Oh well.  Not that The Smittens can do wrong at Indietracks.  The band are playing for their third year in a row, and rightfully so.  If any band sums up the festival more, I have yet to discover them.  Pure fun from start to finish, and as a band they certainly get the uniqueness of the festival too.  Everywhere you looked all weekend, you’d see a Smitten singing along to another band or having a chat with someone.

Continuing our run of bands from the US were Boy Genius, a band I’ve quite enjoyed on record but have read mixed things about live.  I only caught part of their set, but what I did see was pretty good, even if the acoustics of the shed worked against them (as they do everyone really).  Far from being dull performers, they seemed to be enjoying themselves while playing, and the crowd seemed to be convinced.

Back to the main stage for Ballboy, who were the headliners in the eyes of myself and probably a number of others playing.  I simply love Ballboy.  Utterly, utterly miserable songs that manage to sound wonderfully upbeat when played live.  A lot of this is aided by the charisma of Gordon McIntyre, who always has a fun story to insert in between the songs.  The biggest laugh of the set came after he decided to dedicate the next song to a guy in the crowd celebrating his 60th birthday before realising that the next song was actually I Don’t Have Time To Stand Here With You Fighting About The Size Of My Dick.  Later in the set, Elizabeth from Allo Darlin’ was brought out to perform the monologue on A Europewide Search For Love.  It sounded a bit strange at the time, and didn’t seem to really work, but the more I watch it back on Youtube now, the more I like it.  Which is exactly the cycle I had with the original song itself too.

After that, it was time for the actual headliners, The Primitives.  Who are a band I know absolutely nothing about beyond vaguely knowing their top five single Crash.  So they fell a bit flat with me unfortunately.

Not that this was it for me on the Saturday though.  Still time to make an ass out of myself yet.  Toward the end of The Primitives, we decide to visit the campsite disco being operated by Pic ‘n’ Mixx.  So we ventured down the lane to the campsite and stumble around the campsite looking for said disco.  Eventually a security guard rolls up on his buggy thing and I’m thinking we’re about to be kicked out given we’re not campers.  Instead, I chance asking where the campsite disco is, and not only does he tell us, he offers us, even though “I’m not allowed to do this”, a ride on his buggy down to it.  We’ve taken the piss this far, so why not go the whole way.  Onto the buggy we jump, leading to perhaps the funniest exchange of the weekend:

Security guard spots my press badge.

“So, you’re press then, are you?”

“Err, yes..”

“That’s one of your lot unpacking his tent there.”

Because you know, everyone with a press badge is sent up from the same place and we all know each other.  I feel a bit mean though as the guy was incredibly helpful, particularly given we’d effectively trespassed into his campsite.  Which leads to the real kicker.  We arrive all set for the Pic ‘n’ Mixx disco around 10:30pm.  And then discover that it started at midnight.  So we wander back to the festival site, hang out at the discos there a bit, and then wander back to the campsite and get in past the crack security team (“Have you pitched your tent yet mate?”  “Yes..”) where we hang around for a bit before retiring back to the hotel.

SUNDAY

Will not be included here.. This has taken me far longer to write than I originally intended and I’m already running over 2000 words, so I’m going to split this up.  Friday and Saturday here, and Sunday with any various anecdotes will follow tomorrow.

Edit: Sunday review here!

Had a lovely time at Latitude yesterday.  Standard Fare sounded superb, I was pleasantly surprised by Frightened Rabbit and Belle & Sebastian proved once again why they are the greatest band ever.  Really liked the festival as a whole too.  So many random little things going on as you explore around.  Which is about as detailed as a review as I intend to write.  So here are some photos:

First up were the brilliant Johnny Foreigner though, who I was also seeing for the fifth time.  Walked into the place a few minutes into their set and they were already tearing up the room.  They ran through a good chunk of Grace and the Bigger Picture, as well as, if I’m not mistaken, at least one new one.  The inevitable highlight though was Gareth Campesinos! joining the band onstage to take lead vocals for a storming rendition of Criminals.

Next up was Frankie & the Heartstrings.  They were alright.  I suspect I would have enjoyed them a bit more if I’d actually known any of their songs beforehand.

It was clearly Los Campesinos! that everyone was there to see though, and that carried over to an incredibly boisterous performance.  The band opted for a greatest hits package, including songs that hardly ever get a live airing, which made the night all the more special.  The International Tweexcore Underground, My Year in Lists and Knee Deep at ATP were all busted out, along with a good chuck of Romance is Boring.  On record the differences between early LC! and current LC! is becoming increasingly pronounced, but live they throw themselves into everything with equal verve.  The gentler songs from four years ago manage to have the same energy as the current ones do.  A lot of this is down to the way Gareth lets loose on every single song (including the inevitable taking to the crowd), and I’m sure he must have lost about half of his bodyweight in sweat by the time the gig was over last night.

A brilliant gig all round.  Below you’ll find a new version of Romance is Boring taken from the new Los Campesinos! EP that went on sale last night.

MP3 Los Campesinos! – Romance is Boring (Princess version)

The All’s Well That Ends Well EP features four new versions of songs from the Romance is Boring album.  It’s available directly from Wichita Recordings, or at selected record stores.  By which I suspect “selected” means all three that are still open.  10″ only, of course.  And labels wonder why they struggle for sales..

Website / Myspace / Twitter

Bush Hall seems to be something of an oddity in terms of London gig venues.  That’s even after one takes aside the fact it’s a fairly large ballroom (with chandeliers!) that dates back over 100 years.  It’s location was what took me most by surprise.  Nearly every venue I’ve been to in London tended to be in the northeast of the city.  Shoreditch and Highbury tend to be where it’s at on the north of the river, Brixton on the south.  Bush Hall sits a fair way out to the west, across raised roads and ridiculously large shopping centres.  I’m sure to the Londoner’s this is all very normal, but it took me rather by surprise just how separated it was.

This also meant arriving at the place rather early, before the doors had even opened.  Thankfully a few minutes later we were let in from the cold.  There’s something quite nice about being one of the first into a venue.  Particularly when the venue offers tables and chairs around the outside.  I parked myself at the table nearest to the merch table that held the Allo Darlin’ album that I desperately wanted but alas no one was there to sell to me.  Still, within half hour I was holding a shining new copy in my hand, alongside The School album and a couple of badges too.  All bands should be required to supply badges at their gigs, if only because it makes my bag look rather less boring.

Pagan Wanderer Lu was the first act on.  I’ve been aware of him for a while and if I’m honest, what he does isn’t really my cup of tea.  He’s very talented and all, it just doesn’t do much for me.  Which is fine.  Alas that meant that the most interesting part of his set to me was the fact he was wearing a Space Invaders t-shirt that I also own.

While waiting for Allo Darlin’ to setup, it was time for a drink in the bar in the lobby, which led to an impromptu game of London Indiepop EyeSpy.  This was my first attempt at the game but I think my final score of 27 29 was fairly respectable.  Was anybody else there playing?  It’s stalkertastic.  I even spotted MJ Hibbett tweeting about the very gig we were both watching both on Twitter and in person at the same time.  Crazy!

After that excitement it was finally time for Allo Darlin’ who were absolutely superb.  Seriously, I can’t think of a single band that I enjoy more at the moment.  They went with a bold gambit of starting and closing the set with gentle, solo songs that seemed a bit risky at the start, but by the time they’d jumped into The Polaroid Song, the whole place was bouncing along.  Each time I see them I’m sure the El Scorcho sample in Kiss Your Lips gets louder from the crowd, and it never fails to bring a smile to my face.  The only slight disappointment was the omission of Henry Rollins Don’t Dance from the set, but it’s not on the album, so it’s understandable.  Speaking of the album though, it’s already slotted itself in as my favourite of the year so far, which in a year in which Romance is Boring was released is no mean feat.

Website / Myspace / Twitter

Last on, and to a slightly smaller audience were The School, who were treating the gig as their album launch party.  Seems a bit odd given the album isn’t out properly here until June, but who cares?  I’ve said before that I like The School but with some reservations, and it’s about the same here.  I like their songs and enjoy them live, but there’s something that holds me back from regarding them as a favourite band.  Which is fine really.  Maybe the album will be the thing that finally tips me over the top.  Their set was good fun though and the finale with Allo Darlin’ and “anyone else” on stage singing brought the night to a lovely conclusion.

Website / Myspace / Twitter

An excellent night out in a unique venue overall.  Find a selection of my photos from the gig below.  Behold, my first attempts at gig photography with manual settings!

This past weekend was my first experience of London Popfest, an annual event that aims to bridge the gap between Indietracks’ for indiepop kids. Taking place over four days in deepest London, the world’s finest indiepop bands descend on tiny venues to “indiepop ’til we drop“. For various reasons I only made it to the Friday and Saturday days of the weekend, but the weekend still managed to be the highlight of the year so far.

Friday // Buffalo Bar

What a tiny, tiny venue. Little more than a square room with a stage on one wall and a bar on another, it’s amazing just how packed the place quickly became. I’ve been into some cramped venues before, but the torturous “trek to the toilet” that I endured here may have been the worst. Still, any negative feeling there was quickly countered by the music itself. The Sunny Street provided some decent melancholy pop to start. I wish I could say more about it but the sound was a bit crappy where I standing. Moving to a new spot for Horowitz massively turned me around on them. I’d been familiar with them for years but they’ve never done much for me. Their set was tight and punchy though, and I’ll definitely be exploring their album(s?) some more. Up next, The Garlands brought some Swedish flavour to the festival, including somehow even getting away with a Wham! cover. Headliners The Just Joans opened with their excellent Hey Boy…You’re Oh So Sensitive!, which was useful as it’s the only song theirs I really like and allowed me to duck out a bit before the end before the heat and volume in the Buffalo Bar finally destroyed my head completely.

Saturday // 100 Club

I hate going to the 100 Club. Not because I have anything against the venue itself. Indeed, it’s actually a nicely laid out venue, everything being sideways with a stage in the middle meaning everyone gets a decent view. My problem with the 100 Club is it’s location. Being right in the centre of Oxford Street, there is literally nowhere to park anywhere near it (short of paying something ludicrous per hour in an underground horror movie set), particularly for an all-dayer. It’s fine for Londoners and their public transport and all, trying to get back to Kent at god knows when from central London without a car is an absolute bastard. That aside though, I did enjoy the fact that from Oxford Street itself, the most recognisable shopping street in the country for locals and tourists alike, you could hear indiepop blasting out of the doors for much of Saturday. Probably didn’t win any new fans, but the thought of random Japanese tourists being assaulted by the sounds of Allo, Darlin’ as they walked past amused me no end.

Walked into the place during Plouf!, had a quick drink and walked back out again in search of Forbidden Planet round the corner instead. Nothing against Plouf! in particular, but they just aren’t really my cup of tea. Arrived back somewhere toward the end of Red Shoe Diaries who seemed pretty good and made me regret disappearing for so long. Oh well.

After that began the perfect triple bill of Soda Fountain Rag, Standard Fare and Allo, Darlin’. Soda Fountain Rag was perhaps the most surprising of the three. I loved (and posted about) her brilliant Don’t Kill The Clowns back in 2008, but when I listened to some more songs, they didn’t seem to match up. Live though, it’s a different matter altogether, the end result being one of the most consistent sets of the weekend. Standard Fare seem to be on a meteoric indiepop rise at the moment. Seemingly coming out of nowhere over the past year, they managed to absolutely own their set, and seeing them headline such an event by next is by no means out of the question. Allo, Darlin’ are one of my favourite bands from the past year, and seeing them live was joyful. I’m convinced that they can’t make a song that isn’t catchy as hell, and rousing renditions of the superb Henry Rollins Don’t Dance and The Polaroid Song did nothing to argue with that view. Newer songs like Dreaming and Kiss Your Lips fit just as well, the latter even managing to sample Weezer’s El Scorcho, something that will instantly endear it to popkids the world over.

Not much was going to compete with that combination so it was time for a nice walk up and down Oxford Street after that, leading to an indulging in Burger King and trying to work out where the hell the light shining on Centre Point was coming from. Never did figure that one out. Wandered back into the 100 Club to see most of Shrag’s set, which was a pleasant surprise. I’ve never been much of a fan of their recorded output, but their live set was pretty damn fun. Following them were the wonderful Ballboy, taking their rightful place as headliners. Opening with the mighty Avant Garde Music, they ran through
a mixture of old classics and newer material. Sadly I missed the last bit of their set due to requiring a tube back to the car parked across the city. From the half I did see though, they were certainly one of the most professional bands of the festival. And I’m not just saying that because Gordon McIntyre told me to.

Please find below a lovely gallery of photos that are in black and white to look arty, and certainly not because I suck at taking decent pictures in low light.

Assuming that bands progress in the same way people do, the last time I saw The Young Republic, they were going through their awkward teenage years. Having just split from a bunch of their original members, the band were starting to find a new sound, one rather more rooted in Americana as opposed to the upbeat folk pop of the early years. They were good and put on a decent show, but there was still a sense that the band didn’t really have a clear direction.

In the little over a year in between, so much has changed. The Young Republic that takes the stage in Cargo on a Monday night aren’t here to play songs. They are here to rock. The fact the venue isn’t exactly full isn’t going to stop the crowd going right along with them, and the band are happy to reward their enthusiasm. Launching into a set made up mostly from their latest album Balletesque, we get a solid hour of rock and roll that only scratches the surface of their potential.

Much of this confidence comes through front man Julian Saporiti. He’s no longer the slightly awkward (but hugely talented) personality on stage he appeared to be a year ago. A new charisma seems to have appeared about him as he throws himself completely into every song as if his life depended on it. To his right, violinist Kristin Weber is a subtler presence, adding layering to each song. That is until The Alchemist, with it’s full-on violin solo halfway through. The rest of the band utterly still and silent throughout, her violin alone commanding the entire room. Not something you see at gigs everyday.

Then of course there’s the occasional treat thrown in for the older fans. “This is the point where we play a couple of old ones” notes Saporiti, before we realise these aren’t the old songs at all. Sure, at their core they are still Excuses To See You and the wonderful Girl From The Northern States, but they’ve been given the same overhaul the band had. What was folk pop is now Americana, and it’s still just as good.

After an hour, the band say goodnight and head off the stage. The crowd aren’t letting them off so easily though, and the band return for an encore seemingly at a loss for what to play seemingly having used everything in the main set. Shouts for their cover of Dylan’s Isis are shot down by Saporiti pointing out their lack of harmonicas. Eventually they settle on a couple of Beatles covers and most surprisingly of all, the Ghostbusters theme song. Complete with dance moves. It’s a hell of a way to end a gig, but by this point the audience would have let them get away with anything.

Or rather, you can. Because getting off the train then meant it was possible to pop into the train shed and catch Zipper’s set. Spanish indiepop doesn’t come much better than this, and their set was all the more joyful from just how happy the band seemed to be to be there. Between each song they didn’t seem to quite believe that they were playing in front of a large crowd at a railway yard in Derbyshire. Although I suppose in those terms not that many people would. Still, they were so good that I made sure to pick up a copy of their album which was a mere £5 on the merch stall.

A trip back to the main stage for The School turned out to be a fine set. Although I like The School, it tends to be in a fairly casual sense. I only know a handful of songs, but by the end of their set, I was looking forward to their upcoming album as eagerly as anyone else in the crowd. Every song hit just the right note, the entire band sounding in sync, which is no mean feat given the number of members and variety of instruments on display. This was an assured performance for a band that is certainly going to go on to better things.

Back to the shed for The Smittens, another band that I don’t know as well as I should. Not that it mattered with their set though. So ingrained into the Indietracks tradition are the band that they could have recited a phone directory and still drawn everyone in. Thankfully they didn’t do that, but instead flew threw a set of pop gems, winning over everyone in the process. By the end of the set, a certain band may well have been declaring them to be “top of the pops”.

Now, something not entirely unexpected happened during The Smittens’ set. That something being that it started to rain. Showers had been predicted for the Sunday, so no one could really complain. Other than the fact that once it started about 3pm, it didn’t bloody stop. The rest of the festival was turned into an indoor event for those less hardy souls, or something unpleasantly muddy for those willing to brave it.

And brave it we did, for Lucky Soul were playing on the main stage. The last time I saw Lucky Soul was at a lovely gig at the Luminaire two and a half years ago, and boy have they come on as a band in that time. A hearty mix of old and new songs make up their set, which still pulls considerable numbers given the unpleasant conditions. A few years back I would have been worried that a band like Lucky Soul would quite a limited one-trick pony, but the band seem happy to evolve instead of limiting themselves to a purely 60s sound. As it sounds, their upcoming album could finally be the one that pushes them over the top.

A little bit later and it’s time for Pocketbooks, who are the band on the bill that most define the festival as a whole. They run through most of the songs from the recently released Flight Paths album, with Falling Leaves, Fleeting Moments and the superb Cross the Line being the obvious highlights. By the end of the set, every attendee of the festival seemed to be in the shed. A cynic could argue that this was related to the heavy rain outside. A more accurate version however would be that Pocketbooks are just that damn good.

After Pocketbooks came Disasteradio, who offered the first truly “what the fuck?” performance of the day. Bizarre electronic beats performed by a man seemingly having a seizure on stage, who then proceeds to try and eat his microphone. I’m sure there is an audience for this, but I suspect it wasn’t here. Following that was Help Stamp Out Loneliness, who were fine for what they were, but didn’t do very much for me.

Finally, it was time for the mighty Art Brut, a band whom I love dearly, but worried wouldn’t quite fit in with the Indietracks mentality. Things got off to a shaky start with Eddie Argos almost immediately using the t-word (a crime here one might suspect) and getting the Indietracks version of a bottling (sweets thrown at him) for his trouble. Of course, it didn’t take them long to win everyone round, particularly once Argos had the epiphany that he’s telling people to be less twee while playing from a setlist of songs about public transport, DC comics and chocolate milkshakes. Between this, and proclaiming that MJ Hibbett is “top of the pops”, there doesn’t seem to be anyone still holding out against them. A spirited version of Modern Art, adjusted to “DC comics make me want to rock out” follows a performance almost entirely from the audience, starting what may have been the first Indietracks mosh pit. Their set comes to a storming close with the band’s drummer spectacular falling off the stage by rocking just a bit too hard, to possibly the largest applause of the festival. Five minutes later, the band return for an encore, even if Argos had already put on his jacket to leave.

Which is where Indietracks 2009 comes to a close for me. I could have stayed for Teenage Fanclub, but I’ve never been much of a fan, and nothing was going to top the highs of the Art Brut set. It’s not one moment or performance that makes Indietracks so special though. It’s the atmosphere of the entire event. Of every festival or gig I’ve ever been to, this was by far the nicest. Everyone is generally lovely, the bands are happy to mingle and watch the other bands, and the whole DIY spirit of it all is impressive to behold. It’s hard to articulate that kind of appeal in a review such as this, and that is unfortunate, but Indietracks leave you with a feeling of pure joy. This may have been my first visit to the Midland Railway Centre, but it certainly won’t be my last.

(Apologies for the lateness of these reviews. I came back from Indietracks and quickly came down with something I immediately feared to be swine flu. Thankfully, I was quickly reassured that it was merely twee flu and that it was perfectly normal. What a relief.)

Indietracks isn’t the first festival I’ve gone to this year, nor will it be the last. It’s hard to see how it will be anything other than the most enjoyable event of the year though. Launched in 2007, Indietracks is the ultimate in niche festivals. A tiny capacity, a very precise view of the kind of bands it puts on, with all of this set in a small rail yard. It’s a wonderful feeling (and an unheard one at a festival) that you can walk between any of the stages within a couple of minutes. Most importantly of all, it’s by far the nicest festival that you’ll ever visit.

Arriving at Butterley station on Saturday morning, things didn’t seem so perfect. Bands are starting to play, yet to access the site you have to wait a little while for a steam train to come along and take you there. It’s not a huge inconvenience, and one that was rectified on each return trip to the site by driving around back lanes and being able to park right by the main stage. Seeing as there was nobody on immediately that I was excited about upon reaching the site, there was time to pop round to Brittan Pit Farm. The llamas there have become the stuff of Indietracks legend, and it was mildly disappointing to not see them spit on anyone while visiting. No problem though, as the farm as a whole proved to be a lot of fun, with it’s dalmatian ponies, goats and birds regularly providing a welcome diversion from the festival excitement.

The Frank & Walters ended up being the first band caught in the afternoon, who I wasn’t familiar with beforehand. Typically, just as I arrived to watch their set, they suffered a power cut, which ended up with them having a kickabout on stage (almost bringing it down in the process) to fill the time. They were back on track again within a few minutes, and they turn out to be a pretty enjoyable way to get started. At times they come across a little rocky and perhaps out of place at such an event (at one point asking “is this a trainspotters festival?”), but they seem to go down quite well with everyone.

Wandering over to the train shed, which acts as the main indoor stage, it’s time for Butcher Boy, a Glasgow band I’ve liked for a while now. This was the first time seeing them live, and they managed to greatly impress. Their songs lose none of the zeal of their recordings. Sounding perfectly arranged, in a few minutes they managed to prove that not all indiepop has to sound ramshackle. Unfortunately, I have to confess that I didn’t pay attention to a part of their set as I’d spotted the mighty merch stall for the first time. A vigorous browsing session later and I’d left with albums by Cats on Fire and Zipper, a label sampler, a Ballboy shirt and some Fortuna Pop badges. I could have spent a hell of a lot more there, so let’s be thankful that there wasn’t a cash machine on site.

Some general wandering of the site followed, which saw a bit of Speedmarket Avenue’s set (fine, but not really my cup of tea) and The Lovely Eggs setting up on the church stage. Annoyingly, the setting up was about all I did see, the heat/crowd in the church quickly becoming too much. Apparently their set was incredibly good too. Back to the train shed again, and it’s time for Cats on Fire, a wonderful band from Finland, who manage to bring on the dancing for the first time of the weekend. Their set was rather heavy on their latest album, which I hadn’t heard much of beforehand, but the almighty singalong and general happiness that radiated through the set meant that I had a copy by the time I left the festival. Alas, I missed the later part of their set as it was time to wander over to the main stage for Camera Obscura.

I was a little anxious about seeing Camera Obscura as while I’m a big fan of their music, they don’t seem to have the greatest live reputation. Fears are rapidly quelled though with a stunning set that healthily mixes in new album material with a number of the old classics. The band themselves may look utterly miserable on stage (I’m sure they aren’t really), but the beautifully arranged sound played out with a backdrop of the sun setting behind the stage makes for one of the performances of the festival.

Back to the train shed once again where Emmy the Great should be playing, but there’s actually no sign of her. Nothing has been set up on stage, everyone looks a bit confused and I even overhear someone discussing how she hasn’t turned up yet. Eventually her band hurry onto the stage about 45 minutes after the scheduled stage time, and within minutes the set is under way. Apologies are made about being stuck in traffic on the M1 in between songs, but it’s seemingly ruined any flow the set may have had. She lurches from song to song without a setlist, constantly checking how long she’s been playing for before finishing up barely past the thirty minute mark. Still, the storming version of Where Is My Mind? means that most complaints are quickly overlooked. As a whole, the songs individually are fine, but as a set, it left a lot to be desired.

This is about where Saturday at Indietracks ends up for me. On the way out, I caught a few minutes of La Casa Azul, who was putting on an electro-pop set both mystifying and brilliant on the main stage. Would have stayed longer if not for the desperate need for food and some sleep.