Picture this – a free music festival in your nearest city. Big names such as Coldplay, Calvin Harris and Katy Perry. A dream come true? Well, it was for thousands of Scots who headed to Glasgow Green on a grey May weekend to enjoy one of the biggest music events Glasgow has had to offer this year.
BBC Radio’s 1’s Big Weekend is a music festival hosted by BBC Radio 1 that moves location every year. Last year it was in Derry-Londonderry in Ireland, and we had been hoping and praying that it would come to Glasgow. Sure enough, it was announced on the 30th January that the festival would be hosted in the city. The next step for us was ensuring that we got a pair of tickets, since we knew that there would be a massive demand. After a lot of cursing, shouting and sighing, we managed to bag a pair of tickets for the Saturday of the event. At this point BBC Radio 1 had not yet revealed Saturday’s line-up, but in the weeks and days leading up to the Big Weekend they announced that the main stage would be graced by One Direction, Bastille, Lily Allen, Jake Bugg, Ed Sheeran, Pharrell Williams, Calvin Harris and Coldplay. Excited wasn’t the word. Even though BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend is generally at the pop end of the British music festival spectrum, it is clear that there are various acts which appeal to everyone, as well as an Introducing Stage to give some publicity to equally talented yet not so famous performers.
When we descended on Glasgow on Saturday morning with thousands of other excited festival-goers, there was already a buzz in the city. The Big Weekend had kicked off the night before with an 18+ dance music night in George Square. As soon as we arrived we headed to the smallest of the three stages, the Introducing Stage, to catch the very first act of the day – Racing Glaciers. We first encountered the five-piece supported Dan Croll at King Tut’s in March, and we were so excited when they were announced for the Big Weekend. Our (very) early arrival meant that we managed to bag a spot at the barrier. Half an hour later their short-but-sweet set kicked off with New Country, and also featured their fab new single First Light. Featuring strong vocals, catchy riffsand even a bit of trumpet, Racing Glaciers did not disappoint.
Then we headed over the Main Stage to catch One Direction. Shameful, we know. But these boys have a universal appeal, as their immense popularity will tell you. Even if you hate them, chances are you will still be able to sing along with most of their songs. They came out onto the Main Stage looking, quite frankly, a little bored. But they got the crowd going with favourites such as Best Song Ever, Little Things and What Makes You Beautiful and, in all honesty, put on a good show.
After all the pre-teens and their parents cleared away, we tried to get as close to the front as possible for the next Main Stage act, Bastille. We’ll be honest – Bastille was one of the main reasons why we came. Since March 2013 Bastille – made up of Dan, Kyle, Woody and Will – has been a bit of an obsession of ours, as their meaningful take on pop has had us hooked. As we saw them saunter on casually from the side of the stage, we screamed as loudly as any 1D fangirl. Despite flying over to the UK to perform in the middle of their US tour, the four barely showed any fatigue after they soared through each song, and then finished on a high with Of The Night and Pompeii. Obviously we may be a little biased, but their performance was excellent – if only it had been a little longer to squeeze in a few more songs!
The only problem with Bastille’s set was that it clashed with Lorde’s performance in the In New Music We Trust Stage. Fortunately her set is available to watch on the BBC Radio 1 website. You can catch all of the performances from the Big Weekend here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/events/ep3g9r. Next up on the Main Stage was Pharrell Williams. We watched him, his silly hat and his backing dancers from a distance whilst eating over-priced pizza. He smiled and charmed his way through his recent hits. We couldn’t resist getting up and having a little dance during Happy.
The next main stage act we saw was Lily Allen. After a few years away from the music scene to raise a family, she was back with her first festival slot since she announced her hiatus. She performed a mix of old and new – Smile and The Fear alongside Hard Out Here and Air Balloon. Lily even performed her Christmas advert hit Somewhere Only We Know. Her brash style of music isn’t for everyone, but she certainly knew how to put on a show, as demonstrated by the showers of confetti.
Next up: Ed Sheeran. We’ve wanted to see Ed live for a while, ever since his first album + came out over two-and-a-half years ago. Now with a new album and international success, Ed was back to basics with no fancy staging – it was just him, his guitar and a loop pedal. This was all he needed to get the crowd buzzing. All well as his old favourites we heard his new single Sing – even though it was little different to 2011 Sheeran, it still got everyone singing along.
By this time the Scottish weather had really set in, so we sheltered from the rain in the Introducing Stage tent. This turned out to be a great idea as the Saturday Introducing headliners Catfish and the Bottlemen were in the middle of their set. We had seen their name around a few times, but this was the first time we had actually heard their music. From the little we heard, it seemed like some great indie-rock, and it was clear that they already had an established fan base. Be sure to look out for them in the future.
After a long and exciting day, it was time for Saturday night headliners Coldplay. Despite waiting for forty minutes in the rain in order to be close enough to capture a glimpse of a sweaty Chris Martin, everyone was excited and ready to sing along by the time the lights went down. For the next hour we got a high-energy show, with the only pause being for Chris to take a sip of Irn Bru (nice touch). Over their fifteen year career Coldplay have racked up a lot of hits, from Fix You to Viva La Vida, Paradise to Clocks. We will be the first to admit that we even got a little emotional during Yellow. With amazing laser displays and star-shaped confetti, it was a show worth waiting for. The band seemed to enjoy it too, with likeable frontman Chris wooing the crowd. Their new songs from album Ghost Stories also got a good reception, with everyone singing and jumping around to A Sky Full Of Stars. It was past eleven by their set came to a close, and even though we were tired, deafened and soaked, it was clear that the Big Weekend had started with a bang!
Check out all the performances from Radio 1’s Big Weekend at the website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/events/ep3g9r
Here’s Coldplay with A Sky Full Of Stars:
Band Substances 