Good performance from the Derry grunge rockers
The Northern Irish foursome mark their first appearance at Download Festival with a short 20 minute set on the Red Bull Bedroom Jam stage. No Mean City performed as if their lives depended on it, and with festival organiser Andy Copping looking on from the side of the stage for part of their set, this was no bad thing.
Vocalist Jilly St John was the life and soul of No Mean City, jumping around as energetically as a children’s entertainer. She may have looked like she had just walked out of the Cheeky Girls’ wardrobe, but the performance by her and the rest of the band was unadulterated grunge-rock. Her efforts at screaming may have sounded like a six year old having a tantrum, but they did give the band’s sound a sense of individuality, even if they did not appeal to everyone. Her vocal performance on stage, however, does have a great sense of urgency to it, making for an entertaining live show.
Their performance may not have been quite as sparkly as Jilly St John’s sequined hot pants, but No Mean City still delivered a respectable performance. The Red Bull Bedroom Jam stage certainly brings out the best in these competition-winning bands and overall, it was not a bad Download debut for the Derry quartet.