This weekend I’ve been getting stuck into the coverage of glastonbury (at least that which the bbc felt it didn’t have to intervene in for some strange reason). I’ve really enjoyed experiencing lots of different sets from the comfort of my home, especially while I get ready to move soon, because what’s better for chores than good music. So I’ve picked out a few of my favourite songs from various sets to share.
Having heard many good things about Ezra Collective and liking a few of their recorded songs, I decided to listen into their set. It’s probably of the best vibes I’ve seen from a live set and that’s without even being there. For this particular song (and a couple before it), they brought out a large band from two youth clubs, it was probably the most wholesome thing they could do. You could tell everyone on that stage was enjoying it, bouncing around and dancing to the incredible music they were playing. I could help but dance along too in my own room because it was just so good. If you have the time I highly recommend watching their whole set because it is just so good.
As you may well know by now English Teacher are really special to me - I’ve seen them maybe 4 or 5 times live, so when I watched their set at Glastonbury I was quite surprised they were playing a new song. I feel like this is quite a rarity for them and I was very excited. It turns out I was rightly so, Lily introduces the song to be “about a shark biting off your leg” which I found quite funny. The song feels like a culmination of all their previous work, especially tracks like Albert Road and This Could Be Texas. It’s one of their calmer tracks but it hits so hard and if this is what their new material will sound like, then I am very excited for their future.
Unfortunately there is no recording of this, but the song starts around 14:55 in the bbc recording here.
I think Lola Young has a lot of very cool stuff coming out at the moment. I really enjoyed her album “This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway”, particularly tracks like “You Noticed” (the track I almost picked) and “Wish You Were Dead”, and she continues the trend of great music with her new songs coming out. One Thing is one of these and you can tell just how much love there is for that song based on the volume of the crowd’s singing. I think Lola’s love for being on stage also shines through, she is really giving it her all and has some amazing dance moves. The set is such good vibes and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
The title here is very apt - I am hooked on this music. The staccato synth in the background, the strong leading guitar and Alex Kapranos’ vocals all just give such a catchy fun song. Although the recorded version does not feature Master Peace, they had him as a guest for Glastonbury (and apparently also Glasgow), I think the mix of rap and rock is such a fun and interesting combination. One similar track I like in this style is the collaboration between the Arctic Monkeys and Dizzee Rascal, Temptation Greets You Like Your Naughty Friend, a combination which seems really weird on paper but meshes so insanely well. I feel this same vibe is brought across here and goes so well in the live form, a brilliant performance from both artists.
Live at Glasgow with Master Peace
Some general sets I liked (and perhaps a song I recommend):
Song of the Week:
See my friend Sof’s song of the week here!
See my friend Sof’s song of the week here!