May 30, 2006 10:00

Hard-Fi, Boy Kill Boy triumph at free Newcastle bash

Bands combine to close Orange Evolution Festival

Hard-Fi, Boy Kill Boy and The Proclaimers were among the highlights of Freevolution, a free gig in Newcastle yesterday (May 29).

The show on the Newcastle/Gateshead Quayside marked the end of the Orange Evolution Festival 06, which has run since May 18, with 30 gigs in six venues across Tyneside.

Split over three areas, The Innovation, Imagination and Inspiration stages, an eclectic selection of acts performed for the estimated 40,000 strong audience.

Fresh from the NME New Music Tour, Boy Kill Boy made a favourable impression on the Innovation stage, with current single 'Susie' earning one of the day's biggest cheers, though that was dwarfed by the crowd’s reaction to The Proclaimers.

Despite many of the audience not being born when Craig and Charlie Reid first released records in the 1980s, the duo shined playing hits including 'I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)' and 'Letter From America'.

One of the most eagerly awaited sets of the day saw Graham Coxon thrill fans with a set that included 'Standing On My Own Again', 'Bittersweet Bundle Of Misery' and ‘You & I', before earning a massive ovation with closer ‘Freakin’ Out’.

With Hard-Fi headlining the Innovation, it marked a successful rise in status for the west Londoners who had played one of the smaller stages at the festival 12 months previously.

Not forgetting that experience, frontman Richard Archer thanked the crowd for "helping the band get where they were today" and proceeded to lead his band through a set built around debut album ‘Stars of CCTV’.

Earning the biggest crowd roar of day with with the last song of Freevolution 06, Archer dedicated ‘Living For The Weekend’ to "all those with a shit job".

Stay tuned to NME.COM this summer for all the latest news and reports from this year's best festivals.