BBC 6 Music Festival. DAY ONE. Bristol. 12th-14th February 2016

Sometimes being at a loose end can mean you can take advantage of opportunities in your calendar. This Valentine's weekend, I spontaneously decided to head to Bristol for the weekend, for a date with the BBC 6 Music Festival.

Situated next to the waterside in Bristol, is Motion; the centre of my universe for the next three nights. A dark basic venue, with the two music rooms separated by a food and drinks area. Two well-lit stages, and very accessible. 

Warming up the crowd on the Friday evening was a dizzying tea-time performance by Savages. My abiding memory of this gig will be singer Jehnny Beth clambering over the crowd during her hair-raising rendition of "Husbands". Being so close to the front of the action, I found myself looking directly into the darting eyes of Jehnny as she delivered the chorus. Savages are good at whipping a crowd full of anticipation into a frenzy, Fay Milton's drum rhythms are so toxic that one cannot help but move. The same can be said of Ayse Hassan's bass riffs and Gemma Thompson's heavy guitar playing. It's a very tight organised sound; during "The Answer" there is a feeling of utter intensity. The newest addition to the set is the chilling "Adore life". It was so good I wanted the band to repeat it immediately. 

Reflecting upon this I caught the joyful !!! (Chk Chk Chk) in the second room, the amount of hands in the air and heads bobbing back and forward showing it was well received. Maybe not so well received was lead singer Nic Offer's shorts. 

The act I was most excited to see was Yeasayer. Scheduled at 10:15 up against the vastly popular Primal Scream, meant a slightly smaller crowd than I anticipated. Yeasayer, with little fuss or pomposity, delved back in time to play from their back catalogue everything from "Henrietta" to "Ambling Alp", to "2080". This was a dream setlist from the four piece. 

Singer Chris Keating is witty in between songs. I like his reluctance to play new material, however at one point he threatens to play Silly Me twice. Their hour set finishes with an unscheduled encore of Sunrise and Madder Red. Anand Wilder's bass notes sending me spiralling into a giddy paradise. The promise of new Yeasayer material in the next few months also exacerbating my giddiness. 

As I leave the old venue (Yeasayer joked it reminded them of an abattoir) I realise I'm so glad to be returning the next day. The 6 Music Festival is off and running.