To say we’d missed festivals is a bit of an understatement. But we didn’t realise just how much until we stepped through the gates of Summer of Love – the brand-new festival venture from the Animal Crossing team.
Sadly, we were only able to get down to the site on the Sunday. But despite already being a day into the festival, we were still met with that familiar buzz when we arrived. And in fact, come Sunday afternoon the sun was blazing – the perfect festival ingredient.
The lineup boasted a huge collection of DJs from all over Europe, bringing big names in house and Romanian minimal to a random car park on the outskirts of Manchester city centre. And this had Animal Crossing written all over it.
If forced to pick out highlights, we could be here all day. There was no lull in the day. There were no bad vibes. Just dancing and catching up with old friends as if no time had passed. And the setting for it all was like no other. Expertly organised, our entry was quick and efficient – so no time was wasted waiting in line. Nor at the bars either.
ADVERTISEMENT
The 60s love and peace hippy theme of the event could be seen through every detail of the site. From the huge handmade mushrooms that stood a couple of foot high beside the DJ booth, to the painted skylights that let in a stained-glass window effect of colour, everything was a perfect example of what Animal Crossing are all about.
The ‘Love Factory’ stage was dressed the part in colourful props with multi-coloured windows. Credit: Animal Crossing
The previous day had welcomed DJs Priku and Praslesh, and You&Me’s Josh Baker throughout the day across the three stages – which unfortunately we’d missed out on.
ADVERTISEMENT
But we made up for lost time on the Sunday with the likes of Dyed Soundorum, Traumer and Shonky.
Arriving at around 2pm, we headed straight to the Trommel Stage where London-based DJ duo Hamish and Toby were getting things going. Despite playing the smaller stage, the vibe and atmosphere were there as the pair chucked out some genre-bending tracks that made for an intriguing set. With roots in the north, the pair looked at home and were enjoying the day as much as us. Always good to see.
By 4pm, it was time for Dyed Soundorum at the ‘Love Factory’ – the festival’s main stage for the weekend.
ADVERTISEMENT
As one third of the French trio Apollonia, Dyed’s expert selections were a hit with the crowd who lapped up his minimal house soundtrack. Three hours of his thumping and driving beats flew by too quickly.
Traumer B2B Shonky was next, back outside at the Trommel Stage. It was an exclusive set as the duo joined forces for their first ever B2B together. As two powerhouses of the genre, we expected nothing less a heavy-hitting set packed with surprises. And they delivered.
Traumer and Shonky played their first ever B2B set. Credit: Animal Crossing
The place came to life at night, though, just in time for [A:RPIA:R] – a.k.a. the Romanian minimalist trio of Raresh, Petre Insperecsi and Rhadoo. With years of experience in the game, the three of them bring something deeper.
They were accompanied by a myriad of trippy visuals from Dreamrec which were cast onto each wall of the ‘Love Factory’. The 360-degree experience was a delight for the eyes, as well as the ears.
All in all, our first festival outing since COVID-19 restrictions were lifted was one to remember. And we couldn’t think of a better place to help us resume normal life again.
ADVERTISEMENT
Trommel hosted a stage at this year’s Summer of Love. Credit: Animal Crossing
Summer of Love 2022
If you’re already looking towards the 2022 festival season, you’ll be pleased to know next year’s dates have already been announced.
It’ll take place on 27 and 28 August next time. And like this year, organisers have selected another secret location for the occasion, which will be revealed in due course. And whilst there’s no lineup announcement yet, we know the AC team always pull it out the bag.
So, if you’re keen to get it in the dairy now, grab your tickets here.
For more Manchester music content head here and don’t forget to follow The Manc Audio on Instagram.
Featured image: Animal Crossing
Audio
The Strokes at Co-op Live, Manchester – actually very hard to explain
Daisy Jackson
Manchester has waited a long, long time for this – The Strokes back on stage in our city.
I’ve been a fan of the band for as long as I can remember, but have never managed to catch them live, partly because they’ve left it TWENTY YEARS between shows here.
But back they are, with an enormous gig at the Co-op Live on their Reality Awaits tour.
The Strokes are known as one of the most solid indie bands of the 2000s, going triple platinum with their debut album Is This It and releasing massive anthems like Last Nite, Reptilia, and Someday.
They’re also known as a bit of an unpredictable live act – some will say they’re one of the best on the circuit, others will say they’re disappointing, and it really can depend on the night.
What they’re not known for is their audience interaction, so when frontman Julian Casablancas tries to have a bit of a chat with the audience, we all sort of stare blankly back at him. He’s speaking to us? What do we do?
“Wow, tough crowd,” he says, which is the first time I’ve ever heard anyone describe a Manchester audience as tough.
Then he turns back to drummer Fabrizio Moretti and says: “This is f*cking hideous, let’s play some songs.”
The setlist seems to get a shake-up every couple of shows, which is a nice surprise for us – and apparently also Julian, who regularly pops over to ask his bandmates what’s up next.
It doesn’t really matter that he’s not done his homework, because the second that drum kicks in, along with the impeccable guitar work of Schiltz, Fraiture and Hammond Jr., he snaps into action.
It’s impressive that their songs still have such singalong quality when Casablancas enunciates like a man with a dislocated jaw. For certain songs he’s so incoherent that if you weren’t a fan you’d walk in this room and wonder what the f*ck was going on.
But then, that’s sort of why us The Strokes fans love them so much. There’s a calamitous beauty to the work they put out and it’s so fun to belt out some words, even if they’re not the right ones.
I was hoping that seeing it live would sell that divisive new album, Reality Awaits, to me, but it didn’t. It’s too autotuney, too languid, and too often the victim of everyone’s toilet breaks.
Their earlier tracks still land best in a live setting, especially Reptilia, an absolute juggernaut in their back catalogue.
Rollercoaster set and tricky crowd interactions aside, we all had a great time – I’m just not sure I could say the same about Julian Casablancas.
Sam Fender describes his own ticket prices as ‘b*llocks’ and demands change for fans
Daisy Jackson
Sam Fender has kicked off about ticket prices for his own tour, ahead of his huge stadium summer next year.
The Geordie star announced his Proper Massive stadium tour last week, which will visit some of the UK’s biggest venues including The O2 in London, Etihad Stadium in Manchester, and St James’ Park in his home city of Newcastle.
But after ticket prices for the tour were announced, Sam Fender surprised us all by joining in with a moan about how expensive they were.
He described the ticketing strategy for his tour as ‘b*llocks’ and said he was ‘not happy’ with ticket prices.
And proving just how much sway an artist can have on ticket prices, Sam Fender then demanded that things be redone.
Sam first appeared in the comments on Gavin Davis’ Instagram account, which frequently shares tour leaks and ticket prices.
There, he wrote: “I’m not happy with these prices, they’re getting changed. It got inflated well more than I’d had in mind, it should only be inflated in relation to the cost of putting the show on.
“The standing will not be split as well, I had no idea about it. I have no idea how this was normalised in gigs.
“It’s bollocks and it won’t be happening on this tour.”
Then later, on his own Instagram stories, Sam Fender posted: “I’ve managed to get Front Standing tickets removed from the UK stadium tour. Whoever buys a standing ticket gets as much chance as anyone to be at the front.
“No more £120 standing tickets either.
“Costs are astronomical compared to two years ago, I can’t control the venue and ticketing fees, that’s a sad reality of today’s industry.
“This is gonna be the biggest and best show we’ve ever put on. Can’t wait to see everyone on the road next summer!”
The ticket prices for the Proper Massive tour are now confirmed by Sam Fender himself as being £85 for GA standing, and £55/£75/£95 for seats.
Hannah Starkie -
2nd September 2021 
