Walking along the harbour front in Anstruther, customary fish and chips in hand, it’s difficult to imagine anything more serene. Returning ducks swim in the low tide, while the few remaining fishing boats are tied up for the evening. Oh, and a music festival blares in the background.
Hosted by the Fence Collective, Homegame is a showcase for friends, by friends. Acts are invited – not booked – and any concept of a rider or showbiz demands are left at the door. Arriving on Friday we are welcomed by the sounds of Player Piano. A decidedly un-Fence act, the indie group’s acerbic indie stylings prove that there is much more to the Fife micro-label than woolly jumpers, folk melodies and beards. Bristol’s Rozi Plain performs, adding near tribal percussion to her always impressive songwriting. Part of the Fence family, her debut album turned her into a cult name – could a second helping push her into the mainstream?
A slew of Edinburgh groups dominate proceedings, proving that Auld Reekie really is where it’s happening on the Scottish music scene. Gothic folk stars Withered Hand provide a ghostly accompaniment to the town hall, blasting through a selection of tracks from their recent album. The customary wander to Legends – the dilapidated local nightspot – find Findo Gask breezing through what would become one of their final sets. Spectral synth pop, the band’s mixture of Hot Chip and Japan ends the day with no small measure of style.
With the sun choosing to grace this corner of Fife with its presence, Saturday opens with a selection of fine singers. Meusault performs a stunning set, with his lyrical prowess matched only by his incredible voice. A deeply affecting performance, the Edinburgh based singer’s forthcoming second album will surely be a thing of beauty. Lisa O’Neill’s warm stage presence makes for a soothing mid-afternoon snack, with her tales of working in a Dublin coffee shop keeping the audience with a beaming grin on their collective face. Performing in a school hall – the site, I am told, of the very first Homegame – Adem then performs a mixture of fan favourites and new material. Completely at home, the English singer is a close friend of the Fence mob and re-appears throughout the festival for a series of often hilarious guest spots.
Glasgow electronica star Remember Remember eases into the evening, with his looped grooves and found sounds pushing back boundaries in a rather relaxing fashion. However the pace then picks up for Scottish legends The Bluebells. Introduced by King Creosote the band blast through a greatest hit set containing, naturally, their classic single ‘Young At Heart’. It ain’t cool, but it’s sure as hell fun. Temperatures duly raised, The Unthanks introduce the crowd to Northumberland clog-dancing before Jon Hopkins decides that it is time for something completely different. Electronic music makes its presence felt at Homegame more than ever this year, with the producer treating the crowd to a stunning set. Moving adeptly from dubstep to bass driven electro, Hopkins even throws in a slice of Brian Eno’s ‘An Ascent’ as his set draws to a close.
The traipse to Legends then becomes unavoidable, with the much talked about debut show from Silver Columns proving to be the main attraction. Formed by The Pictish Trail and Adem, the performance is genuinely jaw-dropping. A new dance music endeavour, the pair perform with masks leaping around the stage like kids who have mainlined Sunny D. Spectacularly, their music matches the stage show with the slick producer never once veering towards novelty. The sounds of Hackney, brought to life in Anstruther. Who’da thunk it?
Who said Sunday was the day of rest? The Sabbath opens with performances from Hardsparrow and Fake Eyelashes before The Pictish Trail begins a set to a packed church hall. The jovial singer is the lynch pin of the Fence label, and organises Homegame – along with suggestions from King Creosote, of course. Recently embarking on his ‘100 Days’ project, the singer comes armed with countless thirty second nuggets. By imposing restrictions on himself, The Pictish Trail seems to have found another vehicle for his creativity. Always entertaining, it is here that the real joy of Homegame comes to the fore. More like a family re-union than a festival, crowd members shout for their favourite tracks while Adem and a host of others leap onstage to add backing vocals.
With the sun casting a red hue across the fields, the Town Hall opens for the last time at this year’s Homegame. RocketNumber9 supply some Krautrock grooves, while Edinburgh group FOUND are on typically sparkling form. Relocating to London seems to have done Django Django the world of good, with the group’s live show given a physical edge. Blasting through their material, the band’s adept mixture of psych-rock and dance production belies expectations and makes them one of the weekend’s genuine discoveries.
One of the most revered producers in Britain, Four Tet is allowed to bring down the curtain on Homegame 2010. A recent stint at Plastic People evidently sharpens his DJing technique, with the producer delivering a suitably groundbreaking performance. Showcasing various elements of his own output, Four Tet moves from the glitch-folk of his seminal ‘Rounds’ album to the straight ahead techno of the ‘Ringer’ EP. Adding a few sampled nods to Burial along the way, the producer completes his set with a lengthy work out on ‘As Serious As Your Life’. With night falling outside, the waves splash against the harbour wall as the Spring weather begins to give way. Until next year, Anstruther…
