R1BW Kings of Leon Review – 28/05/2017

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After such an amazing weekend I could not wait to go out with a bang – the Sunday headliners were to be the infamous Kings of Leon – but when the time came the most enjoyable thing about their set their departure from the stage. Now I put my hands up here, admitting that I’m not familiar with their songs save for “Sex on Fire” and “Use Somebody”, but I could’ve said the same about a whole host of other artists of the festival. It takes a real nerve to assume that you can walk under the spotlights and everyone will know your music. Of course a handful inevitably will, but performing is just one aspect: you must also entertain. Very few songs were introduced, there were no opportunities to singalong and any opportunities to warm to the crowd were ignored. Now obviously a set can be successful without these things but it appears that they need some suggestions. In fact, they appeared to walk on, play the songs (in which they looked rather bored if I’m going there) and walk off to reap the shrivelled fruits of a lacklustre attempt at headlining. It took all of my energy to resist joining the hoards of bored festival-goers dribbling away from the Main Stage to find something more exciting – there was grass underfoot and I’m sure I would have had more fun counting its blades.

R1BW Shawn Mendes Review – 28/05/2017

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At just eighteen years old Shawn Mendes has taken the world by storm with his soft Canadian vocals. Finding his success with short snippets of covers on Vine, he is no stranger to large arena crowds – Radio 1’s Big Weekend Hull 2017 may have been his first ever UK festival but it was by no means out of his comfort zone. Alternating between guitar, vocals and the piano he effortlessly wooed the thousands in front of him before enjoying several other artists’ sets from backstage (I’m looking at you, Kings of Leon).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOCNaSQ7YbU