|
The split personality of the
English whether was on show for all to see today.
Waking up in blazing sunshine the temperature must
have hit 80 by lunchtime.
It then decided to go on a
wander and by 4 in the afternoon the heavens had well
and truly opened, unfortunately, not on the head of
David Wyatt. A churning mess that, had I not
been too hot, I would have thrown sharp objects at,
such was the horror: Rest assured, I was not the
only one who thought this way.
Goldrush re-established
my faith in the guitar with their songs of redneck
America that showed real gusto and promise at times.
With a good stage presence they are one to keep an eye
on in the future.
A trip to the indoor stage was
rewarded with the country standards of Paul
Burch, a one man country song book. The
strangeness of being indoors at a festival for long
periods of time was a little confusing, however, so it was back
to the main stage outside where we were treated to
Tom Robinson.
Do you know Tom Robinson? Well,
Steve Lamacq, who was the compare when he wasn't
recording his radio show for BBC6 next to the stage,
had only good words. He said that we were being
treated to a rare live performance from a legend of
the music world, or words to that effect. Maybe we
were, maybe we weren't, but whatever his standings in
the history of music, he don't half preach.
There is
one thing that grates music fans at festivals, and
that is preachers. Why do it? Why do we have to be
subjected to such tripe? Every year, every festival,
somebody has to unload their opinions, both religious
and political, on us. After playing War, Baby, and
that other song that we all know but don't know the
name of, a good set was turned into a sermon. Blah
blah blah blah!
In order to chill out, the
acoustic stage was next on the agenda. With a bar at
one end and a continuous stream of local and national
acoustic talent at the other, it was a nice place to
be when the rain set in. Solar Flare, with their
sublime melodies, were treated to a larger crowd due
to the wet sky, and they used their spotlight very
well. So well that I missed the start of The
Belles.
With the hype following them
around like an unshakeable shadow they had to deliver.
The simple and highly captivating song structures gave
a slightly Americana tinge to the sound, but their Lo
Fi roots still came through. If their debut album
Omerta continues to gather the attention that this
live slot did, Radio 2 will be frothing at the
mouth.
As the night wore on it became
time for the closing act. French electronica from
Air was the order of the day. Tracks from chill
out masterpiece Moon Safari, new album Walkie Talkie
and lesser 10,000Hz Legend drifted across the air like
smoke. Kelly Watch The Stars, La Femme D'Argent and
Sexy Boy were intertwined with Universal Traveller and
Cherry Blossom Girl, all to the crowd's delight. As the
lights went down and the people dispersed back to their
tents and cars and homes, I was left feeling convinced
that the mini festival has as much to offer as its
gargantuan mega festival contemporary.
|
share: 
REVIEW:
more 