Glastonbury: which tribe are you?

Glastonbury has definitely got more commercial. Forty years ago you wouldn’t have seen Sony and Orange down there. And you certainly wouldn’t have seen stag and hen dos with those ridiculous matching t-shirts. That said, I’m not completely against commercialisation. I’m quite a fan of the Chill ‘n’ Charge tent, and with the exception of the arrogant drunks, I think a more diverse crowd adds character to the festival.

Take Delphic, for example, who played the John Peel tent on Saturday. They were slick and professional, and full of energy, but for some reason they just didn’t do it for me. I was surprised by my reaction as I always thought, listening to the album, that they would be amazing live. Like Orbital circa 1994. But as I watched the two teenage girls scream and shout in front of me, I wondered whether I was just a bit old for it all. Trying to recapture that moment 15 years ago is a bit futile and best left to the kids.

Over on the Other Stage the National were playing to a much older audience. In fact many of the people there had kids with them. I’m not against people taking kids to festivals – the children’s area and circus arenas are excellent for the little people. However I really don’t think in front of one of the main stages is the right place for them. Not only is it filthy and damaging to their hearing, but most of them looked bored out of their minds, not to mention hot.

Heading over to the Pyramid stage the Scissor Sisters were just finishing their show and introduced to yet another type of Glastonbury fan –the older woman. They were having a wail of a time, with a mass crowd dance routine going on. You couldn’t help get caught up in it. I wouldn’t call myself a massive Scissor Sister’s fan, but I do think they put on a good live show.

As the Scissor Sister’s left, the audience of older women was replaced by large groups of young lads lining up for Muse. I was initially a bit apprehensive about being surrounded by them, but they were actually, with the exception of one or two, good natured. As the Cornish boys entered stage they went wild, and the first few songs were accompanies by bad singing and pogo-ing. Then Muse started playing some slow songs, and stuff from their new album (which let’s face it, is a bit mediocre), and interest started to wane. People began talking amongst themselves, and it seemed Bellamy and the boys had lost the crowd. A couple of favourites, like Starlight, brought people back round again, but the original energy seemed to have been lost.

I also have to voice my disappointment in the special guest appearance of The Edge. Guest appearances can be brilliant, but sometimes they just feel like they are just doing them for the sake of it. I don’t think The Edge was a good match. I’ve talked before about my dislike of the hype around The Edge, and standing there next to Matt Bellamy it just seemed a bit of a joke. Bellamy is a virtuoso guitar player, where as The Edge just uses a lot of effects pedals. Why was I supposed to be impressed that someone with less talent had come on stage to play with this brilliant band? It was all lost on me.

I'm not sure what tribe I fit in exactly, but as far as I'm concerned they're all welcome as long as they, in the words of Wayne Coyne, be nice to each other.

Glastonbury: It's not all sunburn and Stevie Wonder

When the traditional media (bleh) cover Glastonbury it always obsesses about the mud, like it was something new or different. The reality is that it’s neither of those things, nor is it particularly interesting in the grand scheme of things. It’s like standing in front of the Coliseum saying it could do with a lick of paint.

This year the media were deprived of the mud - cue endless discussion about sunburn. Once that had run out of steam, and they actually got round to some reviews, it was the same handful of bands: Gorillaz; Muse; Pet Shop Boys; Scissor Sisters and Stevie Wonder. In protest against the pandering to the masses, I have decided to resurrect my waning blog and give a more alternative view of the festival, celebrating what it does best – diversity of music.

The weekend was kicked off with a very likeable Rolf Harris, doing all the favourites to an excitable crowd. Harris isn’t a great artist, or musician, but he was one hell of an entertainer, and hats off to him for that.

Over on the Other stage The Courteners churned out a range indistinguishable indie tunes. It felt like 2005 all over again and I soon zoned out. Next please…

Sanctuary was found in The Park, one of the best areas of the festival. With its fairground-like viewing tower, and delicious cream teas at the Tree House Café, The Park has an other worldliness about it. To add to its deliciousness, Steve Mason was performing. However excitement turned to disappointment as a rather dull performance ensued, the blame for which I mainly put on the surly looking session musicians. So obviously we know they’re session musicians, but for 45 minutes we need to believe they are as passionate about the music as we are, not just wondering when they’ll get their pay cheque. It would also have helped if one of them could sing so they didn’t have to resort to a backing track for the vocal harmonies. All in all a bit lack lustre, and not worthy of Mason’s great talent.

Fortunately disappointment was remedied by Mumford & Sons at the John Peel stage. As the crowds spilled out of the sides of the tent the look of awe on the band’s face was priceless. It’s refreshing in this age of cool and ego to see some genuine emotion from a band, and gratitude towards the fans that put them there. And Mumford & Sons repaid their debt with an explosive performance that would lurch from the raw heart breaking emotion of Winter Winds, to a good old fashion hoe-down and sing-along of Sign No More. The pace and energy of their set left barely time to breath, and before we knew it everything was over. But we were left with grins as wide as that of the bands, and a glorious feeling that we had been part of, and helped create, one of the best moments of their life.

As night fell it was off to the Pyramid stage for the Gorillaz. However the crowds were so huge it was impossible to get in so we went back to The Other stage to see the Flaming Lips. And how glad I was that we did! To think I could have missed out on giant bubbles, massive gongs, dancing girls, organ-tans and giant bugs. The spectacle was brought to an end with a beautiful rendition of Do You Realise?. As the first day of this wonderful festival came to a close, Coyne’s lyrics took on a new meaning, and a lump formed in my throat.

It's hard to make the good things last/You realize the sun doesn't go down/It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round.

Camden Crawl Day 2 - finally the sun came out

Despite the hangovers we made an early start on Camden Crawl Day 2. I would highly recommend dragging yourself out of bed for the daytime programme as it is bloody good fun. There was some brilliant improv comedy at the Theatre Technis and stand-up courtsey of The Fix at the Camden Head. But it was Musical Bingo that really brought us out of our post-alcohol gloom. Big respect to Jess Indeedy and the crew for the lunch time fun.

As the evening drew closer it was time for band action. We headed over to the Electric Ballroom to see Midnight Jungernauts. We were a bit anoyed that the band were late on stage, and even more anoyed when they turned out not to be from Australia, have any guitars, or even be men. Oh dear, we were were at the wrong venue! We decided to stay anyway which probably turned out to be our smartest move of the entire festival.

The band we got to see was Gaggle. They're a 20 piece all girl choir that came on stage dressed like something out of Lord of the Flies. They delighted the crowd with pop songs that were both technically astounding and brilliantly funny. Their cover of Marina and the Diamonds', Mowgli's Road was a definate high, but I Like Cigarettes was a close second. They won Camden Crawl's Emerging Talent Show, and rightly so. The only question I had was why hasn't anyone thought of this before. Girl Power has never been so cool.

Next on the agenda was Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster at Koko. Although it wasn't the sort of music that I would ever buy, or even listen to at home, it was one hell of a gig. Guy McKnight is an amazing front man, working the crowd into a frenzy by crawling around on the stage on all fours and then launching into press ups. The audience were made up of some real die hard fans, and then others, like me, who were just enjoying the spectacle.

Back to The Underworld next for Surfer Blood. For all the joy that Koko brings me as a live music venue, the Underworld comes along and takes away again. Cramped and hot, with a view of the back of someone's head, it wasn't much of a live music experience. It's hard to concentrate on the band performing (somewhere) in front of you in such a miserable environment. Pass on that then and move on to the next.

Gang of Four were on at the Electric Ballroom so despite, not knowing much about the band we decided to give them a try. I'm not sure what to say, except the experience was a bit Spinal Tap. From the dad dancing, to staring out the crowd, the whole thing was a bit comical. Or maybe it was just the end of a long, alcohol influenced day. Either way, I couldn't really take them seriously.

The plan had been to stay on for Dan Le Sac vs Scroubius Pip, but sadly we were too tired, so decided to catch the last tube home. If anyone saw it, let me know what it was like...so long as you reassure me it was rubbish. I wouldn't want to think I'd mised anything!

Camden Crawl 2010 - 2 days of music, rain and too much sake

The annual pilgramage that is Camden Crawl did not get off to a good start this year. The heavens opened as we approached the north London suburb and the queue that greeted us was heart sinking. It is astounding that the Crawl has been running for this many years and still can't get it right (anyone for multiple wrist band collection points perhaps?).

Having said that the queue did move fairly quickly. Once tagged, a few beers in the Enterprise revived us. Then after a scour of the timetable and we decided to make our way to the Electric Ballroom to see Wild Palms.

Wild Plams are a fairly standard four piece. Their drummer is amazing, but their singer really lets them down. Even the one song that could have been good was let down by his shoddy vocals and poor timing. Shame.

Although we were only one band in, a diversion to a Japanese restaurant was scheduled for some much needed sushi snacks. The plan was to go and see Mount Kimbie afterwards, but an inability to read the timetable and too much sake meant we missed them. Oh well, it was off to see Dead Meadow instead.

Dead Meadow hail from California and have great moustaches and can really play guitar. They are slick and professional, nailing that 70s rock/psychedelia vibe like no other. However I did wonder whether we really need yet another band that sounds like Led Zeppelin. It would be nice if they could bring something new to the party.

Next off to Koko for Teenage Fanclub. I was excited at seeing an old teenage favourite of mine and even though I owned Bandwagonesque at some point, I couldn't remember a single tune from it. I was hoping that the gig would awaken some memories, but alas not. It was slightly disappointing to be honest, as although faultless, the performance left me feeling a bit cold. It seemed to go down well with the rest of the crowd though, with some spectacular moshing to some pretty relaxed and melodic music.

After Koko we headed to the Blues Kitchen to see Silver Columns. This was the top pick of my night so I was expecting great things. However, whatever went on in the midnight slot sounded nothing like any of the Silver Columns stuff I'd heard. If anyone else was there and can shed some light on to this I would love to know. Was I the only one to leave disappointed?

So at the end of day one I was left with a slightly bitter taste in the mouth, but day two was still ahead of us with all sorts on offer. Stay tuned for more...

Playlist dedicated to the London Marathon runners

Every year it never fails to amaze me how people manage to run 26 miles around London, come rain or shine. As I did my pitiful 3 mile jog this morning I did wonder if I could ever take a on a challenge like that. After much thought I decided...no, probably not!

One thing that really does help when you're running is having the right tunes. It can totally lift your spirits when you hit that wall. Last night on BBC 6 Music, Steve 'the legend' Lamaq was doing a playlist for London Marathon runners. In the spirit of plagarism I have decided to do the same. However I'm dedicating mine to my lovely friends who are putting themselves through the ridiculous ordeal in the aid of two excellent charities - Anti Slavery International and Health Poverty Action. If someone hasn't tapped you up for money yet then please follow those links and sponsor them. Alternatively suggest some music that they should list to during tomorrow's race. At 19.5 miles they might very well need it.

Here's my choice.

The Chemical Brothers - Hey Boy Hey Girl
Delphic - Counterpoint
UNKLE - Reign
Simian Mobile Disco - Turn Up The Dial
Foals - Red Sox Pugie
Queens of the Stone Age - Noone Knows
Kings of Leon - The Bucket
The Hours - Ali in the Jungle
Maxïmo Park - Our Velocity
Muse - Knights of Cydonia
Queens of the Stone Age - Feel Good Hit of the Summer
Scissor Sisters Scissor Sisters - Filthy/Georgeous
Zoot Woman - We Won't Break
The Go! Team - Pantha Dash

Iranian indie rock is cool for cats

It's tough trying to start a band. You've got to find the right members, write some decent tunes, find time to rehearse, market yourselves and get those all important gigs. A large percentage of bands never make it much past their first album, and those that do will still find super stardom a long way off.

If things are hard here, imagine trying to start a band in Iran. The struggles of Iranian musicians is the focus of Bahman Ghobadi's film No-one Knows About Persian Cats. The movie follows Nager and Ashkan in their attempts to organise their band on a tour of Europe. However before they've even started the odds are weighed against them. For a start, half their band are in prison. On top of that only one of them has a passport, and none of them have visas.

They are befriended by the smooth talking Nader, brilliantly played by Hameed Behdad. Passionate for the music, Nader attempts to help them find new bands members and stage a concert locally to raise money for the black market passports and visas. However even finding rehearsal space proves to be a massive problem, as unsympathic neighbours regularly snitch to the Police. They meet a heavy metal band whose practice space on a farm is brought to an end when one of them gets heptitus; an indie rock band who sit on their roof waiting for the neighbours to leave before they can steal 15 minutes of practice time; and a rap band who meet on the top of a building site to avoid prying eyes and ears.

Sadly, what starts as a brilliantly original and insightful film starts to trail off about half way through. Ghobadi is obviously passionate about the music coming out of Iran and turns it into a showcase of local bands, often at the expense of the story. Every few minutes we meet a new act, who play for a bit while shots of veiled women are intercut with wailing guitar solos. It might look pretty but it brings the narative to a complete standstill. Now and then Nager comes back in moaning about the passports as a limp reminder of the story.

The other problem with the film is that many of the bands are not that good. It seems a shame that they go to so much effort to play, but then just do a lame imitation of Western music. As Iran has such a strong cultural tradition it seems like a missed opportunity to not experiment in ways to fuse that with popular music. One scene where the bands members eagerly flick through a dog-eared copy of the NME is both charming and a bit sad. The world doesn't need yet another band that sounds like The Strokes. The world, and indeed Iran, needs an energised youth marking out their own territory.

Of course when the odds are stacked against you like they are in Iran, even picking up a guitar and playing a chord is a triumph. There's a great scene where the band share a traditional Iranian stew while dreaming of one day owning a Rickenbacker. While taking all this into consideration I still couldn't help but wish they had bit more originality in their ideas.

The film is an eye opener and makes you realise how much you take for granted. Despite its faults its great to see something like this on the big screen. Iran isn't all niqābs and prayer mats - many of the young people of Tehran are just as passionae about new music as you and me.

Albums That Shaped My Life: Walking On A Dream, Empire of the Sun

I had a dream the other night I was looking for the minutes of a meeting. Was this my sub conscious trying to tell me I was getting boring? At times like these it's time to delve into the dream-like world of Empire of the Sun, thick with massive soundscapes, big beats and surreal imagery.

Walking on Dream came out at a time when I was well and truely sick of the British music scene. Glastonbury 2008 had just been and gone and was hugely disappointing. This wasn't anything to do with the whole Jay-Z saga - it was, I felt, because the music scene was in a lull. Then Empire of the Sun came along and restored my faith. It was what my ear-holes needed.

The critics accused them of being a bit too 'silly' and 'unpredicatble', but when it was impossible to distinguish between one indie guitar band and the next, I found this really refreshing. I liked the fact they were willing to go out on a limb and mix it up. From the hip shaking Swordfish Hotkiss Night, to the Julie Cruise-esque Country.

In Australia they have enjoyed a huge amount of success, including top ten hits and featuring twice in Triple J's Hottest 100. In the UK they were marked as 'ones to watch' by the BBC in early 2009, but they have failed to take off. This may be due to not having toured yet over here. Aussie friends tell me this is because they've been off doing different projects. However they seem to have some UK festivals scheduled in this year, including Glastonbury. Maybe this will give them the boost in the UK that they so richly deserve.