They say music is the most nostalgic form of art. Apparently hearing a twelve inch single again can take you right back to the moment when you first heard it – be it that moment of your first kiss, your first swig of cider or even that first time you made a tentative foray onto a dance-floor. This may well explain why Reload Festival had me and many others blubbing like babies, re-living some of the most memorable times of our lives to a 1980s inspired soundtrack.
Everybody’s Working For The Weekend…
Prior to the festival I had seen day tickets for the event offered at 2-for-1 prices in some places. This filled me with a little nervousness, uncertain as to how this inaugural Reload festival was going to turn out. Were the organisers afraid of a low attendance or were they simply looking to offload those last few passes to ensure they made a maximum profit on their venture?
My nerves were put to rest and I was pleasantly surprised once I entered the Norfolk showground site and I walked the short distance from campsite to the large, solitary stage. Greeted by the sounds of Bruce Foxton and his tribute band, From the Jam, the nostalgia was already in full flow. Obviously the grey sky above hadn’t stopped the party starting on time, helped presumably by the fact you could arrive and get in the mood on Friday if you were camping, but nonetheless I was surprised to see such a big crowd so early – and evidently keen judging by the hands in the air and the amount of singing going on.
New York, London, Paris, Munich, Everybody Talk About…
The first thing I noticed about the festival was how quickly the stage guys were at breaking down the stage furniture and setting up the speakers and everything for the next artist, taking only around twenty minutes to turn around the acts. A good job, as one thing I can say I have never seen before is an artist taking the stage early. Odyssey were obviously as keen as Norwich mustard, as the came out on stage a full 10 minutes ahead of schedule. Their current line up has been joined by Romina Johnson of Artful Dodger fame, and they showed they still had it all going as the crowd were well and truly won over with their audience engagement. Front man Steven Collazo lead the interaction and with the crowd more than happy to reciprocate, this made for a great atmosphere. He was still there on Sunday too as it happens – I saw him wandering amongst the crowd, happily chatting and posing for selfies, so he obviously enjoyed himself too and it showed with the great big smile on his face.
This seemed to be the order of the day from here on in. The festival-goers, who mostly seemed to be aged between 40 and 50, lapped up the opportunity to relive some of their younger years, helped by the DJs providing a great soundtrack between acts all weekend. One of the coolest features was the huge screens that linked some of the classic tunes to their equally classic videos. Go West, Imagination and Hot Chocolate provided a few well known numbers and luckily I didn’t have to witness anyone doing The Full Monty when You Sexy Thing was performed. ABC surprised many as although the years have rolled on since their original heyday the band still seem to capture the hearts of the crowd and Martin Fry is certainly still able to belt their hits out.
Never Gonna Run Around Or Desert You…
The surprise package on the Saturday night was undoubtedly Rick Astley. Sandwiched between Soul II Soul and the headliners Kool And The Gang, I thought the programmers had maybe got this wrong – however it was I that was wrong, not them. Whilst Soul II Soul thrilled on stage with Jazzie B, as laid back as ever, joined by the great vocals of Karen Wheeler, there is no doubt Rick Astley was the one who astonished and entertained most. He managed to make people see him in a whole new light; the years have been kind to him, he can still sing, and can certainly entertain a crowd. He seemingly owned the stage, even when he had to dodge the odd pair of knickers flying in his direction.
Astley amazed. As well as performing his staple manufactured Pop hits to a huge reception, he also added some covers to his set list, performing songs from artists such as Daft Punk and Swedish House Mafia to the adulation of the day-glow-wearing crowd. A much better idea than performing some of his lesser known songs, which wouldn’t have had the same effect on the crowd. I definitely have a lot more respect for him now, and I’m sure many others were equally won over by the little ginger lad with the big bad voice’s charm.
After a thoroughly enjoyable day, the show closed down with Kool and the Gang. Professional to the core and naturally talented, they were a great choice to close down the Saturday night at Reload with their warm funky sound. So that was the Saturday – a whole day spent singing along and reliving memories had left me hoarse and tired, but looking forward to some more of the same the next day.
That’s Why I’m Easy…
Sunday saw the crowd stumbling up in good numbers again right from the midday start, which was impressive as I’m sure many must’ve felt as jaded as I did, and I had had the comfort of my own bed as I only lived a few miles from the venue. Well, talk about a yo-yo of a day. Sunday for me was all about surprises, some good and some bad. Opening on stage were The Real Thing. They had energy and presence on stage and were certainly willing to put on a show, getting the crowd in the mood with a sing-a-long or two.
Abba tribute band Bjorn Again, Heaven 17 and Five Star treated the crowd to more hits that they could reminisce over, whilst Aswad brought their delicious reggae blend to us in the beautiful sunshine. Then it was time for ex-Neighbours heart-throb Jason Donovan. The crowd were obviously keen to see him. He arrived on stage to a great amount of cheering and applause. However he didn’t manage to hit quite the right notes of his opening number, the massive dance-floor belter Don’t Leave Me This Way, which left me a little disappointed with the blonde haired minstrel, so I took this opportunity to take a trip to the bar.
On this note I’d just like to mention how well Reload did with their bar sales arrangements. Whilst you can end up queuing so long for a drink at other events that you miss half the good music, this wasn’t the case here. Plenty of choice, plenty of staff and hardly any wait time meant that I was thoroughly lubricated on both days and possibly spent a little more than I wanted too on delicious libation. There’s a lesson hidden somewhere here for all you festival bar organisers out there reading this.
Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves…
By now the sun was starting to set and next up was Sister Sledge. They were simply brilliant. From the offset they played around with the crowd and showed what a great act they still are – even with one or two different faces to their original line-up. They invited three members of the audience on to stage to show us who was the greatest dancer which had the audience laughing their heads off. This was pure musical indulgence with hit after hit sung beautifully. I looked around to see everyone getting down to their soulful disco tinged sound. These seasoned disco rockers turned real party-providers of the weekend. Definitely on a par with them was Billy Ocean, who also rocked the crowd. This old smoothie smooched his way into all our hearts, with his effervescent smile and sharp suit. Oh yes he can sing, and you could hear in the picked up melodies of the early evening why he is the biggest selling Black British artist of all time.
Obviously it was getting late in the day now and much of the crowd were in full voice. Even the DJs, who were excellent all weekend, were getting sing-a-longs at this stage in proceedings, but I was really glad I saw Billy Ocean. He was without question one of the highlights of the whole event, a natural talent who even at this later stage of life still manages to come out on stage with a cheeky glint in his eye.
Don’t You Want Me Baby…
The final act of the evening was The Human League. I used to be a fan of these guys back in their hey-day so I imagine that the weight of expectation was too much for them to bear. After being amazed by so many acts I didn’t think I was that bothered about seeing, I actually found these Synth-Pop Rockers a little bland. I don’t know whether it was because some of the key faces were missing from the band or if I was placing too much weight upon the concave shoulders on Mr Phil Oakey, but something didn’t seem right with their performance. Still as an overall score I’d only been disappointed with a couple of acts on the bill whilst I’d enjoyed more than I could count more than I expected. I think when I looked at the musical change left in my pocket following the event I was definitely up.
Back To Life…
Basically Reload festival has a long way to go if it is to gain nationwide notoriety or appeal, but for its first festival I was reasonably impressed. The music made it, facilities were good, and it was affordable and it did what it said on the tin. I’d return next year if they do as my friends and I had a great time. Sure some of the acts were a little off colour, but that’s no different from any other music festival event you’re going to see around the country. On the whole I have to give this one a big thumbs up as the organisers managed to get the mix right. Hopefully next year they’ll simply refine their game and people will be able to let loose at this quality up-and-coming festival.
