I went to Glastonbury 2004. The last really wet one.
Fuck all compared to Leeds 2008, and I didn't take any wellies.
But once I'd picked up what I thought were the last pair of size 10 wellies on site, but my other half discovered to be one size 10 and one size 9, I managed to see some bands and develop the bare minimum of WW1 diseases.
So, with comments where appropriate, here was my Leeds 2008:
Thursday
Wintermute
The Pigeon Detectives
"Secret" set on the BBC introducing stage. In a remarkable display of "lost sight of why we're doing this", the stage manager tried to pull them off before they'd finished. That's right, they arranged a secret set by a big selling act on a tiny stage, which thousands of people turned up to watch....and then asked them to finish up so they could get the local band on.
Friday
Eureka Machines
Brilliant. Follow this band to the ends of the earth and they will not disappoint.
MSI
Truly, truly awful
Adam Green
The Whip
Lightspeed Champion
Quite charming. Lovely to hear the full version of Midnight Surprise, which I have since been informed, is inspired by the Legend of Zelda video games. The folkiest geek in this hemisphere.
Johnny Foreigner
Hadouken!
First really big crowd of the weekend, and brilliant as ever.
Avenged Sevenfold
Crystal Castles
Feeder
Old faithful...Feeder never disappoint
Pendulum
Well, I say I saw them, what I actually did was squint to make them out on the video screen from about a mile and a half away from the tent, which was the closest I could get. They sounded alright.
Tenacious D
Sublime.
The Last Shadow Puppets
Got to give them credit for bringing an orchestra to a festival. Props. Songs are still a bit meh, though.
Metallica
Not loud enough, but as (I think) NME pointed out, Metallica just don't know how to be shit. Oddly, though, they kept leaving the stage through a little door at the back, through which I can only assume was a bevy of whores with lines on their bellies. Or something.
Saturday
Future of the Left
Best. Band. In. The. World. Today. It's only a matter of time.
Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly
Surprisingly meh. Was expecting better, but it didn't really translate well into a field....
Dizzee Rascal
You what, you what? Blinding. A proper highlight. Fix up sounded massive
Frank Turner
Very special. This is what Get cape should have been like. The Bragg comparisons are totally deserved.
Serj Tankian
Surprisingly diverting. Had a lovely moment where he spotted an Israeli and a Lebanese flag in the crowd, and asked them to come and meet each other in the middle. Think I have a photo somewhere. EDIT: Also, it's just come back to me that he covered ABBA's Money, Money, Money. Which was pretty fucking weird.
Biffy Clyro
On fire. Mountains may well be my single of the year.
The Enemy
Shite. On such a vibrant bill, they just seem so dull.
MGMT
This is where my alcohol intake makes things get hazy. Which is exactly the way MGMT should be enjoyed.
Vampire Weekend
Should have been outdoors, in the sun, but apart from that, wonderful.
The Bacchae
Can't remember what the fuck they sounded like, but the singer was really realy hot
Does It Offend You, Yeah?
Seriously, guys. Very hazy indeed. Pretty intense in the little tent, as I recall, and though you may doubt me, it was totally worth missing the beginning of Rage for...
Rage Against The Machine
Did exactly what was expected of them. Not the highlight I was expecting it to be, nor the highlight everyone else said they were, but still a masterful performance.
Sunday
Santogold
Wonderfully out of place. A very surreal start to the day. Creator was immense!
Mystery Jets
By this point the stage management on the NME stage was starting to grate. The main stage has overrun by at least 20 minutes every night, and no-one's cared so far. But woe betide a new band who run over, despite playing a career defining set. Was interesting to see "Helmet Guy" (the stage manager, whose headgear came in handy when the crowd turned decidedly ugly...) squaring up to a guy on crutches. Sort it out, Festival Republic
The Ting Tings
Did exactly what it said on the tin. As usual, the crowd were more entertaining than the band, but still, it was a nice way to spend the afternoon.
Dirty Pretty Things
We Are Scientists
Foals
Once again, Helmet Guy puts punctuality ahead of brilliant music and festival moments. Because we all paid £120 to come to Leeds to marvel at the efficient stage management. Foals overran by 60 seconds. Did they get asked to wrap up? No. They pulled the plug. Disgusting. Letters will be written.
Justice
I wasn't in the right place for this. Not enough substances in me, or something. I tried, and I'd like to see them again, in the right frame of mind.
Bloc Party
At the end, I remember saying "Right then Flowers, follow that, you fucker!" So it must have been good. Headliners next year. Or maybe the year after.
Alkaline Trio
Manic Street Preachers
Of the seven or so times I've seen the Manics, this was the best. The crowd were amazing, and Wire and Bradfield fed off them like vultures to a carcass. Brilliant set, such energy. The best band of the weekend. And Helmet Guy made them cut a song. (Only Autumnsong, but still, cunt.)
The Young Knives
A nice, post headliner oddity in the "Alternative" tent. I love the Young Knives, but I can understand why some people don't.
So that was that. The weather made it exhausting, but the line up made it worthwhile. I urge both of my readers to write letters of complaint to Melvin Benn about the stage management on the NME stage. Even if you weren't there to see it.
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| Leeds 2008 |
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