Some of our wonderful writers went to experience the brilliance that is 2Q festival on the 3rd of November, witnessing the performances of Her’s, Husky Loops, Slow Readers Club and much more.
2Q Festival returned to Lincoln for its second year in a row! As the city’s first multi-venue live music event, 2Q had been highly anticipated, attracting over 2000 attendees. After bands such as Circa Waves, Peace and Marsicans last year, we weren’t sure what to expect of the festival’s return but they definitely did not disappoint. With artists such as Public Service Broadcasting and The Slow Readers Club, it’s no wonder that the festival was so popular.
As expected, the event attracted some of the most interesting music acts. These included ‘Her’s’, a small duo who brought a huge amount of energy (and a Pierce Brosnan Cutout) to their performance. Our curiosity was peaked by their dynamic set, so we sat down with the band to get a bit of an insight into their performance. First of all, we wanted to know the story behind the cutout and they told us “it’s kinda just grown out of hand”. It started with them wanting to “add a third member to the drum machine, a bit of personality.” The duo didn’t need to worry, as they definitely
carry enough personality in the both of them without needing their elusive third member, despite how many times he may have saved Queen and Country. We also asked if there were any moments that they found particularly memorable from their musical career so far. They regaled us with a tale from a performance of theirs at the Green Man festival, when they realised “we can actually do this as a band”. As always, they then launched themselves into their set. The audience couldn’t get enough of them. Despite going over their allotted time, everyone there was screaming for more, even their stage manager! If anything is certain, these two boys from Liverpool have used their distinctive mentality and sound to produce unique and energetic performances, just like the one that they played for us at 2Q.
Another unique band, both in name and in their music, were ‘Husky Loops’. These were a group of 3 italian guys that had met and made their home in London, where they began to make music together. Their music has been described by many as art-rock, which seemed to well suit their sound and vibe during a performance that, despite being early in
the morning at 2Q, brought the energy out in the crowd. After their set, we talked to them about the importance of the sense of intimacy that they imbue in their songs, something that “comes from a place that is a bit hidden and personal” and that “comes from a special place”, as said by the band’s lead singer and songwriter, Pier Danio Forni. He describes his enjoyment of the connection that he shares with the audience through this message and through a shared love of music. They have found recent success in their song ‘Everytime I Run’ being added to the Fifa 19 soundtrack, which they said was simply ‘the right song at the right time’ and that ‘it’s exposure, it’s amazing’. When asked which kind of shows they preferred playing, they said that “Festivals like 2Q are [their] favourite ones” and that they “feel like everyone is truly there for the music”. Finally, we asked what they were most excited for in the future, they said that they were “really really excited to go to America on [their] tour”. They also let us know that they would be in the studio the week after the Festival, so at the time this article has been published!
We also had a chat with ‘The Slow Readers Club’, a band whose name coincides with their message of wanting to be a “Champion of the Underdog”. With a powerful stage presence and loyal and frantic fans, they certainly deserve the champion status. During songs such as ‘Lunatic’, those fans chanted “READERS!” so loudly that you could hear it over the band themselves. We wanted to know how their experience has been having such a dedicated and fast-growing fanbase, they told us that they’ve “played festivals before, even big outdoor ones and you always spot a good few of our t-shirts,
so it’s good to see that people spread the word.” We could tell that the group was truly grateful to their fans for being so passionate and were rightfully proud of their success, a highlight in the next year being their upcoming sold out performance in the O2 Apollo in Manchester, their hometown. For the future they told us that during the festive season, they will be releasing a “special limited edition vinyl” but unfortunately gave us no details as to which record it would be.