Post by titchjuicy on Sept 3, 2022 11:35:53 GMT
All Points East
Friday without popular forum members Mahoney and JP.
Sunday with popular forum members Mahoney and JP.
I'll keep this brief as I don't want to upset Columbia Rocks. I've seen pictures of him and reckon he's the wrong kind of Scottish.
Friday started well with a leisurely bus ride on the number 8 through the heart of old school East TCOTU. Along Bethnal Green Road, pointing out a few Libertines related sites of interest to Carole including Vallance Road and the vague direction of Teesdale St (the original Albion Rooms).
The weather was promising. Sunny but with a few welcome clouds around and not too hot.
I didn't apply any suncream as if it got a bit sweaty there's nothing worse than cream dripping in your eyes and mouth. Instead I chose to wear a tasteful cap to protect my balding pate.
We arrived promptly at 2pm for doors and no queues. Was surprised how quickly we were in.
First stop was the picnic tables under the trees. In previous years there's been a full bar here, but this year just a small cocktail bar. Still, not to be put off we began with a strong, but toppy (at £9.50 for a small cup) Negroni. In spite of the price it was enjoyable and gave a little boost to proceedings.
Suitably lubricated we set off on the short walk to the West (main) stage where Cassandra Jenkins played to a small but appreciate crowd. I was a big fan of her recent record and it played well live. 7/10
Following this we strolled right across the site to catch Villagers on the East Stage. This was the theme of Friday- backwards and forwards between the two. The sequencing was such that all must sees alternated between the two. Still, this was good for my step count, topping out the day at 35,000 and giving me quite enviable buns of iron.
I was a huge fan of Villagers album from last year but hadn't paid much attention to his previous work. Thankfully his set was heavy with tracks from that album and he's been in the game long enough to really put on a decent show. His voice is great and for such a midget he has really good stage presence. I think he was possibly the shortest act in terms of stature I saw all weekend. 8/10.
Next up after a pleasant walk back West was Perfume Genius. Another act i've only paid attention to in the last couple of years. The vocals seemed a bit low at the start and he looked absolutely off his face, gurning like fuck. But I read recently that he's been clean and sober for some time, so perhaps he was just constipated. A decent enough performance eventually, but I won't be shelling out to see him any time soon. 6/10
Next up was Fleet Foxes. I adore this lot. I saw them a few times around their debut album including one of my all time favourite shows at the Roundhouse. Conversely, that same summer they played the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury and I had gone all in persuading my mates they were a must see, only for them to fall completely flat in a mid afternoon slot following N.E.R.D. who had whipped the crowd up into a frenzy. Their quiet, melodic pastoral indie folk was never going to work in that situation. Whoever curated that stage that year got it totally wrong.
A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then and two more experimental but equally great albums followed before a return to their roots with last year's brilliant Shore.
Robin Pecknold (who must be the nicest man in music- and that voice!) came out and said they would try and cram as many songs as possible into their short set, amd so they did. 17 in all and mostly from the debut ansld last albums. I think there's only one two members left from the original line up, but the new recruits all played their parts to perfection. The multi voice harmonies were flawless. I think if push came to shove this was my highlight of the two days and I'm psyched to see them in Utrecht next weekend. 10/10.
I don't think I've talked about food yet. I haven't been to Glastonbury since 2010 and the food there was always the best- but I reckon APE might surpass it. I had the best fried chicken I've ever had anywhere. Caribbean fried chicken this time. I've had jerk chicken many times, but this was slightly different in that it had a breadcrumb coating, but was perfectly moist, plentiful and came served with delicious skin on chips and a spicy mayonnaise. 9/10.
Headlining Friday were the National who I have a lot of history with. I think this might have been my 16th time seeing them in venues ranging in size from the Electric Ballroom to several festival headline stages and all manner of other venues inbetween, including the Royal Albert Hall. I missed their set last time they played Viccy Park as I was emotionally battered after a relationship break up and my ex, was a big fan of the band. And I haven't seen them for a few years after a run of disappointing records. But, they saty absence makes the heart grow fonder and this was absolutely the case here. It helped that the setlist was heavy on material from the run of albums between Alligator and Trouble Will Find me. I was also positioned near one of the speaker stacks so the sound was spot on and the crowd around me were well up for it. It was great to catch them again on such good form and I will make an effort to catch any festival sets when I'm there. I don't need to see their own shows anymore unless they're one off, small venue type things. A good way to polish off Friday. 9/10.
The journey from site to station was a bit of a chore. The site was half empty during daylight hours and so much room everywhere, with no bar queues, clean khazis etc...but it must have filled up after people finished work.
On Sunday morning we spent some time at the Van Gogh Experience at Spitalfields. This was excellent and I urge anyone that goes to take up the extra Virtual Reality option for a fiver. This left us in a contemplative mood as we approached the festival site.
Again, there were minimal queues to get in, but it was noticeable how much stricter the sniffer dogs were on entry this year- one got a right good nose full of my crotch. Lucky bitch.
After the success of the kick off negroni on Friday we started the afternoon in the same manner and then made our way to the tent to catch the last couple of numbers from Party Dozen. They made a good noise from what we heard, but wasn't paying too much attention. Rating: N/A.
From there it was a short hop, skip and jump to the 6music stage where the ABSOLUTE LEGEND that is Norman Jay MBE was just starting his set. The crowd was a bit light and no-one was dancing for the first couple of numbers apart from a mum and her daughter so Carole and I showed everyone how it was done and got right up front to throw some exceptional shapes. Just as we were hitting our stride I got a tap on the shoulder from popular forum member Mahoney, who was sporting a handsome Charles Bronson t-shirt and was accompanied by the equally sartorially elegant JP (Grey Adidas t-shirt) and the Swede. Hugs all round and more dancing to Norm's intoxicating mix of Latin, soul, DnB and reggae/ska. 8/10.
I can't remember if it was Tinariwen or Kae Tempest next, but we saw a bit of each.
I'd seen Tinariwen once before at Primavera in a late night slot. This wasn't quite as good as that, but still worth 20 mins of our time. 6/10.
I'd never seen Kae Tempest live, but remember watching their Glasto set on the West Holts Stage on telly from about 2016, where they made people cry- such was their emotional and powerful heft. This was nearly as affecting. They rap/speak with such clarity that even the Luxemburger could pick out all of the lyrics. Left feeling we'd seen something quite special. 9/10.
We had a good spot for Aldous Harding. I've really liked her last two records but had never seen any live footage of her. I'd heard that she was a bit unusual and she'd come across as a total oddball in a 6music interview with Marc Riley recently. And she lived up to reputation on stage- at times holding very strange, very still poses, staring at the crowd. But, that didn't detract from the performance. She has a sensational voice and I thought the songs worked well on the big stage. But as Mahoney suggested, would be even better to catch her on a small stage. One of the Luxembourger's highlights. 8/10.
I'd seen The Smile quite recently at an outdoor venue in Luxembourg and enjoyed it immensely. This was more of the same for me. While I'll go to my death utterly enviable of popular forum members Mahoney and KRburg seeing them at Magazine, they still blew me away here. It's difficult to overstate how skilled Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood are, but seeing them up close (it was quite easy to get a good spot) really hammers it home. And Tom Skinner with his jazz pedigree is a great drummer. They timed it a bit wrong and were asked to leave the stage before they'd had a chance to play their last song, but all in all it was a great band to have lower down the bill 9/10.
We wandered back East to watch some of the Michael Kiwanuka set and had a lovely spot sitting on the grass to the front left of the stage. It was still busy, but for some reason there was this great bit of space (perhaps because a lot of people had positioned for a fast get away for Nick Cave on the West Stage). I suspect Kiwanuka's brand of Soul might be a little poppy for some people's tastes, but I think he writes properly soulful, catchy tunes made for big stages. As is often the case with big soul acts he had a fantastic band and his backing singers were stars in themselves. He has a big and distinctive voice and seems to be a half decent guitar player. We gave it about half an hour before moving on to get a drink go for a shit and find our spot for Nick Cave. 7.5/10.
Like popular forum member Mahoney it feels like there's been a little Nick Cave oversaturation in recent years. The last time I saw him with thr bad seeds was at the same venue 4 years ago and it felt like a good time to take a break. We saw him on his solo piano tour (sat at a table on the stage next to the piano dontcha know) more recently and that was great but I had no real desire shell out for his recent full band tour. The recent albums have been great but hard going due to the content and understandably so.
So, it was great to have him/them on such good form. He started off by saying that someone had actually written to his management company complaining that he and Warren spat too much on stage during their show. So obviously, they made a point of spitting before every song this time. Warren had a bucket mext to him that he spat into every time Nick came to him 😂
We had a good spot by a speaker stack, so again the sound was good and LOUD. We didn't stay til the end as we wanted to beat the crowds back to Mile End station, as we were both knackered by this time but we'd heard most of the songs we wanted to and could hear the set closing most of the way back to the station. But it's safe to say that it was one of the best times I've seen them. 9.5/10.
All in all I think the festival organisers have got this absolutely sorted. Even when full there were no long bar queues. Litter pickers were prominent throughout. Loads of toilets and it seemed like plenty of bog Roll. Great food. A nice, respectful crowd too. And an unbeatable line up. This will be a regular in my calendar.
Overall a solid 9/10.
Friday without popular forum members Mahoney and JP.
Sunday with popular forum members Mahoney and JP.
I'll keep this brief as I don't want to upset Columbia Rocks. I've seen pictures of him and reckon he's the wrong kind of Scottish.
Friday started well with a leisurely bus ride on the number 8 through the heart of old school East TCOTU. Along Bethnal Green Road, pointing out a few Libertines related sites of interest to Carole including Vallance Road and the vague direction of Teesdale St (the original Albion Rooms).
The weather was promising. Sunny but with a few welcome clouds around and not too hot.
I didn't apply any suncream as if it got a bit sweaty there's nothing worse than cream dripping in your eyes and mouth. Instead I chose to wear a tasteful cap to protect my balding pate.
We arrived promptly at 2pm for doors and no queues. Was surprised how quickly we were in.
First stop was the picnic tables under the trees. In previous years there's been a full bar here, but this year just a small cocktail bar. Still, not to be put off we began with a strong, but toppy (at £9.50 for a small cup) Negroni. In spite of the price it was enjoyable and gave a little boost to proceedings.
Suitably lubricated we set off on the short walk to the West (main) stage where Cassandra Jenkins played to a small but appreciate crowd. I was a big fan of her recent record and it played well live. 7/10
Following this we strolled right across the site to catch Villagers on the East Stage. This was the theme of Friday- backwards and forwards between the two. The sequencing was such that all must sees alternated between the two. Still, this was good for my step count, topping out the day at 35,000 and giving me quite enviable buns of iron.
I was a huge fan of Villagers album from last year but hadn't paid much attention to his previous work. Thankfully his set was heavy with tracks from that album and he's been in the game long enough to really put on a decent show. His voice is great and for such a midget he has really good stage presence. I think he was possibly the shortest act in terms of stature I saw all weekend. 8/10.
Next up after a pleasant walk back West was Perfume Genius. Another act i've only paid attention to in the last couple of years. The vocals seemed a bit low at the start and he looked absolutely off his face, gurning like fuck. But I read recently that he's been clean and sober for some time, so perhaps he was just constipated. A decent enough performance eventually, but I won't be shelling out to see him any time soon. 6/10
Next up was Fleet Foxes. I adore this lot. I saw them a few times around their debut album including one of my all time favourite shows at the Roundhouse. Conversely, that same summer they played the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury and I had gone all in persuading my mates they were a must see, only for them to fall completely flat in a mid afternoon slot following N.E.R.D. who had whipped the crowd up into a frenzy. Their quiet, melodic pastoral indie folk was never going to work in that situation. Whoever curated that stage that year got it totally wrong.
A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then and two more experimental but equally great albums followed before a return to their roots with last year's brilliant Shore.
Robin Pecknold (who must be the nicest man in music- and that voice!) came out and said they would try and cram as many songs as possible into their short set, amd so they did. 17 in all and mostly from the debut ansld last albums. I think there's only one two members left from the original line up, but the new recruits all played their parts to perfection. The multi voice harmonies were flawless. I think if push came to shove this was my highlight of the two days and I'm psyched to see them in Utrecht next weekend. 10/10.
I don't think I've talked about food yet. I haven't been to Glastonbury since 2010 and the food there was always the best- but I reckon APE might surpass it. I had the best fried chicken I've ever had anywhere. Caribbean fried chicken this time. I've had jerk chicken many times, but this was slightly different in that it had a breadcrumb coating, but was perfectly moist, plentiful and came served with delicious skin on chips and a spicy mayonnaise. 9/10.
Headlining Friday were the National who I have a lot of history with. I think this might have been my 16th time seeing them in venues ranging in size from the Electric Ballroom to several festival headline stages and all manner of other venues inbetween, including the Royal Albert Hall. I missed their set last time they played Viccy Park as I was emotionally battered after a relationship break up and my ex, was a big fan of the band. And I haven't seen them for a few years after a run of disappointing records. But, they saty absence makes the heart grow fonder and this was absolutely the case here. It helped that the setlist was heavy on material from the run of albums between Alligator and Trouble Will Find me. I was also positioned near one of the speaker stacks so the sound was spot on and the crowd around me were well up for it. It was great to catch them again on such good form and I will make an effort to catch any festival sets when I'm there. I don't need to see their own shows anymore unless they're one off, small venue type things. A good way to polish off Friday. 9/10.
The journey from site to station was a bit of a chore. The site was half empty during daylight hours and so much room everywhere, with no bar queues, clean khazis etc...but it must have filled up after people finished work.
On Sunday morning we spent some time at the Van Gogh Experience at Spitalfields. This was excellent and I urge anyone that goes to take up the extra Virtual Reality option for a fiver. This left us in a contemplative mood as we approached the festival site.
Again, there were minimal queues to get in, but it was noticeable how much stricter the sniffer dogs were on entry this year- one got a right good nose full of my crotch. Lucky bitch.
After the success of the kick off negroni on Friday we started the afternoon in the same manner and then made our way to the tent to catch the last couple of numbers from Party Dozen. They made a good noise from what we heard, but wasn't paying too much attention. Rating: N/A.
From there it was a short hop, skip and jump to the 6music stage where the ABSOLUTE LEGEND that is Norman Jay MBE was just starting his set. The crowd was a bit light and no-one was dancing for the first couple of numbers apart from a mum and her daughter so Carole and I showed everyone how it was done and got right up front to throw some exceptional shapes. Just as we were hitting our stride I got a tap on the shoulder from popular forum member Mahoney, who was sporting a handsome Charles Bronson t-shirt and was accompanied by the equally sartorially elegant JP (Grey Adidas t-shirt) and the Swede. Hugs all round and more dancing to Norm's intoxicating mix of Latin, soul, DnB and reggae/ska. 8/10.
I can't remember if it was Tinariwen or Kae Tempest next, but we saw a bit of each.
I'd seen Tinariwen once before at Primavera in a late night slot. This wasn't quite as good as that, but still worth 20 mins of our time. 6/10.
I'd never seen Kae Tempest live, but remember watching their Glasto set on the West Holts Stage on telly from about 2016, where they made people cry- such was their emotional and powerful heft. This was nearly as affecting. They rap/speak with such clarity that even the Luxemburger could pick out all of the lyrics. Left feeling we'd seen something quite special. 9/10.
We had a good spot for Aldous Harding. I've really liked her last two records but had never seen any live footage of her. I'd heard that she was a bit unusual and she'd come across as a total oddball in a 6music interview with Marc Riley recently. And she lived up to reputation on stage- at times holding very strange, very still poses, staring at the crowd. But, that didn't detract from the performance. She has a sensational voice and I thought the songs worked well on the big stage. But as Mahoney suggested, would be even better to catch her on a small stage. One of the Luxembourger's highlights. 8/10.
I'd seen The Smile quite recently at an outdoor venue in Luxembourg and enjoyed it immensely. This was more of the same for me. While I'll go to my death utterly enviable of popular forum members Mahoney and KRburg seeing them at Magazine, they still blew me away here. It's difficult to overstate how skilled Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood are, but seeing them up close (it was quite easy to get a good spot) really hammers it home. And Tom Skinner with his jazz pedigree is a great drummer. They timed it a bit wrong and were asked to leave the stage before they'd had a chance to play their last song, but all in all it was a great band to have lower down the bill 9/10.
We wandered back East to watch some of the Michael Kiwanuka set and had a lovely spot sitting on the grass to the front left of the stage. It was still busy, but for some reason there was this great bit of space (perhaps because a lot of people had positioned for a fast get away for Nick Cave on the West Stage). I suspect Kiwanuka's brand of Soul might be a little poppy for some people's tastes, but I think he writes properly soulful, catchy tunes made for big stages. As is often the case with big soul acts he had a fantastic band and his backing singers were stars in themselves. He has a big and distinctive voice and seems to be a half decent guitar player. We gave it about half an hour before moving on to get a drink go for a shit and find our spot for Nick Cave. 7.5/10.
Like popular forum member Mahoney it feels like there's been a little Nick Cave oversaturation in recent years. The last time I saw him with thr bad seeds was at the same venue 4 years ago and it felt like a good time to take a break. We saw him on his solo piano tour (sat at a table on the stage next to the piano dontcha know) more recently and that was great but I had no real desire shell out for his recent full band tour. The recent albums have been great but hard going due to the content and understandably so.
So, it was great to have him/them on such good form. He started off by saying that someone had actually written to his management company complaining that he and Warren spat too much on stage during their show. So obviously, they made a point of spitting before every song this time. Warren had a bucket mext to him that he spat into every time Nick came to him 😂
We had a good spot by a speaker stack, so again the sound was good and LOUD. We didn't stay til the end as we wanted to beat the crowds back to Mile End station, as we were both knackered by this time but we'd heard most of the songs we wanted to and could hear the set closing most of the way back to the station. But it's safe to say that it was one of the best times I've seen them. 9.5/10.
All in all I think the festival organisers have got this absolutely sorted. Even when full there were no long bar queues. Litter pickers were prominent throughout. Loads of toilets and it seemed like plenty of bog Roll. Great food. A nice, respectful crowd too. And an unbeatable line up. This will be a regular in my calendar.
Overall a solid 9/10.
Fantastic review.
