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Getting lost and getting spaced out by invisible somersaulters in a smokey twin peaked thunderdome were:
Sean Adams (Sean)
Oliver Appleby (Ollie)
Gareth Dobson (GD)
Ellen Forster (EF)
Mathew Hocking (Mat)
Sara Lovejoy (Sara)
Edward Mellett (Ed)
Katherine Price (KP)
Raziq Rauf (RaZ)
Ollie Russian (Russian)
Joanne Sutton (JS)
Georgina Terry (GT)
Peter White (PW)
Genevieve Williams (Gen)
FRIDAY 22nd AUGUST at THE READING FESTIVAL
SATURDAY 23rd AUGUST at THE LEEDS FESTIVAL
VIOLENT DELIGHT:
Not a single DiS writer frequented the Carling Stage at the time of Chlamydia's set. Tells a story in itself.
YOUNG HEART ATTACK:
Not a single DiS writer frequented the Carling Stage at the time of WHO's set. Tells a story in itself.
SAVES THE DAY: A band that lives up to their name. Rescued me from miserable bugger hell anyway. AND AT YOUR FUNERAL! I WILL SING, THE REQIUEM!! Classic. About the only band this year that matched Weezer last year for sing-a-long anthems - Sean
Disappointing, but perhaps I stood too far back, afraid of the power of the =emu=. Perhaps though, not as many good songs as I initially thought. ‘At Your Funeral’, however, is still a fucking cool song. But my god, can’t that man whine for his country? GD
Dull, not as good as last year. Played too slow. Too many new songs and not enough 'At Your Funeral' high fives. PW
OKGO:
Patchy in indoor surroundings a few months ago, Okgo proved themselves to be the perfect festival band - bouncy, singalong-happy and in possession of a fine crop of pop tunes. - Gen
ALIEN ANT FARM:
What can I say? They were actually quite good. Last time they played here it was all Michael Jackson covers (at least 3 of them) and whining between songs, now post-bus crash and a few pounds shed the band are back with some non-novelty, non-crap songs. Not that I'm saying they're great or anything, but perhaps it's time to take a second look if you were turned off them the last time around...
Ollie
MULL HISTORICAL SOCIETY:
Not a single DiS writer frequented the Carling Stage at the time of Mushie's set. Tells a story in itself.
LADYTRON:
Ladytron managed to rid the whole tent of almost everyone under the age of 18. Despite my child-like mind, I have to say they were in my top 5 for the weekend if only because it was refreshing to hear something not entirely guitar-based. - KP
Maybe I was in the wrong mood, but they didn't seem to get started for me. Tho Radio 1 tent had appalling sound... - Sean
ELECTRIC SIX:
I saw a few songs in here, I think, and they sound good, I think - RaZ
The tent was rammed, there was no space to breathe, and I couldn't see a THING. Then they played 'Gay Bar', everyone left and they played the remaining few songs to an audience about a quarter of the size. Magic. - KP
I knew they couldn't beat their set in Shrewsbury a few days earlier but they were still on form. The chants of 'Gay Bar' in between every song just shows you why most people were there, so kudos for leaving it til late in the set - Mat
I KNOW this band can do better than this. 'Gay Bar' deserves to sound better than this. The entire set deserves to sound better than this. Lacklustre. - Gen
Who can empty a tent in twenty seconds? Electric Six can. All you have to do is not play ‘Gay Bar’ at the end of the set and look rather stoopid as the fans spill out immediately after they knock out the dumb-rock anthem of the year. Which, by the way, is still brilliant. GD
“Gay Bar!” shouts the crowd after every song that isn’t. “We’re not playing that song” growls back an increasingly irritated Dick Valentine. But then they do. Well, if you’ve only got two tricks, it’s a shame not to use them. GT
Uninspired. A bit slack. Ask yourself why everyone left after 'Gay Bar'... Ed
I've seen this band play in on the 3rd floor of a car park, I have no need to see them in a tent. Ollie
INTERPOL:
I thought they were Elbow so my opinion is a bit void - RaZ
Another highlight of the weekend. Something here struck a chord and made the world seem to glow orange, and I swear it had nothing to do with mobile phones. - KP
What about acid then, KP? One of the most talked about sets of the weekend possibly - Mat
I got exactly what I was expecting. Album standard quality, word (and chord) perfect. The bassist was bouncing around like bonkers, the others need to work on their stage presence. JS
Dark, gloomy and diverting, it undoubtedly is, and in a tent as the night falls, it adds a certain cerebral pomp to the weekend’s musical fare. However, it sounds like the Smiths. It really, really does. More even, than Longwave. I shit thee not. More impressive than exciting. Though everyone else seemed to lap it up.GD
ELBOW:
They blew the doors off, didn't they? Pissed in my imagination and made themselves, quite possibly, band of the weekend? - Sean
They were more lively than last time I saw them, and they kept playing Interpol songs... RaZ
Stickers and new songs were equally well received and Newborn went down a storm, as always. Wasn’t as moved as their performance two years past, but glad to see the stolen songbook hasn’t faulted them. JS
Magnificent, celestial, sparkling and special. Each time you see them play, you walk off convinced that you caught them on another good day. See them enough times, however, and you realise that every day is a good day. Try seeing them munted off your tits as well; it adds an extra element. GD
Sometimes words aren't enough to cover how good this band are, especially live. The sight of seeing a tent full of people all singing along, with such power and intensity was kinda heart breaking. *Finds hanky and gets over slushyness* - Sara
THE POLYPHONIC SPREE:
Uplifting and very soulful but what, essentially, are they trying to communicate here? There didn't seem to be any substance to why they're happy, why they're lifting their hands to the sky and what they've got to celebrate. Because of empty, meaningless lyrics their passion, spirit and emotion seemed false, pointless and rather confusing - Mat
Did you hear the one about the overhyped band that got dropped the week after Reading? - Sean
I didn't come here to see a bunch of clowns in pyjamas - not until AFTER the music anyway. There were too many band members to focus drunk eyes on at this stage in the day. Ed
A man who says that this band is false is a dead man. I arrived to take some photos and leave after a song or two, my preview says it all really. I left however at 11:50pm having spent the last hour crying. I only cry during war, yes, they were that good. Perhaps the best band I've ever seen, perfect in every way, I never wanted it to end. A piece of me is still there, a little piece of cynicsm that will never return again. Ollie
SATURDAY 23rd AUGUST at THE READING FESTIVAL
SUNDAY 24th AUGUST at THE LEEDS FESTIVAL
THE FUTUREHEADS:
Not a single DiS writer frequented the Carling Stage at the time of THE Fuckhead's set. Tells a story in itself.
STELLASTARR*:
Dear God, please rid people of their desire for camp 80s indie. Bad. Bad. Bad. Sean
Camp. 80s. Indie. Is. Good. Cure. Fans. Are. Cool. Stellastar*. Are. Ace. PW
All morning I could hear nothing but bands who sounded like Joy Division or the (crap) New Order, all jangly guitars and moaning, I left with nothing new to add to my list of sounds of the day. Ollie
I saw these people briefly and wished I hadn't. Sara
MY MORNING JACKET:
Not a single DiS writer frequented the Carling Stage at the time of Michael Jackson's set. Tells a story in itself.
JET:
I think I saw them. I don’t think they offended me. GT
Dude, you named the band after a petrol station chain, you knew it was going to be crap didn't you? Ollie
THE RAPTURE:
You shoulda seen the rock kids running for cover when the Synths came out... I really wanted to dance but the sound was terrible and the singer's voice got annoying after 22 seconds. - Sean
They all said, 'you gotta see The Rapture, Mat. You have to see them'. But quite where I was I really don't know -
Mat
'House of Jealous Lovers' rocked, but if these guys are Funk-Punk they should try and stick to the funky stuff, cos the moment the guitars come in you enter a world of pain. EF
THE KILLS:
Not sure I still really get this band, I do wonder how they managed to play a Beefheart song with only 2 guitars tho. What is it about bands having only 2 members suddenly? Ollie
Always has, and always will do it for me. It’s just the way that I feel. JS
THE THRILLS:
Gah! Bland, over-used harmonies! Have you people not heard of Dinosaur Jr or Beezewax?? - Mat
Winning the award of the group most likely to make you go ‘aahhhh’. Bless them and their jaunty tunes. ‘One Horse Town’ is still the best bastardised Motown beat of the year, and the man Conor really does have a lovely voice. Look, if you like them, you like them, okay? GD
Damn, not the worst band of the festival by a long shot, up there with the most boring for sure. I thought it was going to be more annoying, it ended up pure blandness tho. Ollie
(Respect for whoever put The Kills and The Thrills together on the lineup - MM)
THE MARS VOLTA:
40 minutes. 2 songs. Prog alert - RaZ
Considering ATD-i at Reading is one of my fondest memories of the event, and that 'Deloused in the Comatorium' is one of the records of the year, this was a real letdown. It's like getting a student loan, blowing it on loads of fun and then having to pay it back by suffering 10minute guitar solos. - Sean
Two songs stretched over a thirty minutes set has got to be taking the piss. Nice to see the afro'd ones in action nevertheless. EF
Outstanding, like a Special K tripout. Two songs in 45 minutes but no one was bored. Ed
WOW. And who else can sing and/or scream like that and get away with it? More of that kind of rock action called for me thinks! ROCK action in deed, with electric jazz undertones like you wouldn’t believe. JS
Now this was good, have you ever seen Led Zep play live? If you were here then you have now. Works better live than on record for sure, and I do have a largely unexplored weakness for prog. I say Led Zep but I keep getting nagging AC/DC thoughts in my head, don't ask me why, perhaps it's the way he held the mic at times. Top Stuff. Ollie
THE COOPER TEMPLE CLAUSE:
After a dry spell where live performances were concerned, they're back on form. What better way to reassert their presence than to start with a punishing version of 'Panzer Attack' and follow it with a set that pulls no punches? The new material, having sounded ropey when it was debuted, comes into its own and is as dark, twisted and delicious as one expects from the Coopers - Gen
Best I've seen them in 2 years. 'Musicbox' will be the anthem of a generation. Prepare for album two... - Sean
Still look like they've been dragged through the 'Ditch.
Rock band that will always be stuck in a wanker indie body. PW
Anybody who’s anybody (hell, even if they weren’t!) could be seen sporting a Coopers style do, but surprisingly the majority of them weren’t even watching the Coopers. New toys wasn’t impressive, never has been, but the rest was cool. JS
As usual with a festival crowd it's the singles, past and present, that make the biggest impression. Big swirly lightshow and band members swapping instruments every few seconds made it a real live show rather than just a showcase for the new material which, by the way, was pretty good. Ollie
Last time I saw them I nearly fell asleep but the strength of the new single convinced me to give them another shot. The new stuff is sounding wicked and I realise now that the Coopers is what The Bends and Hail to the Thief would sound like if they were mashed together. EF
HUNDRED REASONS:
Heavier than ever and sounding fantastico - RaZ
Main stage next year, without a doubt - Mat
Are they losing that special something? Needs a bit more heavyweight edge... guitarist looks like WWF's The Rock - maybe the two should swap professions. But can you imagine the carnage when a skinny indie kid takes on The Hulk!?! Ed
Yeah yeah it was nice to have a bounce around to the old classics but the new songs just follow the same old formula, which gets a bit tiresome after half an hour. EF
AFI:
My introduction to AFI will live with me for a while - RaZ
Some impressive stage gymnastics and HC windmilling from Mr Davey Havok but the sound wasn't brilliant and as such songs like 'Bleed Black' just lacked any edge - Mat
Ok, so I thought these guys were emo-wussrock, when the kids screamed every word along to the opening drums of the first song before even the band were on stage, suddenly I thought they might be something a little more. The photographers were all warned that it was going to get pretty violent and it did, kids flying over the barriers right from the start, pretty hardcore for a band playing their first UK festival ever, Straight Edge-tastic Ollie
Got me so high I thought smoke rings were sommersaulting circus freaks, (think Polyphonic Spree). Would have been good if I could have stood up. Ed
SUNDAY 24th AUGUST at THE READING FESTIVAL
FRIDAY 22nd AUGUST at THE LEEDS FESTIVAL
THE APPLICATORS:
The Applicators are the first grrly band I have yet seen that [a] clearly worship Hole [b] play punk music with angsty lyrics [c] aren't shit. Somehow they manage to take this much overused blueprint and pull something fresh out of it. Kudos to 'em. Gen
KINESIS:
Biffy or Kinesis? Biffy... or Kinesis? BIFFY! (sorry guys!)- Sean
SERAFIN:
Sometimes Serafin are very very bad. This time they're very very good, filling their early-afternoon set with a fine crop of tunes with killer choruses that leave the largely teenage crowd exhausted and soaked in beer, water, sweat and wine. Pity they had to ruin it by chucking a beer can at a girl's face with bloody results - Gen
Having seen Serafin support at just about every rock gig in the past two years its a shame they haven't progressed much. - Sean
There is a point in every Serafin song where you think they just might, if they try hard enough, have the ability to become stars of the future. Then you realise you're wrong - they ARE shite. Ed
THE RAVEONETTES:
On a day full of male-orientated rock bands, her sweet female vocals were a nice treat - Mat
There's something so yummy and addictive about the Raveonettes' shoegazing-garagerock pop. Admittedly every song sounds the same but if it ain't broke, why try to fix it? - Gen
Proving that ‘That Great Love Sound’ is not the only great sound they have, the band - doubled in size live - (you try doing it all as a two-piece) show that you can be utterly in thrall to the sound of the Mary Chain yet still be fascinating in your own right. The wheel hasn’t been reinvented, but it does look and sound a whole lot cooler. GD
Just so dull, get off the stage. I had to escape so bad I paid a trip to noodle bungalow for a £5 tub of crap. Urgh. Ed
RADIO 4:
Hang the soundman. Radio 4 were my nearly favourite of Glastonbury, tonight they sucked. - Sean
Funky funky, funky, shouty, funky fun. Ace. Har Mar Superstar plays bongos. Not sure why. GT
THE EIGHTIES MATCHBOX B-LINE DISASTER:
An Elvis-voiced medieval pageboy fronting the Rocky Horror Show - what a beautifully ludicrous concept. Never have the words "All of you people can come to my home" carried such terror with them. Cheesecake Truck would be proud - Gen
I slept during this, realising that they actually soundtrack more of my dreams than I realised. The album's still crap tho, shame really. Ollie
Which member of EMBLD snogged Mark Lamarr? PW
Which member of DiS snogged a member of EMBLD? Russian
Which member of Mark Lamarr snogged a member of DiS? RaZ
HELL IS FOR HEROES:
Oh it sounded so good and so many enjoyed it. So what if it's metal by numbers? RaZ
Conventional British Rock fed on politics and power harmonics. Ed
HOT HOT HEAT:
I danced, my best friend danced, the bloke next to us danced. Hell, everyone in the tent danced. It was like your local indie club except full of rough looking greasy people. I felt content. - KP
Man, I think I've probably listened to that album waaay too much because as soon as they kicked into the first song I'd had enough already. Never mind - Mat
If I'd wanted to see the Cure live, I'd have put in a request to be conceived ten years earlier. Cute for a couple of songs but not engaging enough to make it worth missing a second of Har Mar Superstar - Gen
Sandwiches, Sandwiches... *yawn* - Sean
GRANDADDY: They've got the potential to be a great band, but it was more interesting watching three guys do the Spasmo (a dance that involves flinging your body totally out of time with the music) - Sean
YEAH YEAH YEAHS: Urgh, too many people with baaaaaaaad clothes, wishing they were born 30 years earlier, wasting their life watching average bands. - Sean
All hail the queen of the officially titled ‘Fashionista’s Day’, Karen O. Sporting an electric blue lycra number to blow all those plastic jewelled, fancy-dressed fruits right out the water! I danced. I sang. I partied like it was 1985, only without the leg-warmers. Karen, they don’t love you like I love you! JS
Drunky, drunky, drunky, shouty, drunky. Not very good. GT
2 things happened that freaked me out here: 1) I got asked for drugs, 'pills' to be correct, the first time I've been mistaken for a drug dealer for about 3 years, I'm getting the look back i guess. and 2) I thought I saw a girl I know, it obviously wasn't her but I spent a good 10 minutes trying to get into her line of sight so that she'd recognise me and say hi first. YYYs then? Yeah, it was OK I guess, I'm not sure I like them live really, on record it can be great, live sometimes crap. Now there's a puzzle. nice superhero costume tho, and how does she make the guitarist younger every appearance? Another puzzle to leave you with Ollie
THE MUSIC:
Tradition seems to dictate that whoever headlines the Main Stage on Sunday night gets dissed by the Radio 1 Stage crowd. This year it so made sense. Cries of 'Fuck Metallica' preceded a blistering set that left this DiSser sweating, shaking, dishevelled and grinning like a loon - Gen
I hadn’t listened to the album for time. I was a little apprehensive to say the least before Mr Harvey took to the stage in what looked like an over-grown poodle-perm. Some fella climbed the rigging to the tune of Too High. And again, I danced. And sang. And enjoyed every minute of it. JS
(All photos by Alex Gibbs except Grandaddy photo by Sean Hopson)
