So, it seems that Friday was the best day at Glastonbury. On TV at least. Saturday and Sunday certainly gave slimmer pickings of quality – I mean, at one point last night there was a choice on BBCi between watching Mika, The Kaiser Chiefs and The Rakes. Come on BBC – surely there’s better stuff to show than that!
To be fair, I didn’t watch that much on Saturday. That evening Mrs Growl and I managed to get out the house purely for pleasure for the first time since the arrival of The Baby Growl almost three weeks ago. Never has dinner at a friend’s house seemed so revolutionary! When I got back, a set by Bat For Lashes was the perfect antidote to the boring bombast of The Killers on the other channel. I’ve never given Natasha Khan and co much of a listen, but the short set I saw more than whetted my appetite for their unique brand of spooky pop. Headlining the Other Stage, Iggy and the Stooges put on a pretty damn impressive show for blokes who could almost be drawing their pensions. The stage invasion was amusing too.
On Sunday, it was good to see the Go! Team again, but shame that we didn’t get to see much in the way of new material, since like many others I’m keen to hear what the new album has to offer. Amp Fiddler put on a pretty fine retro Blaxploitation-style show, complete with 70 jackets and backing singers with huge hair (who managed to totally outclass ‘special guest’ Corrine Bailey Rae). And the Chemical Brothers put on a stunning display of visuals and beats which made me wonder if it really was 2007 and not 1997. I mean that in the best possible way of course – the big beat survivors showing why they still matter today. It made me wonder why, a few DJ sets aside, I’ve never seen them properly live.
So all in, not a bad event on TV. I’m even more glad I wasn’t there now, when I hear the horror stories of people trying to get back home through the crowds and the mud. Thanks then BBC for all your coverage. I’ll even forgive you for not having any cameras at the smaller stages – I know that resources are limited. This is the kind of thing that makes me happy to pay the licence fee.
Last word from me is more of a snigger as I remember the looks on the faces of Lauren Laverne and Phill Jupitus as they were told that we were going to get shown yet another song by Paolo Nutini on Saturday. My own groans were perfectly reflected. Maybe the presenters’ gig is not always the rosy one that it seems...
Download: Bat for Lashes – The Wizard
Download: The Go! Team – Ladyflash (Simian Mobile Disco Mix)
Download: Amp Fiddler – Ridin’ (Carl Craig Version)
Download: The Chemical Brothers – Loops of Fury
To be fair, I didn’t watch that much on Saturday. That evening Mrs Growl and I managed to get out the house purely for pleasure for the first time since the arrival of The Baby Growl almost three weeks ago. Never has dinner at a friend’s house seemed so revolutionary! When I got back, a set by Bat For Lashes was the perfect antidote to the boring bombast of The Killers on the other channel. I’ve never given Natasha Khan and co much of a listen, but the short set I saw more than whetted my appetite for their unique brand of spooky pop. Headlining the Other Stage, Iggy and the Stooges put on a pretty damn impressive show for blokes who could almost be drawing their pensions. The stage invasion was amusing too.
On Sunday, it was good to see the Go! Team again, but shame that we didn’t get to see much in the way of new material, since like many others I’m keen to hear what the new album has to offer. Amp Fiddler put on a pretty fine retro Blaxploitation-style show, complete with 70 jackets and backing singers with huge hair (who managed to totally outclass ‘special guest’ Corrine Bailey Rae). And the Chemical Brothers put on a stunning display of visuals and beats which made me wonder if it really was 2007 and not 1997. I mean that in the best possible way of course – the big beat survivors showing why they still matter today. It made me wonder why, a few DJ sets aside, I’ve never seen them properly live.
So all in, not a bad event on TV. I’m even more glad I wasn’t there now, when I hear the horror stories of people trying to get back home through the crowds and the mud. Thanks then BBC for all your coverage. I’ll even forgive you for not having any cameras at the smaller stages – I know that resources are limited. This is the kind of thing that makes me happy to pay the licence fee.
Last word from me is more of a snigger as I remember the looks on the faces of Lauren Laverne and Phill Jupitus as they were told that we were going to get shown yet another song by Paolo Nutini on Saturday. My own groans were perfectly reflected. Maybe the presenters’ gig is not always the rosy one that it seems...
Download: Bat for Lashes – The Wizard
Download: The Go! Team – Ladyflash (Simian Mobile Disco Mix)
Download: Amp Fiddler – Ridin’ (Carl Craig Version)
Download: The Chemical Brothers – Loops of Fury
If you want a report on Glastonbury from someone who was actually there, no doubt headphonesex will have something to say soon...
Pictures, as before, via the BBC Glastonbury website.
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this is an amazing place to get info on music. :)
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