Sunday…
Frightened Rabbit were most likely the pick of the Glaswegian contingent, playing to a rapturous ovation early on the Sunday afternoon. While the band seemed quite taken aback by their reception, their set was nothing short of electric, and such plaudits were highly deserved.
The songs from their “… Sings the Greys” debut translated well in the tented surroundings, becoming a rousing call to revellers to embrace Sunday, despite any lingering hangovers. We then managed to catch the remainder of the Annuals set, which was fine, but also highlighted a problem with this year’s line-up: there were a very high proportion of new bands. With regard to the Glasgow-based acts, this is less of an issue, as there will have been more opportunities to see them locally. But having so many new international acts, it felt as if one was constantly watching bands that are largely unknown entities. It is difficult to get excited about a band you have never heard, and even harder for the band to win over a cold audience, as it were.
Acts like Silversun Pickups, Alberta Cross, Annuals, Maps and Elvis Perkins are all very well, but hardly established in the sense that they may have only released one album, and very recently at that. While new music is an important addition to any festival, a little more balance could have been appropriate. And while gripes are being had, Idlewild were an uninspired ‘special guest’, leaving at least this reveller bemoaning the cancellation of Explosions in the Sky.
But possible gripes were few. I’m From Barcelona and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah were good, and Jason Pierce’s Spiritualized Acoustic Mainlines were excellent. He even paid a small tribute to Daniel Johnston with a sublime cover of ‘True Love Will Find You in the End’, aptly setting the stage for the imminent Flaming Lips. All possible expectations for the Flaming Lips were met: Wayne Coyne in a hamster ball, confetti, people dancing in costumes, smoke, heart-warming monologues, giant inflatable things and incredible music. Adjectives such as ecstatic, jubilant, amazing, and spectacular are all fitting. If anyone in Victoria Park remained without a smile on their face by the end of the Flaming Lips’ set, their hearts are surely made of mud.
Indian Summer – like Hey You Get Off My Pavement – does much more than provide a means of entertainment; it caters to the more musically inclined members of Glasgow’s population, reflecting the city’s rich musical landscape. Sometimes we forget how lucky we are in Glasgow, having such a wealth of venues and talent in the musical sphere. There are people in cities all over the world that would love an event like Indian Summer on their doorstep. So, despite moving to a calendar month rendering its title a complete misnomer, this year’s Indian Summer far more reflected the character and atmosphere it seemed designed to create. What is in a name anyway? T in the Park is no longer in a park as such, summer is merely a relative term for a few days of sunshine in Scotland, and the Black Isle is not an island at all. As such, we should embrace Indian Summer for what it is: a tremendous festival of music that provides a platform for acts both local and international to find a receptive audience, purposefully catering for a knowledgeable minority audience.
Last year, there were several aspects of the festival that could have been improved upon. This year, each of these aspects (poor scheduling of bands, not enough toilets, and terrible choice of food) had been greatly improved. And, it didn’t rain (much). I am pretty sure that is what one would call, a success.
Photos: James Cadden
more photos from Indian Summer on Flickr