★★★★☆
Now 15 years old, Lovebox is showing no signs of fatigue. In fact, the city festival with a rural feel — only the tops of tower blocks poking above the trees give the game away — has grown hipper in the face of fierce competition.
This year’s two days boasted distinctly different bills — Friday was aimed at R&B and grime fans, Saturday at a more commercial dance crowd.
Friday’s bill was the bolder, with all eyes on Beyoncé’s leftfield little sister, Solange, and hard-to-pin-down headliner Frank Ocean, who has cancelled a string of dates of late.
In fact, it was Solange who was almost a no-show. Midway through a seductive, vocals-led set that included bare-chested men on brass and fun choreography indebted to Prince (formation moves and hair flung back and forth), Solange confessed that she had spent three days in hospital and had been warned not to perform. If she was under par, she didn’t show it, switching from sultry, jazzy chanteuse to hip-swivelling dancefloor diva with ease, and praising her “black and brown” fans for their support. The only shame was the size of her tent — half of the huge crowd had to stand outside, where the sound was shocking.
Ocean infuriated some before he had even appeared by insisting all other stages were shut down during his set, which began 25 minutes late. Those who had hoped to party were out of luck. Performing at the end of a moodily lit walkway into the crowd, initially to only minimal droning organ, later alongside a pair of seated guitarists, his supper club set was heavy on atmosphere, but short on opportunities to sing along.
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In a seated venue it would have been spectacular. In a field it fell flat. A trio of tracks from last year’s Blonde album were mesmerising, but so low-key you had to concentrate to feel their impact. After half an hour, many had tired of mumbled lyrics and flashes of fragile falsetto and headed in droves for the exit.
Ocean must have noticed. “Sorry if I’m not engaging perfectly,” he said. “I haven’t done this in a while. I’m just trying to figure it out.” His set picked up with a singalong Thinkin Bout You and a jubilant Nikes, but it was too little too late.