Week Commencing: 5/7/04
By: Toby L
Oops,
Yes, you may have noticed there was no Weekly Editorial last week. Apologies. Occasionally, rockfeedback experiences what I lovingly to refer to as the deluge, and we become as reliable in our regularity as the tube. Sorry. Again.
OK, enough of that. Anyone go to Glastonbury? We had a couple of our scribes down there who, naturally, commended it as one of the finest things they've ever attended (by all accounts, Muse sounded as if they were absolutely bloody unstoppable - our commiserations only go out to Dom Howard, the band's drummer, whose father passed away following their performance on-site). I didn't attend, however, because T In The Park this weekend needed preparing for - see you shortly, Scots...
Anyway, I sidetrack from the point. After all the glee and romanticism over this year's undoubtedly triumphant events, we were sent a woeful tale that depicted another side of Glasto, as sent from an anonymous source who acted as a security-guard at this year's events.
The deal to become a temporary Glasto steward/security-guard - you pay £150:00, work a few shifts across the stretch of the festival, get some meals for the perk, and then get paid your money back upon completion of some humble-seeming duties - thus entitling you, more or less and bar free labour, complimentary attendance to the annual, sunshine-laden mudbath. Not a bad deal, you may concur, especially if the festival's sold out, and all your mates are going, and you're desperate to be part of it.
But, of course, this story had a sting. One day of the weekend, our poor reader was naively sectioned out to a shift of nigh-on solitary confinement. His job was to solely man one of the hundreds of observation-towers which dots the perimeter of the festival site. The function of these sizeable, 15-foot structures? To overlook the Wall Of Terror fence that prevents free-loaders and smelly, poor hippies from pole-vaulting into the festival for nowt. Sounds like fun, you'd think - seeing Glasto from up yonder?
Bollocks it is. Add to the equation: torrential downpours, freezing temperatures, relentless, tower-wobbling wind (our correspondent declared he felt akin to that most troublesome of things - 'a human slingshot'), and the poor bleeder was left with hands so frozen he couldn't even roll a cigarette or open a pack of sandwiches. Add the torture of this thing being only three paces wide and long either side, and the lack of exercise left his posture feeling stiffer than the weapon of a porn-star. To add pneumonia to injury, the torment raged for six long hours, with no break, before the defenceless do-gooder stepped down to safety and remedying beer-guzzling, shivering and terrified.
The moral? Enjoy your times at these outdoor musical shindigs during the summer. But at least bear an element of severe pity for the poor bastards that make your good time happen. They're certainly not having one.
The Issue: We'd provided this section a loving hiatus for a fortnight, but she's a-back. This time we want to probe you, faithful readers, on a subject related to the above - festival-traumas: what's been simply the most frightfully crap thing that's ever happened to you at a summer-festival? Did you deserve it? If not, who did? Be relentless; we want every pant-wettingly frustrating detail. To share your disgust with us, and the world, email theissue@rockfeedback.com, and the finer representations of delinquent outdoor behaviour will be posted here next week.
Gigs this week, London: The Polyphonic Spree are back in town - yay! and we saw their storming secret-gig last night: details here - and they grace the Shepherd's Bush Empire this evening (Monday 5th July; sold out); Buck 65 debuts his new full live-band at the 100 Club for a two-night residency (Tues 6th/Weds 7th; sold out) - highly recommended; pedal-steel legend - and prior Basement Club performer - BJ Cole is doing a rare, solo one-off at the Spitz (Mon 5th July; sold out); The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster are granting a low-key showing at the ICA (Thursday 8th; sold out); Massive Attack have added a second show at Brixton Academy following the sold-out eve before on Thurs (£27:50; Fri 9th); and The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players hit the Buffalo Bar, N1 for a rare London debuting (Sat 10th; £5:00).
Current rockfeedback playlist: The Earlies' debut full-length is a collection of their early EPs, and makes for good-time listening; The Music have stormed back with 'Welcome To The North' (the 12" white label is positively glorious, let alone Ebay-tastic); and Dogs Die In Hot Cars' debut 'Please Describe Yourself' is essentially, fantastically fervent, playful stuff.
UK Chart-action this week: Razorlight's 'Up All Night' LP has gone straight into number-three, Keane hover around the top-five at four, Scissor Sisters have sneaked into the number-one slot, and The Streets' debut-LP 'Original Pirate Material' has magically re-appeared in the top-ten at nine (complementing his top-five 'A Grand Don't Come For Free' second album). Singles - well, look at our latest hit-parade; most of those new entries in the 45s-charts, as voted by you, are now top-40 hits.
Ta y'all.