After the glorious sunshine of last year’s Beacons, there was little surprise that the festival returned this year with a stormy vengeance. Beacons 2014 was wet, windy and wild – the perfect trial for a festival still in its youth
With attendance of the festival higher than ever before, and a well-designed re-shuffle, bringing the arts and music a little closer together, the atmosphere was at an all-time high. Crowds were able to take advantage of the cosy arrangement of tents like Into the Woods and Dawsons Arthouse as the rain poured down, without the threat of missing the musical delights on offer on the main stages.
Although our weekend did begin sheltering in a questionable tent, we managed to make it out for Friday’s headliners Daughter. The set was beautiful. Those who had braved the unpredictable weather were taken care of in the soft vocal embrace of Elena Tonra, with ‘Youth’ being a particular crowd pleaser. Making the most of the cinematic treats on offer, our evening came to an end in the arthouse, cuddling up to the end of Tony Scott’s True Romance on the big screen.
The sun’s presence was greatly appreciated on Saturday, giving everybody the opportunity to flitter between some of the smaller stages and soak up some new favourite bands. I grew very fond of the Argyll DIY stage, where I caught a late set from Beaty Heart, a fun electro-indie band a little reminiscent of Animal Collective. Autobahn on the Noisey Stage were another treat, only with heavier guitars and a darker intensity.
Yet more treacherous weather on Sunday managed to call a handful of bands off stage, including The Fall, who re-appeared a little later on, and another unheard of favourite of the weekend, Groupo Rani, who were playing a perfectly sombre lounge set when the power cut out. Even so, their samba-style interpretation of Nat King Cole’s ‘Nature Boy’ was certainly one of my festival highlights.
Words: Tasha Franek.
Image © Beacons Festival.
