Feast headed up to T in the Paaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrk, on the Sunday for what was to be the last bow out as Balado bathed in scorching sunshine.
As Feast got, to T, the sun and copious volumes of alcohol hadn’t seemed to wane of the festival’s faithful punters and it was clear that everyone was going to send Balado off in style, and there was a definite air of poignancy as the ‘end of an era’ sunk in, on the final day of the weekend.
An early start Tijuana Bibles are the perfect antidote to start the party. The Glasgow cheeky chappies, deliver a sleazy snarling set full of immediate guitar stomps weaved with bass rhythms, and bounding energy.
Dundee’s Scary People gave an impressive early set full of brooding pop punk, with ‘I don’t see the lights’ is all infectious riffs and pounding bass lines. A definite one to watch on the Scottish scene.
Catfish & The Bottlemen played to a packed out tent and are going guns blazing just now, having watched them play tiny sets at Haddowfest, years ago, the band have blossomed in stature and risen the old fashioned way. The Welsh rockers received rapturous applause from the crowd with tracks such as ‘Kathleen’ and ‘Homesick’ met with massive sing-alongs. Whilst the band are not particularly original, they deliver set of proper rock sing-alongs sung with such intensity and conviction, that Van and co instantly win everyone in the tent.
Tame Impala played to a quiet tent, as the whole of the festival appeared to be at the main stage. The band delivered slabs of Aussie soaked psychedelic which the crowd lapped up. Highlights included the soaring pop ‘Feels like We Only Go Backwards’, ‘Be above it’ which builds into a raving monster, and ‘Elephant’ which sent the crowd mental.
Chvrches were roped in to cover London Grammar’s set and the trio are becoming firm festival favourites with their brand of accessible electro-pop, which entices everyone to dance, and are still on their way to becoming Scotland’s new electro-pop exports.
Meanwhile, on the main stage Paul Weller and then Jake Bugg looked like they wanted to be anywhere else. Whilst, Weller brought out the hits, his performance was muted and nothing like previous sets over the years. Whilst Jake Bugg sang his heart out, he just looked like he wanted the set to hurry up.
Radio One headliners Disclosure’s crowd grew and grew throughout their set as punters became increasingly bored of Alex Turner and co.’s preening and unoriginal headline set.
Disclosure have had a simply outstanding year, as the boys have grown exponentially as their popularity and influence soars. They deliver a sleek set of deep house pop. Guy Lawrence drums precisely throughout the set and Howard sends the giddy crowd into fevered dancing as soon as ‘F for You’ drops. ‘When a Fire Starts to Burn’ sounds colossal. Whilst ‘White Noise’ sends the punters into heaving, jumping sing-along.
The Lawrence brothers delivered a storming, and as the crowd demanded ‘one more tune’ the boys ushered Sam Smith on stage for a rousing climatic version of ‘Latch’ as the sun set and fireworks drew the curtain on the Scottish behemoth and two decades of Balado, with the crowd saying ‘Bye Bye Balado’. There is much talk of a new improved T in the Park, a boutique festival, and a brand new site at Strathallan. Will it have that unmistakeable T feel, will it drew the same punters, does it want to? Who knows, but let’s lift a Tennent’s to the next chapter. Balado is been a blast!
Posted by Stacy
