Friday 13th July 2012 – Day One @ Hard Rock Calling, Hyde Park, London.
When we entered a beleaguered festival site in the early afternoon it had a strangely ominous ghost town feel. A few old rockers were meandering about on the wood-chipped mud, and an eerie silence filled the air- no signs of crashing guitars and no screaming crowds… Eventually a huge siren sounded and with some heavy blasts of amplified distorted chords it finally felt like we were at Hard Rock Calling.
Our first port of call was the brilliant Hawk Eyes who gathered the slowly assembling crowds together and immediately impressed with their hardcore and emotive Yorkshire art-rock sound. Performances by Red White and Blues, a band born from the ashes of Skin and Jagged Edge, managed to deliver simple and effective, driven rock, which was cool to listen to - but the crowd seemed like it needed a much-needed lift.
Arriving on stage to a Star Wars style intro, Skindred finally shook the Pepsi tent to life with their hybrid rock and Jamaican dancehall style. Their hyped up vocalist Benji Webbe seemed as confused as me by the indifferent atmosphere of the crowd- so he called everyone rubbish and challenged everyone to grab someone they didn’t know and shake them awake! He demanded to see tampons in the air, and although no one responded, this achieved the required result as everyone had a smile on their face and finally feet bounced up and down, rocking out to hits like ‘Rat Race’. The day had truly begun.
The Amex Bandstand hosted smaller names, as did the rather distant Hard Rock Rising Stage located at the back near a large Jagermeister bar. But, to be honest, there was too little time to spend in front of these as a glance at my watch told me Kentucky’s Black Stone Cherry were assembling on the big one. Their country inspired rock hits were belted out with a passion, bringing a feeling of Southern sunshine to a rainy, depressingly gray Hyde Park. They said they loved what they do, and it showed, as they performed singles like ‘White Trash Millionaire’ from their newest album.
Iggy & The Stooges were hands down the highlight of the day. Seasoned professionals, who have perhaps been to one party too many, the aging rockers blasted us back in time to seventies America with razor like riffs and groovy rhythms. Iggy Pop nihilistically strutted about the stage swinging his microphone and grimacing at the assembling masses. Getting on a bit now, he seemed tired and breathless at times, but he didn’t miss a beat nor did his ageing band. Highlights included ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ (including a bizarre mutt-like intro) where he came right up into the crowd and the emotional ‘Bleed’ finishing a satisfying set. Although arguably a sell out, Iggy’s rock n roll soul is still relatively intact. Legendary stuff.
It seemed as though most people had come to see The Stooges more than any other acts, as headliners Soundgarden performed their grunge to the dregs of the day. Hardly anyone remained after the hit ‘Black Hole Sun’. They played this very early on in the set. It was unfortunate as they played with meaning, but the weather ended the spirit of the night prematurely. Hopefully Soundgarden will be back in better conditions, and with a louder sound system. At least I’ve got Iggy and a number of other acts to look back on with a satisfied smile.
(Published on numerous other sites like this one.)
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