Playlouder - Music is the Network

(previous day here)

Boo. Have to leave at six. Wrestling with this horrible concept by the octagonal folly opposite the garden stage my realisation that I’d miss Tindersticks, The Mountain Goats and Calexico was softened by the warm sunshine and the lovely view of the lake over the fence, jealously guarded though it was by the invariably smiley stewards.

Sons of Noel and Adrian only serve to heighten my spirits too – their choral folk ensemblage is just what the doctor ordered and upon closer inspection reveals a lead singer with a wonderfully breathy voice and a lot of songs to match. There’s a Bonny ‘Prince’ Billy song thrown in for good measure, which, though not a controversial technique for End of The Road bands thus far, is a welcome move.

The Wave Pictures follow hard upon and take a couple of songs to convince me. Once convinced though, there’s no going back. They’ve a huge personality for a small band on a big stage and their songs take lyrical twists and turns upon paths uncharted. At one point in the middle their drummer steps up to sing a song called ‘Now You Are Pregnant’, which remains a set highlight in amongst the rockier numbers with their myriad awesome guitar solos.

Kimya Dawson appears a bit later and I feel I’m being talked (sung) down to, even when she stops playing songs from her kids album, and there’s no discernable change in song tempo, tune or lyrical content. She’s not bad, Kimya, but she’s not particularly good either.

Jason Moliva does very well up to the point that I fall asleep.

The rest of the afternoon is spent in the big top enjoying the oddball rabble-rousing of, first, Bob Log III, who appears to be an alien spaceman from the past who’s crash-landed in a junkyard and learned to make music out of scrap metal; and second, Wild Billy Childish, who appears to be an escaped mental patient who believes he’s a naval officer fronting a garage rock band.

Neither of the above are quite things I can deal with in my current state of mind, but both are pretty awesome examples of why it’s worth staying for the third day if you can. Anyway, time for us to pack up the tent. And next year we’ll take Monday off work too…

THE END