Ed Simons, left, and Tom Rowlands of the Chemical Brothers perform at Field day
(Picture: Alberto Pezzali/Invision/AP)Back with a banquet of block-rocking beats, Field Day returned to Victoria Park on Saturday with a stellar line-up of legends spanning a full half century of electronic music.
First launched as a small-scale event in 2007, but now part of the All Points East series of outdoor summer mega-shows, this one-day festival drew a crowd of around 40,000 revellers of all ages.
With pumping four-on-the-floor party anthems dominant across all stages, Field Day’s musical menu felt a little conservative at times. But there were welcome exceptions, notably ace of bass Tom ‘Squarepusher’ Jenkinson, whose ribcage-rattling warp-speed electro-jazz set fizzed with exhilarating punk energy.
Turntable sessions by Floating Points – aka Sam Shepherd – and Berlin-based Korean DJ Peggy Gou also brought quirky, sunny, infectious disco-funk energy to the festival’s main arena.
Although they technically ranked lower on the bill than the Chemical Brothers, the star attraction for older ravers at Field Day was unquestionably German electro-pop legends Kraftwerk, who rolled out their slick audio-visual symphony of pristine retro-futuristic music accompanied by dazzling 3D graphics.
The Düsseldorf quartet’s co-founder, singer and sole surviving original member Ralf Hütter gave a typically deadpan performance, with no mention that this show fell on his 76th birthday.
Some critics deride the Dad’s Army of Teutonic techno-pop for becoming a sterile heritage act in recent years, endlessly replaying their antique hits like some kind of cyborg Rolling Stones. But Kraftwerk’s Field Day set was full of luminous melody and ravishing beauty, with classic tracks like Trans Europe Express, Computer Love and Tour de France signalling that the band’s shiny metallic hearts are actually abuzz with romantic longing.
Even after half a century together, Kraftwerk remain a sublimely mysterious artwork, a living monument to 20th century modernism, Le Corbusier and Debussy to a disco beat.
Cinematic visuals were also a key factor when the Chemical Brothers arrived for their blockbuster headline set, unleashing a high-decibel stampede of propulsive drum loops, funky basslines and blasting sonic artillery.
Barely visible on stage, Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons crouched in shadow over their control panels while billboard-sized video screens blazed with striking images of dancers, robots and vivid Pop Art graphics. Skilled elder statesmen at getting massive crowds to dance, the Chemicals delivered a booming barrage of vintage bangers including Hey Boy, Hey Girl, Setting Sun and Galvanize.
Their electrifying energy was impressive, even if this pummelling musical assault course lacked the subtlety and variety of Kraftwerk’s sophistocrat spectacular. Late in the show, Rowlands and Simons wrong-footed audience expectations with the dreamy, soulful, gently throbbing ballad Wide Open, featuring pre-recorded vocals by Beck. It felt like a finale, but then the message “Hold Tight London” lit up the screens. the thunderous crescendos returned, and mandatory arms-in-the-air hedonism began again.
