Indietracks, which for the last four years has taken place at the Midland Railway centre in Derbyshire, was perhaps not quite as busy as last year when it had the support of Spain’s Elefant label on the main stage and a distinct European feel to it.
But if there’s one strapline to take away from the 2010 version, it’s that this is the year when it established itself as the defining UK indie music festival in your calendar.
This year was indie in its more ascetic forms. The old guard were there with The Orchids growing in stature with their set and Saturday night’s headliner The Primitives (pictured below) will be remembered for a stoic performance, although that’s not to take anything away from the kudos of having booked them in the first place. Both were outshone by a frantic Pooh Sticks set which throbbed with vitality – right down to their performance of ‘On Tape’ – one of many performances that the audience will go away knowing they just witnessed something rather special.
The breakthrough acts were also there in force. Sunday’s top slot The Pains of Being Pure at Heart were the event act of this new breed of bands. In a way they’re difficult to define. They wear their influences on their collective sleeve; in all honesty the gamut of their songwriting is pretty narrow; the vocals didn’t soar on the night. But as a band and a performance it suddenly made sense what all the hype is about.
And as ever with Indietracks you always get more than you deserve. Shrag (pictured below) have a terrible name but otherwise frankly spellbinding in any other respect, mainly down to their mesmerising singer, but also a bristling crop of energetic three minute stomps.
The Felt Tips were one of the highlights [fellow Indietracks attendees – I accept that when you’re faced with one billion acts to watch, it is possible that other highlights were going on at the same time as this writer’s]. Particularly their ode to a loss of faith in Morrissey, deftly followed by a defiantly Smiths-y number. Although ‘Life Skills’ is one of those songs that remains in your head for its pure audacity.
Among other acts Allo Darlin’ (pictured below) are clearly great song-crafters and were followed on the Friday night by Everyone was in the French Resistance… Now, a concept act that creates response ‘songs’ to famous hits. Off the wall and hilarious but should they have been Friday’s headliner? Perhaps not, but as they would have pretty much upstaged anyone you would care to put on after them, I can see the argument for giving they them the headliner accolade. Finally Antarctica Takes It definitely deserve a mention for their lo fi up beat work.
And then there’s the primordial indie soup of emerging talent. Betty and the Werewolves had queues round the block and over the level crossing for their energetic set in the church stage. Mexican Kids at Home felt like a rather charming GCSE music lesson. But those five kids in the back of the train singing nursery rhyme songs about mortality certainly had something.
The festival itself continues to excel itself at being the best unkept secret around. Whether they are on-stage or off, you’ll never run into such a high concentration of steam-powered music lovers on any other weekend of the year. Top marks.
Words and pictures by Matt Whipp
For more pictures visit Matt’s Myspace site here.
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