Ben & Jerry's Sundae 2006

United Kingdom | by Nick Bruce, Vicky Addinall | 29 July 2006

Clapham Common, London - 29-30 July

No doubt the weekend’s acts - including Larrikin Love, Echo and the Bunnymen, Badly Drawn Boy, The Wonder Stuff and Jose Gonzalez – are putting to one side the usual backstage stimulants in favour of the frozen goods on offer. Forget the Pear Cider, everyone’s going for the Cookie Dough.

The site itself is magical, like something out of Willy Wonka. A helter skelter towers up into the blue sky, while theatre cows roam free below and human sized bananas are chased by a giant monkey - oh, and there's as much free ice cream as you can eat
 
How anyone could ever begin to criticise the fun day that is Ben & Jerry’s Sundae is hard to believe. Hordes of smiling families, fairground rides and even cookie designing makes for a refreshing alternative to the alcohol fuelled all-nighters to which Londoners have grown accustomed. The festival sold out for the second year running, and it isn’t hard to see why.

As Saturday eases in, the music becomes an accompaniment to the other crazy antics going on, despite it being of a high quality. Larrikin Love are the kind of zany, frenetic band one would presume are fuelled on sweet goods, and their performance is weird, fun, multicoloured, interesting and as addictive as Phish Food. Bouncy is not the word.  

For a festival that is a celebration of all things Willy-Wonka however, Echo and the Bunnymen are a distinctly odd choice. Hardly the most rock'n’roll festival, Ben and Jerry’s Sundae is about embracing the summer by lickin on a deep-filled waffle cone, not by watching a sombre Ian McCulloch light up a fag whilst wharbling around on stage like it’s 1982. Cheer up fellas, there are kids in the audience. Echo and the Bunnymen are not the greatest act in the world, so why they prance around as though they are beggars belief.

Damon Gough AKA Badly Drawn Boy is as cool as a tub of you-know-what, and pulls out a set that closes the festival’s first day nicely, though at 8pm, rather early (the kids need to get their sleep, you know). Playing tracks from both his back catalogue and new album Born In The UK, every guest is up and singing along, eradicating the “What the F***” expressions they wore when Echo and the Bunny Men sauntered around the stage. His music is cheerful bliss and so provides an apt soundtrack to which the kids of Clapham trot off with smiles on their ice cream-smothered faces.

By Sunday we're fat. After a quick whirl on the helter skelter and a boisterous toe wrestle in attempts to fein exercise, it's time for the first scoop of the day – Glastonberry, made with vanilla, mud choc chunks and lashings of fruity swirls. Mmm.

Even though no-one else here seems remotely bothered about the music on offer it doesn’t mean the festival hasn’t pieced together a good line up. Following on from yesterday, first to start up are Bluesky Research, all shaggy haired 70’s flair and Zeppelin-esque riffs. Strumming out rich, rock-inspired chords, expertly backed up by vocal harmonies, the Portsmouth lads create a warm summer buzz. Single ‘Believe’ has the air of an Embrace anthem, but alongside edgier numbers such as ‘Ask For The Dawn’ with its heavier punch and Kasabian-like vocals, they start the day well.

After a dirge of ignorable background music from Zane Lowe’s bezzer mates Breaks Co-op, the growing crowd of picnic-ers seem a bit sub-dued. But not for long, Vincent Vincent and the Villains (so good they kind of named them twice) couldn’t be ignored if you tried. Unashamedly harking back to the first era of rock n’roll with their raised lapels, doo-wops and swing beats, these guys laugh in the face of Indie droners. The crowd finally raise to their feet for a twist to ‘On My Own’ that sounds like it’s come straight out of a 50’s dance hall. Even the slower feel-your-heart-beat boom of ballad ‘Cinema’ keeps everyone swaying.

Next up a well rehearsed Captain take to the stage. Having already played an intensive round of festivals and gigs and with more to come, you’ll be hard pushed to miss Captain this summer. Clearly aiming for UK domination, if the crowd reception today is anything to go by they're already half way there. On stage they look a slightly awkward quintet, not your obvious indie starlets. But coming together, they create an infectious 80’s inspired soundscape that quickly sucks you in. New single ‘Glorious’ is set off by the perfectly paired vocals of Rick and Clare and with it’s Glor-or-or-orious-ly catchy chorus it’s bound to be a late summer hit.

Clapham local Nerina Pallot sings (and talks) her way prettily through the next set before Stourbridge's best known export The Wonder Stuff take to the stage and wave a wand of 90’s nostalgia over the crowd. Singer Miles Hunt’s youthful arrogance still lingers agedly, with a cocky swagger and a bottle of red wine by his side, and he sings through a chain of listenable but uninspiring songs. You can hear a pin drop as he announces that the band have a new album out but, inevitably, the first chords of ‘Size of a Cow’ get everyone on their feet for a relieving finale. In ice cream terms, the Wonder Stuff are like an old tub that's part melted and been put back in the freezer. Still edible, but better the first time round.

With Clapham residents still bombarding their council with letters of complaints after last year's Common festivals, it's left to Jose Gonzales to gently wind things down - just as well seeing as no one can walk and any loud reverberations could easily lead to mass internal combustion - then they'd have something to really complain about. Sprawled out on the grass, sleepy kids, tipsy mums and sun burnt dads lie back and let the beguiling sounds wash over them. Coupling hypnotic guitar lines with equally enchanting vocals, Gonzales creates beautiful songs that plead you to listen. ‘Heartbeats’ is now a clearly recognised classic but other covers such as Massive Attack's ‘Teardrop’ and Kylie’s ‘Hand On Your Heart’ are just as compelling. Jose is certainly no show-stopper, sat discreetly to the side of the stage, but he treats each song he plays with the same masterful eloquance - quietly but purposefully drawing you in.

So there is much more to Jose Gonzales than lots of digitally enhanced coloured balls, and it seems there is a lot more to Ben and Jerry’s Sundae than ice cream.