lowlands 2008

Being a European festival, the line-up encompasses a healthy amount of DJs and metal bands so while One Night Only were plodding away on the India stage, KILLSWITCH ENGLISH were delighting thousands of hairy, sweaty metallers just a few hundred yards away. The slightly more subtle charms of THE NATIONAL followed, with Matt Berninger’s foray into the crowd during ‘Mr. November’ providing one of the most memorable finales of the weekend. Although the foot traffic to watch The Ting Tings was easily the heaviest of the day, THE SHOES drew a massive crowd to the pounding X-Ray stage, encompassed within what can only be described as a massive metallic drum. Bravo, the main dance stage, hosted an on-form HOT CHIP whose live performances go from strength to strength – even taking in a lighters-aloft cover of ‘Nothin’ Compares 2U’. While the smart money was on the in-demand Santi White (AKA Santogold) delivering an intelligent pop masterclass in the India tent, PEDULUM were causing chaos on a massive scale in Bravo. I’ll leave it to the programme writers to describe, “All right mate! Lekker boemerangbeuken…alive and kicking daar op de planken!” With the release of their ‘Christmas On Mars’ film nearing, the FLAMING LIPS loaded the stage with dancing green aliens and though their stage show was as heart-warming and visually arresting as ever, the set lacked some new impetus and ‘She Don’t Use Jelly’. After a raucous NERD closed up on the Alpha, or main stage, LOS CAMPESINOS! were just setting up on the tiny Charlie stage nearby. “We’d like to thank NERD for supporting us” singer Gareth deadpanned, before they rattled through the majority of ‘Hold On Now, Youngster’. Those au-fait with profanity were faced with a tough decision on how to wake up on Sunday – the pleasant strains of hardcore warriors Fucked Up or the gentle, melodic strum of Canada’s FUCK BUTTONS. The latter were a real highlight, the intensity of their performance rivalling that of the former. GOGOL BORDELLO shaded the main afternoon slot from psyche-rockers Yeasayer, just on sheer energy – they turned the whole of the colossal Alpha tent into a huge gypsy punk party, and few made it out without a few bumps and bruises. SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO provided one of the dance tent’s finest performances with ‘It’s The Beat’s minimal tech-house proving a winner and ‘I Believe’ providing a respite to the constant fist-pumping. An altogether different prospect were the incomparable SIGUR ROS, whose set provided emotional resonance and spine-tingling anthems. An easily-accessible and viable alternative to the UK’s admittedly already crowded festival calendar, this may have been my first time at the Lowlands festival but it is unlikely to be the last.