From: owner-seven-seas@smoe.org (seven-seas-moderated-digest) To: seven-seas-moderated-digest@smoe.org Subject: seven-seas-moderated-digest V2 #222 Reply-To: seven-seas@smoe.org Sender: owner-seven-seas@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-seven-seas@smoe.org Precedence: bulk seven-seas-moderated-digest Tuesday, July 15 2003 Volume 02 : Number 222 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 07:57:29 -0600 From: "K. F. Smith" Subject: seven-seas-moderated T turns ten multipart/alternative Sender: owner-seven-seas@smoe.org Precedence: bulk Reply-To: seven-seas@smoe.org http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/index.cfm?id=3D765142003 T turns ten with the blessing of the sun=20 FIONA SHEPHERD=20 SATURDAY IT MAY not have the dizzying diversity of Glastonbury, but T in = the Park had a confident and broad-minded feel to it in its tenth year. = Confident enough to allow 55,000 inebriated music fans to wander through = a pristine, purpose-built, domed garden and broad-minded enough to put = Turbonegro, a camp, Norwegian, "schlock-rock" band, and the Saw Doctors, = a knees-up, Irish combo on the same stage.=20 It remains one of the few festivals dedicated to exposing new = bands, so the day began in the company of the next generation of tipped = Scottish hopefuls. Speedway are essentially a Texas-type rock band = comprising three men and a more self-assured Sharleen Spiteri with a = voice the size of the Ochils playing anachronistic "Jockrock".=20 Over in the new X Tent, Franz Ferdinand were a throwback to = another time - the early 80s - when punk still exerted enough influence = on art pop to create an intriguing tension. This much-fancied young band = recaptured the sounds of the Teardrop Explodes, with the help of a = floppy-fringed guitarist in an asymmetric T-shirt, teleported in from = that era.=20 Time for the veterans to grab a piece of glory. On the main stage, = the Proclaimers, as red-faced as the sunburnt fans, had to battle poor = sound. Their mild set was balm for the mid- afternoon crowd but, despite = the predictably rousing singalongs and jigging as far as the eye could = see to Letter From America and (I'm Gonna Be) 500 Miles, their = performance was not the triumph it could have been.=20 Idlewild, a young line-up, also suffered as the wind blew the = words right out of their mouths. They compensated with a brave display = of scissorkicks, Ramone-style splayed legs and other rock 'n' roll = postures. Despite the attention to detail in their chunkily melodic set, = there was still a nonchalance about their performance. Months on the = road have honed the mean touring machine and the crowd reaped the = benefits.=20 However, they were mere mewling pups next to the all-conquering, = hair-flailing might of New Zealand's the Datsuns. The whippet-thin = quartet were still a one-trick pony but gloriously so. It was physically = impossible not to headbang like a 15-year-old to their monster riffs, = power chords and mindless lyrics. No band enjoyed themselves on stage = quite like the Datsuns.=20 It was now mid-evening and kids everywhere were stumbling about, = projecting their thousand yard stares. It was time for the animals to = come out to play. First, there was Super Furry Animals, mixing up = psychedelic pop and blistering techno on the NME stage, then there were = super furry animals dancing with the Flaming Lips on the main stage. The = Lips were pulled from their headline slot in one of the tents to fill in = for the White Stripes, and took their rightful place in front of the = open air crowd for a magical set. The absent Stripes loomed large over = their slot. The Lips adopted their uniform of red and white clothing. = Wayne Coyne sang his tribute Thank You Jack White (For The Fibre Optic = Jesus That You Gave Me). The crowd sang happy birthday to Jack White. = Even the dancing fans in the creature costumes wore red T-shirts. This = time, the usual menagerie of reindeer, pink rabbits and budgies was = augmented by robots, yetis and two suns. The real sun was beaming down = and all was well.=20 The good vibes persisted back at the NME stage with the euphoric = Polyphonic Spree. This 25-piece, white-robed, Texan band, incorporating = harp and celestial choir, were the perfect band to soundtrack the = sunset. Tim DeLaughter, the Spree frontman was sporting a tartan robe, = given to him by the BBC. He played the charismatic preacher as ever, = although the set was more muted than usual, apart from an outbreak of = religious ecstasy at the climax.=20 In total contrast, the Mars Volta vented their spleen with a = soaring but indulgent display of elemental rock which brought = proceedings in the X Tent to an ear-bleeding close. Meanwhile, across = the site, Michael Stipe of REM was skipping about the main stage like a = schoolgirl.=20 The pure, celebratory innocence of Man On The Moon and the dippy = It's The End Of The World As We Know It induced a mass outbreak of loony = dancing in the crowd. Before that rousing conclusion, Everybody Hurts = soothed the day's aches. Stipe called for a bottle of Tennent's lager, = in the ultimate piece of product placement. SUNDAY ON ONE of the hottest days in T in the Park's history, the = pleasant anthems of Coldplay provided a finale to the music festival's = 10th anniversary showcase.=20 The day had begun for many with the Sugababes on the main stage. = But despite boasting cracking top singles, the teen trio were a = frustrating live experience. The girls seemed overly keen on proving = they were technically gifted singers, so even the simplest acoustic = ballad was oversung.=20 They still haven't mastered the art of communicating with a huge = crowd, so the traditional festival exhortations to join in were either = shrill or awkward.=20 Nevertheless Freak Like Me and Round Round sounded fantastic = blasting out over the field, providing some dynamics in the absence of = any stage presence.=20 The arena was still packed for Scouse tunesmiths the Coral, who = had no trouble projecting good vibes throughout their rag-bag of a set, = which referenced every Liverpudlian beat combo from the Beatles to the = Las.=20 Singer James Skelly is an unassuming presence, even in his Farmer = Giles hat, but he has an impressive rhythm and blues voice, like a = latter-day Eric Burdon.=20 Busker's favourite Dreaming of You was the highlight - passionate, = quirky and a big favourite with the crowd.=20 Over in a busy King Tut's Tent, the Appleton sisters, Nicole and = Natalie, ensured nobody would be discussing their music by wearing = matching T-shirts with a picture of a pair of female breasts on the = front.=20 Back in 1978, when Siouxsie Sioux first modelled the look, it was = a provocative statement. When the Appletons do it, it looks like another = feeble attempt to gain column inches. Which, of course, succeeded.=20 The Corals' musical big brothers Supergrass took over in the main = arena, sustaining the sunshine atmosphere by adding a grittier acid-rock = touch.=20 Even though they can be somewhat overlooked, Supergrass are the = ideal festival band - they are tight, tuneful and affable, with a = formidable back catalogue at their disposal.=20 As a special T in the Park birthday treat, they resurrected the = gleeful Alright, a crowd-pleaser which they have refused to play for a = number of years, and rounded off with an exuberant Caught by the Fuzz, = one of the all-time great debut singles.=20 Teenage Fanclub, who have played at every T in the Park or maybe = it just seems that way, were like the sage old uncles of the line-up = (singer Norman Blake even had the stripy pullover for the job). You = listen, you appreciate what they are saying, you take them a little for = granted when you know you shouldn't because they write delightful songs = such as I Need Direction and the evergreen Everything Flows, as fine a = song as any heard this weekend.=20 The Charlatans have mutated over the years from callow indie boys = to snake-hipped hunky rock band and Tim Burgess now has the practised = falsetto vocal to match.=20 Their set was a select greatest hits extravaganza with a few new = songs thrown in to taste. Fine for those who love The Charlatans but, = elsewhere in the arena, likely lad Mike Skinner of The Streets was = brewing up a more stimulating stew, blending soul, reggae and UK garage = with conversational kitchen-sink lyrics, while strutting about with a = towel round his neck like a prize fighter. He had cause to look smug - = Weak Become Heroes was one of the more beautiful songs to be heard on = any stage.=20 DJ Darren Emmerson filled the gap before his former band = Underworld reliably seduced the clubbing fraternity with their failsafe, = intelligent dance anthems.=20 While cult New York quartet The Rapture played to a small but = enthusiastic core audience, the masses were drinking the anthems of = Coldplay.=20 They drifted through a mellow set of piano ballads with only the = occasional stand-out track - the beguiling Don't Panic knocked spots of = new songs such as the bland In Your Place and the sub-U2 strains of = Clocks. The special guest, Ian McCulloch, joined the band for an encore = of his band's Echo and the Bunnymen's old track Lips Like Sugar but, on = balance, it was probably too downbeat a finale to a major festival. But = the fireworks made up for it. =20 [demime 0.97c removed an attachment of type image/gif which had a name of pxl.gif] ====================================== The Official Seven-Seas Web Page. www.bunnymenlist.com ====================================== ------------------------------ End of seven-seas-moderated-digest V2 #222 ******************************************