Friday night was freezing, my pillow was covered in black, scented candle wax (spilled all over the place by the thieves who broke into our tent and went through our stuff before making off with Jess’ phone) and the bass from the electro tent kept pumping into the morning. Still I somehow managed to wake up feeling less shattered than I expected – Day 2 of RTD 2012 was off to a good start.

We caught a few minutes of Matthew Mole before heading off in search of breakfast…for a moment I thought that the large pile of white stuff in front of the main stage was snow (it really had been that cold), before deciding it was probably a big finish to BEAST’s set. Either way, I was sorry to have missed it…

Later, we watched Southern Gypsey Queen and Albert Frost briefly before taking an extended break in the campsite. On the way to the tent, I swung by the Nu World Beat Barn before making my only stop in at the Red Bell Electro Tent where Christian Tiger School were playing. I’m sure it was awesome at night but during the morning, with the lights off, it was a bit weird.

Back at our tent a random guy wandered in and got a henna tattoo from Dani – no-one was especially surprised.

With some effort we mobilized as the afternoon ticked on and journeyed back to the Main Stage. It was early into the weekend but even so I had no doubt that Dirty Bounce – a collab between Mr Cat & The Jackal, The Bone Collectors and The Nomadic Orchestra – would be a true highlight of the festival, and it really, really was.

Desperately in need of a drink I decided to check out the Bos Ice Tea bar, where I got a really nice cocktail but unfortunately had to endure The Plastics (singing about underwater kites and chocolate weapons) while doing so…

I’m not the hugest fan of the Rudimentals either so took my time wandering back to the main stage.

Jeremy Loops explained to the crowd that the prep work for his second song would take a while, and suggested they sit down. They obliged. All of them. Simultaneously. It was a hell of a thing to witness.

Though always a blast, I just didn’t have the energy for a full Jeremy Loops & Co set so ducked out early to check out a pretty much polar opposite vibe – Benguela at the Nu World Beat Barn. It was a welcome chance to wind down.

Monkey pervert notwithstanding, wandering around as the sun was setting was really nice – Saturday evening was quite beautiful, and thankfully a little warmer than Friday.

If Dirty Bounce was my weekend highlight at that point, Desmond & The Tutus gave them a real run for their money. I love them, they’re just so much fun. Even though I was disappointed with their new album Mnusic I totally loved their live set.

Arno Carstens‘ band set-up spanned the entire stage, kinda amusing given he’s billed as a solo act. I can’t say I’m a huge fan of his so what I remember most about his set were the giant beach balls bouncing around the crowd…

I was really preoccupied stressing about shooting Bloc Party so honestly hardly listened to Shadowclub at all, which is a pity because I think they’re great. I do remember some problem with a mic or something but that was dealt with swiftly. I also remember the band’s shoutout to the festival for the great timeslot, which was really cool – quite the ascent from the LMG stage at last year’s Synergy to opening for Bloc Party just under a year later.

I mentioned before how music is very chronological to me – Feeder and BRMC (at Synergy 2010 and 2011 respectively) and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (We-are-awesome, earlier this year) are all bands I associate with the early 2000s, and Bloc Party slots in nicely alongside them, so I was looking forward to them for the nostalgia factor alone.

I remember hearing Banquet back in 2004 and being hooked instantly. Their debut album Silent Alarm had a few great tracks but I went off them after that, apart from the odd single here and there. Like a few people, I was dreading that they’d favour the new material but their setlist was great. Barring Two More Years they played all my favourites: Flux, Banquet, Helicopter, This Modern Love and the epic Hunting for Witches.

I can’t say I was blown away by their live renditions but I did find them endearing. “This is a song for everyone who’s had to wait 8 or 9 years to see us. It’s a song about waiting in a field to watch a band” was Kele Okereke’s intro to So here we are, and just like that, a song I’ve never had any reaction to other than mild boredom suddenly brought a bit of a lump to my throat.

Somewhere in the middle of their set I realised it was raining. Those who were firmly entrenched in the crowd held fast but those on the edges, like me, headed to the main bar, which upon entering, more closely resembled a refugee shelter.

The rain was quite intense but luckily didn’t last long so the majority of the crowd headed back out to witness a beautiful firework display after Bloc Party’s encores. A dramatic and very slick end to an action-packed day.

– – –

Bloc Party  |  Shadowclub  |  Arno Carstens  |  Desmond & The Tutus  |  Benguela
Jeremy Loops  |   The Rudimentals  |  The Plastics  |  Mr Cat & The Jackal + The Bone Collectors + The Nomadic Orchestra  |  Southern Gypsey Queen  |  Matthew Mole

Photos on Facebook over here