Bestival 2011 – Björk
With the slow return to humanity and real-life-adjustment almost complete, the time seems right to look back on Bestival. Beats and Pieces and our associated cohorts were in attendance and crikey, what a four days it was. Having tentatively mused on 2011 being our last year upon the Isle Of Wight (after an influx of undesireables in 2010 that we’re blaming The Prodigy for), this year saw the return of the lovely people, interesting programming and friendly atmosphere that make the festival so unique. The highlights are almost too many to list, but over the next few days we’ll attempt to sum up the very best bits, beginning with none other than Björk.
As the favourite artist of B&P’s Max DMC, a lot would’ve had to go wrong for her performance to be a disappointment. The majority of the show centred around material from “Biophilia” which was perhaps a bold move for a festival set, but one that richly rewarded fans. With the tone of the new album mostly stripped down, emotive and showcasing those inimitable vocals to full effect, it felt like a very special performance indeed. Particularly impressive were “Thunderbolt” with it’s musical tesla coil hanging precariously above the accompanying choir, the minimalist beauty of “Moon” and lead single “Crystalline” whose slightly questionable drill n’ bass ending we have finally decided is fairly stupendous.
As for older material Björk picked largely from the fringes of her catalogue. The hymnal “Mouth’s Cradle” had a powerful impact, as did the palpable sense of doom created by Rahzel‘s bassy baritone beatbox on “Where Is The Line”. Perhaps the biggest surprise was a reworking of “One Day” backed only by a peculiar arrangement of inverted steel drums that resembled three upturned woks. This rendered the track soft, sweet and sentimental in contrast to it’s housey original. Both “Isobel” and “Joga” made an appearance, the latter sounding especially lovely, but perhaps lacking the punch of the more leftfield choices.
The final two tracks pandered to the festival setting rather shamelessly. “Hyperballad” made perfect sense as a culmination of a melodic, emotional set and whilst the choir arrangement would’ve benefited from a little more rehearsal, Björk herself sounded amazing. “Declare Independence” as the set closer went down a storm, even with the more disinterested audience members, but felt somewhat tacked on for the sake of a strong crowd reaction – certainly there was no natural flow into it from the music that had preceeded it.
Overall, it was a brave and uncompromising set which might not have appealed massively to the casual Björk listener, but those in the Icelandic she-goddess’ thrall (100% guilty) couldn’t have been let down. At 45, she remains at the forefront of modern electronica, possesses a voice that no one can compete with and looks amazing with an enormous ginger afro atop her head. Slightly odd but better than all the rest, this was a show that made perfect sense at Bestival. BEST OF ALL.
Beats And Pieces 2.0 