They grabbed your gaze with quirky sock puppets sporting silly haircuts and googly eyes. Field Day kept your attention with a killer lineup and well-organised festival experience, making it a standout of the season. There was a mad dash to squeeze the remainder of London’s carefree rays and feel-good energy out of the last weekend in August. Victoria park quickly became the avenue with which guests used to make some of their final summer memories on the 24th.
Within the grounds, attendees were immediately greeted by a multi-coloured “All Points East” plank banner. The photo opp presented a connecting point between festivals as Broadwick Live collaborated with APE to host Field Day. I was attending with a friend who had been at the previous evenings’ event which LCD Soundsystem headlined. They mentioned that there seemed to be quite a bit more going on at Field Day, comparatively.
There were five stages in total, which I found impressive considering the grounds weren’t especially huge. Drink queues were surprisingly short, likely a result of the sheer number of options which was coordinated well. Jokes were exchanged that there almost seemed to be a few too many bartenders because of how efficiently queues were managed. A variety of food options were on offer that seemed to suit most diets, vegan all the way to the biggest meat eater you know. Brand-sponsored activities were available if you needed a break from the heavy bass and dancing crowds.
Each of the stages presented stacked lineups which created overlaps, as you can always assume will be the case at a festival. Difficult decisions had to be made. Yaeji performed Live, accompanied by backup dancers and a rolling chair which made multiple appearances throughout her performance. After which, Sega Bodega immediately followed. Surrounded by smoke machines and illuminating light stands that shifted in colour and intensity throughout the performance. We spent a large portion of the afternoon at the CUPRA North Arena, which just so happened to be the one fully covered stage. This boded well for us as we battled rainy weather in the morning, persisting into late afternoon.
London-adored horsegiirL took the stage early in the day, just before 3pm. I was especially excited for this set as she is a personal favourite if I’m looking for high energy girlypop tracks. The set was established as sort of a ‘presentation’ about horses which many in attendance found equally humorous as they did, clever. Though I started to lose interest after the first twenty minutes. I quickly ate my words just as we began to leave the pit. Our attention was immediately pulled back when we heard her mixing what sounded like three or four tracks at once.
This festival didn’t spare any elements despite it being a one day event, which we really appreciated. I’ve been to many day festivals which felt lacking in extras due to the relatively fleeting nature of the programming. In Field Day’s case it seemed as though no corners were cut, that attention to detail was a feature. Another factor that drew our intrigue was the varied and extensive stage design. Considering tight turnarounds between performers, it was clear that crews were seasoned and knew exactly what they were doing. It showed, as nearly every show I attended happened on time, which is another part of the music festival experience you can’t always rely on.
Most of the time you have to expect that someone is going to start late and that you’ll end up missing at least one show. Due to the festival’s organisation and surmountable size, I don’t think I missed a single performance. An additional noteworthy result, unassumingly bumping into friends I hadn’t seen in months. One of which mentioned that they had a “religious experience” at Charlotte de Witte’s set, where she presented Overdrive.
Many big brands were present, hosting prize booths, drink stands and even stages sponsored by names like BBC, White Claw and L’Oreal. There were a couple of amusement park rides dotted about. As someone who wouldn’t normally jump onto a circular-moving structure, I found myself ready to hop into the ferris wheel to get a slightly better view of the main stage.
Festival attendees were friendly as well. It’s always a mixed bag but I find that electronic festivals which have a balanced lineup usually bring the nicest guests. Hyperpop, dance, club and indie all melded into the soundspace of Field Day. The heaviest rainfall took place during Yves Tumor’s set at the West Stage. Though I intended to embrace the muddy grounds sans rain jacket, a kind stranger offered an umbrella to share. I left halfway through to catch another performance and as I turned around, I was greeted by parting skies and a double rainbow.
The pièce de résistance as you could call it, Justice’s set – stole nearly the entire festival’s attention as a hushed excitement settled over the audience. Beginning strong, the pair walked onto the stage at adjacent mixing tables and opened with Genesis. Excitement rattled audience members all at once, as the crowd slowly began lurching forward waiting for the initial drop as synths and heavy bass descended over us. The standout feature of their performance was not only the duo’s cool-mannered stage presence, but the light show that sent its viewers into another world. The crowd glittered in iridescent colour tones and near continuous screeches of exhilaration.
The musical pair had not performed in the UK in six years, making this performance one of the highlights of the day’s events. While many other performers at Field Day have been in the industry for awhile, others were up and coming. Overall this festival was a lot of things: well-curated, beautifully-organised, easy to access and dare I say, one of the best experiences of the London summer festival season.
I hate to tell you, but missing this festival was a mistake. My advice? Make sure you get a ticket for next year, it’s not something you should let happen again.
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Words: Lauren Bulla