Caribou Vibration Ensemble, ATP Nightmare Before Christmas

Waking up on Sunday morning (who am I kidding? It was basically noon) at ATP with a hangover that just screams “unprofessional” to all around the festival that have to unfortunately encounter the hollow shell I’ve been reduced to until about 5pm doesn’t seem like the best way to start the last day. Having necked back a few Nurofen (which Gary Numan’s wife cursed us for having earlier in the weekend because they contain animal extracts), I find myself at the merch tables - where you can buy everything from an All Tomorrow’s Parties tea towel to a wee ATP babygrow. Feeling the need to buy something as a memento (as well as a “thank you” token), I eye up the Caribou t-shirt but instead decide it’s too dear. Get it? Too deer. In wise words taken from the Kanye West track ‘So Appalled’: “That was a little joke / Voila!”

Sticking to the fruit juices instead of fermented drinks of any sorts, I head to catch Caribou’s first set at ATP - one that opens the last day, which the band have been invested with the honour and responsibility of curating. The setlist picks from some of the older releases in Caribou’s back-catalogue, largely lifted from the Polaris-winning ‘Andorra’, so all those only acquainted with post-’Swim’ tracks take a break at the bingo-like tables at the back of the hall. Group leader Daniel Snaith seems to acknowledge the collective fragility that’s plain to see in the Stoic faces of those doing their darnedest to stave off lethargy, greeting the audience almost apologetically by stating that the band are “just warming up for the Vibration Ensemble” set later in the evening and that they can collect a magazine supplement that they’ve complied especially to commemorate the day on the way out.

After having a much needed break and watching the X-Factor final (What? That’s live music too! Kind of), it’s back to Centre stage for the last time of the weekend to see the last headline act of the weekend, Caribou again but accompanied by a few friends - making up the lightheartedly named ‘Caribou Vibration Ensemble’. Flanked by Sun Ra’s Marshall Allen, backed by Four Tet and James Holden on electronics and with a brief appearance from Junior Boys, there’s a greater array of talent on stage than the supergroups of Broken Bells and equally jovially-titled (but this time in a terrible way) ‘Monsters Of Folk’ combined.

There’s no question how much talent is on display and there’s no questioning how impressive the ensemble are, but the problem is that this doesn’t always convert into audience enjoyment. If that was the case, you’d see a whole lot of session musicians being asked for their autographs at the end of arena shows. But like that old saying about jazz musicians, you get the feeling that perhaps the many geniuses collected on stage tonight just might be enjoying themselves a tiny bit more than those spectating late on this Sunday night. As one polite tweeter sarcastically put it: “This exactly what Caribou’s music needs, more fucking jazz”. Quite harsh but also holding a fundamental truth at the core, especially as Snaith asserts before the last few tracks that “This has been one of the greatest days of my life”. Not many in the audience could repeat this sentiment truthfully.

Luckily the group take heed of all the cliched music idioms anybody has ever spouted to them by “leaving the crowd wanting more” and “going out with a bang”. Penultimate track ‘Odessa’ and last one ‘Sun’ sees the grouped musicians take the foot off their somewhat self-indulgent trip a bit and give the fans what they want, ending the set with a simply rapturous show that saves the set, the performance and sees the festival played out with a suitably euphoric close.