‘Hello Stafford… shire!’ shout Kasabian in an accent that certainly isn’t Leicester. Everyone south of Birmingham likes to put on a mockney accent. But that’s okay today.
What a way to finish. It was Katharine’s idea to end on Kasabian and she was well vindicated.
The second stage is hardly a small space, but you do feel much closer to the action, it’s crowded and boisterous. Soon they’ll be headlining proper. This posted via mobile via Flickr and so not so closely proofread. Click the pic to see it large (there’s an ‘all-sizes’ tab for really large).
Editors woz rockin’. Which was great because I feared they might have been a bit studenty.
Having said that we only caught the end of the show, which is a shame. But you can’t be at six stages at once.
This year the layout’s been altered a little. The second stage has been reversed, so the stage rather than the audience is at the bottom of the hill. It makes much more sense and there’s more room for concessions. This posted via mobile via Flickr and so not so closely proofread. Click the pic to see it large (there’s an ‘all-sizes’ tab for really large).
Every year its the same. Queue for hours to get into a toilet only to find yourself standing in a pool of sewage not knowing where to point Percy… there is no visible porcelain as everything’s drowned in shit. Men have always had a degree of flexibility and in recent years boundary walls have evolved from unofficial to official urinals.
Obviously it’s far worse if you’re female. This year we’ve come prepared with these unisex disposable urinals. They’re a little more sophisticated than pissing in a bag. It’s a bag within a bag, but that’s not what makes it leak proof. Inside are crystals that absorb the liquid to form a solid, odourless, biodegradable and non-toxic gel, making it far more hygienic than the portaloos. It also means you have something appropriate to throw at the Beautiful South. This posted via mobile via Flickr and so not so closely proofread. Click the pic to see it large (there’s an ‘all-sizes’ tab for really large).
After the frantic sweaty pop fun of Girls Aloud (video to follow in next couple of days). Beck, supported by some scary puppets, provides a welcome chance to chill as the sun goes down.
The puppets shouldn’t really work. Okay, they’re on a pedastal, but they’re still to small to be seen except on the big screens. But they do work. This posted via mobile via Flickr and so not so closely proofread. Click the pic to see it large (there’s an ‘all-sizes’ tab for really large).
Everything Keane do seems familiar after just one listen. They are kind of anthemic-lite (which is a complement as I’m not a fan of anthemic rock). It is all a bit singalong, bit not at all cheesy. This posted via mobile via Flickr and so not so closely proofread. Click the pic to see it large (there’s an ‘all-sizes’ tab for really large).
A huge Tellytubby-style sun has emerged low behind the main stage over Keane, making it impossible to look toward the chubby babyface singer.
Say: ‘Eh, oh!’ This posted via mobile via Flickr and so not so closely proofread. Click the pic to see it large (there’s an ‘all-sizes’ tab for really large).
No not the next big student band, but this year’s must have. To be fair, it’s been dry over night and today’s had some sunny spells (though it has been spitin’). This posted via mobile via Flickr and so not so closely proofread. Click the pic to see it large (there’s an ‘all-sizes’ tab for really large). Buy festival wellies at www.fredsclothing.co.uk
There were flashes of brilliance from Bloc Party, but you need a degree of familiarity with their work to really appreciate them. That is to say Bloc Party are an acquired taste and I’ve yet to put the work in. This posted via mobile via Flickr and so not so closely proofread. Click the pic to see it large (there’s an ‘all-sizes’ tab for really large). Update 22 August: Check out Two More Years:
I’ve not shared a flat or a house since I was a student. I started off in Salford’s walled community of Castle Irwell (it didn’t come with free access to swimming pool, sauna and Jacuzzi when I was there; the kids have it so easy nowadays) and then became one of the last residents of a Salford Precinct block called Larch Court. Having been condemned, with wallpaper coming off the walls and much damp, it was very, very cheap.
If I’d been stuck here living on benefits I’d probably have joined the kids in fire brigade bating. This involved setting a fire, stoning the fire fighters who came to put it out, then taking a beating off the riot police. In the day these scallies got to play football with community police officers sent round to understand them. As a student flat with a high balcony it was a great place from which to watch the fun, knowing this was just for a couple terms. I paid to return to Uni a week early so I could nab the best room; what would have been the living room when it was for proletariat families.
Interestingly, Flat Mate World (powered by EasyFlatmate) only recognises two kinds of tenant. Alongside students are professionals, who may not be in the professions at all. They are simply people who do not depend on the state. But surely there’s room for misunderstanding as Manchester bedsit land has traditionally focussed on Whalley Range and you find many professional ladies bathed in red light there.
Real professionals look for house and flat shares in South Manchester suburbs like Didsbury, Chorlton and Withington (Fallowfield or Rusholme at a push, or if you’re an ex-Manchester student who doesn’t want to be a graduate).
Graduating in the early ’90s was a big mistake. It was the depths of recession and none of my cohort had jobs to go to. We ended up renting from a drug dealer in Old Trafford (we didn’t know his profession when we signed on the dotted line, only finding out when the Manchester Evening News put him on its front page) who used to collect rent promptly and personally (as you might expect).
In hindsight, we might have been better off looking for a house or flat to share. But house and flat shares can seem a bit daunting. It’s all very well sharing with some soft-arsed students, but real people are another matter. It’s a hard task picking a flatmate or a housemate. The thing is interviews of any type are difficult. A potential flatmate of housemate is hardly likely to reveal their inner psycho if they can help it, so Flat Mate World ask for your star sign before you can share a flat or a house.
So if you’re on the hunt for a flat share or a house share, try Flat Mate World. It’s free.
Children: ‘Don’t try this at home. Obesity kills!’
Oh all right I’m sorry, but what do The Magic Numbers expect when they perform against a backdrop of WeeMees half their size.
I’ve always had a bit of soft spot for Deacon Blue, so who am I to slag off the Magic Numbers, here performing at the V Festival 2006? They were here last year too, but we were slightly too late and only heard them as we walked from the car park. While they’re at the same-ish position on the bill, they have been moved to the big stage. Way to go!
Deacon Blue made it a couple of years too late to be remembered as affectionately as they should be. Hell they had more hits than Aztec Camera and ABC put together. But most of those were in the early 1990s, rather than the ’80s, where their sound properly belonged. Which means they did pretty well, given they were already out-of-date.
Oh yeah. The Magic Numbers gave a very pleasant performance. They’re at their best when they’re energetic. This is quality feelgood music with the power to brighten any day. This posted via mobile via Flickr and so not so closely proofread. Click the pic to see it large (there’s an ‘all-sizes’ tab for really large).
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‘Hello Stafford… shire!’ shout Kasabian in an accent that certainly isn’t Leicester. Everyone south of Birmingham likes to put on a mockney accent. But that’s okay today.
