The final day, and yet more ticket problems and frustration for those who tried to get down and see pre-pubescent 14 and 15 year olds Sinez. Once again, the youngsters sounded great despite not having the hugest crowd, mind you, not bad for their fourth ever set!
There clearly must be something in the water north of the border at the moment, as here was another brilliant Glasgow act. The Hedrons are an all girl band, whose sound echo’s that of the Stooges/Ramones with today’s melodic pop/rock sound. If you think that’s a mouthful, you need to check out the live act. Country Joe McDonald kept the ball rolling in a very relaxed flavour. For a man who has played for over forty years, he still has passion and love for his country/folk.
I think everyone had the same thought upon reading the line-up…a Spice Girl at a festival, this festival? But let’s not forget she was the talented one, and while Melanie C may not be everyone’s cup of tea, you can’t fault the effort and energy put in. James Morrison arrived mid last year, a voice of gravel, dashing good looks and humble to boot. Riding the success of debut album ‘Undiscovered’, Morrison seemed stoked to just be there. Tracks off the album had all in song, ‘You Give Me Something’, winning all the girls hearts. The only downside; without a horn section and gospel choir, some tunes felt a little flat. Yet his enthusiasm made up for it, with a great cover of The Roots hit ‘The Seed’. He dedicated ‘Wonderful World’ to anyone who has struggled with life, cracked a huge smile and left the stage. Job done, keep an eye on this one, great things are to come.
Interesting to see Morrison and Paulo Nutini on after each other. The former may have the Brit award, but Paolo took this one on points. It takes a brave man to announce their arrival to the theme from Rocky, but this plucky Scot pulled it off. Having the time of his life, he hit the stage with gusto, and a few beers under his belt. A rockabilly beat brought his amazing voice to life with, ‘I Love You More’. Where does a 20 year old get a voice like that? Tracks from ‘These Streets’ were sung back word for word, ‘Last Request’ and ‘Rewind’ standing out. Best however, was new tune, ‘Funky Cigarette’. As the beat broke out, so did the purple haze from all the ‘Funky Cigarette’s’ being thrust up into the air. Recent anthem ‘New Shoes’ rocked, before finishing with an extended version of ‘Jenny Don’t be Hasty’. He left the stage with the biggest grin of his life, and it seemed the Rocky tune was actually quite apt.
The Scottish revolution continued with more rocking madness from Glasgow’s Fratellis. Another three piece who kick out catchy, riff-laden tunes to make people dance. A horn section brought the tunes from breakthrough album, ‘Costello Music’, to life. Bass player Barry Fratelli cheekily wore a ‘Who the fuck is Mick Jagger' t-shirt, a small protest to the ‘non-festival vibe’ back stage. Best tunes were ‘Henrietta’ and ‘Whistle for the Choir’ but the sound and vigour was a little disappointing. The music is undeniably catchy; ‘Flathead’, ‘Baby Fratelli’ and latest single ‘Old Black and Blue Eyes’ had the crowd in good voice, but they had really waited for one tune. The opening riff of ‘Chelsea Dagger’ filled the air, the audience obligingly chanted back and went crazy. A good show, but not the great one I hoped for.
I was worried for Keane too. Sandwiched between the punk of Fratellis and guitar rock of the Stones, how would voice, drums and piano sound? Pretty good in fact. Child-like Tom Chaplin has grown into a good front man, connecting with the audience immediately. Songs from both albums punctuated the set; favourites ‘Somewhere Only We Know’, ‘Everybody’s Changing’ and ‘Crystal Ball’ had the whole crowd in chorus. Chaplin continued to bounce around the stage, thanking the festival as a whole, even running down the mysterious middle partition that had risen during the night, splitting the crowd in half. Finishing with the achingly slow ‘Bedshaped’, they warmed up the stage well.
Half an hour late, The Rolling Stones stormed on stage to the unmistakable ‘Start Me Up’. They followed quickly with ‘Rough Justice’, front man Mick Jagger was on form, captivating the crowd with his voice and dance moves. For a period old Keef took vocals and guitar, unfortunately. You’re really can’t blame the man, but he began to look lost and unsure of playing. Two songs dragged by and he held it together, just. They brought both Amy Winehouse and Paolo Nutini to join them on stage. Winehouse looked boozed as she battled through The Temptations ‘Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.’ Nutini fared better, really getting into his duet with Jagger on blues track ‘Love in Vain’. Could we have seen the mantle being passed down to the next generation? Jagger showed how professional he is, even joking about the price of food in the arena: "Two quid for a bottle of water, four quid for a burger and a dog ate my dope!"
The reason for the partition became apparent as the whole band began moving out into the crowd while playing ‘Miss You’. However, the platform didn’t retract back on cue and they rocked into ‘Satisfaction’, a tad hit and miss, but great to see up close. They disappeared off stage, the lights changed to a deep red, and returned to ‘Sympathy for the Devil’. While they were good, I can’t help but think what they must’ve been like in their heyday. They finished off the set with brilliant ‘Jumpin Jack Flash’, linked arms, milked the applause like pro’s and once again Keef got lost on stage. An impressive fireworks show tore through the sky to the stage left, leaving everyone rooted to the spot. Many happy faces peered through the darkness up towards their tents, looking forward a long walk back there, and even longer trip home the next day. Well worth it though; I for one can’t wait for next year, as this ‘reborn’ festival goes from strength to strength.
There clearly must be something in the water north of the border at the moment, as here was another brilliant Glasgow act. The Hedrons are an all girl band, whose sound echo’s that of the Stooges/Ramones with today’s melodic pop/rock sound. If you think that’s a mouthful, you need to check out the live act. Country Joe McDonald kept the ball rolling in a very relaxed flavour. For a man who has played for over forty years, he still has passion and love for his country/folk.
I think everyone had the same thought upon reading the line-up…a Spice Girl at a festival, this festival? But let’s not forget she was the talented one, and while Melanie C may not be everyone’s cup of tea, you can’t fault the effort and energy put in. James Morrison arrived mid last year, a voice of gravel, dashing good looks and humble to boot. Riding the success of debut album ‘Undiscovered’, Morrison seemed stoked to just be there. Tracks off the album had all in song, ‘You Give Me Something’, winning all the girls hearts. The only downside; without a horn section and gospel choir, some tunes felt a little flat. Yet his enthusiasm made up for it, with a great cover of The Roots hit ‘The Seed’. He dedicated ‘Wonderful World’ to anyone who has struggled with life, cracked a huge smile and left the stage. Job done, keep an eye on this one, great things are to come.
Interesting to see Morrison and Paulo Nutini on after each other. The former may have the Brit award, but Paolo took this one on points. It takes a brave man to announce their arrival to the theme from Rocky, but this plucky Scot pulled it off. Having the time of his life, he hit the stage with gusto, and a few beers under his belt. A rockabilly beat brought his amazing voice to life with, ‘I Love You More’. Where does a 20 year old get a voice like that? Tracks from ‘These Streets’ were sung back word for word, ‘Last Request’ and ‘Rewind’ standing out. Best however, was new tune, ‘Funky Cigarette’. As the beat broke out, so did the purple haze from all the ‘Funky Cigarette’s’ being thrust up into the air. Recent anthem ‘New Shoes’ rocked, before finishing with an extended version of ‘Jenny Don’t be Hasty’. He left the stage with the biggest grin of his life, and it seemed the Rocky tune was actually quite apt.
The Scottish revolution continued with more rocking madness from Glasgow’s Fratellis. Another three piece who kick out catchy, riff-laden tunes to make people dance. A horn section brought the tunes from breakthrough album, ‘Costello Music’, to life. Bass player Barry Fratelli cheekily wore a ‘Who the fuck is Mick Jagger' t-shirt, a small protest to the ‘non-festival vibe’ back stage. Best tunes were ‘Henrietta’ and ‘Whistle for the Choir’ but the sound and vigour was a little disappointing. The music is undeniably catchy; ‘Flathead’, ‘Baby Fratelli’ and latest single ‘Old Black and Blue Eyes’ had the crowd in good voice, but they had really waited for one tune. The opening riff of ‘Chelsea Dagger’ filled the air, the audience obligingly chanted back and went crazy. A good show, but not the great one I hoped for.
I was worried for Keane too. Sandwiched between the punk of Fratellis and guitar rock of the Stones, how would voice, drums and piano sound? Pretty good in fact. Child-like Tom Chaplin has grown into a good front man, connecting with the audience immediately. Songs from both albums punctuated the set; favourites ‘Somewhere Only We Know’, ‘Everybody’s Changing’ and ‘Crystal Ball’ had the whole crowd in chorus. Chaplin continued to bounce around the stage, thanking the festival as a whole, even running down the mysterious middle partition that had risen during the night, splitting the crowd in half. Finishing with the achingly slow ‘Bedshaped’, they warmed up the stage well.
Half an hour late, The Rolling Stones stormed on stage to the unmistakable ‘Start Me Up’. They followed quickly with ‘Rough Justice’, front man Mick Jagger was on form, captivating the crowd with his voice and dance moves. For a period old Keef took vocals and guitar, unfortunately. You’re really can’t blame the man, but he began to look lost and unsure of playing. Two songs dragged by and he held it together, just. They brought both Amy Winehouse and Paolo Nutini to join them on stage. Winehouse looked boozed as she battled through The Temptations ‘Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.’ Nutini fared better, really getting into his duet with Jagger on blues track ‘Love in Vain’. Could we have seen the mantle being passed down to the next generation? Jagger showed how professional he is, even joking about the price of food in the arena: "Two quid for a bottle of water, four quid for a burger and a dog ate my dope!"
The reason for the partition became apparent as the whole band began moving out into the crowd while playing ‘Miss You’. However, the platform didn’t retract back on cue and they rocked into ‘Satisfaction’, a tad hit and miss, but great to see up close. They disappeared off stage, the lights changed to a deep red, and returned to ‘Sympathy for the Devil’. While they were good, I can’t help but think what they must’ve been like in their heyday. They finished off the set with brilliant ‘Jumpin Jack Flash’, linked arms, milked the applause like pro’s and once again Keef got lost on stage. An impressive fireworks show tore through the sky to the stage left, leaving everyone rooted to the spot. Many happy faces peered through the darkness up towards their tents, looking forward a long walk back there, and even longer trip home the next day. Well worth it though; I for one can’t wait for next year, as this ‘reborn’ festival goes from strength to strength.
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Frieze Art Fair to launch new section for young galleries in 2012
Frieze have today announced details for the 2012 edition, their tenth art fair in London. Taking place...