Wirelesss Festival London - Day Four

United Kingdom | by Nick Bruce | 24 June 2006

First up is Brighton outfit The Upper Room. We know what happened to Jesus in the upper room, but biblical references aside, the question is can these boys pull out an opening performance that is no last supper. And the answer is a half hearted yes. Lead singer Alex Miller comes across as a young Morrissey, but with a weaker voice. Often he speaks his lyrics which can at times be turgid, though he is extremely articulate (what else would you expect from a band hailing from a south coast university town). The band are in the same vein as Editors, Maximo Park and, at times, early Squeeze with first single 'All Over This Town' exhibiting the same catchy chorus that ensures the crowd will be humming away to themselves as they catch the last tube home. They are very much a wishing and hoping band: sometimes woeful, their tunes are stories about unrequited love and girls who “let me down gently”. Dressed in uniform black, The Upper Room may not be the best act to open a festival that's meant to embrace summer in the city. Last tune 'Black And White' is clearly their most popular and the collected fans at the front of the stage are having a great time. It is anthemic but still a tad too melancholy. As festival openers, The Upper Room are a risky choice.

Any sombre atmosphere is obliterated as seven-piece The Boy Least Likely To enter the stage. These guys are rainbow chasers: a feel good band that create twinkling southern fried ho-down melodies that are allowed to float over the audience. The set is marred only by dodgy levels: someone sack the roadie because lead singer Jof is almost inaudible. Despite suspect sound engineering The Boy Least Likely To get the audience in the summer mood with tracks like 'Rock Upon a Porch' and 'I’m Glad I Hitched My Apple Wagon To Your Star' displaying the affectionate sense of humour that makes these guys perfect festival acts. There are influences from Mungo Jerry, T-Rex, Talking Heads and Grandaddy, all marinaded in charcoal mellowed Tennessee whisky. The Boy Least Likely To are a good time outfit, getting the audience to clap along to the ensuing whistles, whoops and clicks. When the band are joined on stage by six-foot tall cuddly animals – a dog, a rabbit, a bear, and what looks like a yellow kiwi bird – the audience are wrapped up in the fun and joy created that culminates with the keyboard player throwing sweets into the crowd.

If The Boy Least Likely To created the fun festival atmosphere, Nizlopi take that atmosphere and funk it up. Easily the most pleasantly surprising act of the day, Nizlopi arrive under the success of 'The JCB Song' and thus have little to prove. It appears that no one has come to see Nizlopi: the crowd however stick around, inttigued by what else they might have to offer. So when double bass player John breaks into some astounding beat box, while simultaneously producing funky hip hop influenced bass lines, the audience stop to listen. For a duo, the sound they create is astonishing, filling the stage with an addictive blend of acoustic guitar, bass and beats. Singer Luke instructs members of the audience to kiss the person next to them: they oblige. Their respect for the festival audience and the privileged position they find themselves is endearing as they declare that it’s weird being on stage having watched Glastonbury on the telly. Singer Luke is the first of the day to actually come down to the audience, and when 'The JCB Song' is played in the summer sun, the audience are enveloped in it's nostalgia. There may even be a few tears shed. Nizlopi are without a doubt the best act so far and are a welcome surprise: incredibly talented, their sound is truly unique (they dub themselves “folk hip hop”), and it is only fitting that at the end of their set the crowd scream out for an encore. Unfortunately a tight schedule means no encore but the band’s job is done: they have whetted the appetite of this audience which will undoubtedly see a few thousand new admirers added to their fan base.