From Finsbury Park Station, a trail of bucket hats stretched into the distance. This could mean only one thing: Community Festival had returned to London. After two years of COVID, London’s day-long celebration of indie music was back. This year’s headliners were Two Door Cinema Club, The Wombats and Nothing But Thieves. Meanwhile, the N4 stage featured emerging talent.
This all took place on the 16th of July as a heatwave swept the country. First on the N4 stage was Big Image. Two songs in, George Johnson, their frontman, had to laugh: “You can tell it’s hot when half the crowd are in the shade.” It was true that most of the audience, including me, were huddled under a tree.
Nevertheless, Big Image’s energy soon had me dancing. Indeed, the band achieved the first mosh pit of the day. Their guitarist wowed the crowd with waah-soaked solos, whilst Johnson’s basslines reverberated in their skulls.
Johnsons’ self-deprecating humour charmed the crowd. “We have the worst band name in the world,” he confessed. When Bates announced their final song, an audience member cheered. “You’re not supposed to cheer!” he exclaimed, inviting us to boo. He ended the set by taking a selfie with the crowd. Whilst I enjoyed their music, I found it strange that such a keyboard-dominated band lacked a keyboard player.
On the main stage, Courting appeared. All had donned crochet hats given to them by Just Wondering. Yet, this wasn’t the sole oddity of their outfits; their guitarist wore a shirt and tie. The rapport between musicians was spectacular. Yet, evidently, five members wasn’t enough; Courting recruited Alfie Templeman to play guitar.
Courting’s frontman, Sean Murphy-O’Neill, gets criticised for not announcing his band’s name. This time, he wouldn’t make that mistake. In the end, he must have cried, “We are Courting”, at least six times during their set. The crowd loved his antics. His attempts to jump into the crowd were thwarted by the barriers, his efforts to get back on stage by his height. “It’s hard to get up when you’re 5ft 7,” he laughed.
Courting’s energy was formidable. Shouted vocals and dissonant guitars attracted a sizeable crowd. I found it funny how many of their songs had sports-related titles, from ‘Grand National’ to 'Tennis’ and ‘Football’. Courting revealed new tracks, including ‘Famous’, which, according to Sean, is their best song yet.
Crawlers had their first main-stage performance at a festival. The trio seized the opportunity to command the crowd. First, they made us crouch on the floor. Then, they had us jump. Singer Holly Minto praised sufferers of anxiety for attending the festival. “Festivals are scary places,” they confessed.
The LGBTQ+ and non-binary flags on their wrists demonstrated pride in their identity, whilst their goth outfit revealed their disregard for others’ opinions. Introducing one song, Minto cried, “POV: you get a text from your ugly ex during this festival but you don’t care because you’re fitter than them and you’re having a great time!”
Each member’s personality shone through. Bassist Liv Kettle was clearly an extrovert, whilst guitarist Amy Woodall was more withdrawn. Crawlers’ songs are brutally honest. The line, “I didn’t know how to say I don’t want you to touch me”, still haunts me. Like Courting, Crawlers revealed new material. “Do you want us to release this?” cried Holly. Thankfully, the crowd’s answer was yes.
By far the funniest band was Bears In Trees. Dressed in cow-print dungarees, Callum Litchfield introduced ‘Fresh Concrete’ by saying, “This song is about things you shouldn’t eat.” “There are many arguably better bands you could be seeing,” Callum claimed, having just promoted self-appreciation. Guitarist Nick Peters revealed the band’s niche: “Inoffensive Pop Rock and Roll.” Attempts to make this a chant ultimately failed. Nevertheless, the band offered more than laughs; dual vocals and ukulele created a summery sound.
Bears In Trees finished in time for me to hear Alfie Templeman’s bassist sing ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. When Alfie invited his father on stage, the crowd realised his early age. However, at nineteen, Templeman’s confidence is that of an experienced musician.
Someone’s shorts flew through the air as the crowd awaited Pale Waves. Heather Baron-Gracie revealed that their US tour had been paused for just one day. The four had arrived the night before and would leave the next morning.
Pale Waves had the most confident performers. During ‘Jealousy’, Heather wrapped her arms around guitarist Hugo Silvani’s leg. When she asked if there were any gay people in the crowd, Heather received a delayed response. “I was about to walk off,” she sighed in relief, “I can’t play to a crowd of straights.”
That wasn’t the last personal question the crowd was asked. “Is anyone in love today?” she shouted before ‘Easy’. Their first single, ‘There’s A Honey’, had everyone singing. During ‘She’s My Religion’, Heather stole someone’s lesbian flag. I wonder if they’ll ever get it back...
Anticipation grew as a giant Rubix Cube was wheeled on stage. Behind it, a pixelated wombat and the word, “LOADING”, foretold The Wombats’ arrival. During his performance, Matthew Murphy revealed the inspirations behind his songs.
For example, it was Murphy’s wife who first said, “If you leave me, I’m coming with you”, to which Murphy responded, “That’s an intense thing to say.” Meanwhile, ‘Pink Lemonade’ was written in Barcelona when Murphy thought his girlfriend was cheating: “It’s amazing what the mind can do when you’re on your own and surrounded by tapas.”
Murphy dedicated ‘Ready for the High’ to fans who took the album, Fix Yourself, Not The World, to number one. During ‘Lemon to a Knife Fight’, a lemon was thrown onto the stage, narrowly missing Dan Haggis. The crowd watched as it soared back towards them. Haggis’ throw was as impressive as his drumming. When Murphy began the wrong song, no-one faltered. Surprise introductions created suspense as each track remained a mystery until it begun.
In the scorching heat, one couldn’t help feeling sorry for the wombat-suited dancers on stage. During ‘Ready for the High’, a cape-wearing wombat played the trombone. ‘Let’s Dance for Joy Division’ saw three wombats invade the stage. Murphy struggled to sing as wombats attacked him from all directions.
Strangely, Circa Waves played the N4 stage, despite their crowd reaching the festival’s boundaries. ‘Wake Up’ was the perfect opener. Its upbeat energy set the tone for the rest of their set. Soon afterwards, Circa Waves’ microphones malfunctioned. By the time they were fixed, the band was running out of time. The audience voted which songs they wanted to hear. Out of ‘Be Your Drug’ and ‘Stuck In My Teeth’, the latter was chosen. When Kieran Shudall asked, “Is anyone here called Jaqueline?”, the answer was apparently everyone. Their final song, ‘T-Shirt Weather’ had never been more relevant.
At last, it was time for Two Door Cinema Club. The stage was arranged into an illuminated staircase. Blinding spotlights and hypnotic graphics disoriented the crowd. Alex Trimble seemed self-assured as he wowed the audience with his immense range. The band chose tracks from across their protracted career, from their very first single to their latest release. As the crowd streamed towards the exit, there were smiles on everyone’s faces. Community Festival would be a day to remember.