Miscellaneous - Minehead, Somerset, 16/5/2010

  by Admin

published: 1 / 6 / 2010

intro

...and on its third and final day they debate about slots from Wax Fang, the 3Ds, the Dodos, Terry Reid, the Fall and the Raincoats

WAX FANG BH: I don’t think there was anything ironic about this - Wax Fang are just an aspiring stadium band. They’ve the tunes and the talent to get there too… watch out Kings of Leon and Foo Fighters. MR: I got more than a hint of Bowie from their music as well. They were really good; another I was unfamiliar with. It was also great to see Bob Nastanovich from Pavement front and centre for them. He was clearly really into them and his enthusiasm really rubbed off on the crowd. Good one, Bob. THE 3DS MR: My only slight disappointment of the festival. I really like their ‘Hellzapoppin’ album; it’s got such a happy vibe to it and some great sub-sonic youth riffs. Partially, I think the 3Ds fell victim to the Central Stage’s crappy sound, as they also played very loud. But they didn’t have much of a stage presence, and, considering the bounciness of their songs, I think that let them down a bit. THE DODOS BH: I interrupted watching England’s Twenty20 final win for this (though I went straight back to the bowling alley afterwards to watch the rest). Having listened to their last album, ‘Time To Die’, more than anything else this year, it was a treat to hear these songs live, all astonishingly catchy. Were there really only three people on the stage? SJ : By the last day I’d seen all the bands on my shortlist and did more exploring of the beach and surrounding areas than I watched music. But the Dodos came highly recommended so lured me in. They were definitely worth leaving the beach for (it was pretty drizzly that day as well), and their drummer stole the show with an amazing performance.

 JR: Quite simply amazing. The Dodos were another band I knew nothing about before coming to ATP, and another band I was blown away by. Why are they not more famous?! By the time they took to the stage on Sunday afternoon I was a bit drunk and ready to dance, a readiness coupled perfectly with the band’s amazing tunes. Seriously, look them up – they’re the best band you’ve never heard. MR: I love the Dodos. Their ‘Visitor’ album is on regular rotation on my iPod. They were fantastic; I was also astounded that such a dense sound could be made by three blokes. They are very rhythmic as well as melodic, so they were perfect to have a bit of a dance to. I kept spilling my beer though – I had to down it in the end. I bought ‘Time To Die’ as soon as their set finished. TERRY REID JR: My mum is a big Terry Reid fan from back in the day and, having heard the brilliant album ‘River’ a few times, I wanted to go and check him out – and I’m really glad I did. Reid’s voice is absolutely incredible; it’s a wonder he never got bigger than he was. He belted out song after song to a really warm reception from the crowd. The best thing about this set was how genuinely pleased Reid seemed to be to be playing his songs – and how much affection he got from those watching. Simply wonderful stuff MR: Terry has definitely still got it. His voice is still amazing, and he’s a great guitar player. His set was a welcome change of pace, and he was obviously so happy to be there. His rambling anecdotes were hilarious, a big contrast from the sweeping majesty of his songs. Certainly a high point for me. THE FALL BH: I wonder if Mark E Smith knows how stupid he is. It was worth watching this just for the comic element of his random fiddling with various amps and microphones being reversed by his latest temporary bandmates as soon as his back was turned. The vocals were a garbled mess, the band were fired up, but perhaps too one-dimensional. Not by any means the highlight of the weekend, but not bad either. SJ: I stood at the back as I’ve never been a fan of Mark E Smith’s arrogance. Quite frankly I’m glad I did, but fans of the music may disagree. JR: Mark E Smith… stupid? Isn’t he a genius of God-like proportions whose only failing is the ever-changing line-up of disappointments he casts in his band? I enjoyed what I saw of this set – it was exactly what you’d expect from a Fall set; a brilliant, tight band playing really good post-punk music while Smith barks over the top. Interestingly, the most memorable song was the one where Smith’s wife/Fall keyboardist Elena Poulou took up lead-vocal duties. MR: What’s with all the Fall-hating going on here? Ok, as a live proposition, the Fall are always going to be hit and miss, but the set they played at ATP was as close to a crowd pleasing set as you’re likely to get – they even played some old ones that people knew! The band were great, very tight, while Mark E Smith’s tinkering and grumpy old man gurning was really entertaining. I loved the fact that they waited until everyone had given up and started to walk off before coming back on for an encore – very funny. Also, it’s worth noting our great celebrity spot – we saw the brilliant comedian Stewart Lee waiting for the Fall to start. He put his hood on his jacket up when we realized it was him. I think he was scared that we might try to talk to him. ENABLERS BH: While you were watching the Raincoats, I headed off to see four gnarled, bald, tattooed underground US harder punkers play almost-freeform spoken word post-rock. Somehow, their music has a real cinematic quality to it - I saw them play many years ago while I was a student and they don’t appear to have changed much. THE RAINCOATS JR: I love The Raincoats first, self-titled album and was thrilled to have the chance to see them live. They didn’t disappoint; the set was a lot of fun, and once again the band seemed to be enjoying it as much as the audience. Towards the end of this set, I mentioned to Mark that I really hoped the band would play ‘In Love’ and ‘Fairytale in a Supermarket – which they then immediately did, in that order. It doesn’t get better than that. MR: An absolutely great way to end the festival. The band might be a little older these days, but their set still dazzles with the exuberance they had 30 years ago. Again, they were clearly having a great time, which makes all the difference. Like Jamie, I’m mainly familiar with their first album, but their other songs were just as absorbing as the ones I knew. The triple whammy of ‘In Love,’ ‘Fairytale in a Supermarket’ and the cover of the Kinks’ ‘Lola’ – which had everyone singing along – was the perfect ending. I wish I could live it all again.