Review: James at Sound Island Festival, Quex Park, Birchington, Saturday, July 28

by Julia Collins

Audiences were transported back to the Manchester and Liverpool music scenes of the 1980s and 1990s at the Sound Island festival in Thanet’s Quex Park on Saturday.

The first of the festival’s two days focused on bands more popular with the parents of the following day’s Olly Murs fans, with perfect weather and a cheerful clientele despite long queues for the bar.

Kicking off the day, Gravesend band The Chaps were keen to get a relaxed crowd moving with their cheerful pop but warm sunshine meant most people were happy to just lay back and watch.

The first few dancers roused themselves when Space’s set relied heavily on hit album Tin Planet and singer Tommy Scott shook hands with an appreciative front row before returning to the stage to finish with Female of the Species.

Songs such as Groovy Train and Stepping Stone proved popular as The Farm took over and then Inspiral Carpets kept the mood upbeat.

Liverpudlians Cast adjusted their tuning for hit song Walkaway, frontman John Power telling the audience: “We’re only doing it because we care – you’d get a right racket otherwise.”

Echo and the Bunnymen singer Ian McCulloch smoked throughout the set and his laconic delivery belied the sheer danceability of the set list.

Technical issues forced headliners James to replace the planned first song with an acoustic number, but, with Tim Booth’s dance moves adding a quirky charm, the biggest cheer of the night was reserved for a moving version of big hit Sit Down.