V Festival 2012 - Saturday

Another year, and I realised my tenth consecutive V Festival. This time on my own which is sad, but then does allow me to plot exactly what I want to see and allow me to squeeze my way to the front. So here is my review, act by act. As you will note, my ratings of bands are pretty variable, but that's the nature of a festival. Its a mixed bag.

The Twang 4/10
Making a bit of a comeback, they opened the second stage on day one. They thanked us for coming to see them when there were so many acts around. Not really since the second stage starts before the main one. So pretty much them or nothing. and the decision was close.

Note the lack of interest among photographers. Not the star band.

The Inspiral Carpets 1/10
I actually like the Inspiral Carpets. Famously Noel Gallagher of Oasis was a roadie for them. But if you want to hear the Inspirals, buy their greatest hits. They sound so much better on record than live. They were awful. And as I say, I like their music, dating back to the Manchester baggy trousered sound, shared by the Charlatans amongst others. But they have not aged as well.

Not much more excitement amongst the paparazzi

Nor the baking crowd

Reverend & the Makers 9/10
But the Reverend was really on form in this very northern section of the show. Jon McClure got the crowd going. He is great on stage, and the music just presses the right buttons for me. "I won't lie to you. its f***ing hot up here he tells the crowd. Yes, and its pretty damned hot down here too we thought, this being the hottest day of the year.

He also asked us if we were going to see a number of acts later, notably Noel Gallagher and the Stone Roses. Good he adds, "Proper music, not cheating". Well, he didn't name names, but I could think of some of the cheats. And indeed would see one on Sunday.

McClure wants a photo of crowd in sunshine - a rare experience this summer

A much more envigorated crowd

Charlatans 8/10
Not original to the bill, the slot being allocated to Dappy who was happily indisposed, allowing me another fix of the Charlatans. A great festival standby, Tim Burgess was sporting a new blond hairstyle as he put out a collection of familiar standards from their repertoire. Great stuff.

James Morrison 7/10
Now time to switch stages. On the main stage I caught the end of James Morrison. Not really my kind of or stuff, but of all the singer songwriters who play acoustic guitar, he would be my pick, if only for the excellent voice.

Keane 9/10
Yes, well Keane are absolutely my thing. A fine set from the band. Tom Chaplin has a wonderful voice, they have a great back catalogue and I like the new album, Strangeland, too. I have tickets for their autumn tour and have already reviewed an earlier gig of theirs this year, so I won't say more.

The RAF
Not a band, but a rather surprise interlude between bands - a parachute display. Bloody impressive actually.

Example 6/10
Maybe the sort of act McClure considered to be cheating. Example is an interesting switch over from nightclub DJ act to arena festival performer. He does bound around the stage well , the music is not bad and he has a fair voice for this sort of thing. But, this being my first sight of the act, I am not sure I would go out of my way to see more.

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds 7/10
Of the Gallagher Brothers, clearly Noel has all the talent. But still the brothers apart are less than the pair together. The odd Oasis number in his set, but although reviews I saw of him were enthusiastic, I felt the set was a little insipid. I can't help feeling he is more lionised for his reputation than his performance. Low key.

Rather more interest from the Press

And the crowd

Stone Roses 8/10
By contrast, I wasn't expecting too much from the Roses. I rather took the view that they were passed it, and Ian Brown is vocally challenged. But actually it was a very enjoyable headline performance. Maybe they will surprise us and add some new stuff to their nineties collection of classics. Very easy on the year. And no cheating.