T in the Park, Friday
Balado (Friday 11th July)
Arriving to my first ever Friday at TITP following its introduction last
year, we encountered the usual troop of Laaads guzzling Buckfast, simply
shouting “TEEEINNNTHAAPAAARK” - as if to remind people of where they are?
However, it is the ability to look beyond that aspect which makes you
realise how good a festival this is. With over 180 acts over the three
days, it is one of the slickest running operations you are likely to see, a
far cry from the days when organiser Geoff Ellis paid the artists from the
boot of his car!
So after some refreshments in the hospitality area, courtesy of the
sponsors (ahem!) we ventured into the arena and the King Tuts Tent for the
first band of the weekend Los Campesinos, the Welsh indie poppers. A sizeable crowd had gathered to witness their peculiar brand of shout laden anthems which lay somewhere between Bis and Art Brut. Finishing a strong set with a trio of big hitters in ‘International Tweexcore Underground’ & ‘You!Me!Dancing!’, which clearly everyone had heard before tonight judging by the reaction, and ‘Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks’ which also closes their debut album Hold on Now Youngster. It certainly gives the impression that they may well be a little further up the bill next year.
A journey then to the T Break stage (which seemed to take forever) passing
through the horrendous Bacardi B Bar area,to see The Joe Acheson Quartet; sadly arriving only to witness their last song but there was certainly enough in their building, hypnotic jam reminiscent of early Massive Attack to warrant further investigation.
As the queue for bar tokens was less than orderly,we retreated to the media
village for some liquid refreshment, while we were standing around
chatting,we became aware of a band playing on the back of a truck nearby
which someone jokingly suggested might be Eddie Jordan’s (Formula 1 playboy) band who are bizarrely scheduled to HEADLINE the Pet Sounds arena on Sunday! To our disbelief it turned out it actually was the Irishman himself, looking almost chestnut in colour as he passed us after his set, stopping to eye up a couple of young ladies…very bizarre indeed!
After that surreal moment, a further expedition in an attempt to find the Relentless stage to see Haunts, but as it was still early days finding our way around the site,we didn’t make it there in time. Whilst deciding what to go and see next,the decision was more or less forced upon me as I glanced up to find myself fairly close to the main stage as the Stereophonics arrived on it.
The Welsh giants kicked off their set with some of the songs which
first brought them success some 10 years ago now. It’s hard to believe a band can write songs as good as ‘A Thousand Trees’ and ‘Local Boy in the Photograph’ could end up writing such mediocrity as ‘Have a Nice Day’ but then it is the latter and its popularity which has no doubt led to their billing here tonight.
There was no way I wanted to stick around for their whole set so we decided to have a look at The Music in the King Tuts Tent.
I remember seeing The Music playing a sold-out gig at the Liquid Rooms back in 2002 as the hype surrounding them reached fever pitch. To be fair it was a really good gig, but their descent in recent years and that all too common ‘difficult’ second album made the almost full tent here all the more remarkable.
As they started up with ‘Take the Long Road and Walk It’ so did the crowd,
singing along to every word - something I think even the band would not have expected, given their last appearance in Scotland was in Stereo! The now shaven-headed frontman Robert Harvey bears more than a passing resemblance to the irksome Tom Clarke of The Enemy but thankfully has a voice and songs which are far more bearable and indeed the new material, although treading familiar ground to their first album,has the tent absolutely bouncing - dare I say the band of the weekend so far?!
There was little danger of The Verve taking that mantle,going by their recent Glasto performance. Although they began with a personal favourite in ‘This is Music’ they followed it up with the momentum killing ‘Sonnet’ a track surely better placed somewhere mid set.
No doubt my lack of praise for them will result in my joining their list of ‘haters’ that Ashcroft refers to tonight,specifically the Guardian who get a special mention. There is no doubting The Verve have some magnificent songs and ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ and ‘The Drugs Don’t Work’ spark hysterical scenes amongst most of the crowd. However I seem to be standing in the section who share the opinion that this particular reunion, of the many that have taken place recently, is lacking something - I can’t quite put my finger on what it is but they certainly didn’t get me as excited as I anticipated.
Let’s hope the other big reunion tomorrow night on the same stage isn’t another let down…
more photos from T in the Park by Pete Telemachus on Flickr
John Paul Mason
