Making the Emerging Icons corner of the Olympic Park into a blissful oasis of calm amid the madness was solo songstress Mary Leay. This lady doesn't half make this whole performing lark look easy. Not only can she relax a large crowd quicker than a triple disc edition of 'Calming Sounds of the Ocean', she can also make every individual feel like they're getting a personal performance. Every story she shares is as an old friend would over a coffee, or in Mary's case... probably a beer. Halfway through her set she told us how much she fancied a cheeky bev, and lo and behold a very nice chap in the audience obliged. We wish that'd work all the time.
A very gifted songwriter, she has been described as being a blend of Joni Mitchell and Robert Plant... but we actually picked up on some of the emotional depth seen in the work of late legend Eva Cassidy too. Even though she's young, there's a real feel of the impact of life experience and travel in her music, and it adds an extra dimension to her gorgeous sound. She can also make 'Owner Of A Lonely Heart' sound AMAZING. Here she is talking about her experience with the music industry so far:
Following the success of their previous performances at the Paralympics, we had to get sunshine peddlers Battle of You back one last time. As usual their performance was one of addictive energy, catchy melodies and all-round good vibes for the soul. Here's a sparkling performance of 'To The Sea' to a heaving Olympic Park crowd:
Much like Battle of You, we reckon a band like The Musgraves can really give your mood a bit of a lift. Bright, cheerful and relentlessly happy, we always want some of them in our lives. Well, perhaps not first thing on a hungover morning. They'd probably be the equivalent of your Mum coming in, whipping off the duvet and opening the curtains. But all the rest of the time, their brand of upbeat pop would feel like a lovely summer breeze, or the little umbrella embellishing our outrageously fancy cocktail.
Their ability for creating infectious tunes is faultless- their vivacious stage presence and up-tempo beats encouraging more than just a little foot-tapping. You see, the nods to fifties rock n' roll is reflected beyond their visual style. It's built in to the very rhythm of so many of their tunes that you can feel the need to get up and snap your fingers while you jitterbug your way to notoriety. The Olympic Park's crowd did manage to contain themselves however, and just allowed the warm feeling of contentment brighten up their afternoon. Here are Matthew and Lesley talking about the 'awesome!' time they had:
Coming out to a rather giddy audience after The Musgraves' departure were Up Down Go Machine. The standard of this London-based five piece's sound is unbelievable- the stunning harmonies in the brother and sister pairing of Stephen and Ria are effortlessly gorgeous. As well as adding light and shade, the slight gravelly quality of the male vocal acts as anchorage to pin the overall sound of the band, allowing the touches of piano to give some added lift. The acoustic quality of their music sounded amazing as it spilled out from our crazy-looking stage, the comforting melodies getting ears from across the bridge coming our way to investigate what was going on- but no doubt Mandeville would be able to take those new followers away. Bloody Mandeville.