Kendal Calling has swelled both in size and quality in a just
a small number of years. From its humble beginnings as a 900-capacity weekend
day event in Kendal’s Abbott Hall Park to being nominated for (and often
winning) the ‘Best Medium Sized Festival’ prize each year, 2016 saw the event
welcome undisputable music legends to the stage. But it’s not just headline
slots from the likes of Noel Gallagher and Madness that stuck out this year;
up-and-coming local artists, underground guitar outfits, cult hip-hop acts and
a wonderfully diverse spread of everything in between truly made the weekend
special.
I returned to the festival with a vague list of who I quite wanted to see and who I definitely wanted to see over the course of the weekend, and although the latter consisted of some of my favourite bands, many of the ones that ended up becoming my true Kendal Calling highlights had hardly made the former. Here’s a low down on just a few sets that really caught my eye (and ears) this year.
First up is Cabbage. Despite only forming last year, the exhilarating five-piece have built up an ever-growing following in their hometown of Manchester and beyond, something which certainly aided them in playing to a jam-packed House Party tent, but it was their surprise set in the Tim Peaks Diner just an hour later that really saw them come into their own. Almost uncomfortably intimate, their songs spouting humour, social commentary and the odd overtly crude lyric delivered in a punk-like style pervaded the tiny room and made sure everyone present knew that this is a band to watch out for.
Dundee’s finest guitar-pop gang Model Aeroplanes delivered a pleasing set on the Calling Out stage. Their upbeat songs became enjoyably energetic when played live and managed to get the early afternoon crowd dancing to catchy choruses and jangly riffs. “If you’re not going to dance, what’s the point in coming to a musical festival?” the quartet quizzed their audience at one point. Touché.
Straight off the back of the release of their second album, Ullages, Eagulls also took to the Calling Out stage. Whilst tracks on their debut are fast and ferocious, their follow-up sees them explore an often slower, more controlled, more mature vibe, at times reminiscent of The Cure in their vocals and The Smiths in their riffs. Saturday’s set dominantly showcased the latter of these sounds and successfully proved its worth.
Over the course of the weekend the Main Stage attracted several big-name bands well into their careers and still owning the scene. Following a string of huge comeback shows celebrating ten years since their first album, Sheffield’s Milburn brought their singalong indie anthems to a sunny Friday evening, whilst Everything Everything’s contemporary electro-rock got a slightly less sunny Sunday’s crowd grooving. Most impressive in their stage presence, perhaps, was The Hives. With monochrome coordinated outfits right down to their socks and perfectly-rehearsed moves, the Swedish band played their vibrant heavy hits with passion and charisma.
Local talent is something you will always find at Kendal Calling. Hailing from nearby Carlisle, rock’n’roll six-piece Hardwicke Circus played a set that portrayed musical flair well beyond their youthful age, recalling ‘70s influences with a modern twist. Late night slots at the far edges of the site were also a venture worth undertking, notably in the dark warehouse-like Jägerhaus, where you could catch grungy trio The Wytches or the fast-paced lurching guitar strokes of Yak.
A real treat for hip-hop fans came in the form of the Sugarhill Gang’s Main Stage set, drawing a huge crowd eager to hear legendary hits spanning some forty years.
I returned to the festival with a vague list of who I quite wanted to see and who I definitely wanted to see over the course of the weekend, and although the latter consisted of some of my favourite bands, many of the ones that ended up becoming my true Kendal Calling highlights had hardly made the former. Here’s a low down on just a few sets that really caught my eye (and ears) this year.
First up is Cabbage. Despite only forming last year, the exhilarating five-piece have built up an ever-growing following in their hometown of Manchester and beyond, something which certainly aided them in playing to a jam-packed House Party tent, but it was their surprise set in the Tim Peaks Diner just an hour later that really saw them come into their own. Almost uncomfortably intimate, their songs spouting humour, social commentary and the odd overtly crude lyric delivered in a punk-like style pervaded the tiny room and made sure everyone present knew that this is a band to watch out for.
Dundee’s finest guitar-pop gang Model Aeroplanes delivered a pleasing set on the Calling Out stage. Their upbeat songs became enjoyably energetic when played live and managed to get the early afternoon crowd dancing to catchy choruses and jangly riffs. “If you’re not going to dance, what’s the point in coming to a musical festival?” the quartet quizzed their audience at one point. Touché.
Straight off the back of the release of their second album, Ullages, Eagulls also took to the Calling Out stage. Whilst tracks on their debut are fast and ferocious, their follow-up sees them explore an often slower, more controlled, more mature vibe, at times reminiscent of The Cure in their vocals and The Smiths in their riffs. Saturday’s set dominantly showcased the latter of these sounds and successfully proved its worth.
Over the course of the weekend the Main Stage attracted several big-name bands well into their careers and still owning the scene. Following a string of huge comeback shows celebrating ten years since their first album, Sheffield’s Milburn brought their singalong indie anthems to a sunny Friday evening, whilst Everything Everything’s contemporary electro-rock got a slightly less sunny Sunday’s crowd grooving. Most impressive in their stage presence, perhaps, was The Hives. With monochrome coordinated outfits right down to their socks and perfectly-rehearsed moves, the Swedish band played their vibrant heavy hits with passion and charisma.
Local talent is something you will always find at Kendal Calling. Hailing from nearby Carlisle, rock’n’roll six-piece Hardwicke Circus played a set that portrayed musical flair well beyond their youthful age, recalling ‘70s influences with a modern twist. Late night slots at the far edges of the site were also a venture worth undertking, notably in the dark warehouse-like Jägerhaus, where you could catch grungy trio The Wytches or the fast-paced lurching guitar strokes of Yak.
A real treat for hip-hop fans came in the form of the Sugarhill Gang’s Main Stage set, drawing a huge crowd eager to hear legendary hits spanning some forty years.
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