DEPOT IN THE CASTLE | LIVE REVIEW
Cardiff Castle, Sat 13 July
Depot In The Castle seems to be going from strength to strength, this year boasting more food traders, children’s activities, and a musical lineup better than ever. Arriving in their thousands with glitter-speckled cheeks, sequins and picnic blankets, families flocked to Cardiff Castle for the event, and were treated to a glorious afternoon in the sun.
Call Me Loop greeted the crowds with an upbeat pop set, as they flooded in towards the many street food vendors that have become staples at Cardiff events – Brother Thai, Dirty Bird and The Bearded Taco all in attendance. For the kids, there was soft play and face painting, for the adults a choice of two bars each with a hefty queue.
Next up were Circa Waves, the kings of a summery indie-rock song, who belted out Movies and Fire That Burns to an extremely mixed, extremely bouncy audience. By the time T-Shirt Weather rolled around, everyone was truly into the swing of things, the afternoon steeped in that lazy Saturday afternoon atmosphere of laidback, wholesome fun. Tom Odell shifted things up a gear with the showmanship we’ve come to know and love: pounding the keys to I Know and Can’t Pretend, jumping up onto his piano and air guitaring his heart out. Flitting between slow and tender with Grow Old With Me and the fast-paced powerhouse that is Another Love, by the time the third act of the day was done we’d truly had our money’s worth.
When you think of headliners Clean Bandit [top], it’s hard not to just see the range of stars they’ve collaborated with throughout their growing career (Jess Glynne, Marina and Demi Lovato to name a few), so I was intrigued to see how their live show would pan out. It became clear from opener Solo that the trio, plus the fabulous singers they’d brought with them had more than enough vocal firepower to not need any fancy guests. What followed was a non-stop set of electropop hit singles, charming choreographed dance moves and an explosion of streamers over the crowd, as every word to the likes of Real Love and Extraordinary were chanted back to the stage. As the sun set over the castle and they wrapped up the night with Rather Be, the lyrics seemed a fitting sentiment to close another year of this fantastically formed festival.
words ANNIE BISHOP photos GIULIA SPADAFORA