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Prior to the commence of FIB (Festival Internacional de Benicàssim) 2011, four days of sun, sea, and sand provided n musical anticipation amongst all festival goers. The thirty degree heat and proximity to the Mediterranean Sea created a picture perfect location for four nights of intense and imposing music.
A performance highlight from the opening night was entertainer and front man, Paolo Nutini. The character in his voice carried across the festival grounds, luring more people during his set. He performed prized classics including ‘New Shoes’ and ‘Pencil Full of Lead’. Impressively he presented his cover of Hot Chip’s, ‘Over and Over’ which won over most women’s hearts in the audience.
Swiftly followed by Plan B, there was an immediate change in energy as an MC came onstage to loosen up the crowd. Plan B himself proved his growing popularity as the audience sung loud and proud the lyrics to ‘She Said’ and ‘Prayin’ as well as his effective remix of Kanye West’s ‘Runaway’.
The second night provided an array of huge talents and huge acts. Many expected Elbow to have a difficult job igniting the crowd, being one of the oldest acts of the festival. However, they filled the main stage with their huge crowd pleasers including ‘Grounds For Divorce’ and ‘One Day Like This’. Headliners, The Strokes, were greatly anticipated and luckily they did not disappoint. Beginning their ninety minute set with ‘New York City Cops’ that classic Strokes spirit was couldn't satiate the audience. Following through with winners such as ‘Last Nite’ and ‘Someday’ the band performed ‘Machu Piccu’ and ‘Under cover of Darkness’ from the new album, Angles. There was no fuss involved, the band entered the stage with great vigour, played an incredibly captivating set, and left satisfied leaving everyone yearning for more.
Last on were Friendly Fires and admittedly I was very dubious as to how their quality of set would be. However the summery vibe that their new album Pala generates fit the Spanish scene perfectly as they played tracks, ‘Hawaiian Air’ and ‘Live Those Days Tonight’. Band member, Edd Gibson, stole the show with his enthusiasm and unstoppable energy throughout.
It is hard to say a bad word about Mumford & Sons as their music is so original and they still only have the one album. Their set was as haunting as ever, performing the majority of Sigh No More , interrupted with some promising songs from their forthcoming album including the irresistible ‘Hopeless Wanderer’. Later on, The Arctic Monkeys fulfilled their role as headliners for the night with a jam-packed set of crowd pleasers. They stormed through their classics including the likes of ‘Teddy Picker’ and ‘Crying Lightning’ which were interspersed with songs from the new album such as ‘The Hellcat Spangled Shalala’ and ‘Suck It and See’. Their new album went down surprisingly well and suggests that the Arctic Monkeys could certainly be around for a while!
Noah and the Whale took the main stage early on the last night. With a slightly depleted crowd the band struggled to create the type of energy or atmosphere that other acts had received. They performed the classic song ‘Five Years Time’ and their new hit ‘L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N’ with impressive instrumentals but the audience just did not respond. It was a huge shame and the band actually finished their set fifteen minutes early.
As headliners of the last night, Arcade Fire had a huge role to fill. They used their set up to dominate the stage in a way other performers had not. They opened with ‘Ready to Start’ and followed with grand songs such as ‘Rebellion (lies)’ which fans adored and clung to the lyrics throughout. This moment was most likely one of the highlights of the festival as it represented all that FIB 2011 aimed to achieve; sincere joy amongst the festival goers.
I can honestly say FIB 2011 is a definite must for any music lover as it provides a dynamic range of acts that will no doubt satisfy throughout the four nights. The setting that the festival has is definitely a bonus; dancing along to one of your favourite bands during the blissful warmth of a Spanish night is something you won’t forget!
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