16/07/2017

Emma Davies

Finsbury Park has long been home to music festivals and music lovers alike. Just over two weeks ago the park held host to thousands of excitable festival goers for what was set to be a brand new experience.

Community Festival did not disappoint. The one day festival kicked off with a huge line up of indie, rock and pop artists all of whom have made the their mark this year in the music scene.

The real fun started with Slaves who absolutely stood out for me as a main stage act. Their energy is undeniable, gracing the stage shirtless and shouting out political slurs (is that just what bands do since Glastonbury?!) But their music was a non-misser, performing their 2014 single ‘Where’s Your Car Debbie?’ and tracks from their 2016 album ‘Take Control’ including ‘Spit It Out’, ‘Lies’ and ‘People That You Meet’, where Suggs from Madness joined them onstage – which of course the crowd (those who were old enough to know who Madness are) loved!

Community festival originated as a multi-venue arts event in Shoreditch in 2015 and in just two years it has expanded to the two-stage event. And it felt like a long time coming for indie fans in London.

The concept of this festival couldn’t come at a better time, with Britain’s millennials dividing over politics and stressing over Brexit.

Community’s message is to come together and celebrate our joint love of music.

Many of the acts spoke about the importance of togetherness and showing solidarity after several terrible incidents and attacks in recent months. The Wombats who were celebrating their 10 year anniversary and their new album ‘Glitterbug’ played the well known tune of The White Stripes ‘Seven Nation Army’ which saw the thousands in the crowd passionately chanting “Ooooh Jeremy Corbyn” and whatever your political standing, it was moving to see a group of young gig goers chanting for purpose.

The N4 stage was also not a disappointment, those who were eager to catch some real up and comers in the industry enjoyed shorter sets from the likes of BBC tipped artists Anteros and Saint PHNX who are making waves this year.

Clean Cut Kid headlined the N4 stage, clearly highly anticipated, drawing the largest crowd the stage saw that day. Having played a host of shows over the summer so far, the band kept up a great momentum, with an engaging and uplifting performance, chatting with the crowd and ending their set with new track ‘Vitamin C’. We can’t wait to see more from the Liverpudlian pop group when they tour the UK in October.

Other stand out performances came from Southend’s alt-rock group Nothing But Theives, who teased us with new track ‘Sorry’ from their yet to be released album ‘The Broken Machine’, letting us know that 2017 is going to be a big year for the group, as well as The Hunna and Fickle friends who kept up the momentum of the day.

This set the tone in the build up to the headline act Catfish and the Bottlemen,who filled Finsbury Park for their biggest headline slot yet. The fan’s favorite four-piece entered the stage in all black with their alligator emblem behind. I even spotted a couple of blow up alligators thrown in the air during the rock band’s energetic performance. They played a selection from their 2014 album ‘The Balcony’ including ‘Kathleen’ and had the crowd head bobbing en masse with a great full set from latest album ‘The Ride’ including hits ‘Twice’ and ‘Soundcheck’ giving us all a chance to sing along.

As you immerse yourself in the fun of this festival it’s easy to forget you are in central London. One-day festivals are quickly becoming popular due to the price and the ease, especially amongst new festival goers.

Community festival is true to its roots and successfully stands for bringing together a community of young music lovers. This is just the beginning for the indie-rock festival scene.

One to watch for 2018!