Longitude Day 1 Review: Tyler and Kelela impress, but Kendrick steals the show

The panicked run across a festival arena is a staple of summertime, so Hot Press is only happy to volunteer an unseemly example to begin Longitude.
Indie-folk darlings Daughters have attracted quite the crowd to the Main Stage, so it's by ducking and diving that we cover the ground to the Heineken Stage, where Kelela awaits. Ever since we caught the rising R&B starlet at last year's Forbidden Fruit, we've been fully-fledged members of her growing fan-club, which surely added a few thousand more subscribers here. The likes of ‘Go All Night’ start things at an easy pace, but shortly after a stylish version of ‘If I Was Your Ex’ – a tune that’s taken on new meaning since the death of Prince – it’s party time. If she returns next summer, a main stage slot beckons.
We’ve barely crossed the Jeff Bridges to see Chvrches bring some synth-soaked style to the main stage when we’re retracing our steps to catch Action Bronson. The big man’s appearance is the last of his European jaunt, and he intends to make it count, bouncing through his typically jovial set with an energy that seems unlikely for a man of his size (as though we’re ones to talk).
While The Lumineers’ run-through of Bob Dylan’s ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ is highly impressive, anyone dilly-dallying pays dearly, as the Heineken Stage fills to absolute capacity for Tyler, The Creator and his very long awaited return to Irish soil. While we’d love to hear a lengthy take on old pal Theresa May’s recent promotion, there’s more pertinent issues to attend to – namely, upholding his status as one of the most engrossing live performers in the game. He does so with aplomb. Opening with his spectacularly enthusiastic take on Kanye’s ‘Freestyle 4’, he follows up with a furious barrage matched by the energy of the crowd; scenes more readily associated with good ol’ rock shows are brought right to the heart of the tent.
But if there’s a hip-hop star ready to make the leap between cult hero and mainstream icon, nobody is better placed than Kendrick Lamar. The Compton native bounds onto the stage on a mission, but it turns out he’s preaching to the converted. To Pimp A Butterfly might have been the finest album of last year, but cuts from Good Kid, M.A.A.D City are met with just as much excitement – and lyrical refrain – from a now-packed arena. True, the late appearance of ‘King Kunta’, ‘i’ and the anthemic ‘Alright’ might be the highlights, but the sleazy, swaggering shots of ‘Swimming Pools’ and ‘Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe’ are moments in themselves.
Perhaps the finest hip-hop bill in Irish history, the first night of Longitude 2016 will live long in the memory – oh, and there’s two star-studded days to go…