Standon Calling 2022 review: Primal Scream, Sigrid and dogs – oh my!

Beginning life humbly as a birthday barbeque for founder Alex Trenchard on its current Standon Lordship site back in 2001, it’s safe to say Standon Calling has come some way, with 2022 welcoming such acts as Primal Scream, Sigrid and Kelly Lee Owens. With rain all but washing out its final day last year, this year saw it back bigger than ever, stretching across four days and more dogs than you’ll ever witness at a music festival.

The beautiful Hertfordshire hills not only give the festival that classic, idyllic UK countryside setting, it’s a very family-friendly festival, but also the most dog-friendly festival in the UK. So if you love dogs, there is a danger you may miss your favourite artists as you’re distracted by every conceivable breed of dog trotting past you. Man’s best friends are here in their hundreds, and there are facilities like hoses to keep all doggies nice and cool, and there is even a dog show. Calling in to Standon on the Saturday, here are Headliner’s highlights from a jam-packed final two days.

Opening proceedings on Saturday on the Laundry Meadows stage is Walthamstow’s Jeshi. Having escaped a life of knife crime as a young teen, and losing an old friend to a stabbing a few years ago, Jeshi is radiating gratitude for his first-ever festival performance. Even if he does say “hello Hertfordshire…I never thought I’d say that!”

With his album Universal Credit landing earlier this year, it’s a brilliant UK hip-hop set defined by austerity-era Britain. Despite that dark premise, songs like Two Mums and Another Cigarette get heads gleefully nodding at an early lunchtime. And his between-song banter is on point, pointing out a member of the audience in a yellow and red t-shirt to say, “I thought that was a DHL delivery man!” The unfortunate gentleman in question takes it well when everyone turns round and laughs.

Over to the Main Stage, enter BBC 6 Music firm-favourite John Grant. Grant stalks the stage in green shades, intermittently triggering bizarre soundscapes with his Ableton controller, while his guitarist and synth players provide a glorious analogue backing to his songs that detail his experience of addictions, relationships and being a gay man. It’s not overly surprising that such left-field music doesn’t attract the day’s biggest crowd, but nonetheless, such anthemic tracks as Marz and Boy From Michigan do inspire some excellent singalongs and hands-in-the-air moments.

There’s a delightful little cosy tent called The People’s Front Room a short walk from Laundry Meadows, with comfy sofas, chairs, its own bar and a little badger model with Bowie face paint. And as evening sets in, a small audience chose the perfect time to be in this tent as Bristol duo Qariaq send minds spinning with a bonkers yet beautiful mix of washed-out vocals, kalimba, drums, guitar, and plenty more. It’s often these completely spontaneous moments that are some of the most memorable at festivals, and this extremely exciting up-and-coming act tick that box wonderfully.

He may now be well known as an author, journalist and activist, but today, Akala returns firmly to his roots as an emcee who tears up stages. Indeed, backed by his drummer and DJ, the Kentish Town rapper rolls back the years with something of a greatest hits set, with the promise of new music coming soon.

In particular, the bard-themed tracks like Shakespeare and Comedy, Tragedy, History get some of the day’s biggest reactions. And it’s lovely to see him connect so strongly with the crowd — whether it’s when Akala admits he gets a bit self-conscious about rapping in his thirties, but he’s still so grateful to be back on a stage after the pandemic. Or when he picks out t-shirts from the crowd: “There’s an Arsenal tee there, a Nine Inch Nails one there — there are some big t-shirts here today you know!”

Face melting is the only apt way to describe Kelly Lee Owens 10pm set, where an initially small huddle grows and grows exponentially throughout her set. The Welsh techno-queen appears in a black cloak and hood, which she sheds as the beats start coming in thick and fast, mostly from her acclaimed albums Inner Song and her self-titled debut. Her best-known songs like Bird and On are somehow tenfold in their heaviness — the live synths coming from her Korg and Arturia lineup have even more grit and bite than the recordings and the Laundry Meadows tent effortlessly becomes a rave. No wonder this songstress graced the cover of NME only last year.

After a fairly brutalist ending to Saturday, it’s welcome that Sunday offers some very relaxed options on the hottest of the two days. Besides all the dog fun, excellent food options, swimming pool and hot tubs, Standon Calling also has a fantastic lineup of speakers. One of which is Hannah Critchlow, discussing the links between neuroscience and the concepts of destiny and fate. A lovely and fascinating sit-down and educational moment for those of us who aren’t quite ready for more music just yet.

With that being said, the perfect Sunday afternoon tonic is indie/alt-pop artist straight out of Suffolk, Bessie Turner. The East Anglian, who’s had big support from BBC Introducing and 6 Music, not only delights her attendees with her excellent guitar-led songs, but keeps everyone guessing in between with questions like, “can anyone guess my favourite flavour of crisps?” The winning guessers are thrown packets of sweets from the stage. Undoubtedly one to watch.

One of the biggest names on the bill is Norway’s pop sensation Sigrid, and as expected, one of the weekend’s biggest crowds wait patiently for 4pm to arrive at the main stage. The screams are resounding as her diminutive figure walks onto stage with her brilliant band, and fans are quickly reminded of the mighty voice that belies her stature. Sigrid’s positivity is infectious, her ear-to-ear scandi-smile is ever present, and she lets us know how happy she is to have met so many dogs already.

Lots of the new bangers from her 2022 sophomore album How To Let Go get a deserved outing: It Gets Dark is the perfect opener, A Driver Saved My Night ensures everyone is dancing, while Bad Life, her Bring Me The Horizon collaboration ensures this is no shallow set of pop songs, with its lyrics about depression. And the closing songs simply couldn’t be more anthemic with the perfect choice of her biggest hit Strangers followed by recent chart sensation Mirrors — it’s brilliant to see this weekend highlight finish on a note of self-empowerment.

Last year was meant to see Primal Scream celebrate two decades of their landmark album, Screamadelica, celebrated in Standon, but severe flooding meant the 2021 festival had to be cut short on the Sunday. But nothing will stop the anticipated headline set this year. 

Festival founder Alex Trenchard appears on the main stage, possibly after a wine or two, to thank all of his crew and organisers, and to say how happy he is that the Glaswegian legends are finally here to close out the weekend. And indeed, the Scream do go home totally satisfied, as Bobby Gillespie et al send the mass crowd into raptures with all the hits: Rocks, Country Girl, and Screamadelica almost in its entirety, backed by a stunning gospel choir.

It will be fascinating to see how the lineup takes shape in 2023, and if this weekend can be topped. In the meantime, salutes to Sigrid, Kelly Lee Owens, Akala, the revellers, and of course all the pups who made this weekend so special.