Last weekend it was the Wireless festival, four days of themed music in Hyde Park, replicated in Leeds on alternate days. We took it upon ourselves to attend on the Saturday, headlined by Daft Punk, with LCD Soundsystem, CSS, Plan B, Klaxons, and lots of other dancey shenanigans.
This was the first time I have been to a concert in Hyde Park, and I must admit I was pleasantly surprised. Queues weren't too bad, lager wasn't outrageously priced, and I have to say that the atmosphere was great, and we didn't experience any twats all day - which is unusual at any festival. Only thing that midly annoyed was the lack of really good music between bands on the main stage, which was running some ads, and some daft lass running about interviewing festival goers.
So, we had a couple of drinks, got in there to assess the situation, and promptly went on a bloody fast and stupid fairground ride. I haven't been on one for years and it made me feel a bit weird, which is obviously the point. Once I had gathered my senses Plan B had started things off in the main field, and he was very good, covering Roots Manuva's Witness, and using Nirvana riffs and the like, a good turn. He was followed by CSS, who took it to the next level, jumping about and lifting the spirits of the crowd in a way only Brazilian ladies in shiny catsuits can.
LCD followed CSS, and I was a little disappointed. Good, but with hindsight it was a bit of a funny slot to fill, short at about 45 minutes, and still in bright daylight even though second on the bill (it transpired that Daft Punk finished at about 10.45 - all very convenient for the last tube, but left the punters wanting more). Very good all the same, just not long enough.
And so to Daft Punk. Two French fellers in plastic hats, or house-electro-robo-pioneers. I'll happily admit to not fully getting the appeal of Daft Punk, slightly patchy albums, perhaps a bit too European for my ears. That said, they were cracking live and it all made much more sense than they do on record. Great light show, big neon pyramid thing, and about 20% louder than anything else on the bill, which lifted things up and got the new ravers grooving. Pretty hammered by the end of it all, bumped into some old mates, and all very convenient and easy to get to. And no rain.
Jarvis was hosting the Meltdown festival at the Royal Festival Hall, and this was the second of the festivals I went to. Great line up for Meltdown, and I would have liked to have seen DEVO, and the John Barry suite would have been great to see, but there is only so much one can do, so Iggy and The Stooges it was. And my, what a gig.
Jarvis described them as Rock Royalty before they came on, and the crowd were expectant and excited beforehand, and rightly so. I have never seen anything quite like it. Iggy Pop is one of the most engaging performers I have witnessed, absolutely crackers and utterly involved with the audience, especially when a load of 'em are up on stage dancing with him.
The Asheton's drums and guitars combined to hit with a force akin to being smashed in the face with a brick, and ex-Minute Man Mike Watt had his head shoved in the bass amps, and was just as odd and jerky in his playing as Iggy was with his dancing. Watching a 60 year old bloke dancing to three chord punk like a 7 year old girl full of sugar and e-numbers is one of the most entertaining things I have ever done. Knock 40 years off the bloke and fill him up with drugs, and I can't really imagine what it must have been like. Insanity.
Great stage invasion too, all very pleasantly done, about 40 odd people on there, my favourite being bloke of about 40 in oversized suit trousers waving his shirt round his head, as lost as Iggy in a world of riffs. Unlike Glastonbury, they slightly more polite crowd all happily hopped off stage when asked to, and were happy to be described as "slightly Benny Hill" by Iggy. If you ever get a chance to see this band, do so,
After the gig we milled about having a beer amongst the trendies and the aged rockers, and Don Letts was playing reggae in the bar bit of the RFH whilst everyone kicked these massive blow up pillows about. I love festivals, especially ones that involve a bus home and a comfy bed.
