Underage Festival

London,
Victoria Park

08/08/2008

Drowning in a sea of 14 year-olds, The Fly is feeling positively geriatric. Yep, it’s Underage, the only festival you’ll ever witness punters pretending to be young enough to get in. Kicking things off Eugene McGuinness delivers sweet yet foul-mouthed musings, whilst Poppy and The Jezebels manage to almost evacuate the NME stage, but those who are wise stick around for FrYars who delivers a blinding set of electro recalling Patrick Wolf at his darkest. Brightening things up Bombay Bicycle Club bounce around in hula skirts and wigs until some clever Trevor throws a shoe at Jack Steadman’s head. Ouch. Clap clap for XX Teens who sound expectedly bonkers and bring political activism in the shape of anti-war protestor Brian Haw.  Playing a criminally underpacked tent, Glasvegas treat those who aren’t busy beating each other up in a circle-pit to a breathtaking set, including a Jesus and Mary Chain stylee ‘You Are My Sunshine’. Finally, Foals’ performance sees an exasperated Yannis pleading with the teen crowd to ‘just be nice to each other’. It’s the third time they’ve almost been pulled due to Underagers leaping lemming-style off the tent rigging.  The behaviour might be infantile, the line-up’s anything but.

Sophie Thomsett