Neighbourhood Weekender 2018 - Sunday!!

The Sunday of the festival was a bit more chilled with not quite as much to try and squeeze in. We actually made it on time for the first band of the day Sea Girls, then they ended up coming on half an hour late!! I’d only recently heard of them but really liked their songs and they have a really fun summery vibe. They were really good live and I really enjoyed the set, I’m definitely going to try and see them on their headline tour this autumn. 

We then headed over to the Viola beach stage for what I thought was going to be Judas, they were never originally on the line up so I was really pleased when I noticed they were on the schedule. When someone else came on stage I rechecked the schedule on the app and Judas were no longer on it. There was no update about this or nothing on the band’s or festival’s socials as far as I could see, so that was quite disappointing and a bit strange. It did however mean we could now watch Black Honey on the main stage, who would’ve clashed with them. These are another band I really like and front woman Izzy just oozes cool, she was looking fabulous in a silver metallic get up. I’m really looking forward to their debut album finally being released in autumn. 

For day two of the festival I went for a slightly more low key look, but of course there was still lots of sequins and glitter. I went for a rainbow stripe sequin halter neck top with tassel sequin detail which I absolutely love. As the tassels are quite long it does kind of cover the bottoms but I wore black sequin tassel shorts, some black fishnet tights and black boots. I wasn’t sure what the weather was going to be like and couldn’t really find a cover up that matched in my wardrobe so I ended up panic buying this black mesh feather trim long kimono from pretty little thing. It was mega long so I had to do a quick turnup as I only got it the day before we went. I think it worked well as it’s quite plain but the feathers still gave it a bit of sass, I also really like the bell style sleeves on it.

As the kimono was black I wanted to give the outfit some extra sparkle so wore these amazing gold sequin tassel wings by Savage Rainbow. I actually won these in a competition by Sacred Hawk and couldn’t wait to wear them. They’re a bit fiddly to get on and off but once they’re on they look great, they hang down the back giving a drape effect but then when you lift your arms they look like glittery wings. The only thing I will say the kimono and wing combo did make it very difficult when going to the toilet! I used my pink shell bag again and kept accessories minimal due to the style of the top, so just wore some statement silver star earrings. 

I decided to do space buns and glitter roots and did a bit of glitter on the side of my face going onto the side of my hair for some extra sparkle. As I went for rainbow make up/glitter on the Saturday I thought I’d mix it up and go for blues/turquoises. I did add a bit more rainbow with some star stickers on my chest down each side of the top. I realised when I looked back at the pictures the lighting wasn’t great and made my face look a bit orange but they’re the only outfit pics I took so they’ve had to do!

Sequin top - Topshop

Feather trim kimono - Pretty Little Thing

Sequin tassel shorts - Primark

Sequin wings - Savage Rainbow @ Sacred Hawk also available at Missguided and Asos

Shell bag - Skinnydip

Star XL Earrings - No Basic Bombshell

Sunglasses - Primark

Boots - Ebay

Fishnets - Primark

Pompom bobbles - New Look

Face gems - Primark

Glitter/stickers - Ebay/craft shops 

There were a couple of other bands I would’ve like to have seen inbetween people on the main stage but the times clashed more than on the Saturday so it wasn’t really worth it, so we just stayed there for a bit. Next up was Tom Grennan, I’ve been a fan of him for a while now so was really looking forward to his set. He always cracks me up when he talks too, he has such an amazing voice and always puts on a really fun engertic set. I really can’t wait for the album to finally drop in July as it’s been pushed back a couple of times now, so I’m looking forward to seeing him again over the summer at festivals and hearing some new tracks live.  

Then it was DMA’s another band I’ve really liked over the last couple of years. It’s hard to believe they’re not from Manchester as they have that typical Manc swagger and the songs sound just like something you’d hear from the stone roses. The Aussie band have not long released their second album and it’s really good, so it was nice to hear some new tracks live aswell as all the bangers from the first album. We then headed over to the Viola beach stage to catch a bit of Jerry Williams, I really like her sweet retro sounding voice and she sounded great live. Then back to the main stage for The Sherlocks, I’ve seen these guys quite a lot over the last couple of years and they always put on a great set, there was a lively crowd with big singalongs. 

We left part way through the set to go to the second stage for Pigeon Detectives, however as we approached the tent we realised we probably wasn’t going to get in. The crowd was massive and people were pushing and shoving trying to get in. We tried to squeeze our way in but with a full pint, my long kimono and sequin wings it proved quite difficult, as I was trying to hold them up so they didn’t get pulled and not spill my drink all over me. They came on a bit late and we just managed to get as they came on but we couldn’t see a thing and everyone was just pushing and shoving and it wasn’t really enjoyable. So we ended up coming out of the crowd after about 10 minutes. I was really disappointed as it’s one of the bands I was most looking forward to, I’d expected it to be busy for them as it was in a tent, but it was just ridiculous. 

After that fiasco we decided to get some food and have a sit down, as the timings were a bit off on the second stage now we wasn’t sure when Beth Ditto was actually on but went and watched some of the set, but as it was behind we didn’t get to see as much of her as I would’ve liked. It was then time for Blossoms on the main stage, one of my fave bands. I’ve been a big fan of these guys for a few years now and have seen them at so many festivals and gigs, but always get excited to see them again. It was also the first time I’ve seen them live since their second album was released so it was really nice to hear the new tracks live. Their set is always full of bangers and huge singalongs from the crowd. They have such a fun retro sound and it’s always great seeing them live.

We then went back to the Viola beach stage to catch the Blinders, I really liked these guys after seeing them support The view last year. They have a great energy and the crowd was all jumping around with people on shoulders and singing along. I definitely want to try and catch them on their headline tour in autumn as I think their definitely one to watch! Finally headlining the main stage was Noel Gallagher’s High flying birds. I really like Noel but sometimes some of his set can be a bit boring, of course the Oasis songs got the best reception and the crowd went into huge singalongs. It was a really good set but there were parts of it which were quite slow and not what you needed to keep you going at the end of the festival. Maybe I’m just getting old now but I can find myself flagging a bit if you don’t have a lively set to sing and dance along to. 

We decided we’d head back to the hotel and get some food rather than go out so we were fresh to do something on the Monday. However it was a nightmare trying to get taxis again and we ended up having to walk back again which well and truly wore me out. Overall it was a really great festival, the vibe was pretty chilled and it was a nice size. As far as I could tell it didn’t seem to be full of idiots either, which seems to be the case at a lot of festivals these days. The line up was great for the price and I’d definitely recommend it, I’m looking forward to seeing who’s playing next year already!!

Neighbourhood Weekender 2018 - Saturday!!!

So I’ve came to write this post and realised I haven’t posted in 4 months!! I’ve really took my eye off blogging lately and kinda lost my passion for it a bit, but I’m gonna try and get back into it and what better way than a favourite of mine a festival post! Summer is my favourite time of the year anyway but it’s definitely easier to try and take blog pictures with better weather (some of the time) and I much prefer summer clothes. Festival season is also my favourite time of the year and although I don’t actually have many pencilled in this year I’ve still been looking forward to dressing up all sparkly and fancy at any opportunity I can. I’m gonna split this into two posts as I’m definitely gonna ramble on and I took a lot of pictures.

So for my first festival of the year it was Neighbourhood Weekender, a brand new festival in Warrington from the people who have done Neighbourhood Festival, the one day Festival in Manchester for the last couple of years. I had been to the one day festival before and it was a really good line up and decent price. So when the weekender was announced I was super interested as it had a great line up and at around £100 for a weekend ticket it was a bargain really. As expected it sold out straight away but I thought I’d try and get a ticket nearer the time. Some extra day tickets got released and as it was the week before my birthday my boyfriend said he’d get us tickets for my birthday. It didn’t really matter we got day tickets as it isn’t a camping festival anyway, we just didn’t get a wristband :-( (which I do enjoy collecting each summer). 

We drove up after work on the Friday as the festival started at 12:30 on the Saturday and I knew I’d be stressed trying to get ready and drive up in time Saturday morning. I’m so glad we did this as I gave myself 3 hours to get ready and was still rushing then we was struggling to try and get an uber. You was only allowed small bags no bigger than an a4 piece of paper and no backpacks, this was the biggest dilemma for me as I’m so used to taking a little backpack and a bumbag to festivals. So I had to try and squeeze everything into my small shell bag then kept my phone and purse in my bumbag. I was expecting it to be a nightmare getting in especially with it being a new event, but it was pretty smooth getting in, you just had to empty everything out of your bag which was a bit of a pain when you’ve squeezed it into every nook and cranny of the bag. However it was done pretty quickly and we were actually on time for the first band of the day which I think is a first for me!!

The first band of the Saturday was Yonaka on the second stage which was a tent, they’ve supported a few bands I’ve seen lately but as I’m always late I’ve missed them everytime. I really like their songs so was really looking forward to seeing them. I love a female singer in a band anyway and she’s got a really unique voice and they’ve got some really catchy tunes. I’ll definitely try and see them live again. After that we headed over to the third stage that was named the Viola Beach stage, I think this was a really nice nod to the Viola Beach boys with it being their hometown, it had the rainbow umbrellas on the side of the stage like the one in their single cover which was a nice touch. The first band of the day on this stage were Blackwaters, another band that have supported bands I’ve seen but always missed (I’m useless). I really liked these guys live, they had a real swagger about them and a great energy running around the stage. 

I wasn’t sure how extra to go outfit wise as I thought with it being quite an indie festival I might stand out like a sore thumb in all my glitter and sequins, but then I thought what the hell who cares if I do. So I went for rainbows and lots of sequins of course. I’d had my eye on the Jaded London spike sequin co ord modelled by Mika Francis and absolutely loved it, so I made a bit of a panic purchase and got it. Obviously she looked amazing with nothing underneath the skirt as it has like an open side with chain fastenings. I really didn’t feel comfortable wearing it just open so tried it with loads of things underneath, but wasn’t sure if anything looked quite right. In the end I got some basic black shorts to go under it and wore it with fishnets, although it doesn’t quite have the same effect I definitely felt better with something under it. It is a mini skirt with spikey multicoloured drop sequins all over, then the top is a drape front with chain around the neck and the back in the same sequins. They do a cape in it aswell which I would’ve loved but I couldn’t really afford all three. 

So I decided to rewear one of my fave festival pieces from last year my rainbow sequin maxi kimono from Jaded London, although I like to always have new outfits every year I do absolutely love this and only wore it a couple of times and as it matched so well with the outfit I thought why not just wear it again! As it had rained on the Friday I wasn’t sure what the ground would be like so wore some black patent boots. I went for some extra rainbow with a cute sequin cat ears headband. For my make up I went all rainbow too with a face gem I made last year and another I’d brought from AliExpress. I also used one I’d made on my chest then covered myself in glitter of course. As I couldn’t use my sequin backpack I wanted to, I took my pink skinnydip shell bag so it still matched and my festival must have sequin bumbag. I also only realised when looking back at these pictures bloody Suggs from Madness is photo bombing all my shots, fuming!!!

Sequin kimono - Jaded London (This years version here)

Sequin skirt - Jaded London

Sequin top - Jaded London

Black shorts - Pretty Little Thing 

Boots - Ebay

Fishnets - Primark

Shell Bag - Skinnydip

Sequin bumbag - Skinnydip

Sunglasses - Primark

Cat ears headband - New Look

Glitter - Ebay/craft shops

Face/chest gems - made by me/AliExpress 

Jazz likes wearing fun clothes too (good job going out with me) and although he doesn’t always wear as extra things as me he didn’t let the side down with this fabulous two piece suit from Asos. I think we co-ordinated pretty well and lots of people came up to us saying they loved our outfits and asked for pictures, something he wasn’t used to at all. So I made him pose for a outfit pic, blogger style, it’s only fair after him being my photographer for the day!!

After that we headed back to the third stage to catch a bit of Ten Tonnes, then headed over to the main stage for a fave of mine Fickle Friends. I’ve really liked them the last couple of years and their songs are so summery and catchy. It was the first time I’ve seen them since their debut albums been out so it was nice to hear some new tracks too. It was a really nice size festival, it wasn’t too big and the stages were only a 5-10min walk apart, and as I wanted to see a lot of bands that ended as others started it did mean there was a lot of toing and froing, so it meant we got chance to rush across between stages and catch a bit of everyone I wanted to see.

We then watched some of The Big Moon, I really like these girls on record but they don’t have much going on live and as much as I like them it was a little bit boring. We watched 20 minutes or so then headed over to catch some of Lewis Capaldi. The tent was very full, I’d only recently listened to his music but really like his husky tone. He sounded so good live and I’d definitely like to try and catch him live again. We then went over to the Viola beach stage to see Hey Charlie, again I’d only recently heard of them but really liked them, they had a lot of energy on stage and they all had matching rainbow jumpers and pleated skirts on, so of course I instantly liked them more!

Then it was time for Reverend & the makers, you know it’s always gonna be a good show with Rev and as expected it was banger after banger with a massive crowd and singalong. He always cracks me up with his one liners. After that it was Miles Kane, I’ve always been a big fan of him so was really looking forward to seeing him. I’m not gonna lie I was quite drunk by this point so can’t remember it as much as I’d of liked. But it was so good to see him live again after quite a few years and as always it was a lively energetic set with pints flying everywhere. I’m really excited for his new album and am hoping he does another tour later in the year, as I missed out on this tour. 

We then watched a bit of Cabbage but again it’s a little vague but I’m pretty sure It was a good set. Then Circa Waves were on the main stage, another band I love and that always have a fun summery set, they have so many bangers and there’s always a massive singalong so it’s always a good show. I wanted to catch some of the Pale White but there was massive queues for the toilet and bars at this point so we ended up missing them. Jake Bugg came on stage whilst we were queuing so we still got to hear him but didn’t get to fully watch the whole set. Again he’s someone I really like on record but can be a bit boring live, he does have a great voice live though. 

We then went back over to the tent for Sundara Karma, a late addition that were added after Kodaline had to pull out. I was really happy they were added as I’ve been a big fan for the last couple of years and love their catchy songs. The tent was packed and I’d like to say I remember more but the wine had well and truly got me by this point! 

Then headlining the main stage were The Courteeners, although I’ve had a love/hate relationship with them the last couple of years after the departure of their bassist, I still bloody love all the songs and can’t get away from that. They always do a great set and the crowd always goes mental and it’s just a massive singalong throughout. They did a good setlist and I was really pleased to hear old favourite ‘Take over the world’ as it seems forever since I heard it live. It was a really good end to the first day of the festival.

We then ended up walking into town and going to a bar that Tim Burgess was djing at, but after a couple of hours we realised we hadn’t eaten all day and as the booze started to wear off we suddenly got starving so decided to head back to the hotel and try and get some food. The taxis queues were mental in town and we couldn’t get an uber so ended up having a massive trek which took about an hour, which killed the end of the night a bit, but we still had a great time.