Music / Festivals
Review: Love Saves The Day (Saturday)
Sam Farley reviews the first day’s action from Eastville Park
Love Saves The Day returned on Saturday, kicking off Bristol’s festival season with its new location in Eastville Park. The new venue is a great choice, with lots of lush grassy space to chill and unwind in between the hectic sets on the stages. Saturday featured an eclectic variety of music from local icons such as Julio Bashmore, pop star Jessie Ware and rising stars like Hannah Wants, Gorgon City and Ame.
The queue to get into the compound itself were long, with excited people of all ages finishing drinks before they got inside. The afternoon sun, beating down onto the festival site, had everyone in good spirits. As you wandered the site you met different walls of bass heavy noise emanating from each of the stages. A sea of revellers has descended into the park, dressed in Stussy tees, Ray Bans and bucket hats, with their arms in the air, raving to the best Bristol has to offer. The long lines to the bars snaked into the distance – 50 people deep at peak times. As the afternoon grew into darkness the basslines got deeper, the lights brighter and the Nos canisters littering the floors of the tents more plentiful.
After dark is when Love Saves the Day really comes into its own. The largest crowds were camped around the main stage, where Jessie Ware delivered all her big hits. It has to be said that the festival’s new venue combined with excellent production meant that the sound quality was superb, and a far cry from some of the problems that can afflict festivals.
After Jessie Ware’s closing track the crowd thronged up the slight hill to the Paradiso and Cloud 9 stages. The aficionados had been here all day, as the stages played host to excellent sets from Jackmaster, Hannah Wants, Gorgon City and Tale of Us. However, the influx of people left these stages packed, the atmosphere bubbling and the deep grooves burying themselves into your head.
Outside the tents sat the casualties, those who had partied too hard or those who just wanted to chat with some background noise. The cool after-dusk breeze you felt as you left the tents was the perfect antidote to the sweaty raving inside.
Another year, and another fantastic Love Saves the Day. The organisers have excelled themselves this year, with a superior line-up, a superior venue, superior transport links and a superior experience all round. One thing that’s striking is the sense of community: people from across the city and beyond, all raving, and all coming together as one to enjoy the sun and the music. A fantastic way to start the festival season.