Back at Crosstown Rebels later in the day, the main man Damian Lazarus was keeping the the crowd fresh and alive with a set full of surprises. "Aint That Love" in particular, was a key track of the set. His own eclectic combination of techno, electronic and house created a form of modern, experimental funk and minimal. His deep, sultry techno house sounds mirrored well with the vibe in there. WO Crosstown RebelsĪt the Crosstown Rebels site we were blown away by Maceo Plex's incredible live set. Honourable mentions are owed to Alt-J’s hugely well-attended jaunt through the delicate folksiness showcased on their recent Top 20 debut album, Factory Floor - consistently one of the strongest live acts in the UK, yet dealt a bad hand with a mid-afternoon set that hardly suits their industrial brand of electronica - and Django Django, whose influence from Devo’s thrillingly minimal post-punk even stretches to the matching t-shirts they change into before stage time. Yet with the tent filled with smoke and lit only by a thick band of strobes, the pair open with the first live outing for a new and as-yet unnamed track before storming through material from both albums, in a seamless and relentless hour-long showing. Considering the Canadian duo’s less than optimal reputation for live shows (often involving Alice Glass’ fists), there’s a level of exciting unpredictability for them above and beyond any other act on this year’s bill. Perhaps the most surprising highlight of the weekend, Crystal Castles’ headline showing at the close of the first night is a revelation. The London duo rarely put a foot wrong live, weaving together a set of steadily pulsating yet rarely repetitive dubstep-influenced electronic, and with a handful of new tracks maintaining the briskness and momentum of old favourites like ‘Carbonated’ it’s hard not to be excited for their return to record, next year on new label Warp Records. That same duality goes for Mount Kimbie, who return from a recent post-debut absence to second-headline a Sunday tent bursting at the seams. While his live performance that cold Monday night emphasized the heavier end of his production, his mid-afternoon showing under Parklife’s sun-kissed canvas flips that coin, bringing to the fore the euphoric elements of tracks like ‘It’s Up There’, which shadowed in Winter rain are hypnotic and intense, rather than joyous and warm. And while the Manchester promoters’ headline acts are a coup for a festival that has grown year on year, many of the weekend’s exceptional performances come courtesy of acts lower down the arena’s line-up.Ĭase in point, German producer Axel Willner who, as The Field, released one of last year’s most inventive electronic albums (Kompakt’s ‘Looping State Of Mind’) and in November brought his stage show to The Deaf Institute. JW Now Waveĭespite the myriad dance tents around Platt Fields, Now Wave’s genre-spanning line-up proves to be the most consistent draw for Parklife’s damp and weary punters. Kaluki knew exactly what they were doing getting this girl to headline their empire for the weekend. Despite being so technical, the sound is so tight and appears effortless. Known for being influenced by the house scene and underground culture, her offering is daring. From her presence on stage, her charisma, energy and passion are evident. With such an impressive biography and impeccable ear for sound, it's safe to say Heidi had the entire tent eating out of her hands. Having played for Kaluki a number of times she has also played the world's best clubs. Headlining the tent was another highly acclaimed female producer, Heidi. James Mile & Marco Effe, Us & Them, Jozef K and Pete Zorba had Kaluki pumping throughout the day. Their influences ranging from funky house to more electronic and techno was dynamic yet the right balance, just like the tent's line-up for the day. Of course Mr Kaluki himself, Ellesse, was at his finest and Romano Alfieri and Luca Bear delivered a phenomenal set. Kaluki had more than managed to bring the club atmosphere of Sankeys to the middle of a park in Fallowfield. Over at the Kaluki Arena (in association with Skiddle) there was a strong line-up of residents and regulars. While the main stage fell under the spell of huge name acts including The Flaming Lips, Dizzee Rascal, Chic ft Nile Rodgers, Kelis, Labrinth, De La Soul and many more, Skiddle went exploring the festival's various other stages to experience some of the musical diversity that makes Parklife so unique. ![]() With a main stage line-up that many, more established festivals would envy, and a solid programme of underground acts that testified the organisers' musical credentials (Parklife comes from the same stable as the Warehouse Project and Hideout Festival), the stage was set for the best Parklife weekender yet.
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