SaturdayAdding an element of glamour to the main stage, the
5.6.7.8's , with their silver glittery mini skirts, draw a large crowd for the first band on stage. Most of the crowd see this Japanese punk band as a one trick pony courtesy of the recent Carling ad 'Woo Hoo' What comes about is deluge of 60's surf and rock 'n' roll music that keeps the crowd on their toes. They garage thrash their way through 'Barracuda' and forthcoming single 'I'm Blue' and are truly overwhelmed by the embracement of the crowd. So much so, that they practically refuse to leave the stage. Much to the delight of the crowd.
Rock n roll is on the menu for the early main stage spectators, in the shape of
Young Heart Attack. Built on the seething sexual chemistry of co vocalist and guitarist Chris Hodges and the sleek seductive Jennifer Stephens. The Texan hellraisers squawk on classic rock 'n' roll bombs 'Mistry Rows' and 'Tommy shots' they shamelessly pilfer guitar riffs from AC/DC and Rainbow, so much so that they would put Jet to shame.
Moustachioed grease ball guitarist Frenchie plays Who-style squiggly solos and demonstrates symbolic guitar poses to the annoyance of the crowd who just want to break away from the threat of the set enveloping itself into a Darkness tribute. A threat that is unfortunately transformed into reality at the latter stages of the set.
Oozing sex appeal as soon as he struts his funk,
Har Mar Superstar's wardrobe clerk has done it again, handing out stage costumes as outrageous as they come. In the mood to plug 'You can Feel me' his second solo album, he is a preening wonder. As 'Ez Pass' kicks in the pantomime feel of proceedings confirm to the crowd that it is more than a musical feast, it is a one man show. The gyrating masterpiece of 'Power Lunch' and the bizarre 'Elephant Walk' are littered with brand new songs from his new album. At times he is perhaps in need of a cold shower, but as an entertainer he keeps the crowd fixated.
What a relief. For a festival epitomised with big shorts, three chord songs and lots of black, its refreshing to see a band, not only as original as
The Roots, but also offering a large dose of class. Easily the most proficient musicians at the festival, they belt out some pretty amazing hip-hop tunes, both from their classic 2002 LP 'Phrenology' and new LP, 'The Tipping Point'. Beginning with bombastic anthem 'Boom', the band sound tight and immediately win over support form the crowd usually resistant to non-guitar bands. Cody Chestnut provides soaring vocals on the crowd pleaser 'The Seed' and has now become an integral part of the band's live set up. Despite some little respite in the form of stomach churning bass solos and ethereal guitar outings, the intensity and sharpness never ceases. As one of the finest live funk acts in the world they deserve to augment their critical acclaim with commercial success that should now be theirs for the taking.
