I am the Music Man, I Come From… Croydon…
Seeing as it’s now officially Summer (despite what the weather seems to think) I have been lucky enough to attend a decent number of music festivals and events this past week. For reasons as much for my own memory aid, here’s a list of the main bands that I saw and thoughts on each:
Thursday 14th June 2007 - 02 Wireless Festival, Hyde Park, London
I will ignore the vast number of generic, Indie guitar bands we saw, because they all seem to merge into one looking back on it. The only one of these that were even slightly memorable was a Swedish female-led punk band, in which the lead singer was a dead ringer for Debbie Harry (2007 version, sadly, not 1979).
The Only Ones - decent set, John Peel favourite ‘Another Girl, Another Planet‘ got an outing. Strong vocals and, best of all, the first band of the day with their own sound rather than more samey guitar-driven Indie pop. Leathery faced lead vocalist loses some points for making me feel slightly queasy. 6/10.
The Bees - Only caught the end of the set, but the XFM Tent seemed to be buzzing (if you’ll pardon the pun) and I wished I could have seen more. N/R.
Air - Again, didn’t catch the whole set, but they always create a tremendous sound and we heard two of my personal favourites ‘Kelly Watch the Stars’ and ‘Cherry Blossom Girl‘. We also heard the end of ‘Sexy Boy‘, which is a full-frontal assault on the senses in the best possible way. 7/10.
Queens of the Stone Age - Well they’ve never done much for me, but the group of people I was with were huge fans. Great renditions of ‘Feel Good Hit of the Summer‘ and ‘Burn the Witch‘ saved a set where, for me, they seemed to be just going through the motions. 6/10.
The White Stripes - It’s still beyond me how a two-person set-up can create such a phenomenal noise. Excellent stage show, great set-list, a class act all round. The White Stripes have been receiving plaudits for their live show for the best part of a decade, and there’s not a lot I can add. ‘Blue Orchid‘ and the joyous sing-a-long of ’I Just Don’t Know What to do With Myself’ were particular highlights. 8/10.
Sunday 17th June 2007 - Muse (+Support), Wembley Stadium, London
Well getting there and back on the maintenance hit London Underground wasn’t a great experience, and the new stadium, whilst magnificent to look at, has an annoying echo that isn’t especially conducive to a great Rock gig. However, an excellent day out. I’ll start with the support:
Biffy Clyro - Paint by numbers Scottish pop-rock outfit in the vein of Franz Ferdinand. Next! 3/10.
My Chemical Romance - Missed more than I would have liked due to the purchase and slow consumption of some over-priced fish and chips that had either been dead too long or not long enough. However, I have a bit of a soft spot for the overblown EMO Rockers and this was a decent performance. Could have done without being preached at by the chubby lead singer though. 6/10.
Muse - What can I say? This is the 4th time I’ve seen Muse and they get better every time. The stage show, production and sound (issues raised above excepted) were spot-on and, with the exception of omitting ‘Muscle Museum’, the set list didn’t disappoint. There were even a couple of nice surprises - ‘Feelin’ Good‘ and ‘Unintended’, I’m looking at you. Performances of ‘Invincible‘ and ‘Starlight‘ in particular were drop-dead brilliant. There were a couple of small problems - the choice of penultimate song was a little bland and so underwhelming that I can’t even remember what was played. Also, a point raised by my Dad, was that the performance was almost too tight and polished, with no deviation from the tracks as they appear on CD. However, minor quibbles about a stunning gig. If there is a better live band on the planet, I’d like to see them. 9/10.
Anyway, a great few days of musical entertainment was had, and in the true musical spirit, here’s a list of songs I’ve been listening to whilst writing this article and the last:
America - A Horse With No Name
Jamie T - Calm Down Dearest
Boston - More Than a Feeling
Grandaddy - Underneath the Weeping Willow
Rialto - Untouchable
The Polyphonic Spree - Hangin’ Around
Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet With Butterfly Wings
The Clientele - Bicycles
Otis Redding - (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay
dEUS - Hotellounge (Be the Death of Me)
Nick Drake - Pink Moon
Echobelly - King of the Kerb