Getting things off to a spirited start on the NME stage, Fickle Friends arrive in a flurry of unabashed excitement. Bounding about the stage to their bubbling pop riffs, their charm is effortless. Diving straight into the breezy melodies of ‘Say No More’, the band relish in the moment they’re in.
And it’s an exciting moment to be in: with a debut album in the works, the group are powering forwards to pastures new, a taste of which they offer here. “We’ve never played this before,” Natti Shiner introduces of a new track. “Let’s try and enjoy it without freaking out.” Apologising to the broadcasters for the profanity it contains (“We’re badasses, right?”) Fickle Friends demonstrate just how much they’re capable of. Inciting just as much energy as with favoured numbers like ‘Cry Baby’, the path they’re on seems only set to skyrocket.
But all that could be a million miles away, for the only thing that matters is what’s happening right now. “Who just finished their GCSEs?” Natti questions the crowd. “This is the weekend away from the parents, this is the dream.” And there’s every sense that the people present are living the dream. Escaping into a sunlight field, real life is almost on hold – and there’s nowhere else anyone would rather be.