BBC 6 Music Festival, Victoria Warehouse Manchester 1st March 2014 9/10

On the second day of this inaugural festival, the limitations of the venue faded, due to the sheer strength of the line-up. Thankfully too the boomy sound of Friday had been tamed, and only the restricted sight lines and lack of space on stage two continued to irritate. A wonderful day of music ended with an incredibly climax from The National, with Lykki Li another highlight.

1) PINS 8/10

The Guardian remarked that this C86 influenced Manchester band sound as if they come from New York; there are also echoes of Best Coast. Yet their live act has matured immensely from their early days, and they're now incredibly tight sounding and energetic. For locals, the BBC's 'Introducing' label seemed superfluous, yet they are now ready for wider attention.

2) The Staves 7/10

The trio of sisters from Watford were joined by a a drummer and bass player, yet their beautiful vocal harmonies still felt better suited to a more intimate space. They're currently recording a second album with  Bon Iver; perhaps they'll take more risks. They're never less than charming, but ultimately rather derivative.

3) Bombay Bicycle Club 8/10

Bombay Bicycle Club's recent album So Long See You Tomorrow is widely regarded as their finest yet, and I found this set on the main stage more engaging than previous festival appearances. The crowd was enthusiastic, reflecting its popular as well as critical appeal.

4) Lykki Li 8.5/10

Alas, I had only fleeting views of the Swedish singer songwriter, but the sound made it clear that her new album and the tour which will follow will be unmissable. The electronics combined powerfully with her sultry vocals; I Follow Rivers was a highlight.

5) Wild Beasts 8/10

I love this Kendal art rock quartet's new album, Present Tense, and their set was delicately poised. Ultimately, I was more impressed than moved, but I'm looking forward to seeing them later this month in a more sympathetic venue, with clearer sound, than this one. Until then, I'm reserving judgement.

6) The National 10/10

The area near the front of the stage was crammed with hard core fans, who'd attended this festival for this moment; the band flew over from Ohio just to perform their 80 minute set. It's difficult to single out highlights: Fake Empire from Boxer, Bloodbuzz Ohio and England from High Violet, and the closing unplugged singalong to Vanderlyle are amongst them. Their albums may sound melancholic and contemplative, but live they're bursting with energy Matt Berninger varied wildly between wandering around nonchalantly on stage with a drink in his had to straining the very boundaries of sanity with his antics. He was unafraid to jump into the crowd, and movingly scaled the disabled platform to perform for a lucky fan.

The inclusion of two live brass players added depth to the sound. Yet, the power of a top ranking rock band was combined with a yearning quality, which was incredibly moving. There was an astonishing atmosphere, surpassing even their High Violet tour two years ago. The person next to me who'd paid four times face value for her ticket surely cannot have had any regrets. This was an evening I remember fondly for a considerable time.

Set List

• Don't Swallow the Cap 
• I Should Live in Salt 
• Mistaken for Strangers 
• Bloodbuzz Ohio 
• Sea of Love 
• Afraid of Everyone 
• Squalor Victoria 
• I Need My Girl 
• This Is the Last Time 
• Abel 
• Apartment Story 
• Pink Rabbits 
• England 
• Graceless 
• Fake Empire

Encores 

• Mr. November 
• Terrible Love 
• Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks

BBC 6 Music Festival Victoria Warehouse, Manchester, 28th February 2014 7/10

This brand new festival seemed almost too good to be true: the canny scheduling decision in a normally quiet weekend before SXSW and licence payer subsidy allowed a surprisingly eclectic line-up. The BBC's mission to give access to the arts allowed relatively inexpensive £25 ($40) tickets, which despite opportunistic touting opened up the audience beyond middle class music fans. This public indie music station, once threatened with closure by a government of philistines, was now celebrating both the BBC's move from London to Manchester, and its expanding influence with a new annual event.

I just hope the BBC will find a more suitable venue next time. A capacity of 4200 filled the venue to breaking point, and seriously impeded movement between the two stages. The lighting was impressive on the main stage, but the secondary stage was suffered from a low stage, obstructive pillars and a claustrophobic feel. Given that was still February, a choice of indoor venue may have appeared a judicious choice, but circulation and relaxation space were both absent. The food provision was diabolical, water was not on tap, and set times were kept secret from all but the few who purchased £8 ($14) programmes. Artistically, my judgement may have been clouded by the remarkable St Vincent set I'd experienced just a week earlier, but the non-musical elements of a festival can affect the atmosphere immensely. Even more important is to get the sound right, and both of Victoria Warehouse's stages suffered from excessive volume, boomy bass, and recessed vocals, an affliction evident wherever I stood.

Luke Sital-Singh 6/10
A friend commented that this London singer-songwriter's music is utterly middle of the road. I felt he was trading individuality for mainstream appeal; I was hoping to be challenged, but instead my mind wandered. His vocal performance was accomplished, and his band lively; he may appeal to fans of Josh Ritter.

Haim 8/10
Haim's energy is incredible, yet they inexplicably failed to really excite the crowd. Perhaps this was due to their early set time, but they themselves seemed frustrated that there wasn't more engagement. They're a joy to watch, and the highlight of my day, yet their set list hasn't evolved since the last two times I've seen them, perhaps because their relentless touring scheduling leaves little time to develop new material.

Metronomy 6/10
Festival favourite Metronomy faced the challenge of presenting music few of the audience will have heard before, and it wasn't until they played The Look from English Riviera that the audience started to dance, at least those with any room to move. Unfortunately, I'm not wholly convinced with the upcoming new album Love Letters, and this set did nothing to persuade me otherwise. Perhaps I was adversely influenced by the dangerously cramped conditions at the front, which necessitated a retreat to safety.

Midlake 7.5/10
After catching some of Kelis' impressive Soul set, the Texan band played a solid set on the main stage. Their sound was tight, stagecraft accomplished, and the earlier over-crowding was forgotten. Yet, it never really felt as if there was ever any danger of it straying beyond safe boundaries; perhaps aware their every note was being broadcast live to the nation, they were reluctant to risk compromising their technical perfection.

The Horrors / Damon Albarn 6/10
By this stage, I was exhausted, yet of the two closing sets, The Horrors were the more invigorating. Alas, their music isn't wholly to my taste, but here there was greater crowd excitement than I'd seen all day. By contrast, Damon Albarn's laid back charm fell flat, and felt soporific, not helped by muddy sound. Committed fans will disagree, but this felt better suited to the afternoon sunshine of Coachella than the climax of the evening.