Happy Friday! If you're looking for new tunes than this week's Friday Four for GCN is heavy on dance duos and the new Britney tune. Also, Una Mullally had me do a guest post for her Irish Times blog where we hash out our differences on Lady Gaga as new album ARTPOP arrives on Irish shores.
On the Gaga tip, I'm chatting about her in today's Irish Independent as part of the Day and Night magazine. I've a regular column starting this week which is exciting in the extreme. And if you're at a radio at all tomorrow I'll be discussing the current trajectory of Gaga's career with Dave Fanning on 2FM around 10:30am and reviewing the album for Spin 1038 on Plan B at 1:45pm that same day. Phew.
Before either Aluna or George arrive on the stage at The Academy they've nearly had the whole thing whipped out from under their noses. It's rare to find yourself won over by an opening act but between gyrating on the floor and throwing herself on top of every available surface Mø does a fine job of just that.
Busy busy week with writing for GCN has slowed me down somewhat here but it's all stuff you might want to check out.
Winner of Season 4 of RuPaul's Drag Race, Sharon Needles was in town last weekend and I interviewed her for the mag. It was quite the experience. You can read the interview in this months issue here (on page 15) and also I've a pile of extra juicy quotes here. If you're a fan f the show or drag in general you'll find some fun lines.
Also the music column in the new issue has been revamped to include a playlist and picture of my mug. Hurrah. And there's a jam packed Friday Four post on the website to gawk at with some killer tunes from MS MR to Disclosure. Hurrah.
Jessie Ware's Devotion is one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the year and with good reason. It's a beautifully made soul-pop album that takes it's cues from the very best UK dance producers and let's her tremendous vocal prowess shine. Ware touched down in Dublin this week for a sold-out show at The Sugar Club to a room packed full of avid fans. Ware, an endearing and entertaining presence on stage, even brought up the house lights as she jokingly tried to figure out exactly who her audience was on the first night of her own solo tour.
However you could classify the crowd at the show they were undoubtedly under the spell of the British songstress. She ran through all of the material on Devotion (including deluxe edition tracks), with a tight live band adding an upbeat texture to the tracks that gave them a new sense of life in a live setting. The intimate feel of the Sugar Club, that Ware jokingly suggested was like a David Lynch film, lent itself well to be completely sucked into Ware's captivating delivery but with a surprising amount of bounce in her set it was a shame to be in a venue without more room to do a little dancing (bar a few brave souls who twirled up the front).
Still there was little to fault about Ware's hour-long set. Album tracks like No To Love and Taking In Water sound bigger and more expansive with a willing audience and that aforementioned live band, 110% stands up as a smartly made dance song with a melancholic air while the 80s sheen of Night Light continues to be a winner. Her cover of Brownstone's 90s R'n'B hit If You Love Me was an unexpected surprise, a faithful rendition that wouldn't have sounded out of place on her own album.
The high-point undoubtedly come in the final songs, having charmed Dublin into submission Ware deploys Wildest Moments as her penultimate number, an earnest sing-along erupting amidst the crowd. Closing with Running, Ware asks the crowd to stand up pointing out that her mum will be proud she had a seated venue on it's feet. It's a blissful moment, the goodwill and slow-burning pulse Ware has been building for sixty or so minutes reaching an exuberant climax. She warmly thanks the audience before pointing out she doesn't do encores, takes a few snaps with excitable punters and departs. An accomplished and polished performer with a beautiful voice that genuinely sounds even better in a live setting, Jessie certainly did Mama Ware very proud during her Dublin show.
Being a fan of pop music means that sometimes you probably don't go to lots and lots of live gigs, especially if your biggest faves are the kinds who play to fairly big audiences. Thanks to some good luck, good mates and fortunate timing I managed to see a clutch of shows in the last month and decided to give each of them a mention here. I started with Cheryl's O2 show, then Kelly Clarkson the week after in the same venue, followed by Marina and the Diamonds in the Olympia before finishing with the Jennifer Lopez show in the O2 (I was in the O2 alot basically which is actually the perfect venue for a big pop show). Below is your handy guide to each show, the highlights and lowlights.
CHERYL COLE - O2 Dublin - 4/10/12
From Girls Aloud to solo-popstar/massive celeb status in
many ways it makes total sense that Cheryl Cole is now touring. But for all the
glitzy, enjoyable fun of her arena show it also highlights just how she’s never
quite hit her stride as a solo performer. There are plenty of slick,
dance-driven moments during the A Million Lights tour but there are too many
moments where the whole thing feels a bit rushed and a ballad too many
threatens to derail things altogether. It’s still a fun show overall, Cole is charismatic
and likeable especially when nailing those trademark moves but it's not quite the flawless romp you'd love for her to do. An encore of Fight
For This Love ramps up the spectacle in a way lacking at other parts of the
show and reminds you that with a few bigger hits and a bit more time she could
really compete with Rihanna et al.
Cheryl is back on tour with Girls Aloud later next year, details here
KELLY CLARKSON - O2 Dublin - 10/10/12
Between that near-perfect pop voice and her genuine air, it’s
hard not to fall a little bit in love with Kelly Clarkson by the end of her
Dublin show. A non-stop ride through all of her best tracks and the strongest
album cuts from her recent gem Stronger mean that this is a concert that never
really lets up. It’s not a big, dance-driven spectacle but Clarkson and
a tight backing band whip up so much pop magic that you wouldn’t even notice.
Highlights include a stunning cover of Nothing Compares 2 U that brings awed
silence to the arena, a jaunt into the crowd for the underrated Already Gone
and the debut live airing of new single Catch My Breath. Best is an
exhilarating encore that lines up some of Clarkson’s best songs in quick
succession in a final charm offensives that leaves more than a few hearts
broken when she leaves.
Kelly's album Greatest Hits : Chapter One is out mid-November
MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS - The Olympia Theatre, Dublin - 17/10/12
Marina and The Diamonds has turned her camp-quirky-art-pop
stylings into a heady mix of chart-fodder and artistic expression on current
album Electra Heart. So the Dublin stop of her Lonely Hearts Club Tour has a
rabid audience swooning to songs from both releases. Despite the slight change in tone between her first
and second album her knack for writing sharp, brassy songs layered with wit
means that nothing falls flat and her wink-wink take on female archetypes
breathes life into your standard pop show. A striking beauty with an un-earthly
voice and a down-to-earth presence at odds with her beaming star-power Marina
held The Olympia in her thrall with just a bat of an eyelid and rightly so.
Whether she’s from the block or fresh off the American Idol
judging panel Jennifer Lopez still commands plenty of attention and although
this is her first ever world tour you can’t help but be impressed by just how
good the J-Lo live experience is. Firstly, her voice is a real surprise. It’s
not big and she’s not hitting those Mariah notes but the voice you know from
all those hits sounds just as good when she’s clearly singing live and even
when she does an acoustic number or two (I know. I know). Better is her dancing which is
completely perfect, recreating her iconic music video moves with ease. She also
has a charismatic, A-list glow that is easy to be dazzled by and has a rabid
audience on their feet throughout (no mean feat at a pop gig with tiered
seating). By the time J-Lo has run through basically every one of her hit songs
(although why Play was omitted I’ll never know) you’re left with no doubt as to
Lopez chops as a performer and to why she didn’t do this world tour sooner.
Stunning stuff.
JLo's Greatest Hits album Dance Again: The Hits is out now
Heineken's reputation for getting involved with rather stellar gigs across Ireland over the last few years is well earned. They've just announced their Live Project line-up that will take in various venues across Ireland in November and December. It's fun to see that indie-pop darlings Passion Pit will play at the Olympia for discerning Dubliners while Labrinth, whose live show is apparently amazing, takes his well dressed self to Cork AND Rizzle Kicks will play another show in the People's Republic. I'd love to go to this one because it's no secret that I want to be best mates with Rizzle Kicks. They just seem really cool and they are well dressed and fun and WHY WON'T YOU JUST BE MY BEST MATES RIZZLE KICKS.
Also, rather brilliantly my hometown Carlow has secured an absolutely bonkers line-up that will see a rather eclectic mix of acts, who still boast plenty of broad appeal, descend on the town I grew up in.
Jack Beats, The Magician, Maverick Sabre and Dublin electro-rock faves Le Galaxie are all hitting up my hometown. I am now frantically playing a road-trip back home with as many mates as I can convince to go. And actually given that I covet Labrinth's wardrobe and want to be best mates with Rizze Kicks I am planning a trip to Cork too. Do you think Heineken will fund it? No seriously, I think convincing a hip-pop duo with good threads to be your best mates is very on brand for Heineken (Right? Right).
Full dates are as follows and the best thing is the tickets are FREE you just have to go here
Cork, November 1st - Labrinth at The Savoy. (Tickets released on October 18th).
Cork, November 4th - Rizzle Kicks at The Cork Opera House. (Tickets released on October 22nd).
Dublin, November 11th -- Passion Pit at The Olympia. (Tickets released on October 29th).
Carlow, December 6th -- Jack Beats, The Magician, Maverick Sabre, Le Galaxie at Dinn Rí. (Tickets released on November 15th).
Also worth checking out is the promo for the line-up which moves at a great clip and has hilarious facts about each artist. The first time I watched it I got so caught up in the facts that I had to watch it two more times. Again, WHEN ARE RIZZLE KICKS GOING TO BE MY BEST MATES? (SERIOUSLY)
If you were keeping an eye on any celebrity chit chat in the last few weeks then you probably spotted the ongoing saga of how Lady Gaga had apparently put on alot of weight, was talking about it publicly, came under fire for it and then rushed to defend her figure while referencing her own teenage struggle with an eating disorder.
It was a frustrating story on a number of levels. First of all the amount of weight Gaga actually did seem to gain wasn't even that large amount and even if she was the size of a house who cares? Gaga may frequently appear in scant clothing but it's not her main selling point. She uses her image in an ever-shifting way and so trying to boil down her presentation to "Is she hot? Is she skinny?" is missing the point by such a huge margin. Jezebel discussed this topic including a round up of the amount of news outlets that ran with the story about Gaga's weight.
The other reason it was vastly irritating was how it was a story composed across several sources that wasn't even particularly true and yet so many outlets ran with it.
Huffington Post, amongst others, ran with this piece using a picture of Gaga on stage as proof that she'd piled on the pounds. The picture was from her Amsterdam stop on the Born This Way Ball tour and from the off seemed like a photo that had likely been tweaked or at the very least taken from a bad angle. I'd been at the show just days before this picture was taken and there was nowhere near that amount on Gaga's frame. I was standing near the catwalk and got plenty of close-up looks at Gaga in the flesh. She was in terrific shape, clearly someone keeping themselves fit and in show-ready shape but not afraid to look womanly. She bared a bit of ass cheek constantly, was happy to strip down when it suited her and just as importantly was squeezing into skin-tight leather ensembles at a dizzying speed. Basically she clearly was looking after herself and exceedingly comfortable in her skin. There was no way the Gaga in the Amsterdam picture was in fact a reality.
But that didn't stop the press from running with a non-story. Huffington Post, like other showbiz sites (there weren't the only ones who ran with this piece and are obviously not just a showbiz site, I'm just using them as an example in this case) began using lines from Gaga herself where they claimed she was addressing her weight gain after the pictures. They cited an interview she'd done with American radio where she referenced how much she'd put on, her Dad's new restaurant and how she was enjoying the food etc. Yes Gaga had said all this but in AUGUST. The interview is on her own Youtube channel and her discussion about her body are a small part of a seven minute piece where she sounds relaxed, keen to be in shape to do her shows in Europe. Suddenly the web was flooded with pieces about how much weight Gaga had put on, her response and painful hand-wringing from media outlets. Again Jezebel neatly summed up the stupidity of these comments but few seemed to question whether the sources of this story were legit (again that photo) or actually directly referencing the past week (An interview quotes were pulled from which literally anyone could google in about 2 seconds and spot was weeks old). Still it's easier for copy-and-paste showbiz sites and sound-bite celebu-tainment shows to run with an unflattering pic and some sort of line then it is to go "Oh, is this actually accurate?"
This week a similar has been brewing with Christina Aguilera. The popstar-turned-Talent show judge has had plenty of comments on her changing shape in the last couple of years but as she plugs new single Your Body and the accompanying album Lotus there's been plenty of commentary on Christina's shape. Billboard magazine placed Christina on the cover of their latest issue, posting a part of the story online two weeks ago. The slightly over the top comments on her previous album Bionic had already been picked up by pop fans but today another part of the interview where Christina made very explicit references to being a "fat girl now" and discussing specific situations where she claims music execs told her to slim down were being quoted online, causing quite a stir.
It did seem a tad fishy that people were running with quotes from Billboard that weren't on their website already but given that they promised the "full story" in their print edition maybe that's where they lay. The quotes were used by the website of Us weekly and soon appeared on plenty of sites until in the last couple of hours both Billboard and Christina's rep confirmed that the were in fact completely fabricated. Now many of the sites that shared the materialare rejigging and updating their previous posts (in a way they probably should have read in the first place before the desire to be first with a scoop took over). Unlike the Gaga story, which cleverly stitched together material in a typically tabloid way this story seemed to be completely false.
There are two things that are slightly worrying about how both of these stories unfold. One is that obsession with weight and how a comment on it will create a feeding frenzy. The other is that in the world of fast-paced gossip sharing, the accuracy of quotes is second to getting some hits. It's fascinating to watch how stories both false and accurate now feed into the images of stars. Even when stories are retracted or defused by those involved they'll stick in people's heads. It may only be famous people we're discussing, people with vast amounts of money and very different problems to the rest of us, but if we are supposed to be reading reports and fed information shouldn't it be accurate? The funny thing about how quickly stories like this move around is also how easy (almost too easy) it is to take apart the claims and see that most of them are bull.
It might only be celebrity journalism and it may not be highbrow but the ease with which narratives are knocked together by outlets quick to sell a story whether the star involved is playing along or not is worrying. Gaga and Aguilera's responses to these stories suggest that many stars are no longer going to play ball and when we can quickly figure out how fake such pieces are, why should we keep doing the same?
Friday is here and it's time for me to reflect on the pop culture week that was. Here are 6 things I really really loved this week.
1: Andrew Garfield and his perfect hair is perfect
No more explanation needed. Peep these .gifs and SWOON.
2: Madonna Boob Hysteria: A Plea For Sanity
Madonna flashed a bap at a stop on her MDNA tour this week and it's really not that big a deal you guys. This Buzzfeed piece is a perfect explanation why.
3: Charlize Theron is like, REALLY funny
I stumbled on Charlize's interview with Chelsea Handler this week and it is SO FUNNY. And apparently she did stuff with Funny or Die and wouldn't you know it, those videos are pretty funny too. The sooner she ends up in a Bridesmaid style comedy the better really.
4: RuPaul is obviously amazing and deserves an Emmy
You'll feel the same after this short but sweet interview with ET Online.
5: Gaze Film Festival Announces Irish Short Film:
The Dublin LGBT film festival Gaze will be screening Irish shorts this year and it's first pick The Arrival is a hoot. Check out the trailer below:
6: Lady Gaga to Release A Perfume
The details leaked online this week and Gaga soon confirmed the details on her first ever fragrance. The first official poster for the fragrance is also amazing. I can say without any shame that I am dying to give this a sniff.
Just a handful of the things that had me jumping about with glee this week. Feel free to leave your suggestions below!
Azealia Banks has ridden an impressive wave of hype within the year or so. She's already dramatically quit Twitter (and returned) and said she doesn't want to rap anymore but nothing seems to be really slowing Azealia down. She's just released the EP 1991, a four track collection that serves up enough of a teaser for that full length effort.
After 212, one of the key Azealia tunes that's had tongues wagging is the buzzing, jumpy house-tinged track Liqourice. A confident, attitude laden number, it doesn't quite have the frenetic dancefloor blast of 212 but it still pops a mighty punch.
The track's new video has British photographer Rankin helming a sexy, impressive clip that sees Banks in Wild West territroy while also finding time to work a pair of cutoff denim shorts. It's a polished, big budget video that lets Banks vamp it up to the camera and show off the sort of visual flair her myriad fashion shoots have had (her team-up with uber-stylist Nicola Formichetti helping her no end).
It's time to line up a handful of new pop videos, see what we like about them and then award them imaginary MTV Moonmen out 10 (I wish I had a Moonman :(((( I really do) It is a battle of sorts, so apply some sports reference to this showdown and let us begin!
Usher - Scream
What Is It? Single no. 2 from Usher's latest album Looking 4 Myself (Plug alert. It's this week's GCN album of the week, full review from myself here). The upbeat tune with co-writing help from Max Martin has been kicking around for a while now, a slightly different vibe to the first single Climax (Which. was. AMAZING). This manages to stand out from similar dance-pop tunes with some sprightly production, surprisingly raunchy lyrics and spirited vocals from the man himself. The video has finally arrived this week.
Is It Any Good? Um, it's a bit BORING if we are being 100% honest with you all. The clip looks budget (You get the impression they blew all the video budget money on that gorgeous clip for Climax awhile back) and has an odd concept. Usher runs around a black tunnel and does a few dance steps in a nice white suit, a hot girl swims above, which implies Usher is perhaps stuck downstairs in an aquarium. Then he flaps about in a Balmain-y jacket, a high-street knock off of which you probably bought 3 years ago. Then in the closing moments Usher has a dance with Aquarium Girl and suddenly appears at a live show where lots of punters flail around. If it sounds exciting it's really not and for someone with so many moves it's odd how little dancing there is. Sigh.
Do Say: "Usher sure can pull off a white suit"
Don't Say: "WHAT IF THE GLASS BREAKS ON THE AQUARIUM AND YOU DROWN USHER?? WHAT IF??"
MTV Moonmen out 10: 5
Sky Ferreira - Red Lips
What Is It? The new clip from the buzzed about singer-model-blogger favourite who has had many fawning over her quirky electro-pop and beautiful, husky voice for a few years. Still only 19, Sky has struggled to find a style and identity as an artist that lets her speak for herself. This track is the lead single from forthcoming debut album Wild At Heart. Red Lips, co-writen with recently-returned rockers Garbage is a scuzzy, gritty guitar-pop number with a snarly, aggressive momentum that will win you over.
Is It Any Good: Well yes. And no. It's directed by photographer Terry Richardson whose infamously sleazy style has made him a huge name and seen him shoot basically everybody for the cover of every magazine ever. As such, it looks exactly how you'd expect a Terry Richardson music video to look. Sparse, lo-fi lighting and plenty of uncomfortable sexuality. The imagery veers too much between a satirical take on the sexualisation of young women in pop videos and just being a few minutes of a young girl flapping about in her knickers. Ferreira is an intelligent and underrated talent and the way the video is set up as poking fun at the presentation of beauty in pop videos is interesting but ultimately it feels like Ferreira isn't really in control and the result is somewhat uncomfortable to watch. Not least because the whole thing features an ENORMOUS SPIDER CRAWLING AROUND : (
Do Say: "Isn't it nice to have Sky back?"
Don't Say: "I would love to have a tarantula crawl all over me!"
MTV Moonment out of 10 : 6
Wynter Gordon - Still Getting Younger
What Is It? The 4th single from the underrated US dance-pop queen's With The Music I Die Album/EP (depending on what country you're in.) Wynter had a huge hit with Dirty Talk but her other tracks haven't quite been as big. Which is a shame because her track record is pretty great and this one is no different. A breezy, 80s tinged number with a beautiful sense of yearning strewn across it's thumping beat, it's a pitch-perfect summer pop song.
Is It Any Good? Yes. This isn't a huge splashy pop video but it completely brings the track to life. Wynter frolics on a building rooftop, having a water fight with her beau and looking cool in various lovely outfits. It moves at a great clip with Miss Gordon serving both sultry looks and an easy, knowing joy that is a welcome relief from the sexual posturing and would-be raunchy moves most pop divas are pulling at the moment (not that we don't love that kind of thing, but still).
Do Say: "I really want to have a water-fight now"
Don't say: "I prefer Rihanna grabbing her crotch 23432 times in 3 minutes to be honest"
MTV Moonmen out of 10: 8
In this battle we our handing all the kudos to Wynter Gordon for not only wearing some nice denim cut-offs but proving that water pistols will always have a place in pop videos.
Posting has been hit and miss here of late but I've been beavering away with music writing elsewhere. Aside from regular print stuff for GCN (Gay Community News) I'm writing regular music features which you can find here.
Also, the Twotube run has ended for the season but you can catch my blog posts from across the season here.
The goal is to up the posting here considerably but do keep an eye on my Twitter for lots of daily ramblings on plenty of pop culture happenings.
Whichever way you slice it, Mullingar's Niall Breslin i.e. newly solo pop hunk Bressie, is a busy man. As the front-man of The Blizzards he helped blaze a pop-rock trail through the charts, student unions and numerous live venues across Ireland. The group disbanded for a career break at the end of 2009 while Bressie headed to London to work as a songwriter for hire and to beef up his production and song-writing skills.
Photo courtesy of Ronan Healy
After an extended break from the public eye he returned in May with Can't Stay Young Forever. An 80's inspired Snow Patrol-y ode to the good times it's become a slow burning radio hit, notching up some serious airplay miles. While The Blizzards where a formidable live presence, constantly on the road, Bressie's live shows have been noticeably fewer. A sold out Whelan's gig, an Oxegen slot and a place on the bill at the recent Corona's Marlay Park have been well recieved but his next high-profile slot is as part of this year's Arthur's Day celebrations (a nationwide tour follows).
The now-annual event brings a veritable feast of domestic and international acts to Ireland. The celebrations take place on the 22nd of September and the line up is undeniably impressive. Scissor Sisters, Stereophonics, Paloma Faith and Calvin Harris will be visiting Irish shores while local acts Cashier No. 9, Ash, Royseven and Ryan Sheridan join Bressie in flying their Irish flag while people countrywide sup on their pints.
Bressie's album, Colourblind Stereo is due 16th of September ahead of a nationwide tour and before that is second single Good Intentions. At the launch of Arhthur's Day last week in Whelans, I caught a few minutes with Mr Breslin to get the lowdown on the new single, his new sound and his Arthur's Day memories.
Although Bressie admits that the second single uses "the same sound" as the previous he points out that lyrical content itself is quite different. "It came from literally an array of girls who I kept meeting" he begins, that "refused to believe that all men weren’t bastards." Becoming more passionate he continues "Just because some lads are bastards doesn’t mean they all are." The song, Bressie says sets out to "tell this particular girl who’s been battered her whole life emotionally, that not all men are like that and some men do have good intentions". He says that "it's not really a love song" but that it has "an uplifting positive approach". You can watch him perform it live below:
Speaking about the album itself Bressie says that it's takes it's cues from 80s pop such as Tears For Fears and Duran Duran that in his words is "really well produced" but also admits that "I like the cheesy Whitesnake stuff and the power ballad stuff." Again, he warms up joking that if "Here I Go Again comes on and you’re not smiling forget about it, just go live in Tasmania under a tree or something".
Although Bressie prides himself on his pop roots he has found himself taking on a slightly more serious edge with some of the subject matter on the new album. Pointing out that some of the song are "cyber punk" he notes that one track Animal has because a live favourit. He reckons it's because it touches on the the "things that have happened in the last 2 years" and "how badly we were treated it" and "how we’re gonna come back".
Despite his brooding-hunk status Bressie cuts a quiet but confident figure as his obvious passion for his new project bubbles to the surface. As we wrap up he discusses his memories of the first Arthur's Day, when The Blizzards followed Dizzee Rascal which he points out shows you how "it's so eclectic". This time around he says he's most excited about catching Scissors Sisters and Ed Sheerhan. His nationwide tour kicks off after Arthur's Day and with Bressie saying "the live show means the world to me", it's sure to be a treat for fans of The Blizzards and Bressie himself.
For more on Bressie visit his website. Colourblind Stereo is released on the 16th of September, Good Intentions is released on the 9th of September. Can't Stay Young Forever is out now. For more on Arthur's Day click here. Check out Sony Music Ireland on Facebook.
Forbidden Fruit, the first of many a music festival to take place in Ireland this summer was seen by many as the kicking off festival season. And instead of bailing down to some country location, tent in hand and a song in your heart, Forbidden Fruit offered Dubliners the the chance to sample various stages of music, overpriced falafel (Does anyone actually eat falafel?) on their doorstep. Basically, go see some cool bands and then sleep in your own bed at the end of each day. What's not to love?
I decided to head along to day one in an attempt to soak up some festival cool, expose myself to the sort of music I frequently read about but rarely see live and also laze about in the sun staring at hot indie boys. Many a muso-head told me that the Sunday line up was like, so,much better? but for me Saturday had the best spread of dance/rock/Irish acts.
Thankfully the festival was "boutique" (whatever THAT means) meaning it was easy to navigate and you could plonk yourself between stages and tents with ease. The atmosphere was great although the grumbling about the lines for drinks threatened that peace. While I can see why people would be frustrated by bar delays I still fail to see why they couldn't just go see and a band instead. Oh well.
Bands wise this is my (not entirely scientific or highbrow) breakdown of who I saw:
Bitches With Wolves : I rave about this bunch all the time but can you blame me when they're so bloody amazing? Having caught BWW live a few times now it's been a joy to watch their show get better and better each time. The tunes were all there, including a newbie Rewind, a 90s house flavored number with a melancholic air. Great stuff. BWW are down to play many an Irish festival this year so do make it your mission to see them.
Jape: Confession time, I sort of spent half of this set rambling on with mates, bumping into friends so my attention was split but what I do remember was a jaunty, indie dance set that got the main stage hopping relatively early on in the proceedings. Fun.
Bombay Bicycle Club: I'd heard a tune here and there by these critical darlings and so was excited to see them live. Sadly they didn't really grab my attention, though the feel good, Vampire Weekend air to the set and a couple of key tunes clearly went down well with the crowd around me who were are all cooler than I could ever hope to be *clutches Britney album to chest, cries a single salty tear*
Wild Beasts: I interviewed these guys last year at Oxegen and they were suitably lovely. New album Smother has had many a rock journo foaming at the mouth (I guess they had to take a break from listening to Born This Way on a loop? Riiiight?) but it's a style of folk infused guitar pop that's not necessarily my thing. But between earnest chats and avoiding spilling Bulmers from passers by I found myself really enjoying their set. (If you feel like this all too insightful, I completely understand)
Beardyman: Myself and festival partner in crime Sarah where very aware that this was an act we were really "supposed" to see. But given that we'd sat ourselves between his tent and the main stage we settled for listening to a chunk of his set from just outside, with a capacity crowd piling in. We couldn't resist a few minutes inside for a sneaky rave up. The crowd were suitably in awe of the beatboxing, head spinning show on stage and I could see why. I couldn't quite brave the party hearty crowd for too long but this was great fun. I completely get the hype now.
Aeroplane: clearly where me and Sarah decided to man up and just go up to the front in advance and have a proper dance fest. So that's what we did. A DJ set fueled by remixes, thumping French house and an infectious audience made this a highlight of my weekend. I did spy the lovely Cock and Bull TV filming and a had a moment of fear, picturing the awful crowd shots of my dance moves.. but hey. Worth it.
Flaming Lips: I've never really been a fan of this band's psychedelic rock but have always wanted to catch their visually explosive live show. And what can I say, it was suitably impressive. Although fifteen minutes in, after a stage full of costumed dancers, lasers, a giant screen, Wayne Coyne flying into the audience and giant balls everywhere it felt like we'd seen most of the what they had to offer so we cut our losses and decided to have a mooch around.
The Subs: which lead us to catching the majority of The Subs' set. I knew very little about them before I went but part DJ set-part noise punk poppers The Subs were brash, obnoxious, unsubtle, silly and lots and lots of fun. Sadly, their studio cuts of their frenetic electro rock doesn't have the same bizarre energy of their visually arresting and thrilling live show. Still, if you see The Subs on a festival line up, go, disengage your brain and flail like a maniac. You'll love it.
Alongside this decent line up I enjoyed a properly brilliant organic burger (oh, music festivals), briefly danced on a disco bus (boom), had an impromptu dance party to a Frankie Grimes DJ set and even had a few lovely people come up to me about Following Fade Street. Forbidden Fruit, for me was plenty of fun and by all accounts did a decent job of entertaining the music starved masses. I'm excited to see what they get up to next year. Keep an eye on CockandBull TV who will be uploading videos and pictures from the festival over the coming weeks too. You can one below and their amazing Flickr photostream with images by Peter Fingleton. Wahey.
