London Victoria Park
20th August 2022
£81.00

I last went to Field Day in early June 2012, and here I was ten years later and it had shifted to August just before the bank holiday weekend. Ticket prices had skyrocketed from £45 to £81, and frankly I was here with one intention only - to watch Kraftwerk for the third time! I didn't try very hard to persuade anyone along and couldn't even get my friends who kindly agreed to provide me with accommodation to join. I'm doubtful that the video I sent of Numbers live was actually watched, as it's so awesome I don't see how it could leave any doubters. But it was good to have a place to stay sorted, and this was a rare quick visit to London with the emphasis very much on Kraftwerk! I felt bullied into downloading the shitty festival app to get the ticket downloaded, and also they'd hidden the running times so they were available literally nowhere else. I've always strongly disliked apps and seen them as pointless, and alarm bells should ring when they are only needed due to essential functionality being deliberately omitted from the website to force you to use it. I really didn't plan too much so was surprised to find most of the advertising was billing this as All Points East (not Field Day) and in fact Gorillaz had headlined the previous night!

For me though I had no interest in any of the other acts playing the Saturday, being very hesitant over even if to bother sticking around for The Chemical Brothers after Kraftwerk. I was a little taken aback when the advertising was pushing this as a dance music festival, and the crowd sure didn't feel like a natural fit for me, but I've got to say I didn't really give anything else a chance. I had a busy plan for the day and didn't fancy spending hours trying to get into music that isn't my natural fit. I also knew that once I stepped into the festival site that I would struggle to get decent food and drink, so I really was in no hurry to get inside. I took some standard 3D glasses as I didn't want to risk losing the official ones I'd got last time around, and drove to London the night before to stay with my friends. It was a long drive and at the end of it I had to be introduced to an extremely nervous dog, but I am starting to relish the freedom that comes with driving, and surprise myself by leaving the trains behind. I had little choice this weekend as the lazy train staff were striking and - although the tube was running - it made the journey to and from the festival nightmarishly difficult by public transport. So I actually needed to drive to the venue for the day, and was a little surprised that this didn't cause big problems for the other fans attending.

Personally it went like a dream, giving me the opportunity to drive through Blackwall Tunnel underneath the Millennium Dome and River Thames, then enjoying the absence of traffic before reaching Stratford Westfield Shopping Centre car park a little before 10.30am. I was doubtful where to park and this seemed the obvious choice, and it turned out to be empty and incredibly easy. Certainly a fabulous idea, and all my concerns about getting stuck in traffic and unable to park came to nothing. I was determined to eat lunch at Popeyes but was held back to the total lack of shopping centre maps, before eventually finding it hidden in the lower arcade. Google says it was on Level 1, which is demonstrably untrue, so most annoying! But it was worth the wait, offering a different taste experience to KFC and an intriguing batter/cake side, although I did feel a little conned by the promise of free extra chicken which took hours to apply for and then added the small print that I had to spend a lot on my next purchase to even get it. An appallingly unclearly labelled shopping centre and marketing con aside, I enjoyed questing for "the next Taco Bell", and will be happy to try it again. I then struggled to find a post box to send off a Coronavirus test before being able to wander a little around the Olympic Park, now officially called the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. I treated myself to an unnecessary ice cream and headed vaguely in search of Crate Brewery. Its entrance was ingeniously hidden and by the time I found it I decided that the Howling Hops Brewery nearby looked far more appealing and deserved to be rewarded for having a clear way in. And I've got to say I was happy with my choice!

After this I headed deeper into Hackney to enact my pre-booked admission ticket to The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, Fine Art & UnNatural History. It was a bizarre and fascinating collection, and I felt compelled to stick around for a beer afterwards. Although I'd be driving, I had a long day ahead and in the end the beers were so well spread out that I managed it with ease. After this pleasing experience I walked back down the canals to the Olympic Park to climb the Orbit tower for my first time since 2012 and to take a ride down the new slide. It was fast and fun and I enjoyed taking in the views from the top, at this moment not reflecting that my last Field Day experience and my last Orbit Tower experience were both a bit over 10 years beforehand. The Olympic Park felt reasonably unchanged but the Orbit tower looked extremely tired and in dire need of a fresh coat of red paint. I also had to ascend the elevator twice as they didn't let you do the slide with camera and phones, so I had to leave it in the locker at the bottom and come back up for the photos. But I was glad I experienced the slide, and it was a decent sunny day also to do it on. After a second ice cream I headed back to the brewery, which by now had gone from being empty to rather full. I found somewhere to sit and enjoyed some food though, feeling grateful that I was enjoying myself and not stuck in a festival site with limited and expensive choices. But it was now 6pm or so and it seemed silly to keep putting it off, so I headed through Victoria Park to the fenced-off festival area.

I stopped to admire and take photos of the alcoves in the park that were genuinely parts of old London Bridge, before reaching the security area. My good mood was quickly damaged by some utter fuckwit of a security guy who pointed to a lengthy list of prohibited items which had been publicised ABSOLUTELY NOWHERE in advance and claimed that my camera was forbidden. Firstly, what the actual fuck do they expect their customers to do, just shrug and throw their camera away to gain admission? Secondly, it was a regular camera and not a professional one, so luckily when he called his boss over he was quickly told it was ok. I made my way past this waste of oxygen quickly and tried to put the frustration behind me, but the very suggestion I may not be allowed in and the fact that they were suddenly presenting me with a huge list of prohibited items that they'd never bothered to tell us in advance was pretty disgusting and greatly reduces the chance I'll be back. Still, it just makes me glad that I didn't spend a penny inside the arena, and perhaps this was what solidified my resolve to leave straight after Kraftwerk. Strangely there were two main stages and Kraftwerk were playing the stage next to the entrance, with The Chemical Brothers due to start a little after Kraftwerk finished up.

It's a weird arrangement that requires the entire crowd to move stages, or else assumes that they are idiots who don't want to watch Kraftwerk. I spotted a big wheel then was captivated by a wheelie bin brimful of Kraftwerk 3D glasses, which I got the cool picture of above. Otherwise I didn't wander around the site at all, and knowing I needed to drive and that I shouldn't drink again worked out well for me. This perhaps is a good time to point out that I have spectacularly failed to write up this review until a full five weeks after the show, largely due to a two week holiday taking in the north (Chester, Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield) followed by five days with friends down in Brighton. Also it was the two heritage weekends and I just didn't have time, although now I come to write this up I seem to have a lot to say thanks to my abundance of photos to draw my recollections from. I see that struggling to find time to do gig reviews is a common gripe which I also made when doing my Field Day 2012 review, but at the same time I still recognise what a brilliant aid to memory it is. For the most part, the hundreds of photos I take have superseded the role that these reviews used to play, but I still like making the permanent record. I've got to say that I'd watched and heard so much Kraftwerk before the show that I really didn't think I have much I'd need to say about them. I'm familiar with their songs and presentation, and wasn't expecting much difference to report upon. I expected it to be more of the same, and I was absolutely happy with that. For sure, playing a few other songs would be a treat, but for a festival crowd and as a second headliner with a shorter set time, I accepted it was unlikely to happen.

After popping to the loo I headed forwards towards the imaginatively-named Victoria Park West stage, and my research indicates that Carl Craig B2B with Moodymann was performing. I stuck around for a while and certainly felt out of place amid the dance music crowd, but at the same time there were some genuine Germans behind me and a few older fans, so being in a Kraftwerk audience I didn't feel totally out of place. For sure though, I didn't feel as comfortable here as I had at Bluedot Festival, and the fact they made Kraftwerk the outright headliners there says a lot about their integrity and good taste. I can't comment much on the DJs, but kudos for slipping in a hint of Trans-Europe Express. The audience seemed to be enjoying it reasonably but I was laser-focused on Kraftwerk, and also the fact that they were just using the generic Field Day festival logos as a backdrop didn't make for a particularly interesting watch. I can hardly complain, I barely remember anything as it's been five weeks before I got round to writing this, but I scoured the line-up and there just wasn't anyone else I knew or was remotely interested in watching. On one hand this gave me the fabulous experience of enjoying a day to myself in east London, but it did seem a little wrong to miss out on The Chemical Brothers. Scheduling them after Kraftwerk just feels wrong though!

After the support finished I was quite shocked by how much the crowd dispersed, but I took advantage and revisited the loo to pre-empt the possible need to pay a visit later. I then went back in and shuffled forwards into a decent position right in the middle, getting to watch the four decks being wheeled out and the video screen for Kraftwerk being set up. I passed the time by trying to take a 3D glasses selfie, and discovered that the 3D glasses just didn't work at all underneath my main glasses. I chatted a bit to a couple next to me but lost my respect for them when they quietly buggered off around two-thirds through the main set without explanation. How bizarre! Once the basic setup was in place, the red robot logo appeared onscreen for a few minutes, which I guess acts as a video screen check as well as a way to hype us up. There also were two side TV screens which I believe were projecting 2D versions of the backdrop, but I was far enough forwards that I can't say I paid any attention. Kraftwerk were scheduled to play for 75 minutes from 8pm, and with so much German efficiency that I feel it was intended to be humorous, their set started with terrifying punctuality at 8pm pretty much to the second! Now sadly due to the error of the organisers to place them as headliners, this did mean that the guys had to start their set in fairly full daylight, but despite the knock it gave to the visual experience and the quality of my videos, the brilliance of the band was still in no doubt.

Kraftwerk were applauded as they walked onstage and first up (as it always seems to be) was Numbers! I shot a first video, capturing green lighting and the video screen not kicking in immediately, which may have been intentional. There was a little cheer as the 3D effects kicked in, but it wasn't as exciting as it had been at Bluedot. But none of this criticism can be levelled at Kraftwerk, they did what they do and unfortunately don't have the power to make it dark! Numbers segued into Computer World and I caught this transition and the cheer it got for my second video, although the starkness of the bright sunshine undermines that quite a bit. Live though, it felt great, and I really don't remember the fact that they did a reprise of Numbers at the end of it. Although Kraftwerk do change their show over time, it had remained fairly static over my three viewings, so I'd probably forgotten this detail. The only real variable is the length of the experience, with the greater length allowed when playing Birmingham Symphony Hall making extra time for tunes such as Neon Lights. This time though they were really against the clock, so it was surely going to be greatest hits all the way.

In fact Spacelab was the closest we got to a b-side tonight, but it deserves its place in the show as space is an obvious theme that Kraftwerk could and should have explored in more detail over a full album. Also the way that the UFO comes into the city and ends up flying over central London (as seen above) before arriving at the festival site via the video screen always attracts a huge cheer. This tune had never really hit me before so it perhaps was the biggest revelation of the night, and I've enjoyed hearing it a good few times since. There's just something hypnotic about it, and the "out of the screen" effect when the spaceship flies towards us also attracts gasps of genuine amazement. It's funny that I should be writing about 3D, as the day before I wrote this I saw a 3D re-release of Avatar at the cinema, and I do feel some annoyance for how James Cameron had turned this into such a fad that had lasted so long. The 3D fad had pretty much faded, but the imminent re-release of the stupidly delayed (and not particularly wanted) Avatar 2 may reverse that trend. However, Kraftwerk are a different story, as a naturally "non interactive" band they really benefit from letting their audience "interact" with the visuals. It is technically impressive and sets them apart from others. Just like 3D cinema, it works as a one-off, but would be stupid if everyone did it.

I shot another video for the glorious The Man-Machine, which blurred a little as it got confused by the 3D effects and the subsequent blurring effect. This happened at a few points, especially during Trans-Europe Express, but I enjoyed the red lights and clearly the visuals were getting much more exciting as it was starting to get dark. Next up was Autobahn and my fourth video, and this really was becoming a spectacular barrage of hits! There were cheers when the motorway sign appeared amid blue lights, and when the motorway itself first appeared onscreen I thought that the image had crashed. It hadn't though, it was part of the "slow" vibe of the song as the cars gradually appeared and we tracked to follow one. The Autobahn video perhaps is the one that has aged the worst as the computer effects look pretty basic. However, Kraftwerk have been going so long that the live show as initially defined by The Mix compilation is now a crucial part of their history, and tearing it all up for some fancy new visuals is tricky to justify. It would certainly be fascinating to go back in time and watch them in each iteration, and really monitor how they've amended their show over time though.

Next up was Computer Love, as I shot another video zooming in on Ralf and one bandmate, but this tune has never been my favourite. It felt fairly good as it was pretty dark now, although I was quite surprised that Home Computer had been left out of the set altogether, no doubt as a harsh concession to the limited set time available. Kraftwerk were not wasting time though, and I shot another video for The Model. I missed the video intro and it didn't sound quite as exciting as it should have done, but now it was pretty much full dark and it was great to think that their one and only "true 3 minute pop record" had been a number one hit in England. It's such a lovely tune and I shot my video all the way up to the classic instrumental bit in the middle. The backdrop was the typical black and white modelling footage I've witnessed before, and it suits the song perfectly.

I shot a short but very sweet video for Radioactivity capturing the epic flashing lights. The song was ended rather suddenly out of respect for the 75 minute set time, but we got to enjoy the moment regardless. I'm never quite sold on what a big deal Kraftwerk make of Tour De France, as they had no qualms about playing an extended workout of it. Still, I did enjoy the blue lights and excitement of my video of the introduction, and I do feel that one day this will become one of my very favourites and I'll feel bad for not fully appreciating its genius sooner. I shot another video for Trans-Europe Express, which was extended a bit also, and this certainly would have fallen flat in full daylight. Certainly today I had learned the lesson that Kraftwerk belong to the night, and I would be delighted to watch them play a headline indoor concert of their own again in future so they could throw in a few surprises. I'm still waiting to hear Pocket Calculator live, and Showroom Dummies plus Europe Endless would go down a treat too. But Kraftwerk certainly know what the hits are, and come closer to delivering them perfectly than pretty much anyone else could ever hope to achieve.

I greatly enjoyed The Robots and felt it would be my Facebook upload so am saddened that the 2 minute video I took randomly doesn't work at all. I also didn't quite capture the same quality of backdrop of the robots, and again the band remained onstage rather than bringing out the actual robots to do a little onstage dance for us. The set had totally whizzed by, but with such style that I was both sad and happy when Kraftwerk launched into Boing Boom Tschak, leading into Musique Non Stop! I shot a video of Boing Boom Tschak leading into it, and although the Electric Cafe album is seen as their weakest effort, I've always found this a brilliant way to draw things to a close. The band left the stage one at a time to good applause, with Ralf bowing and touching his heart in gratitude before departing the stage as the set drew to a close. Wow. And this is where it's good that The Chemical Brothers were playing a different stage, as everybody needed to disperse, and not too many followed me in marching directly for the exit.

SETLIST

Numbers/Computer World/Spacelab/The Man-Machine/Autobahn/Computer Love/The Model/Radioactivity/Tour De France/Prologue/Tour De France Étape 2/Trans-Europe Express/Metal On Metal/Abzug/The Robots/Boing Boom Tschak/Musique Non Stop

I do feel a little bad about it, but thought that if "everyone" had parked at Stratford Westfield Shopping Centre that it could have been nightmarish queuing to depart afterwards, and I was aware that by the time I'd walked there and driven back it would be bedtime anyway. As I walked round much of the fence around the venue (as annoyingly the entrance was on the wrong side), I did hear The Chemical Brothers, but felt unfussed by missing them when they launched into Block Rockin' Beats before meandering off into a random b-side. That seems to be fairly normal for them, and although for sure I'd like to watch, I couldn't handle the anti-climax, and with train strikes and the risk of a nightmarish journey back, I just wasn't prepared to stick around. Once I got to the car I exited the shopping centre and drove back really easily, arriving back around 11pm. I felt fantastic about it, remembering the horrible chaos after Guns 'N' Roses at the Olympic Stadium. I'd prepared for the worst, but my planning had paid off. Certainly I can't imagine attending a multiday festival again, but I'm also starting to get hesitant about going to these large one day events. I've had a good 25 years of concert going, surely I need to retire eventually and accept an autumn period of seated shows in my life, especially when security act like such Nazis? Certainly the moshpit now feels very undignified! I made a few brief notes on my phone before going to bed, but felt pretty confident that I knew the Kraftwerk set well enough anyway, so was content to go to sleep.

The next day I saw Dippy the dinosaur at the Natural History Museum, then visited the newly reopened Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House after a wander round the statues of Parliament Square. I then headed back for a Chinese lunch with my friends, feeling that I should make some effort to be sociable after doing my own thing all weekend. Although they could of course had seen the brilliant Kraftwerk with me, but it's a difficult sell to pay £81 to see barely an hour of music, and I'd have found it hard to argue with the obvious insistence that we should hang around and see some of the other bands also if I'd made them join. I was satisfied with how I did it, but had enjoyed Bluedot Festival a lot more as Kraftwerk had been a far better "fit" there. I drove home after lunch, more ice cream and some chatting on the driveway, which took a long time but I guess that a weekend in London with no extra days booked off was going to be a bit rushed no matter what. At least now I work from home permanently I'm in a much better place to catch up on life. Despite the uncertainly thrown on this event thanks to the rail strike and my dogged determination that I was only interested in watching Kraftwerk, I was very happy to attend and to lie about not being a robot to buy tickets online for this again. Not really, but I love the joke!

SONG OF THE DAY: Kraftwerk - The Robots