Castle Park played host to this year’s two day boutique festival Love Saves the Day and Love Saves Sunday. The build up to the bank holiday weekender had been buzzing around Bristol and on entering the park I could definitely understand why.

Entering LTSD felt like going down the rabbit hole into wonderland. Through a walkway of brightly coloured bunting, we were immediately met by a dance group brandishing heart-shaped umbrellas. When standing on the top of hills you could often spot these guys darting through the crowds getting people on their feet (not that the young crowd needed much encouragement!). LOVE motifs adorned the hills and an adventure playground had been converted into a kids craft area. My favourite quirk was definitely the dance off stage. People were welcome to throw out their best moves in a boxing ring and to add to the surreal sight this was compered by assorted fancy dress characters including a man in a crocodile onesie. There were plenty of laughs which was helped out by the small queue at the neighbouring bar, fully decked out in retro VHS tapes.

Walking around the site there seemed to be a real emphasis on local stalls with Bristol-based foodies sampling the delights of the Thali Cafe and Grillstock amongst others – so no need for a greasy kebab here! Drinks queues began to grow as the afternoon wore on but we noted these were always moving and staff were helpful, friendly and obviously enjoying themselves throughout.

There was some difficulty for us in planning who we were going to see as information on the line ups was sparse; in fact it was sometimes more down to luck than judgment on the acts we managed to catch. Clean Bandit were by far and away my highlight of the weekend. An eclectic selection of instrumental influences, the London-based group really stood out and the string section gave an eerie calm at certain points in an otherwise upbeat set. Current hit Mozart’s House was met with a massive surge in numbers to the main stage and got the crowd going. In fact the charisma the group showed as a whole with the crowd makes me keen to see Clean Bandit again before the summer festivals are out.

Bonobo headlined  Saturday’s main stage and particular highlights were Cirrus and new single, First Fires. The chilled electronic sounds were a perfect send off for those on their way to after parties and seemed to reflect the gorgeous sunshine we’d had through the day. The organisers had explained that Bonobo has been regularly working with them, first appearing in front of a crowd of 450 at Thekla, and his affection for the local crowd really came across in the set although there were some sound difficulties noted.

In fact, as an improvement for next year the sound quality on the main stage could do with being looked into. Interference from the nearby marquee and engineering both appeared to present problems which culminated in a few technical difficulties for Chic’s otherwise enjoyable set on Sunday.

That said the calibre of talent attracted to LTSD was particularly high. Fresh from ending Daft Punk’s reign at the top of the charts (with Naughty Boy- La La La Ft Sam Smith) Sam Smith gave a well-received performance in the late afternoon sunshine and Lulu James’s soulful vocals blended well with the electronic backdrop. Certainly there were comparisons with her vocals to strong soul voices but the sound created was something else and the crowd responded well. Certainly someone to look out for.

Overall LTSD provided a unique dance experience with a great set list and a fantastic atmosphere. Hopefully after some investigations into sound next year’s trip down the rabbit hole will be even better. 

Review: Jo Hanks