LIVE: HIT THE NORTH

Hit The North's second year has been and gone and what a weekend it has been. Across Saturday and Sunday The Rodeo checked out 16 sets and we're going to talk about our top 3 from each day right here, right now. But first, a little word on the festival as a whole. Considering the competition with inner-city festival stalwart, 'Live At Leeds', Hit The North did well to attract a large crowd and a solid line up. There was no trouble getting into any venue and everywhere was in walking distance to make travelling around extremely easy. Each venue suited the bands playing there perfectly and the line-up and timetable had been clearly thought out. It was a beautiful weekend of music and a lot of fun.

Now, on to the artists, starting with Saturday's Meet The North.

FEVER DAYS

This was Fever Days' live debut and boy did they deliver. They sounded tight and grew in confidence throughout the set. They packed out an intimate Town Wall and everyone left having enjoyed the set. The future is bright for the DIY quartet.

BLACKWATERS

BlackWaters never fail to deliver. Their fast, punk, garage sound is perfect for anytime and any place. They always deliver a set packed with energy and get the crowd moving. They did well to attract a respectable crowd considering they clashed with the evening's headliners, 'Peace', but the number of people in the crowd never impacts BlackWaters as they always perform at the same high level on every outing.

A FESTIVAL, A PARADE
Saturday's clear highlight came from one of the North East's own. A Festival, A Parade have the incredible ability to alternate the tempo throughout each song and throughout their set without the risk of the show becoming fractured or disjointed. It was a set that flowed perfectly and took each member of the crowd on a beautiful journey.

Now, on to the main event. Here's who wowed us on Sunday at Hit The North.

THE OLD PINK HOUSE

The cosmic pop quartet coped with the troublesome sound system at O2 Academy to produce a classy set. Each song had a unique element and their unreleased tunes sounded delicious, and featured some stunning harmonies.

BLAENAVON

If you've seen Blaenavon before, then you know how good they are. After struggling with stage fright and shyness earlier in their career, the trio have become fearless and never fail to deliver a set full of quality, no matter the venue, time of day or crowd size. Despite the sun shining through the windows of Boiler Shop, which took away some of the atmosphere, Blaenavon rattled through their set with little stoppages, and sounded as brilliant as ever.

IMOGEN

The best set of the weekend came as a surprise. Performing in the absolutely stunning Cathedral, Imogen delivered a service of the highest quality. Her voice is absolutely breath-taking and even brought some of the crowd to tears. Lyrically she is just as impressive, binding complex metaphors exquisitely to tell her stories. Quite frankly, it was ridiculous and to all who missed out, shame on you!