In The City: Day Two

It’s 10pm, where Oldham Street meet Stevenson Square droves of drunk locals, record label bosses, journalists and promoters are thumbing fanatically through the festival programme looking for an act they can catch in a 15 minute window before they return to their schedule. Outside An Outlet on Dale St. there’s a BBQ creating a microcosm of familial chatter.

Unusually, the festival seemed to have hit a rhythm as a point when everyone was unsure as to what they were doing. At the moment where planning and entropy collide In The City propelled into this vacuum of exploration. La foule were on a whistle-stop tour of everywhere.

However, from this beautiful chaos there were some constants. Hip Manchester promoter Now Wave hosted at Band On The Wall providing an impeccable line-up, most notably Becoming Real and Walls: the former playing dramatic, if not rigid bedroom electronica, the latter rolling psychedelia. However (in my best Bruce Forsyth ‘camp showbiz’ tone) ‘the star of the show’ was the stunning visuals.

There was a debate during the Radio Ladio panel about what the future is for discovering new music through the medium of traditional radio. It was widely argued – with the exception of one journalist – that radio will continue to provide a platform for the discovery of new music. During the panel there was also debate as to what the elephant in the room was, at one point the BBC, at another, advertising revenue. Despite these suggestions it’s probably worth sticking my boot in after that particular party has disbanded in saying that the elephant in the room, when it comes to discovering live music is festivals like these. It would take days if not weeks of airplay to discover as much music as is on offer each evening.

Popping between Soup Kitchen and Noho for Smatka, Labyrinth Ear and Oberhofer awkward pleasures were found. All three groups from London and Brooklyn alike have taken a break from their routine of playing their respective towns and ventured out to this post-industirial metropolis, a luxury many similar towns miss out on.

As I said in my ‘Ones To Watch’ report earlier this week, today’s main event would be White Ring. As is clear from the image above, despite my efforts the band are somewhat illusive. With Dry bar caked in smoke all that could be seen was the occasional flash of an MPC or the pale skin of female form. There’s a clatter as nervous beats break out through the disorientating fog. A slow Crunk beat drives out seductively.

The evening climaxes with HEALTH who perform a wild set with the confidence and the grandeur of an act ten times their size. As with No Age yesterday the group will be familiar to most of the crowd, and as their energy and execution coalese the crowd form a moshpit, a rarity at (part) industry events. Somewhere in that pit, whether it’s a shoulder barge, a shove or windmill there’s the euphoria and ecstasy of a long day discovering great new bands and meeting beautiful people. More please.