4 posts tagged “glastonbury”
Even if you've not heard of N*E*R*D (that's "No one Ever Really Dies"), you'll likely know of founding member R&B producer Pharrell Williams. N*E*R*D are a collaborative effor between Pharell, Chad Hugo, Shay Haley and whoever they manage to drag in to band duties, and are pretty much the only band I've ever known to try and combine R&B style lyrics in to Hip-Hop / Rock tunes whilst trying to pass themselves off as an Indie / Rock band in the likes of metal mag Kerrang!. If it was anyone other than Pharell, I'm sure it'd crash and burn, and they've deffinately got their fair share of critics (especially for the lyrics), but the result is at least one extremely catchy album - Fly or Die - from which I've included the track Breakout but you really should check out the rest if you've not already.
- Chris"f*ck glas"topher
Camping with my parents in bug infested fields as a kid scared me for life, so when festival time comes around I stay stuck firmly to my couch. Lucky for me the BBC are on hand to bring huge coverage of the big ones, and Glastonbury is no exception. Unlike last year though, I'm hoping there's more than just the one decent band that catches my attention (2007's was the Go! Team). Thankfully this year's started well as I'm already moved to tell you all about one act.
Natty is an alt Reggae act from London and his acoustic version of July just played on BBC 2 got me searching round for some more. Check out his MySpace if you wanna know more. Hopefully I'll be back later with some more Glasto picks. Jay Z, anyone? No? Go figure...
- Christopher
I was sitting back watching more coverage of Glastonbury when it suddenly occurred to me that I actually have a mental image of the whole layout of Glastonbury superimposed in my mind. I could literally walk you from stage to stage...
I won't...
Day two of the biggest music festival in the UK has seen some of awesome bands on all of the main stages but I'll start by talking about Amy Winehouse (Website, Myspace) who featured on the Jazzworld stage.
Winehouse has been over described by most of the music magazines to the extent that a rather simple down-to-earth pint drinking gal appears to be almost schizophrenic on their pages. She is one of the leading lights of British soul music and has more balls than most of girl power groups. Her set went down a treat with the viewing audience and rightly so!
My favourite moment of the day (I am still pretending I am there) was the sex god of the mods, Paul Weller (Website). His time on stage was made all the better by the presence of Ocean Colour Scene's Damon Minchella (Fired from the group in 2003) and Steve Cradock, two mighty fine guitarists. A Town Called Malice has never sounded sweeter.
The award for best attempt at crowd surfing goes to Lovefoxxx from CSS (Website, Myspace), who successful managed to lose her head band in the process. Like everybody who performs at Glastonbury, the Brazilian group played in awe of the festival itself.
With tickets for Glastonbury costing £145 these days, I almost feel sorry for the hippies who attend for the spiritual side of the festival. But one glance at the faces in the crowd and all criticisms of the growing commercialisation of the festival are thrown to one side. Glastonbury makes people happier. Drunk, drugged up and happier.
Maximo Park (Website, Myspace) impressed me on the Pyramid Stage with a confident performance. Impressed and surprised me. However even more spectacular was the sight of a sea of people singing along to the instrumental stylings of Rodrigo y Gabriela (Website, Myspace).
Bat for Lashes were awesome on the John Peel stage and I am really looking forward to seeing them live now. If you don't own their album, I highly recommend you pop it on your wishlist if nothing else.
All in all, rock was pretty well represented in the lineup this year. One of the advantages of watching from home is the late night special performances in the BBC tent. It was with some delight I witnessed Calvin Harris sing along to an acoustic version of his track, The Girls. Another treat was hearing the Canadian poet and hip hopster K'Naan (Website, Myspace) for the first time. He has secured a place on my wish list.
Back to the big bands, the Kooks (Website, Myspace) were the penultimate act on the Pyramid stage. I've never been caught up in the fuss surrounding the Kooks. In my opinion, there are pretty average but you have to appreciate Jackie's Big Tits. The Killers (Website, Myspace) finished off the night. They were, well, The Killers. You either love them, hate them or stalk them. Interestingly, David Keuning claimed that when recording a song, the band ponders how the track will sound at Glastonbury.
There is no better way to finish my drunken early morning rambling than with the music of the Brummie band, The Twang (Website, Myspace). This group has been nominated by NME as "the Group of 2007". Putting that cursed title to one side, The Twang are pretty damn good. They have an additive from the gutter sound. The Streets gone rock. Poetic and working class. Definitely my one of the highlights of my festival experience. - Ryan.
Amy Winehouse - itunes, Amazon UK, Amazon USA.
CSS - itunes, Amazon UK, Amazon USA.
Maximo Park - itunes, Amazon UK, Amazon USA.
The Kooks - itunes, Amazon UK, Amazon USA.
The Twang - itunes, Amazon UK, Amazon USA.
That's right! My tent is setup, I am wearing wellington boots and a rain mac and I am covered in mud.
Unfortunately, I couldn't afford tickets to this year's Glastonbury festival. So I have recreated the experience in my very own bedroom and I write this review while watching the BBC 2 coverage of the festival.
Aside from mud rash, one of the disadvantages of this approach is I don't get to choose the bands I listen too. If I did, this Friday morning I would have been standing at the front of the Pyramid Stage at 10:40am to enjoy the music of Adjágas.
What musically delights would I have heard? Yoiking! According to their myspace, "A yoiker is a singer or a chanter with a Saami origin".
Keeping up the traditional Norwegian feel, the group take their name from a Sámi word used to described the moment between sleep and awaking up.
There is a very naturalistic feel to their music and I know it won't be everybody's cup of tea. As soon as I heard them, mental imagery of forests, mountains and campfires sprung into mind. I can think of no better way to open Glastonbury festival. In fact, I was due to see this group open Glastonbury in 2005, however the rain was so heavy that it caused an electrical fault and I missed my Adjágas moment.
Do not fear! They are touring the UK this summer and I will be catching them at the Bestival later in the year so I hope they still have some yoiking in them - Ryan
Their album is available on itunes, emusic and at Amazon UK.
PS. I didn't realise it in 2005 but John Peel is sorely missed from the Glastonbury coverage.
PPS. Anybody attending a festival in the UK this summer may want to check out the handy kit put together by the Homelessness Charity, Shelter.
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