So much mud, you know it..Friday morning and rain and thunderstorms like you have never experienced. For hours. So, it was little surprise to rise on Friday and find the site was awash with flash floods and low lying tents had been submerged.
I put plastic bags over my socks, which helped when the water level wasn’t above ankle height, and when it was I had a “wet suit” effect with the water trapped in the bags staying warm and squishy. It was ok. Then Sunday was sunny! All good fun…below is a quick run-down of some of the bands I saw.
The Undertones
Great old hits “Teenage kicks” especially, but that wasn’t Fergal. And he was fat.
The Infidels
Who are these hilarious, energetic 80’s electro crossed with indie pop new comers? Very good. Excellent performance.
Tori Amos
Briefly. She was at her piano. And sung. You know how it goes.
Roots Manuva
Resplendent in his pink jumpsuit and wellies, Roots seemed disappointed at the lack of glo-sticks on display. Great fun.
This woman and her band and singers were an excellent surprise. Crazy danceable tunes with alien vocal effects by Zap Mama. And she can do cartwheels, and the snake breakdance thingy. Awesome.
I love these guys. From Berlin, the 11 piece comes in matching outfits and co-ordinated dance moves to an eclectic dancehall style (check out “release” with the bastardised Cure baseline).
Sons and Daughters
Ew, no. I was expecting some country hybrid, but it was just noisy.
Bloc Party
Excellent album, very good live. See them in small venues before it’s too late.
Perfect festival fare, silly and excitable Kaiser Chiefs happily po-goed their way through their album. Best moment: Crowd singing along to “I predict a riot”. Lovely.
Soulwax
My favourite Belgians (in fact the only ones I know?) took a while to warm up to the early afternoon spot, but came through at the end. Flying V player, and younger brother looked to be genuinely charmed by the crowd and the moment. Lead singer was sweaty and shouty. How I like him. Perfect.