Get Loaded In The Park
Clapham Common, London
12/06/2011

For the dignified, inner-city music fan, keen to dip their toe into festival waters without actually having to dip them into anything other than a nice hot bath at the end of the day, there are, these days, a myriad of options but a tube ride away. From Field Day and Offset, the discerning patron’s choice, to Wireless’ mega line-up, to the old-timer joys of Hard Rock Calling and the like, you can pretty much spend your summer weekends bumbling around fields without even having to think about the words ‘long drop’.

Where does Get Loaded in the Park, now in its seventh year, fit into this gaggle? Well, this time round at least, the answer seems to be somewhat uncomfortably. Whereas previous years have seen the likes of leathery legend Iggy Pop and Madchester’s finest The Happy Mondays top the bill with a suitably impressive line-up beneath them, this year Clapham Common gets… Razorlight. A band whose only original member is pretty much a national in-joke.  It’s no surprise then that the festival seems about five times smaller than in previous years, and due to the constant, dreary rain even the mini-site is only about half full.

But let’s get to the positives, of which there are at least…some. Los Campesinos! defy both their ridiculously early slot and the gloomy weather with a set of angst and joy, revulsion and celebration, all packed into 25 minutes. Patrick Wolf bounds out looking like a Shoreditch leprechaun, bitches about his reduced slot, plays precisely no hits but is still inherently endearing. British Sea Power prove that when you’ve anthems this strong, even an apathetic crowd can’t dull your natural brilliance and The Cribs are crowned the day’s true headliners. Powering through four albums’ worth of gems and a couple of newies, the Jarmans are a buoyant, tightly wound indie-punk celebration. Sorry J-Bo.

Lisa Wright