Festival season is always a sacred time of year for myself. Sliding around a muddy field, sipping ludicrously over-priced pints while dad dancing, and adding my horrific singing voice to out-of-tune chants on the regular,? Just my slice of heaven. As the last Bank Holiday of May shone, it was the turn of the first ever Neighbourhood Weekender to phenomenally preform.
The brainchild of Neighbourhood Festival – Manchester’s latest multi-venue musical celebration – the first NBHD Weekender was situated in Victoria Park, Warrington. Although of modest size, and featuring only three stages (Main, Second and The Viola Beach) the festival proved it was a serious contender, ready to rival the major scale festivals operating within the country.
Headlined by Courteeners and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (who put in a star-studded, faultless performance) NBHD Weekender featured some of my absolute golden up-and-coming favourites. BlackWaters, The Blinders, The Big Moon, Ten Tonnes, YONAKA, Sam Fender, The Pale White and RedFaces to name but a few. The majority of these artists feature on my monthly playlists for April + May, which you can check out now, if you are yet to be acquainted.
NBHD Weekender definitely brought the best music (The 2015 indie E Scott was screaming she had the chance to witness The Pigeon Detectives finally) but what about everybody’s main priority? The food. In the VIP area, you could gorge yourself silly on the finest Mac and cheese, gargle classic make-your-own-concoction gin and tonics and, if your sweet tooth was gnawing away there were Nutella-stuffed crêpes.
If you weren’t with the band, the press or willing to upgrade your ticket for better Mac and cheese and hammocks, then the main arena had you sorted fair and square regardless. Numerous vans of the true Northern delicacy, cheesy chips and gravy, vegan and veggie burgers, a tiki-inspired Kraken Rum playground and a designated prosecco bar if you were feeling fever for a Boomerang with the girls.
The sun shone on NBHD Weekender from all aspects. The weather sang, the bands played and the drinks were flowing (was this an un-broadcasted episode of Geordie Shore?) – NBHD you were so sweet.
For a more musically in-depth review of NBHD Weekender 2018, visit my piece on Gigslutz.
ELLA LOUISE SCOTT 