I arrived at the festival just as a local four piece took to the second stage. Half Crown, named after the old pre-decimal coin, produced great pop songs with a rock reggae edge which mix strong vocals with rapping. I have heard their name mentioned by a few people as a band to see live, and they certainly didn’t disappoint. The frontman’s brilliant stage presence, which was well matched by the bands musical ability, won over the crowd in an instant, interacting with them and getting them to dance. They did muddle up the festival name with a similar festival, Forgotten Fields, but it was quickly forgotten as the bands enthusiasm and excitement when playing live more than made up for it. 
I then went to the BIMM stage to catch Orchards who had just started. They are really an exciting prospect, playing math inspired pop-rock and fronted by the amazing vocals of Catherine Thomson. The band of four played with a real confidence knowing that they have some brilliant songs in their locker and it was no wonder the good sized crowd grew bigger and bigger as the set went on.
Ghostpoet is a talent we just can’t get enough of. Having seen him play a phenomenal sold out show at the Komedia earlier this year, I was intrigued to see how his sound fares on the main festival stage. Playing songs mainly from his newest album, Shedding Skin, there is no doubt that his step away from the glitchier electronic sounds to a new live orientated set up reaps rewards when played in front of an audience. The crowd was treated to what felt like a jam packed set of his distinctively modern music with a jazzy edge, which I’m sure won over a new audience. The biggest crowd of the day, so far, came to see the punk folk of unofficial national treasure Billy Bragg. 
Onstage with just a guitar and the occasional addition of a slide-guitarist, he went through his strong catalogue of politically charged and message based songs as well as a few covers by the likes of Woody Guthrie (‘I Ain’t Got No Home’) and Anais Mitchell (‘Why We Build The Wall’). He was his usual chatty and jokey self, commenting on Brighton’s wealth of beards (“the beard is the male equivalent of a facelift”) and the reaction of David Cameron and the tabloids to the biggest issue of modern times, “refugees”. Linking all his songs to rants, which touched on masculinity, sexuality and Jeremy Corbyn, he finished his set with ‘A New England’ which had the crowd singing with their fists in the air. There really is something special about hearing someone singing their lyrics which they 100% whole-heartedly believe in.
It equally felt like a double headliner, with The Levellers getting so much love and appreciation for each song. The Brighton legends who are nearing their 34th year together, had the majority of the crowd singing, jigging and jiving to their fast paced show. The band of six, with an extra man in red with a face painted white, playing the digeridoo, were sporting the classic Levellers black punk attire and stormed through an energetic set which had the band running from one side of the stage to the other. You can see why they have been labelled the ultimate festival band, as they always bring an almighty performance that has new ears dancing just as crazily as their hard-core fans to their infectious sound. 
The second stage was absolutely rammed for another fantastic Brighton band, Brakes. The band, who began in 2003, have beem celebrating the 10th anniversary of their Give Blood album with a tour of reunion shows, played a remarkable set. Their punchy post-punk songs (some not even twenty seconds long) brought a special atmosphere to the audience, almost as if it was everyone’s pal playing on stage. After a big finish they were met by stupendous applause and I’m sure many people, including myself, cannot wait to see them play a longer set in a more intimate setting.
Super Furry Animals have been gaining a real buzz since their return to playing live, mainly due to a major reissue of their now fifteen year old album Mwng which has not been available for some time, and the release of a book about the band's ascent to fame. Being known for an entertaining show, the band did’t take themselves too seriously and they didn’t disappoint, even changing outfits throughout the set. They came onstage in white boiler suits to a relatively housey number that had the crowd bobbing, then went straight into their first track which had Gruff Rhys singing in a red Power Ranger helmet and holding signs saying “Applause” and “Louder”. Their futuristic sound mixed Beach Boys esque pop and electronic influences, and had many of the audience craving to see more – there was no need for a sign saying “Ape Shit” as the crowd were already lapping them up. Sunday
The day started in fine fashion, with Matthew The Oxx performing on the folk stage. Accompanied by Matthew White on double bass, the pair played a very impressive set which had Matthew Oldfield (the man behind Matthew The Ox) talking the audience through the journey of the songs he was playing. Oldfield’s vocals were impeccably strong, and combined beautifully with his amazing guitar skills and White’s heart and soul bass playing. We heard a variety of old and new songs, including incredible versions of ‘Beyond The Gates’ and an unreleased track called ‘Haul It Up’. It’s understandable why Matthew The Oxx’s music has been causing quite a local stir. Normanton Street were playing the second stage, bringing their brilliant mixture of jazz/soul hip-hop, with Ned Archibong and Nicholson Davids rapping and Phoebe Freya’s incredible r&b vocals. They have to be one of the coolest bands out there – their look is cool and their music is cool. Having not seen them live in a long while, it was great to see how positively they have progressed as they have always been a band that can be something really special. Phoebe closed the set with an apology for a poor performance – I couldn’t disagree more, as along with the rest of the crowd, I thought it was an impressive and energetic performance that will have people wanting to find out more about Normanton Street.
There was a hell of a lot of love for the Brighton/Bristol/London act Dizraeli & The Small Gods, who were showcasing their own class of psychedelic hip-hop for the last time ever in Brighton. With Dizraeli’s sharp spitting, world championship winning beatboxing from Bellatrix and a seven musician strong band, it is easy to see why they have created such a strong following. With crowd participation and songs that riddle stories, it wasn’t hard to persuade the crowd to get up and move to their infectious groove. The legend that is Roots Manuva graced the stage with his dub ridden rhythms. One of the biggest (if not the biggest) name in UK hip-hip brought hit after hit with a sublime set. Featuring songs from his exciting upcoming release Bleed (out 30th October featuring tracks produced by Four Tet, Machinedrum, Adrian Sherwood and Switch) as well as tracks from his strong catalogue of eight albums, the audience couldn’t help but skank like it was carnival.
You know you have a great song when members of the crowd are singing it long after the song has finished. Kudu Blue bring a mix of electric and acoustic drums, multiple modulating synths, a full and fat sounding bass guitar, soundscaping effect ridden electric guitar, and luscious female vocals that mimics Alicia Keys range and Lauren Hill’s soul – all very impressive to say the least. Together they create a sound that mixes Katy B in the way it makes you want to move, and the measured mellowness of Submotion Orchestra, but far better than the two. It feels like only a matter of time before this Brighton band hit the bigger stage, as their sound has it all. 
Yonaka are another exciting Brighton band that are ones to keep an eye on. Their bombastic rock sound grabbed the listener around the neck from the start and wouldn’t let go. It was loud, it was dark and it was direct. The band is led by Theresa Jarvis who plays an ominous floor tom as well as singing amazing lead vocals, using her voice almost as another instrument. She has a crazy and charismatic stage presence which was enthralling to watch and you couldn’t take your eyes off her. I did feel that after the first few songs the set started to lose its punch and shock, but on the other hand, the sound was a lot more accessible and favourable judging by the crowd’s reaction. I can definitely see these guys playing the main stage at a festival in the future and it being just as an intense and absorbing performance.
Public Service Broadcasting are a unique band who make alternative rock music around samples from old propaganda material, public information films and archive footage. Their set started with a slow build up which touched on the recent theme of their latest album The Race For Space. Playing a purely instrumental sound, the only “speaking” came from an automated computer which spoke to the audience and even joked. The band create a fun and light-hearted atmosphere, not taking themselves too seriously, and even managing to include the “Together The People” name in one of the songs. Their sound could be seen as hard to translate live but in fact they did it magnificently, engaging the crowd and even having them dancing – I would even go as far as to say that they would have been a better headliner for the Saturday. There was an almighty applause when they finished and a real enthusiasm towards these showmen. Martha, from 
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, started their show by saying, “We’ve come from Detroit, Michigan to make love to you with our music”, before going into ‘Higher & Higher’ which certainly got the crowd going. Time may have had a slight effect on the three sisters vocals, who initially found fame in the 1960s, but their songs are timeless and it was near impossible not to boogie to them in the same vain as when they were first released. Their amazing catalogue drew everyone to the main stage in droves, with no one wanting to miss the chance of dancing to their many hits. Giving little anecdotes with each song, they did covers of The Beatles ‘Something’ which had the crowd joining in and a great version of Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On’ which alllowed their phenomenal band to show their quality. After a quick toast to the audience, Martha listed the crazy amount of people who covered the crowd favourite ‘Dancing In The Street’ – a definite highlight of their set. They came back to do a quick encore, singing Eddie Floyd’s ‘Knock On Wood' and finishing one of the performances of the festival in emphatic style.
The Swedish singer songwriter José González could have been seen as a bit of an alternative headliner. Especially when you put his peaceful and tranquil sound after the upbeat and party music of Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, but it was for sure a perfect way to close the inaugural year of Together The People Festival. Onstage on his own with just an acoustic guitar, he started with one of my favourite songs, ‘Crosses’. This definitely set the mood for the show – very downtempo and chilled out, with an extremely cathartic tone as couples linked hands. He was then joined by his band which included congas, percussion, a drums, a keyboard, and an acoustic bass. You would struggle to find a more relaxing performance, and at times it felt quite profound. Mid-way through the set I was passed a toilet roll, of all things, that had been passed through the crowd. It had zig-zagged its way through the crowd without breaking and had everyone holding it above their head, and couldn’t have defined the feeling of togetherness José’s music brings. There were so many amazingly beautiful songs that he played, most notably his version of ‘Heartbeats’ by The Knife which he closed the festival with. I ended up leaving the festival feeling refreshed and rejuvenated after a truly stunning performance. Iain Lauder
Website: togetherthepeople.co.uk
See more photos here: http://www.brightonsfinest.com/html/index.php/Gallery/together-the-people-2015