NME/Radio 1 Stage
Glancing at the line-up for early Sunday afternoon and you could be forgiven for forsaking Surfer Blood. Much can be made simply from a moniker and competing with the likes of Crazy Arm and A Day To Remember, the notions of splattered board merchants may have struck the wrong note. Thankfully, opener 'Floating Vibes' showcased a veritable sensibility from coarse guitar strains that you would expect from a band hailing from Florida. Yet despite a generous crowd, lead singer John Paul Pitts displayed a naive tension akin to his prepubescent good looks but his deep vocals and soaring harmonies allayed such anxiety through 'Fast Jabroni'.
'Twin Peaks' was almost too smart for its own good with calypso percussion and multi-syllabic lyrics that surprised a crowd which preferred easy listening to anything close to challenging. Even as the track begun to fall flat, gentle strumming sounded far more soothing. Shorn of his guitar for 'Take It Easy' Pitts then patrolled the stage as if fooling around in his own bedroom, complete with nerdy comic book t-shirt for an embarrassing yet endearing performance.
That the band even plucked up the courage to unveil a new song, with the tentative title of 'I'm Not Ready', proved their admirable confidence for a track which displayed a more grown-up slow burning fuzz. As if maturing before their audience's very eyes, closing track 'Anchorage' was dedicated to warm-up act Frankie & The Heartstrings.