Loop 2009: Day 2 @ Various Venues, Brighton

Loop 2009

Moderately better conditions mean spirits are slightly of a more upbeat nature on Day 2 of Loop, and Hatcham Social are here to lead us into the day. Their debut LP You Dig The Tunnel I’ll Hide The Soul has been cruelly overlooked in most of the press (unless you count Tim Burgess and, really, who does?). Their sub-Pastels/The Jesus And Mary Chain melodies and earnest vocals blow away any hangover cobwebs that may have been lurking, and they’re rather charming to boot.

Some lengthy and in all honesty uneventful DJ sets fill up time before Fanfarlo grace us with their indie pop politeness, but their mix of The Smiths and Vaselines-lite well-meaningless is a bit bland and lifeless.

But this is more than remedied by the excellent Esser. Front man Ben Esser’s cheekily confident persona and catchy street humour could teach Man Like Me a thing or two from the day before as well as packing a lyrical punch makes him a surprise hit of the afternoon. Several patrons in the loos could be heard singing Headlock afterwards – a sure sign of superstardom awaiting.

After more DJ action, cult favourites Múm play their first UK show in over 18 months and, although it’s always a pleasure to see Iceland’s finest in action, it’s clear they’ve left their delicate side behind with the departure of vocalist Kristin Valtysdottir two years ago. What’s left is a far more poppy and perhaps accessible Múm experience, but it’s not what made this reviewer fall in love with them several years ago. The songs aren’t particularly awful, far from it. But it feels like we’re watching a completely different band.

Mainly limp sets from Emilliana Torrini and Fujiya & Miyagi end a largely disappointing afternoon. No festival is meant to be packed with wall-to-wall crowd pleasers, but this weekend lacked a certain momentum, a sense of atmosphere which wasn’t helped by the last minute drastic change in weather.

Perhaps if Loop was kept to one day it could have been a more rewarding and memorable festival. But, that said, it’s a huge credit to the organisers for putting a together such an eclectic line-up, even if it ultimately proved to be a little hit and miss.