The approach to Field Day, the east London festival known for its organisational issues as much for its strong lineups, did little to assuage concerns it might still be having teething troubles five years on. Enormous queues were everywhere; a lumpen crowd sat behind the gates, seemingly unmoving. Once inside, however, it seemed brighter and open; the seven stages were snug but ready to accommodate a determined party atmosphere.
From Omar Souleyman to Villagers to Carl Craig, most genres were represented. A James Blake DJ set filled the Bugged Out stage early in the afternoon, though it set a tone for vaguely attentive crowds talking over quiet soundsystems. Blake had sound troubles of a different sort during a later live set, though a quick rejig seemed to do the trick, and his track CMYK brought out an odd but enthusiastic mix of cheering and reverent appreciation.
Trying to get anywhere near the Bloggers' Delight stage for either Zola Jesus or Jamie xx was almost impossible, which meant the main stage was relatively quiet – aside from a brief hail of cupcakes, surely the most twee act of crowd aggression ever – for the recently re-formed Electrelane, who delivered a taut and confident set that peaked with a rambunctious cover of Bronski Beat's Smalltown Boy. If Electrelane had come from brightest California rather than Brighton, they might have sounded more like Warpaint, who coaxed the sun out with their danceable drone, as Bees, Undertow and early favourite Billie Holiday charmed the crowd.
Anna Calvi, the impressively twiddling guitarist with an equally impressive set of lungs, struggled with tinny, muted vocals and guitar, though she stormed through debut single Jezebel regardless, and Desire even prompted a singalong. Loyalties divided for the headliners, with Gruff Rhys on the Village Mentality stage, the Horrors packing the Laneway and Wild Beasts taking overall top billing with a swooning, swaying set of dreamy melodies. Once again, it was too quiet to sustain the kind of atmosphere they demanded, and it's hard not to think that one of the festival's earlier big draws – Erol Alkan, even Jamie xx – would have been better to see out the day, but the spirit of eclecticism made Field Day decent in spite of its issues. And that's more than could be said of previous years. Flying cupcakes aside.
