Is NME’s famous four-band ‘mini-festival’ a platform for rising talent or an unfathomable four-hour excuse for fresh-faced fans to thrash about to jolly guitar riffs that no one’s never heard before? 2013’s offering was undoubtedly a mix of the two.

Peace opened with ‘Higher Than the Sun’; a track salvaged only by its melodic intro and close, but the band quickly picked up momentum with crowd-pleaser ‘Bloodshake’, and, in preparation for Palma Violets’ entrance, the O2 Academy was already alive with mosh pits, dancing and, erm, more mosh pits.

Palma Violets are enthusiastic: in fact, describing the band as complete nutters would not be an understatement. As Sam and Chilli thrashed out repetitive chords, the band queued up to hop into a time machine back to the ’77 punk scene. After two crowd dives, an unaccounted for bloke jumping about onstage with the keyboardist and finally the lead guitarist hurling himself backward over the drum kit, the incessant noise had apparently come to a close.

Unfortunately, Miles Kane provided a more predictable set, swaggering on with his name lit up behind him as if his backdrop were the Santa Monica Mountains. The crowd had no problem repeating the ‘woah ahhh’ of ‘Come Closer’, which he milked in a way talented best mate Alex Turner could have pulled off.

Despite producing a less polished performance, Django Django presented the only sound true to the ‘New’ in ‘New Musical Express’; a treasure chest of experimental gems from 2012’s eponymous debut, climaxing with ‘Waveforms’ and ‘Love’s Dart’. A diamond in the rough at this year’s offering, Django Django’s heavy beats and synths were well worth the wait.

 

 

6/10

words: Laura Ulanowski