Sunday festivals in Victoria Park are sometimes looked upon as a hangover of the days previous, displaying qualities of a much mellower nature, allowing attendees to swan rather than gallop. With this in mind, I hope I feel more like this on every morning after the night before, as I enjoyed every aspect of the Citadel Festival.

Walking through the wooded pathways of East London always seem to bring back memories of festivals at the same location, yet the individuality of each event never ceases to amaze. The layouts and offerings of entertainment differ, but key festival qualities are never compromised. It obviously helps that the festival fell within what had been our warmest weekend of the year, but meteorology can only take you so far when it comes to matters of musical enjoyment.

If you’re like me, seeing the very first act of a festival can sometimes prove too much of a challenge, but on this occasion we managed to arrive at the perfect time. Taking a sharp left just after entering the arena, Whilk & Misky took to the fitting Corona Sunsets stage for what was a dreamy start to the festival, with Citadel’s sunrise bringing their performance to life. Armed with an acoustic guitar and loop after loop, they ended on the popular ‘Clap Your Hands’, a song which encourages listeners to close their eyes and sway gently to the beat.

In an attempt to get our bearings, we wandered for a matter of minutes, stumbling across the dance group Swing Patrol under the bandstand. Accompanied by traditional swing covers of songs such as ‘Cheek to Cheek’, the dancer’s smiles couldn’t help but inflate the ever-growing sense of elation associated with memorable days out. It was then I realised that the programme was built upon variation, and no matter what age you were, there would most definitely be something for everyone.

Shortly after grabbing a drink or two, we took a short stroll over to the SoundCrash stage for Manchester’s enigmatic GoGo Penguin. It was evident from the get-go that all three members were extremely talented musicians. Being a drummer myself, I was in awe of Rob Turner’s ability to make complexity seem so effortless. The set flowed magnificently from start to finish, capturing the audience’s attention, and having been so absorbed, I was convinced they had only been playing for a few minutes when their set was brought to a close. Drums, piano and double bass provided the perfect Sunday afternoon soundtrack, and I couldn’t but feel myself falling yet further into a grassy-sea of tranquility.

Stepping outside of the humid tent for a short time allowed us to appreciate how lucky we were to have been blessed with such suitable weather. Just as I had finished applying my seventh layer of sun cream, we returned to the same stage to watch the wonderful Tinariwen deliver a powerfully hypnotic set. I never once felt myself slipping away, despite the undeviating tempo and relatively homogeneous melody presented throughout. The style of music combined with the tent’s humidity enabled me to imagine I was sauntering through the desert, appreciative of the fact that there was actually a bar just a few meters away. Having received a wonderful reaction from the crowd, the band seemed incredibly appreciative of the reception. Luckily a gap appeared in our itinerary, giving us an excuse to explore a site offering much more than just musical festivities.

Without writing in too much detail about the content or opinions of those sat inside the ‘Sunday Papers Live’ tent, a large audience sat and listened intently to a discussion between the ‘Frontline Club’ focused around the reasoning behind, and the impacts of ‘Brexit’. Certain statements were greeted with generous applause, and I felt pleasantly relaxed to know that I was surrounded by individuals sharing similar views to my own. Looking for something a little more lighthearted, we ventured across to the Fabric hosted Sunday sessions, boogieing on down in a blacked out tent for long enough to almost forget that outside, the height of summer was still on offer.

Aside from music, attendees were encouraged to take part in all kinds of sports from volleyball to croquet. There was also comedy stage, as well as a variety of casual areas such as ‘Jose Cuervo’s Tequila Town’and the ‘Kopparberg Urban Forest’. If roller skating is more your thing, then there was also some of that too. At this point I was full to the brim with homemade mint lemonade and paella that never fails to satisfy my festival hunger.

After returning back to the most frequently visited stage of the afternoon, we managed to perch ourselves on the front-bar, eagerly anticipating what was to come next. Hailing from New York, Battles are a band that seem to have been around for a considerable amount of time. Experienced in creating glitchy-loop-based chaos, the sound at first was a little too bass heavy. The apparent force of which John Stanier hit the drums seemed to cause slight difficulties amongst the sound team. Once everything had levelled out, my mind was immediately blown apart by off key sounds conjured from an ever expanding box of tricks. Their magical looping abilities created a foundation upon which each song was built, and their energetic nature was unrivalled by anything else I had seen in quite a while.

After frantically rushing across to the main stage for the penultimate act of the day, we were greeted with the exact chilled out electronica you come to expect from Dan Snaith, performing on this occasion as Caribou. The talented Canadian proved that electronic music can be replicated effectively in a live environment, occasionally sitting behind a drum kit to give everything that little more oomph. ‘All I Ever Need’ and ‘Can’t Do Without You’ provided a happy ending to the perfect summer set, compounded by the ideal closer ‘Sun’. Each member was given creative license throughout, and you couldn’t help but be entranced by the several layers of sound weaving their way in-between a steady beat.

With the sun’s glare easing off, it was almost time for the headline act. The stage setup started to take shape, only enhancing the anticipation for what would be the band’s only UK performance this year. Sigur Rós were nothing short of spectacular, stunning the crowd into silence for the entire set, displaying moments of utter brilliance that proved why they are one of the music world’s most creative forces. jón þór birgisson’s voice created the epic scenery you would come to expect from an act with such reputation, and the atmospheric blend of guitar rock and mystical ballads left me silent and static for quite a while after.

To summarise the day as a whole, it’s a festival that every member of the family would enjoy, and the lineup provided fantastic variety, ensuring you were never once left looking for more. I would most definitely return in future, having enjoyed everything that Citadel had to offer.

Review by:Ben Knight