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Friday, 16 May, 2008
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Madonna/@ Wembley Arena/August 16th
10/10/2006
MADONNA WEMBLEY ARENA AUGUST 16 TH “I cannot think of a better way to spend my birthday than with you tonight!” What better way, indeed, as the Queen of Pop shows us that despite pushing 50, she’s still top of her game. Birthday celebrations aside, tonight is also the final date of the UK leg of her Confessions tour. If I was left with any doubt about where the £160 priced ticket was going, then the evidence was staring me right in the face. With a lavish set up of not one, but three flood-lit catwalks; a disco dancefloor; giant glitter ball and enough visual projections to please even the meagre £80 seaters, it‘s a spectacular sight. Add to that the eclectic choreography – from street dance to break dance, disco and roller dancers – plus the athleticism of Capoeira and Le Parkour (free-running), it’s like Starlight Express meets a trendier Royal Variety Show – had her Madgesty been put in charge. Of course, a Madonna show wouldn’t be complete without her share of image changes. Whether it’s the rock-chic of ‘Ray of Light’ and ‘I Love New York’ (“nothing personal – it’s just a state of mind,” she insists on the latter) or the cringe-producing, political Madge performing a remixed ‘Sorry’ while the clichéd images of Bush, Blair and everything-else-that’s-wrong-in-the-world flash before us, every facet of herself is strategically played out, right down to the infamous crucifixion on ‘Live To Tell’. Despite the disco theme (one of my less preferred genres), I find myself dancing to almost every song, stopping only to rest my feet. But that’s the beauty of a Madonna show: the audience is still very much part of the production, and not just a bums-on-seats money maker – especially when you have the privilege of singing “Happy Birthday” to the lady herself, led by her long-time backing singers, Nicki and Donna. So while critics may kick up a hoohah about her, don’t forget that while others may try and take that (thorny) crown off her head, she still hasn’t managed to lose it. Well, not just yet anyway. Words: Tracey Chin
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| madonna |
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Fionn Regan/@The Luminaire/August 16th
10/10/2006
FIONN REGAN @ THE LUMINAIRE AUGUST 16 TH Folk may never be the new rock and roll, but it certainly is enjoying an acoustically laden revival of late. The Luminaire is a tricky space to fill: hoards of moaning gig-goers often give in to convenience. The cross-country trek into the Kilburn wilderness often proves a tube stop too many for most. But not tonight: despite the geographical pitfalls, and a spectacularly timed England friendly game taking over most bars across London, there is a palpable buzz swarming around Kilburn High Street. Much has been murmured about Fionn Regan in the run-up to tonight, and to his debut album release ‘The End of History’. For many, the finger-picking trickles hark back to a daydream conceived lost Arcadia: a veritable magical wonderland wherein Nick Drake, John Martyn and Bob Dylan created haunting sensibilities on the lone pick of a guitar string. Now these daydreamers are looking for the next folk-piper to carry on the melodic tradition. To compare Fionn to his predecessors would do him a disservice. The 25-year-old Dubliner who now resides in Brighton, embodies a melody all of his own. As he appears onto the stage, with a supportive backing band of Drew McConnell (of Babyshambles) on bass and Jamie Morrison (of The Noisettes) on drums, the beguiling simplicity of Regan’s gentle musicianship, is peppered and spiced by bejewelled lyrics that strike with poetical poignancy. “Step out of your dress and I’ll wear you like a hood,” he laments during ‘The Underwood Typewriter’. Its beauty is in its stripped down simplicity, and genuine soul. And as such, it stands out: a gentle wavering all of its own. Words: Kat Lister
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| fionn regan |
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Regina Spektor/Shepherd's Bush Empire
10/10/2006
REGINA SPEKTOR @ SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE She might have had a plastic barrette in her hair. We might have been in a musty basement in Brooklyn somewhere. It could be Thanksgiving. Her mother could have said, everyone listen, Regina go to the piano, everyone look at what Regina can do. She was shy. She was a redhead with a bra strap that wouldn’t stay put and kept working its way down her arm. And however bored we all are with the pointing out she was born in Moscow, she was most definitely a creature from behind the iron curtain. She crosses easily into Russian when she sings ‘Apres Moi’ and for a moment you don’t even realise she’s switched. Because she straddles her own disparate parts so seamlessly. There is something unfamiliar and unwestern about her, and at the same time something unnervingly close to the bone, as she clicks her tongue and makes the funny noises and claps and taps that feel like a bit of a human common denominator. It’s time for perestroika, people, her performance suggests. And that means you too. It’s time to open up and get in touch with the range of emotions and expressions that are available to us. We knew how to be honest when we were younger, so what’s happened to us now? She paints pictures with her lyrics enough to moot the idea of needing backup dancers or fancy costumes or flashy props. And with a venue as pretty as the Empire (“this is such a nice place,” she says), it’s great to have simple staging. Girl and piano, with a mirrorball, to begin with. At one point there were lights like bubbles everywhere, floating us through some light, snappy number. And when she got very confessional the lights went red and you had an instant velvet box. The audience didn’t seem to mind playing priest to her. She got up to play her pastel guitar and told us about finding a dead bird, someone’s overdoses and being broke, having to bum off friends. Her words are wonky and honest, like a 14-year-old’s conversation over a surreptitious fag on the playground. You can’t help making her music about you. As I left the venue I thought, where is he? I might forget about him now. Or I might get on train tomorrow and chase him down, whether he notices or not. As she says, there’s nothing like emptying a cartridge at the sun. Words: Heather Deland
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| regina spektor |
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Creamfields/Saturday August 26th
10/10/2006
CREAMFIELDS SATURDAY AUGUST 26 TH Disgruntled murmurings express disappointment at the withdrawal of Gnarls Barkley, due to illness. Those patronising the Strongbow Ciderhouse are soon buoyed up by a high-spirited and wide ranging Coldcut show. Jonathan Moore and Matt Black are enjoying their return to prominence, regularly interacting with the crowd during their hip hop, rap, funk, soul and electro fusing set. The big, fat beat led ‘Everything’s Under Control’, featuring some Beastie Boys swagger and vocal tirades ends proceedings boldly, emphasising the outfit’s belief in their newer material. No-one complained that they didn’t return to their acid house roots or throw in an old classic to close. A sparse, but into it gathering at the Galaxy Stage, indulges in some swift swaying to soul pop mixes and downbeat electro grooves, orchestrated by X-press 2. This would have made an ideal chill-out/comedown/go back set at 4 am, for whoever needs it. Mylo’s DJ set releases a steady flow of ambient, folktronica and electro flexing, chucking the odd popular mix in. This represents a viable alternative to Goldfrapp’s often forced and insipid show. A down point of Mylo’s well orchestrated show is that fuel is given to the rumour that they turn the sound down in the tents. The high points do not possess the same thrust this spin master and crew are known for. A sporadic set is being produced by The Prodigy, who fail to maintain a tempo. They have been known to craft a deeper groove than the one made by Homer Simpson on his favourite couch. ‘Firestarter’ captures the blaring nature and macho strut of old and shakes the Main Stage area up, but the vibe slowly slides until ‘Smack Your Bitch up’ picks it up again. Several make the decision that they’d rather catch the beginning of Tiesto and turn their backs on The Prodigy. Justice is doling out streets beats and sliding in a whippy vibe to keep the dancefloor at the Ciderhouse in rhythm. The stage area for Belgium’s 2Many DJs looks as casual as enrolment day at the local college. An ambient build up helps you find your way into the set that sparks off some crushing techno and catchy pop swirls. Paul Van Dyk’s 1.30 am slot is perfect for lifting the lagging revellers up with sweeping beats that don’t drop a tempo all set. This frenetic parade is what was expected of The Prodigy. A largely relaxed atmosphere continues till the death and makes for a successful debut for the new home of the event, but one question lingers; why wasn’t Tiesto moved up to the Main Stage to replace Gnarls Barkley? Words: Dave Adair
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| creamfields |
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Reading Festival/August Bank Holiday Weekend
10/10/2006
READING FESTIVAL AUGUST BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND Reading stands out from this year’s crop of festivals in a filthy field of its very own as probably the most rebellious, leftfield offering available without taking to an airplane so getting there was never going to be as easy as, say, cramming onto a bus. So Jack Sparrow-style, we wobble up the plank with a pack full of gear and beer to join the other passengers on a tramp steamer/pleasure cruiser-hybrid, pottering down the Thames at sedate pace on a sunny Friday morning. Thanks to some slick organisation and decent signposting finding a pitch and camping was easy and painless once on dry land. The main arena is a short walk away and Scotland was generous enough to lend Reading a substantial proportion of its population to steward the event in the way only an army of slightly agitated Scots can. The first day, Friday, provided some intriguing set list clashes - Kaiser Chiefs or Ice-T’s Bodycount? The godfather of gangsta rap playing the small BBC Lock Up stage with his metal band was never going to be dull so Ricky et al got the cold shoulder as Ice-T and Bodycount did for 80 mins what the Kaisers might only have managed with their final encore – turned the entire audience into a writhing, crazed mass. The extended encore took in the much-banned ‘Cop Killa’ and a cover of Hendrix’s ‘Hey Joe’ complete with a cameo from 14-year-old Junior Ice (son of). Franz Ferdinand wouldn’t even dare ask Ice-T for a light, let alone come close to trumping Bodycount as Friday’s best band. Saturday comes and so does the rain but Tilly And The Wall more than make up for the weather; their charming melodies and genuine pleasure at playing their first festival is a joy to watch but the biggest draws on Saturday were undoubtedly The Streets and Muse. Chalk and cheese in musical terms but one and the same when it comes to producing arena-pleasing sets and arm waving mayhem. Opening with the grandiose ‘Knights of Cydonia’, Muse come across as musical outlaws, disregarding in favour of a sound that’s been brewing in some dark and distant galaxy for several millennia before landing in a field in Berkshire on a Saturday evening to electrify the 80,000 onlookers. ‘Starlight’ is also utterly entrancing and as the sky erupts in a sea of fire following the band’s encore it is a certainty that nobody else will produce a set grander in vision, better in execution and more enjoyable than Saturday’s headline band. Sunday was the heaviest day of the festival and EMO is off the menu much to the displeasure of My Chemical Romance - Gerrard Way is an angry young man despite his fetching new blonde crop. Sadly Placebo display none of this attitude and energy, the highlight of their set being when an amp broke and they couldn’t make a sound for 10 minutes. The alternative entertainment, naked flesh on the big screens, was much more interesting than any part of ‘Nancy Boy’. So it was over to Pearl Jam to end the weekend on a high and Eddie Vedder just about manages to better anything else that made a sound on Sunday. Leaving the stage in tears after some grinding renditions of classic such as ‘Interstellar Overdrive’ he leaves you with the impression that Pearl Jam are sitting just a little too comfortably to make the sort of impact they’re capable of – Ice T could give him some tips and how to add a little excitement and danger. Words: Ben. H Murray
tags:
| reading festival |
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V Festival/Hylands Park/Chelmsford/August 19th and 20th
10/09/2006
V FESTIVAL HYLANDS PARK, CHELMSFORD AUGUST 19TH AND 2OTH There were so many signs that V was not for me this year – the hammering down rain when we arrived at Chelmsford station and the feeling that everything was not going as it should. But I persevered, and it was well worth it. Entering the arena much later than planned on Saturday afternoon, we could see the Divine Comedy on stage, with the crowd already pretty big for the time of day. Instead of heading to watch Neil Hannon and co, we decided to venture off into the unknown and find out where everything was for the day. First for our listening pleasure were The Magic Numbers. Having toured several times in the last year, I have to admit I wasn’t expecting their performance to blow me away. I was in for a surprise however, as alongside tracks from their hugely successful debut, they played some new material. The standout track had to be the beautiful ‘I See You, You See Me’ with the shy Angela’s solo getting its usual rapturous applause. Next, we headed to the Channel 4/E4 stage, where we caught the end of The Cardigans’ set. Nina looked as fab as ever, and her limited English combined with her Swedish accent gave her banter a funny edge. “Here is a song that is not about love, at all… so if you don’t like love… this is a good song for you” is the perfect example, before the band launched into ‘I Need Some Fine Wine…’. Back at the main stage, Keane played a truly energetic set, with keyboard player Tim hammering the hell out of the keys and stamping his way through every song. ‘Put It Behind You Now’ from the new album and ‘Somewhere Only We Know’, with the entire crowd singing along, were the high points. Heading over to the Channel 4 stage, we caught a couple of tracks by The Ordinary Boys, with Preston’s new wife Chantelle’s image appearing intermittently on the big screens as she looked on from the wings. That soon became pretty dire, and so we headed off to catch Girls Aloud at the JJB tent – unfortunately so did the rest of the festival goers it seemed. The tent was packed with the crowd spilling out and from what I have seen from the highlights, the poor gals were wet through from the heat and sweat in there. They rocked apparently! Returning to the JJB stage on Sunday, we caught new chav gal Lily Allen who arrived on stage in what resembled a wedding dress. ‘Knock em Out’ was performed with gusto, as was ‘LDN’ – complete with a three man horn section adding to the sound. Lily said she wished she had more time to perform for us – and so did we! Back at the main stage, the Sugababes emerged from backstage and kicked off proceedings with ‘Freak Like Me’, before playing ‘Round, Round,’ ‘Push the Button’ and a medley of their slower tracks. Despite being one of the poppier acts at V, the gals held their own complete with a live band and spot on vocals. Norman Jay played a blistering set on the Sunday at the Bacardi B-Live tent, but the place was so packed all weekend, it was hard to stay for long despite the temptation of the cocktails on display. Finally, we caught Hard-Fi before heading off – who were a complete disappointment. The band sounded terrible live, however the sound wasn’t great at the main stage on the Sunday so who knows, but their rendition of ‘Seven Nation Army’ wasn’t the best. All in all V was pretty good – you couldn’t help feeling however that this year’s V line up was slightly disappointing in comparison with headliners Oasis, Franz Ferdinand and Scissor Sisters from last year. There seemed to be a lot of confusion amongst people regarding camping, tickets, directions and the toilets, but then again what’s new about that? Words: Matthew White
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| v festival |
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Indian Summer/Victoria Park/Glasgow
10/04/2006
INDIAN SUMMER VICTORIA PARK, GLASOW SEPTEMBER 2ND AND 3 RD The two big events happening in Glasgow this particular weekend were Scotland vs Faroe Islands and Robbie Williams playing at Hampden Court. A smaller event was the first time occasion of the Indian Summer festival taking place. This being a “boutique” festival there was no camping onsite which was a bit of a godsend considering the weather. I was slightly concerned that a taxi driver who had worked in Glasgow for 25 years hadn’t heard of Victoria Park but we got there in the end. And it was raining. The park was tiny with a scattering of picnic benches and even a bowling green. The weird (and good) thing was the total lack of garish sponsor’s banners and branding everywhere – well, except for the Southern Comfort tent. Guillemots were...nice but, (and I’m not sure if it was all due to technical difficulties) slightly disappointing. Hot Chip’s live performance was fantastic and the crowd went wild with ‘Over and Over’ and ‘Boy From School’ being the obvious highlights. The Fall were up next with two bassists (one looking like he should be in Korn) and the obligatory vixen keyboardist. Would it be a shambles? When would Mark E Smith finally take to the stage? All fears were soon abandoned with a sound that must have had the surrounding residents fearing for their windows. Yeah Yeah Yeahs were the closing act for the Saturday. Karen O was back to her former glory with an unformidable stage presence. Despite ‘Show Your Bones’ being a meagre follow up to their debut, the songs stood up live. Sunday saw everybody trudging back with their shoes still muddied from the previous day. After complaints about the lack of toilets, lo and behold more had been ordered for the second day which led to everybody standing around trying to work out if they had been there the day before. Tilly and the Wall were first on (who should have been much higher up the bill) and made the sunshine come out. How can watching this band not warm even the stoniest of hearts? Other highlight of the second day was seeing the much hyped (and worthy of it) Tapes N’ Tapes, an atmospheric live show from the 10-piece version of Broken Social Scene and a headline show from Antony and the Johnsons. A shivers down the spine performance including comedy divaesque turns from Antony. Whether it was a one-off or ends up being a regular spot on the festival calendar, I’ve got the t-shirt to say I was there. Words: Lynsey Hoskin
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| indian summer |
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Bestival/Robin Hill Country Park/Isle Of Wight
10/04/2006
BESTIVAL ROBIN HILL COUNTRY PARK , ISLE OF WIGHT SEPTEMBER 8TH - 1OTH Sunshine, good music and a large slice of weirdness – three vital ingredients that make up any self-respecting festival. It is therefore fitting that Rob Da Bank’s Bestival should take centre stage as the UK’s summer festival season draws to an end because it has these three factors in abundance. Now in its third year, the idea of inviting 15,000 people to camp on the Isle of Wight in the second week of September might seem a bit risky in terms of the weather but it seems that everything that the Sunday Best touch invariably turns to gold. This was my third visit to Robin Hill Country Park for a weekend of debauchery and for the first time, I managed to return with my phone – but don’t let that fool you into thinking I didn’t have a good time. The word “eclectic” is often over-used but in this case, there is no other way to describe the choice of music on offer. From Amadou and Miriam to DJ Zinc, there is something for every music buff to truly savour in the numerous tents and stages dotted about the newly-expanded and picturesque location. The Main Stage saw the likes of the Scissor Sisters, Gogol Bordello, Pet Shop Boys, Kid Creole and the Coconuts and The Stranglers all strut their stuff, while the Bollywood Bar and Big Top hosted most of the other high-profile acts such as Sasha, Pendulum and a wicked old skool set from Carl Cox. But, in reality, Bestival is more about the sum of its parts than any glitzy headline acts. Innovations like the Inflatable Church that turns into a disco, the 60s psychedelic band living in a jukebox and Human Scrabble help to create the unique atmosphere, while the surreal feeling of seeing 15,000 people in fancy dress is highly recommended. The Clowns theme was dropped beforehand (although Scissor Sisters ignored this) due to worries over the potential for severe bouts of Coulrophobia, so instead there were a variety of weird and very weird outfits on display that would frighten the life out of your grandmother. Rob Da Bank’s Sunday night set in the Bollywood Bar provided the weekend’s grand finale and it was fitting way to round things off. The best of artists like Dolly Parton, Barrington Levy, Pulp and even Bugsy Malone all get dusted down for one last chance to say goodbye to the summer. Roll on next year... Words: Ed Aarons
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| bestival |
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