The weekend saw Walthamstow channel the Deep South as Grillstock Festival took over Chestnut Fields in Walthamstow.
2015 is the first year that Grillstock has been held in London, and it pulled in an impressive crowd who were eager to see the “meat, music and mayhem” that was promised.
Saturday
Getting into the festival site was no mean feat, the queues stretched out of the park and down the street, it easily took an hour to get inside, which was not the best start to the day. Once inside, the queuing carnage continued with one person stated they had waited 45 minutes for a burger.
The epic queues were not the only disappointment to be had on Saturday; the Dive Bar stage was over capacity as people tried to squeeze in to catch musical comedian Rich Hall (0/13) live in action. However, the crowd quickly dispersed when a crappy Elvis impersonator appeared on stage with no explanation as to where Rich Hall was or why he had cancelled. Grillstock have yet to make a statement on this.
Thankfully, The Cuban Brothers 10/13 were on hand to provide some light hearted relief, by putting on a show packed with music and comedy. The Cuban Brothers ensured the fiesta proceedings moved along as smooth & hilariously horny as they only know how, and by the time they’d left the stage everyone was ready to see the headline act.
Fun Lovin’ Criminals 12/13 put on a fun set full of lots of old tracks as they prep for their upcoming 20th anniversary tour. Saturday had more of a hip-hop vibe to it, so sadly, Fun Lovin’ Criminals did not receive the response they deserved or probably expect, but they powered through and seemed to be having a good time on stage and they sounded great. Fun Livin’ Criminals were a tight and cohesive unit, who showed the crowd why their career spans 20 years.
Sunday
Thankfully, Sunday was much quieter, meaning a lot less time was wasted and a lot more acts could be seen.
The first act we caught was Johnny Borrell and Zazou (11/13) who had pulled an impressive crowd into the Dive Bar. These guys were infectiously fun, and made it hard to resist the urge to sing along - but it was early in the afternoon and not enough beer had been consumed! Borrell and Zazou were boundlessly entertaining and were the perfect start to a sunny Sunday at Grillstock.
The highlight of the entire festival was the marvellous Hayseed Dixie (13/13) who had a rough time on stage as ‘Hippy’ Joe Hymas’ mandolin failed to play through the speakers after a couple of tracks and after much faffing around he was brought a mic to play into. Hayseed Dixie proved themselves to be true professionals during their technical difficulties, they continued to be entertaining and engaging, appearing unphased by what was happening. The band played epic and unique covers of the likes of Ace Of Spades, Watching The Detectives and err… Eternal Flame.
One performance in a day was clearly not enough for Johnny Borrell as he and his Razorlight (12/13) bandmates took to the Main Stage to bring Grillstock to a close. The band are almost unrecognisable with Borrell being the only original member, but it was nice to have them back after a lengthy hiatus. Razorlight put on a great performance and had a setlist that everyone loved as they knocked out hits such as Golden Touch, Before I Fall To Pieces and In The Morning.
With over 30,000 attendees, Grillstock London was clearly a success and those who attended , witnessed a US-style 'low 'n' slow BBQ cooking competition, a chilli-pepper and hot-dog eating competition as well as first-class entertainment from world-famous music acts, chefs and top tips from King of the Grill, Chicago-born Dr BBQ. Be warned though, this is not the place for vegetarians but it is a whole lot of fun.