TFP's view of Saturdays performance ...

Got there at 1:20pm & missed most of the crowd.
Got myself a pint & a pie ... had a bit of a walk about.
Saw a Welsh bloke warming up.
Lots of fans wandering about with high expectations ... thought they might be from Cudworth, as it looked like they needed a bath.

So - it all kicked off properly at about 3pm.

The Wedding Present started things rolling.
I thought they were tight at the back, but lacked a real cutting edge.
They were followed by a terrible performance by the Dropkick Murphy's ... they should have been immediately red carded.
So I popped off to see Marcus Bligstock, who was very entertaining & seemed able to play on each wing.

Half time was greeted with many pints, but my joy was short lived as a bunch of whinging scouse scallywags, called The Coral, decided to 'up the tempo' after a lacklustre showing by Elbow.

Fortunately - the day was saved by a brilliant display by The Queens of the Stone Age. They had adopted a 1-3-1 formation, including a strange looking bint playing keyboards on the right flank. They got my MOTM award. Excellent. I hope they will be offered a 3 year contract.

Not long to go now - just 2 players left to review.
Unfortunately The Killers were also quite a let down.
It seems they have practised their set pieces so often that they have become slightly bland & predictable.
Maybe they should have been sent out on loan to Reading?

After a 'mixed bag' performance - I was fully expecting a barnstorming finish by The Pixies ... and although they provided the crowd with all their favourite moves - they just couldn't force the breakthrough.

My Ratings:

Goldie Looking Chain - 4
The Wedding Present - 7
The Dropkick Murphys - 2 (send them to Stockport on loan)
Marcus Brigstock - 7
Elbow - 5
The Coral - 6
The Queens of the Stone Age - 9
The Killers - 6
The Pixies - 7

It's a shame that Kasabian were playing at a different location at the same time as The Pixies, but all in all it was an excellent, if a tiny bit frustrating, afternoon.

The facilities were extremely good - and at least no poor soul got booed* off the pitch ... like Fiddy Cent did last year.

* booed = ran off the stage after being pelted with multiple pints of piss. The bloke may have survived being shot nine times ... but he couldn't avoid a few glasses of sugar puff juice.

 

Think I may start a poll

of 'hilarious' reasons why you didn't attend the V festival.

 

Thanks for the 2 phone calls on Saturday night btw..

nice to know you have me on speed dial.

 

I think it's now the Carling Festival ...

... it was the 'V' festival back in 1936 when you went to see Max Bygraves' Grandad - Neil.

I haven't voted on either MOTM poll either.

 

Kinell.

Forgot about that.
I think I got a bit carried away with the ale.
Mrs Ponty kept calling me nasty names - as I kept returning from the bar with 4 pints ... 3 for me & 1 for her.

Could you hear anything?
I think I called you during The Killers.

 

I heard

you fumbling around in your pocket (I assume it was your pocket and not your missus welk you were playing with) and a bloke shouting "Kill. Your. Self." in the background. Funny that, cos I'm trying to get Barry Conlons home number to do the same.

 

RE: I heard

Tell you what - Big Bazzer's penalty at Preston (the game I didn't go to) was pure class.
It's a shame that he's not really a footballer.

I think I tried to call you during your favourite Indie Rock & Roll track ... but my fingers were very drunk and I was pressing the buttons like Jeremy Beadle on acid.

 

An alternate view of Saturday

Do Me Bad Thing - Dirt. 1

Goldie Lookin' Chain - Amusing for 3 seconds then incredibly boring. 2

Wedding Present - Pretty good, shame no one knew who they were 'Dare' and 'Kennedy' were particually good. 8

Dropkick Murphy - Unbelieveably ****. -25

Graham Coxon - Average. 5

Elbow - zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. 3

The Coral - Quite good, they livened things up after the previous *****. 7

QOTSA - Tres bien. Fantastic. Marvellous. 'No One Knows' and 'The Fun Machine who took a **** and died' were two of the highlights of the festival for me. 10

Killer - Too many young people enjoying themselves for my liking. 6/7

Pixies - Very good imho. Shame they didn't mix the accoustic and electric songs up a bit more but never mind. Thankfully the pissed up youngsters buggered off after the Killers to watch Kasabian which allowed me to move within a hairs breadth of the stage. The guitar solo during Vamos was a aprticular highlight. Also heard them playing 'Something Against Me' and 'Planet of Sound' during soundcheck in the morning. 9

Fine performances worth mentioning on other days from Echo & the Bunnymen, Iggy and The Stooges, British Sea Power, Dinosaur Jr, The Arcade Fire, The Tears, The Editors and even Marilyn Manson

 

Iggy and The Stooges?

I don't think medical science has a clue what it's doing. What right have they not to be dead.

 

Tell thi wot ...

... I forgot about the tone deaf geezer out of Blur.
I wandered off ten minutes into his set.

QOTSA - the first track 'go with the flow' nearly took my wig off. Pure genius ... and a brilliant start to a set.

I absolutely love The Pixies, but the fact is - they are old.
I saw them in Holland when I was a chab ... and was completely dumbfounded by this straight laced rhythm section (David in shirt & tie, Kim stood completely still) while 2 complete lunatickles bounced around screaming & smashing things up.
I sang every word to every song on Setdi ... and some of Joey's work, as you say, was breathtaking.
But I just didn't leave there thinking - Kinell Fire - what the **** was that? I suppose that doesn't happen too many times.

I bet the 'wash areas' were a bit ropey by Monday morning.

 

They were alive and kicking and in fine form

Played Funhouse in it entirety and most of the first album 'Dirt', 'Loose', 'Down on the Street' and '1969' were all stunning

Iggy looks weird though> pecks and a belly, most odd.

 

so u dint...

watch the arctic monkeys! u'll regret it!

 

RE: Tell thi wot ...

By the looks of things Reading got a slightly better setlist, but it was the first time I've ever seen them so I was kind of blown away by seeing my heros.

The toilets on the campsite were interesting, they were like milking parlours for cattle. The doors were only 5ft high so if you wished you could watch someone on the can and you slopped out into an open trench. Quite possibly the most degrading experience ever.

I left my dumping for the portaloos in the arena which were luxurious by comparison.

 

Were you the bloke in the queue ...

... telling everyone who would listen that the Arctic Monkeys are the best band in the world?

I had little 'Elbow' stickers down my trousers.

 

RE: Tell thi wot ...

I enjoyed it when they fecked up 'Gigantic'.
Was also a bit puzzled that the best track I've ever seen them play live (Rock Music) was omitted.
In fact - I don't think they played anything from Bossanova.
Glad there were a few tracks from 'Come on Pilgrim' though.
The kids in front of me went scuttling off to see the end of Kasabian as I blurted out 'You are the Son of a Motherfecker'.

The interview a few weeks ago where Charlie said 'we are basically earning the money we should have in 1989' left a sour taste in my mouth.

It's supposed to be about the music, man.

 

They played Is She Weird

They cocked up Into the White a little bit aswell, which was nice.

True they are doing it for the money, but supposedly they are heading back into the studio later in the year to record a new album so we'll see whether they've lost it then.

I doubt Charles could scream his way trough Rock Music these days anyway. That said Caribou nearly deafened me. It was good to hear 'Alec eiffel', don't think they've played that since they reformed.

 

Yep - you are right.

They did play Is She Weird.
Thought they might knock out Velouria or Hang Wire too.

I once saw them almost destroy a club when they played Rock Music & Vamos back to back.

Enjoyed 'Hey' ... and you are right again - Caribou was a little bit agressive. Top stuff.
To be fair - they could have played for another hour & not dropped out any crap ... I felt that after 35 minutes The Killers were scraping around for something to sing - I was expecting 107 green bottles or summat.

 

RE: Yep - you are right.

I would have preferred generally more agressive songs aswell but beggers can't be choosers. The Killers were decidely average, the problem of only having 1 average album to your name.

That said they were better than the 10 mins of Iron Maiden that I caught, thank god the Bunnymen were playing at the same time and gave me something worth watching.

 

RE: Yep - you are right.

'Tame' was the highlight for me.
'No 13 baby' was pretty decent too - one of my favourites.
And maybe doing both versions of Mutilation wasn't such a good idea ... especially the slow 'surf' one to open with.

WTF was the Dropkick Murphy thing all about?
They all sounded like they were playing different songs at the same time.
I always find that fat men in football shirts should maybe stick to going to football matches - not playing shat music at festivals.

 

RE: Yep - you are right.

Forgot about Tame, yeah that did sound ace and so did Gouge Away, Edd is Dead and Holiday Song.

Had i have been doing the setlist I'd have played rocky ones at the beginning and the end and the quieter ones in the middle, but then what do I know.

Dropkick Murphy - purely dreadful but not the worst band i saw. that honour falls upon a Norweigan metal band called Turbonegro. They had a front man who looked like David Currie dressed up in S & M gear. A truely terrible start to the festival, they deserve to be flayed alive.