All Years Leaving 2015

Uniquely dark, veering between mystery and magnetism, The Wytches close day one in a clamour of guitars. Rousing the room into anarchy, layered refrains sear towards cataclysmic levels, performing thundering guitar refrains capable of swallowing the room whole. As immersed in their performance as the crowd are in the sounds emanating from the stage, the band leave no soul unhooked.

Remarkable as Friday demonstrated to be, Saturday's unexpected festival highlight artives in the form of The Bank Accounts, who awe the gathered audience in the venue barn not once, but twice. Playing until their power cuts out, the trio’s passion-fuelled chant-a-longs keep the gathered singing as they drift out the doors. In the main room, Spring King’s vigour might be more structured, but their set is no less explosive. Their raucous dynamic ushers in all manner of enthusiasm, their energy second only to the movement of the dancing at their feet.

Forsaking vitality for vivid sounds, MONEY may have crafted a dazzling set, but their performance lacks any of the energy of the acts that surround them. Powering through their songs with all the delicious melodies but little of the gusto of the other bands here, their set seems somehow void of the spark that has always served them so well.

Taking to the stage in his characteristic suit as the hour struck twelve, East India Youth sweats and spellbinds from behind evolving tapestries of twirling melodies. Deep refrains and dance-a-long rhythms echo long into the night. With an extra hour to revel in as the clocks turn back, All Years Leaving marks itself out as a festival leaving every attendee cast under its spell.

Photos: Sam Wood

Tags: Chastity Belt, Kagoule, Speedy Ortiz, All Years Leaving, Festivals, Reviews, Live Reviews