We’re more than halfway into Festival Number 6 in the beautiful North Welsh tourist village of Portmeirion. With the end drawing close, here’s a recap of our favourite acts from day two.
Rae Morris & No. 6 Ensemble
SULTRY SONGSTRESS: Blackpool-born Rae Morris wowed a packed Portmeirion Town Hall crowd with her haunting tunes
Sultry Blackpool songstress Rae Morris was already set to headline the main stage later in the evening, but for just a hundred lucky fans, she delivered a truly unique chance to experience her worldly, haunting music in the intimate surroundings of Portmeirion’s beautiful Town Hall.
Accompanied by the eight-strong No. 6 Ensemble – a collaboration with the festival’s Composer-in-Residence Joe Duddell – this gig truly felt like a rare opportunity. It’s probably best the hundred or so fans waiting outside don’t know what they missed.
Everything Everything
SALFORD GRAD: Fresh from an interview with MM, bassist Jeremy took to a packed stage (© Festival Number 6, with thanks)
Fresh from interviewing Salford graduate and Everything Everything bassist Jeremy Pritchard earlier in the day, we made sure to catch their packed set at Number 6’s i stage.
Playing a selection of songs from their past three albums, the Manchester lads didn’t pass up the opportunity to play their alt-pop hits Regret and Distant Past – which for any XFM listener will have been all they’ve heard this summer.
Belle and Sebastian
DAD DANCING? Belle and Sebastian proved to be resonate with more than just the older generation (© Festival Number 6, with thanks)
Slated by many of the volunteers we spoke to as ‘the music my dad listens to’, we reserved our judgement – abandoning our youthful sensibilities to go see one of the most formative bands of our generation.
Bursting with charisma and charm, frontman Stuart Murdoch was an absolute delight. One of our favourite moments was when he invited an excited gaggle of 15 teenagers up onto the stage to be backing dancers for the band (though he didn’t bet on how many of them would try to shout out dedications to their mates using the mic).
Bernard Sumner in Conversation with Irvine Welsh
THE ANSWERS WE’VE ALL WANTED TO KNOW: Joy Division’s famously reluctant Bernard Sumner gave a rare interview on the band’s past
Two stalwarts of contemporary culture, neither need little introduction. Sumner, a founding member of Manchester icons Joy Division and New Order, spoke about his childhood, the beginnings of his musical career and the death of Ian Curtis.
Widely known as an artist reluctant to give interviews, Welsh drew insightful answers from him on the questions we’ve all wanted to pose. The full Q&A will be up on MM in the next few days.
Steve Coogan
A-HA: Steve Coogan opened up about the infleunce of Tony Wilson, the Labour party, and whether he lives in a hard water area (© Festival Number 6, with thanks)
Continuing the stellar line up of Mancunian legends is Steve Coogan. Famed for his fictional creation of Alan Patridge, the multi-BAFTA award winner spent a large proportion of his talk talking about the influence of Factory Records’ Tony Wilson.
Also famously interview-shy, Coogan was as on-form as ever (though noticeably wasted), reluctantly opening the discussion up to questions from the audience – his favourite clearly the Patridge-esque, ‘do you live in a hard or soft water area, Steve?’
Mike Garry performs ‘St Anthony’
TALK TO ME: Mike Garry performed his now-famous tribute to Tony Wilson, Mr Manchester
Anyone living in Manchester during the past month will have failed to avoid the viral sensation that is Garry’s ‘St Anthony’ music video. A tribute again to Tony Wilson, the video features famous faces from Shaun Ryder to Iggy Pop, Rowetta to John Cooper Clarke lip-syncing to Garry’s poem.
As the sun went down on the glorious Central Piazza, with Garry’s harsh Manc tones commanding the attention of all standing beneath him, it was a fitting and emotional moment for fans of the man credited with ‘making’ Manchester.
Mark Ronson and Asif Kapadia – ‘Amy’ Q&A
Kapadia’s stunning documentary of the life and demise of Winehouse has redefined the film industry, smashing previous records to become the highest grossing British documentary ever.
Joined by Amy’s close friend Mark Ronson – just a day after celebrating his 40th birthday – the two shared their insights on what Amy meant to them, discussed Mitch Winehouse’s dislike for the film and talked about the lessons learnt for the British press.
