Festivals

St. Vincent, Disclosure and Kasabian close out Open’er 2015

Final day also sees frenzied sets from Years & Years and Ratking.

Words: Jamie Milton
Photos: Carolina Faruolo
7th June 2015

With the exception of a gigantic, apocalyptic swarm of beetle hybrid bugs that invade the food stands every day before sunset, Open’er is on the calm end of the festival spectrum. Nothing outrageously out of the ordinary happens. You won’t find deranged and drunken punters lost in the middle of a field ‘finding themselves’. Dubious strangers don’t hide in the toilets.

There is one occasion, however, when this four-day fest gets a bit loopy. And it arrives towards the end. Years & Years are hot property in the UK, but outside of their home country, the fever pitch is on another level. Once Hozier finishes saucy warbling on the Main Stage, a stampede begins. Thousands flock towards the other side of the site, believing that any precious seconds would result in less time spent in the company of Olly Alexander. Pity the other members of this fledging trio, but when they take to the Tent Stage, they’re met with nothing but chants of “Olly! Olly! Olly!”. The most over-subscribed set of the weekend, it results in a landmark moment for the chart-toppers, something that outdoes their recent triumph at Glastonbury. “This is fucking crazy,” says a visibly taken-aback Alexander, before launching into ‘Take Shelter’ and a rapturous ‘Desire’.

Photos: Years & Years.

Minutes before, a much smaller pack of fans are losing their shit with equal excitement while watching Ratking. The NYC trio are led by Wiki, a magnifying rapper whose delivery on record is hypnotic enough - on stage, it’s an arm-waving frenzy of energy. Everything’s backed with New York-rooted imagery, from CCTV footage to sports jackets and police arrests. A thousand miles from home, they still look in their element.

Kasabian could play anywhere and give the impression they’re at some pride-of-place homecoming. Tonight’s headliners are here for a celebration. Hours after their set, they invade Disclosure’s fest-closing show for a quick cameo. Given their own spotlight, they mix hardy anthems with the buzzing synth experimentalism that defines recent LP ’48:13’. Sporting a “kerbie” tee, Serge Pizzorno looks like a James Bay-style earnest songwriter who shored up on Gdynia’s beaches by accident. In his zone, however, he’s the one leading the charge in Kasabian. Tom Meighan is all trench coats and fist pumps, but the set’s dynamism stems from Pizzorno. When everything begins to lull with ‘Thick of Thieves’, they suddenly transform the thing into a cover of The Doors’ ‘People Are Strange’. They’re never ones to rely on old tricks.

Photos: Kasabian and Ratking.

With St. Vincent, it’s been an instant evolution. Her 2014 self-titled album set a new standard in showmanship and arty execution, coupled with the best songs Annie Clark’s ever written. As the shows rolled out from that release, she took ultra-ambitious stage intentions around the world, mixing curious spoken word sections with strict choreography. Some of it worked, other aspects left a strange taste. One year on and Clark has perfected the craft. Showy solos pierce through confident dance routines, every move in sync with the upscaling guitar work. ‘Prince Johnny’ warrants a platform, while ‘Digital Witness’ thrives without booming horn sections. From the Fifth Element-style catsuits to the between-song thankyous, everything has been orchestrated to perfection.

Plenty of festivals end on a lull, with office workers racing back to Planet Earth while the roads are still relatively empty. But this is a Saturday night, and this is Open’er, so the duty falls to two of the world’s biggest dance acts to close things out. Flume plays until the sunrise, while Disclosure blend trusty cuts with new takes in their dazzling, strobe-filled Main Stage show. ‘Hourglass’, featuring Lion Babe, is an exciting taste of what’s to come, while opener ‘White Noise’ sets a precedent that’s rarely outdone. The duo still have a way to go with adding dynamism into their house-nodding staples, but one album in and another on the verge, there couldn’t be a more trusty act around to send Open’er into one final frenzy.

Photos: Disclosure and St. Vincent

All Photos: Carolina Faruolo / DIY.

Tags: Disclosure, Kasabian, St. Vincent, Open’er, Festivals, Reviews, Live Reviews