Editors note:
In the midst of last month, the The Line Of Best Fit hosted their ninth edition of their annual Five Day Forecast. And this is no line-up to hide in the shadows – having previously featured an array of emerging talent-turned Mercury Music Prize nominees, this collection of wonderful showcases is the perfect celebration of what the grassroots community has to offer.
We would like to praise Rich and The Line Of Best Fit team for yet again bosting a gender inclusive line-up, with female and non-binary inclusive acts taking a whopping 80% of this years programming. Thank you for allowing The New Age Magazine to come and report on this wonderful occasion.
The event held at Islington’s iconic The Lexington consisted of three artists of varying styles yet, equally entertaining. It was a proper night of fun and discovering new music and hopefully a positive outlook on the future of music here.
No Windows-
This was my first exposure to the Scottish band and it was a good one. The songs were great and I really enjoyed their vibe. The lead vocalist just had a killer voice and while she did not do anything extraordinary she knew her range. Elsewhere, I constantly caught myself loving the dynamic between the guitarist and singer who have a sibling like dynamic in their performance. In what was overall a long day for me I really wished it ended up being longer if not just to hear one more song. However, I can not ask for more as they performed their newest track Song 01 before its official release. I truly can’t wait to see what else they have cooking.
DellaXOZ-
Manchester based singer and producer DellaXOZ had a difficult task in following up a fantastic opener and she nailed it. It was an overall good performance but lacked flare and fun the others brought to the table. I caught myself enjoying the music but wanting something more from the performance. I enjoyed her signing but wound up giving more attention to the instrumentals of her tracks. (She certainly has an amazing ear in production) It was not my personal brand of bedroom pop but the crowd enjoyed the performance. Overall she was good and fits the vibe of and indie darling a la Snail Mail or Soccer Mommy which is a path I can see her going down.
Viji-
The final act and undoubtably the most well known artist was Viji who is fresh off her latest album So Vanilla. I have no issue stating that this was the best performance of the night with pure energy and showmanship from the headliner. The crowd was the most animated throughout her performance chearing, and singing along to her newest songs. Particular highlights included their cover of Modest Mouse’s “Dramamine” and her penultimate song “Karaoke” which got the crowd ecstatic. The latter include a crowd pleasing dance and throwing herself on the floor as most stars tend to when in a groove. The only issues that came about were the instrumentals overtaking her voice at times, but it is a small issue in an otherwise fantastic show.
My concluding thoughts on the festival have to be that it is an entertaining way to discover new artists. It is a shame I can not attend all five days but I recommend those who can to give it a try. I would give all three artist a look but especially one to Viji who just seems to grow bigger each time I write about her.
