At a festival like Bluedot where so much depends on the science talks, the workshops, the demonstrations, the projections, the light shows, the readings…you\u2019d expect the music programming to get left behind. Besides the set of fairly predictable crowd pleasing headliners (Pixies, Orbital, and alt-J) Bluedot did well to cram in some interesting artists and performers. Here\u2019s a round-up of the bands I saw on Sunday:<\/p>\n
The eight performers of the Rajasthani Heritage brass band woke everyone up on Sunday morning, opening the Lovell stage with a bang. The driving bass drum moved the musicians expertly between seemingly impossible tempos, switching between Rajasthani folk songs, Bollywood numbers, and a specially prepared suite of sci-fi themes. Their reimagining of Delia Derbyshire\u2019s Dr Who<\/em> theme tune was mysterious and melancholic, turning round with a fun oompah finish.The Imperial March from The Empire Strikes Back<\/em> was rendered cheeky and playful \u2013 and the bass drum shuffle left me thinking that the march is kind of a jam. Their other sci-fi arrangements were inventive and dynamic \u2013\u00a0though the highlight were their Bollywood classics: a mournful \u2018Monica, Oh my Darling!\u2019<\/a> from Caravan<\/em> (1971) and the rousing title track ‘Main Hoo Don’<\/a> (1978). They played for an hour but I think we all could have listened for another.<\/p>\n The last time I saw Girl Sweat Pleasure Temple Ritual Band<\/a>, crammed onto a step stage at the Star and Garter in Manchester, my ears rang for three days (and I\u2019d had to leave the set half way through because it was too painful). They seemed completely at home on the expanses of the Orbit tent however \u2013 managing to fit all eight of them (2 drummers, 2 guitarists, 1 bassist, 2 vocalists, and a man repeatedly banging something in the corner of the stage) on the enormous stage. I usually have a test for when I see a band with this many members, in costume: do they really need that many performers, i.e. does everyone have a place? and are they trying to compensate for something with those costumes. Sweat pass the test: they need the people, they need the costumes. I have the power of sweat \/ Sweat is the power in me \/ I have the power of sweat \/ Sweat is the power in me<\/em> was the perfect opening chant to an overheated audience. They are a sound man\u2019s nightmare, and make no apologies for their cacophonous, discordant sound. Last time I saw them the sound was so muddy you couldn\u2019t hear the female vocalist (unless she screamed) or the saxophone – this time, the saxophone cut perfectly through \u2018Rise,\u2019 wailing over the top – and the female vocalist now took the lead. One saxophone sounded like ten, meeting the constant screaming and yelping of the vocalists, and the methodical, intricate, drumming. They were a welcome increase to the decibel levels at the festival \u2013 and unbelievably, despite the chaos, the band leader managed to control and round off the musicians on several occasions, proving Sweat to be a group of versatile, intuitive performers. There was great work between the drummers (who knows what you could hear back there) and the two guitarists created a blistering drone between them. Last time I saw them I\u2019d found it difficult to square Sweat\u2019s sense of fun (the gold and red lam\u00e9 costumes) \u2013\u00a0the dancing, squatting, lunging, of the lead singer \u2013\u00a0with what seemed to me at the time as a kind of high seriousness: the red veil the female vocalist drapes over herself, screaming and laughing hysterically at one point, the chanting, the melodrama. Previously this had seemed like a contradiction, though here it emerged as an absolute commitment to their music. \u2018Come to Temple, witness the beauty, and get down.\u2019<\/p>\n Later on the Orbit stage, Rival Consoles<\/a> (Ryan Lee West) played a solid set of the kinds of full, warm electronic music we\u2019d heard from him on Night Melody<\/em> (Erased Tapes, 2016). West has written about how he\u2019s interesting in \u2018exploring electronic music with a human sentiment,\u2019 and he opens his set with some triumphant \u2013 nearly moving \u2013 organs. What\u2019s emotional about West\u2019s music? Though he gets close a few times, he manages to avoid the temptation to go all out euphoria, and I\u2019d probably say that the music is contemplative? thoughtful? It\u2019s difficult to say. I think I was probably more \u2018moved\u2019 by AEVA\u2019s set the previous day. After a strong start, we again ran into the problems of pacing a set for a mostly still, sometimes lying-down crowd. I wonder how many times West has played to a tent full of people laying down \u2013\u00a0which seems to be the unfortunate thing to happen to a lot of this day time electronic music. At least the detailed seismograph visuals were responding to the music. West settled into a powerful set, and despite maybe lapsing into a predictable build\/drop build\/drop a few times, it was an intense and engaging show. <\/p>\n Anna Meredith on the Orbit stage opened with the completely mad ‘Nautilus,’<\/a> the opening track of Varmints<\/em><\/a> (Moshi Moshi, 2016) \u2013 I\u2019ve never been able to decide whether it\u2019s very catchy or very annoying. The repetitive, slow, up-and-down of the tuba and synth was a bit maddening in the hot tent (not their problem, I know) \u2013\u00a0and I found myself wanting the drums to hurry up and get it over with. That said, though the tuba looks<\/em> out of place, a bit extra,\u2013 in a live setting it was brilliantly bassy and full, and seemed at home alongside Meredith\u2019s synths. The rest of the set featured intricate electronics overlaid with cellos, electronic drums and, unbelievably, the tuba again. Sometimes the sweeping cello felt a bit film-score, and sometimes the vocals sounded a bit cute, a bit twee. Occasionally, however, they managed to build an enjoyable, carnival style frenzy of sound. The atmosphere grew throughout the set though, and by the end I think they\u2019d won most of the crowd.<\/p>\n Six-piece Team Picture<\/a> from Leeds played an expansive, accomplished set full of psychy, muddy songs. The lead singer\u2019s crystalline vocals did well to cut through the noise from the main stage, and their performance was the best I\u2019d seen all weekend (the Devo cover went down exceptionally well). \u2018Potpourri Headache\u2019<\/a> was a highlight – syrupy and sickly, like a chilled out Elizabeth Fraser in \u2018Sugar Hiccup.\u2019 I made the mistake of missing half of Team Picture\u2019s set to see Whyte Horses Experience<\/a> on the Lovell Stage, whose rare live performance fell a bit flat. High-energy garage rock meets with dancers in blue raincoats with painted white faces: for a while it was impossible to tell who was playing an instrument and who was a dancer \u2013\u00a0and they probably didn\u2019t pass the aforementioned costume test. Musically they seemed all over the place \u2013 garage rock, folky pop songs with xylophones, psychedelic numbers. Though it sounded like it was written for the festival sunset slot, the powerful, overwhelming live vocals on \u2018Feels Like Something\u2019s Changing\u2019 outstripped an otherwise OK performance.<\/p>\n