Summer Sundae - The Clash Review

Sandwiched in the middle of the festival calendar between Glastonbury and Reading/Leeds festival, Summer Sundae manages to be far cooler and more interesting than both, choosing top quality talent in favour of the latest ‘buzz’ bands.

Friday evening was met with immediate disappoint by many due to the unfortunate cancellation of main-stage headliners The Streets. Scottish indie folkers Idlewild took their place, a last minute decision that left many bemused and disappointed.

Earlier in the evening, Mystery Jets delivered a crowd pleasing performance with songs from their last album, 'Twenty-One', as well as treating the audience to a couple of tracks from their long awaited, as yet untitled, new album.

Dan Black took to the indoor stage in front of a gaggle of screaming girls as the Sun set over Leicester, however it didn’t take the teens long to realize that he is very much a case of style over substance. Tracks such as ‘Symphonies’ were well received but even Black seemed to be struggling to stay interested as he jumped around the stage to little or no reaction from the increasingly dwindling crowd.

Perhaps one of the finest and most sought after line-ups of the weekend was to be found at The Musician stage, a tent showcasing the very best of acoustic and world music and located ideally next door to the real ale tent. Shropshire based singer/songwriter Jake Flowers was first on Saturday, to open up another gloriously sunny day and he didn’t disappoint. Drawing crowds from afar as his folk-tinged songs of love lost and won, he drew a sizeable crowd for an act so early on in the day’s schedule and deserved a slot far higher up the billing then he was rewarded.

While The Charlatans performed a hit-laden set on the main stage, the younger members of the crowds could be found at the indoor stage, where ‘man of the moment’ Mr Hudson performed an entertaining, (if slightly self-indulgent), set that silenced anyone who doubted his talent. Rather annoyingly many of the audience seemed to be there for one track, his current chart hit ‘Supernova’ and overlooked the beauty of some of his earlier work from his debut album, ‘A Tale Of Two Cities’. Mr Hudson however, is in every sense a showman and had the crowd in the palm of his hands. The future looks incredibly bright for Mr Hudson, he just needs to ensure he can succeed in the mainstream without Kanye West holding his hand.

Sunday saw Skint and Demoralised pack out the tiny Phrased and Confused tent with what was probably the biggest crowd it saw all weekend. The Sheffield poet performed a unique set that was an interesting combination of spoken word pieces and songs. However as the festival came to a close, while the majority of the audience waited for The Zutons to take to the main stage, once again The Musican Stage had the stronger act in the form of rockabilly songstress Imelda May. Imelda’s mix of rockabilly/country/bluegrass, splashed with a hint of the contemporary, made for a perfect festival closer. With toe-tapping tunes like ‘Johnny Got A Boom Boom’, her performance left a smile on the face of ever single audience member.

The Summer Sundae weekender may not have the biggest names, the craziest crowds or the most money, but what it does, it does incredibly well, showcasing potential stars of the future with a good blend of more established acts.

Words by Kevin Angel