Live: Grace Jones @ Hop Farm Music Festival

by | Jul 11, 2014

Grace Jones at Hop Farm Music Fesival 2014 (Photographer: Simon Jay Price)

Grace Jones at Hop Farm Music Fesival 2014 (Photographer: Simon Jay Price)

It was Hop Farm’s first year without Vince’s Power behind the promoting, but a quirky family orientated approach supplied by Neil Butkeraitis’ new organisation and plenty of festival charm and great headliners in Grace Jones, Brian Wilson and Ray Davies.

Echo & The Bunnymen @ LOTF (Simon Jay Price)

Echo and the Bunnymen, the Lightning Seeds, former Beautiful South frontman Paul Heaton, 10cc and Eliza Doolittle kicked off a cloudy Friday afternoon, but the majority were out in anticipation for a taste of ‘60s nostalgia with former Kinks frontman, Ray Davies.

Ray Davies from the Kinks performs at the Hop Farm Music Festival 2012, Friday June 29th. (Photographer Simon Jay Price)

Exchanging vocal finesse for raucous renditions of crowd pleasing Kinks classics, 10,000 revellers happily swerved the rain throughout ‘Sunny Afternoon’, ‘Lola’, ‘Dedicated Follower of Fashion’ before the legendary British songwriter brought his energetic set to a closing climax with ‘You Really Got Me’.

The comedy tent saw a surge of enthusiasm for Jo Brand’s standup the following day while Seventies hippy punks Pink Fairies and prog jazz-rockers Soft Machine Legacy kept the smaller stages alive.

The evening saw Dutch retro swing queen Caro Emerald and Squeeze warming up for Beach Boys’ legends Brian Wilson and Al Jardine who were reunited on stage for a set of solid classics including ‘Barbara Ann’, ‘Surfin’ USA’ and ‘Fun, Fun Fun’ as the rain started to fall.

Chas & Dave (Simon Jay Price)

Cockney duo, Chas & Dave continued the theme of memory lane Sunday afternoon with a sing-along ‘Rabbit and Gertcha’ before former Soft Cell frontman Marc Almond kicked it up a gear with ‘Bedsitter’ and ‘Tainted Love’ even though he was visibly embarrassed at getting his verses mixed up he carried on like the try professional he is.

Marc Almond on the main stage at Hop Farm Music Festival Sunday 6th July 2014 (Simon Jay Price)

Marc Almond on the main stage at Hop Farm Music Festival Sunday 6th July 2014 (Simon Jay Price)

For those in the know some of the most interesting acts were on Terry’s stage, the Daptone Super Soul Revue ignited every soul within earshot as powerhouses Sharon King, Sugarman 3, the Dap-Kings and Charles Bradley joined forces with the afrobeat juggernaut Antibalas for a non-stop extravaganza featuring Master of Ceremonies Binky Griptite. Inspired by the high-energy Stax, Motown, and James Brown revues of the past, the Daptone Super Soul Revue were the undisputed champions of fringe performers with their seamlessly sleek offering of rare grooves.

Charles Bradley (Rocky Rockshot)

Charles Bradley (Rocky Rockshot)

Midlake performed one of the stand out sets of the day on Terry’s stage with a mix of psychedelia and folk. The harder edge sound coming from songs on the new album Antiphon.
They still had a place for the classic Roscoe and “because it was a festival” a cover of Dylan’s I Shall Be Released.

Eric Pulido lead singer and guitarist of Midlake (Simon Jay Price)

Back on the main stage with almost as many costume changes as songs, statuesque diva, Grace Jones brought the festival to a close with crowd-pleasing hits such as Pull Up To The Bumper, Private Lives, Williams Blood and Love Is The Drug.

Grace Jones at Hop Farm Music Fesival 2014 (Photographer: Simon Jay Price)

Grace Jones at Hop Farm Music Fesival 2014 (Photographer: Simon Jay Price)

Keeping the 5,000 strong crowd waiting for a good 15 minutes she appeared through a black backdrop and a haze of smoke and lights up high like a caged fighter unleashing Nightclubbing.

Grace Jones at Hop Farm Music Fesival 2014 (Photographer: Simon Jay Price)

Grace Jones at Hop Farm Music Fesival 2014 (Photographer: Simon Jay Price)

As iconic and as vital today as she was 30 years ago Grace gave a thrilling performance of hits and costume changes and although at times to appear as mad as a bag of hammers she treated us to confetti before hoola-hooping her way through ‘Slave To The Rhythm’ to complete the hour-and-a-quarter set.

[photoshelter-gallery g_id=”G0000jt4Tj_zfdug” g_name=”Grace-Jones” f_show_caption=”t” f_show_slidenum=”t” img_title=”casc” pho_credit=”iptc” f_link=”t” f_enable_embed_btn=”t” f_send_to_friend_btn=”t” f_fullscreen=”t” f_smooth=”t” f_up=”t” f_show_watermark=”t” f_htmllinks=”t” f_mtrx=”t” fsvis=”t” width=”800″ height=”600″ bgcolor=”FFFFFFF” bgtrans=”t” btype=”new” bcolor=”#CCCCCC” crop=”f” twoup=”t” trans=”xfade” tbs=”4000″ f_ap=”t” linkdest=”c” f_constrain=”f” f_topbar=”f” f_bbar=”f” f_bbarbig=”” target=”_self” ]

Words by Zoe Miranda, Gemma Brosnan and Simon Jay Price.
Photos by Simon Jay Price.
Check out Unshredded run by Zoe and Gemma

Sabrina Carpenter (Press)

Sabrina Carpenter Unveils Full Star-Packed Line-Up For Sold-Out BST Hyde Park 2025 Shows

American Express presents BST Hyde Park has announced the full supporting line-up for pop superstar Sabrina Carpenter’s sold-out headline debut on Saturday 5th July, as well as her follow-up performance on Sunday 6th July. The eagerly anticipated shows mark a major milestone in Carpenter’s meteoric rise, as she joins a coveted roster of BST Hyde Park headliners for 2025.

Taylor Swift @ Wembley Stadium (Kalpesh Patel)

Taylor Swift Triumphs: Pop Icon Buys Back Rights To Her Original Master Recordings

In a landmark move sending shockwaves through the music industry, Taylor Swift has officially bought back the rights to her original master recordings, marking a triumphant and deeply personal victory in her years-long battle for artistic ownership. The deal closes a turbulent chapter that has fuelled global conversations around creative control, artist rights, and the power dynamics of the modern music business.

Santana (Press)

Carlos Santana Teams Up With Grupo Frontera For Norteño-Rock Fusion ‘Me Retiro’ — Ahead Of UK Tour Dates

Rock legend Carlos Santana has surprised fans yet again—this time by merging his iconic guitar-driven rock sound with...
Blink-182 @ Reading Festival 2024 (Nick Allan)

Reading Festival 2025 Preview: Glitter, Guitars & Glorious Chaos Incoming

Hold on to your bucket hats – Reading Festival 2025 is about to blow the roof off Richfield Avenue from August...

Iggy Pop’s Raw Power Hits Ally Pally

There’s some shows you just can’t miss in good conscience. Iggy Pop, the godfather of punk, last hit the UK for Dog Day Afternoon with Blondie two years ago, and he’s back for a short run of dates. When other punks from the same era are slowing down, settling into nostalgic anniversary shows or stately home summer shows, Pop is sticking to what he knows best: his iconic back catalogue, spread out across a full band, tied together with hypnotic charisma.

Chesney Hawkes (Press)

Chesney Hawkes Announces 2026 ‘Smash It To Pieces’ UK Headline Tour Following A Triumphant Year

Chesney Hawkes, once dubbed the quintessential British pop prince of the early ‘90s, has proved he’s more than just The One And Only. With a creative fire that burns brighter than ever, Hawkes is celebrating a year of musical and personal triumphs as he announces his 2026 Smash It To Pieces UK headline tour — a bold new chapter in a career that continues to evolve far beyond its nostalgic beginnings.

James Morrison (Tom Oxley)

James Morrison Announces Long-Awaited New Album ‘Fight Another Day’, UK Headline Tour This September

BRIT Award-winning singer-songwriter James Morrison returns this autumn with his most personal, soul-stirring work to date. His sixth studio album, Fight Another Day, lands on 3rd October 2025, marking his first full-length release in six years — and with it comes a UK headline tour this September, including dates in Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester and London.

Calva Louise (Henry Calvert)

Calva Louise Walk The Edge Of The Abyss With Cinematic New Single ‘Impeccable’

If the edge of reality had a soundtrack, Calva Louise just wrote it. With new single Impeccable, the genre-fluid...

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share Thing