After four years of coming to my favourite festival (probably because it was the first one I ever went to and signified the start of my freedom after going straight from getting my GCSE results) I decided to be an Oxfam steward. For three reasons.
1) A friend told me how much fun it was 2) It's one way to get a free ticket and 3) It gives me pleasure to help people. (Apparently we raised thousands of pounds for Oxfam. I don’t know how, maybe the money they would use to pay people is given to Oxfam instead?).
I got to Bramham site on Wednesday to pick up my shift times, with fingers crossed that I wouldn’t have to miss The Libertines or Guns 'N Roses. Phew. My music angel is looking down on me. Turns out my shifts were almost perfect. My first task on Thursday was to "crowd control" the showers. I couldn’t say there were many queues but I did find out I was more liberal thinking than the festival allows. After letting both sexes in the same showers I soon realised they were not supposed to be mixed at all. oops. I don't mean to be stereotypical here but I was quite surprised that more men than women were using the showers. For me baby wipes and deodrant do the trick.
On more occasions than I wanted I caught a glimpse of some very unflattering naked flesh. (I had to peek to see if there were any problems or queues to control, I'm not a perv!).
After a very 'eventful' shift I was happy to have all of Friday off which meant I could get as drunk as possible for The Libertines.
So from worker to punter I started the day with Rolo Tomassi. I’ve always liked their math-rock style and hearing Eva's impressive screams, which are as good as any metal-loving testestorone-fuelled bloke out there, but live it didn't really do anything for me. Parts were out of tune and the sounds didn’t really gel together. The vocals were too low so Eva's transition from screaming to airy sweet singing didn’t really work.
Next I saw Random Hand on the Lock Up Stage to get my ska-punk fix. Robin Leitch has so much energy, alternating between playing the trombone, the next grabbing the mic and singing. Anger Management was the highlight with folk singing back the words and they managed to get a bit of a skank pit going. Always a bonus that early in the day! But the best bit was definitley seeing four men dressed as nuns crowd surf in succession. The frivolities of festivals!
Next I saw a band I have waited years to see, Modest Mouse. (It was the days before student loans and overdrafts when they last played in Nottingham!!) Isaac Brookes has a genuine passion for his music that he almost forgets there's a crowd who are being heavily rained on! But it didn't put a damper on things at all, with the band playing some of their best tracks including Black Cadillacs, The View, Dashboard and Dramanine,which was a nice surprise.
Next it was the festival's 'worst kept secret' with Gallows posing as The Rats who played an afternoon set on the Lock Up stage. Frank couldn’t be arsed with any contract signing and just wanted to enjoy a show with his mates,and he seemed to be a better front man for it. His aggression and infamous pub gig banter came out showing he is much more comfortable when he’s playing with his real fans. Frank's stage presence ensures they aren’t a band to be tired of just yet, with the early singles Abandon Ship and In The Belly Of The Shark sounding just as refreshing every time.
Next was Trash Talk, the brutal hardcore band who don’t mess around in their live shows, with fans jumping from pillars and band members stage diving all over the place. But with most songs being only 30 seconds long you don't have long to let out your aggression.
After seeing one of the best hardcore bands around at the minute, I went to check out former System Of A Down front man, Serj Tankian. He apologised for having a fever but you couldn’t really tell. He looked genuinely happy to be there and kept smiling when he caught a glimpse of the crowds reaction when he wasn't immersed in the music. He was backed by a beautiful orchestra who he calls the Flying Cunts Of Chaos and while it's a long way from his SOAD days, it looks like orchestral jazz-rock is here to stay.
After seeing a fair few bands I decided it was about time to start drinking properly for The Libertines, so with a bottle of whiskey and an adrenaline rush I was pumped and ready to see the band who were the soundtrack of my teenage days.
I've waited since I was 14 to see the band after I fell in love with their poetic resonance and British rock and roll swagger. The first album reminds me of being 15, drinking too much, doing things I wouldn't do now and not caring what other people thought. Essentially what being a libertine was all about. Next came the joys of finding older tracks, demos and b-sides. I remember loving the fact I was drinking a pint in the Filthy Mcnasty's pub, for two reasons. 1) I was only 15 and 2) It was where The Libertines played a few infamously rowdy gigs. The second album meant a lot more to me lyrically and the only thing I needed to do was to see them live. But circa early-2000 over 18 gig bullshit stopped me. So to see their reunion, whether they were paid too much for it or not, was so invigorating to finally sing back every word. It was a special moment and it felt like it was just me in the crowd. But alarm bells rang when they went off after the third song!
I felt an enormous sombre feeling thinking that something was wrong and that I had waited all this time to only hear 3 songs! Luckily it was due to safety issues so when they came back on and launched with Last Post On The Bugle, every pulse in my body wanted to let go and give the gig all the raucous vigour it deserved. It was so heart warming to see Pete and Carl infamously sing into the same mic and you can tell how happy they are to be together.
I don't think it would have had the same feeling if they had carried on and had another two albums under their belt. Of course I would love to see them again in an intimate pub, close up and back to their rowdy days, but would it be too nostaligic? But whatever the future holds and which ever way albion sails on course, this will remain one of the greatest gigs of the year for me.
Next there was a bit of an anti-climax as I was dragged by my boyfriend to see the digital hardcore Atari teenage riot who I'm really not a fan of. It seemed to just be music for pill heads and the repetitive droning drum 'n bass just does nothing for me. I love their anarchist anti-facist ideals but it's just not my kinda music.
I walked past Arcade Fire and was pretty shocked at how thin the crowd was. I reckon it was the poorest turn out a headliner has ever had. I chose to watch Bad Religion instead but from what I heard, Arcade Fire were the festival highlight for many. I guess you shouldn't judge a band by it's crowd.
I decided to watch Bad Religion for a variety of reasons. 1)The fact that guitarist Brett Gurewitz is the founder of Epitaph records 2) They have been going strong for over 30 years and 3)They have influenced so many punk rock bands out there, they could be called the grandfathers of punk. The drumming is infamously fast and front man Greg Graffin (who founded the band when he was 15) sings in such an effortless and cool manner about political ideals.Okay their energetic punk antics are long gone with bare minimum movement but it's hardly a surprise after they've been doing it for so long. The highlights were Do What You Want, Los Angeles Is Burning, 21st Century Digital Boy and Infected but oddly they didn't play anything off their forthcoming album. But this shows that they've still got life in them yet, and quite frankly they don't want anybody getting bored of them.
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On Saturday I had to work the evening shift which meant I missed Weezer, Cyprus Hill and Roots Manuva. But before my shift I watched The King Blues, who bigged up the punk-ska scene after proclaiming how happy they were to be playing the main stage. Their set was perfect for a sunny afternoon and it got people even standing as far back as the delay tower to dance away. After that I watched Thrice who didn’t really offer anything exciting, although it was great to see their progression which has evolved from their debut album.
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On Sunday I worked the day shift but knowing I'd be seeing Queens Of The Stoneage and Guns 'N Roses pulled me through! There are only so many wrist bands you can check before your eyes blur and you start to care less and less about who manages to blag you with a fake wristband. Once my shift was over I watched a bit of Biffy Clyro, who can be difficult to watch when you’re an original fan and first saw them play six years ago, but when they pull out oldies like There's No Such Thing As A Jaggy Snake, it's always a nice surprise. But they seemed uncomfortable playing it, almost like they felt they were turning their backs on the new fans who propelled them to chart stardom. It was almost like it was their dirty little secret, but I must admit I was paying more attention to his white dyed beard!
Next it was time for Hatebreed, who were probably the heaviest band playing the whole festival so it was nice to see people there for some ‘proper’ music. They got the pits started by telling everyone to let out their aggression and to forget about the bullshit of going back to work. Tracks such as Live For This, Perseverance, This Is Now, and Diehard As They Come beg the question of why they have never achieved as much recognition as bands such as Machine Head.
After my hardcore metal dose it was time for the sexy Josh Homme and Queens Of The Stoneage. Josh has succeeded in being the only ginger I find attractive and he has a way of drawing every single person in the crowd in. They are a proper rock band and could teach hundreds of bands a lesson of how to do it properly. They have plenty of festival favourites to choose from and play some of the best including Feel Good Hit Of The Summer, No One Knows and Little Sister. Josh comments on how beautiful the day is before pointing to a girl's 'magnificent boobs'. Surprisingly they threw in Monster In The Parasol from their album Rated R which is the first time I've seen them play it. They chucked in a new song as well, but to be honest their wasn't anything invigorating about it and it seemed to have snippets of past hooks. I hope they haven't lost their touch! Maybe Josh needs to stop galivanting with his super group. The set was too short as ever which shows how easy it is for them to engage a crowd.
Next it was the waiting game for Guns N' Roses who were allegedly an hour late for their Reading performance the night before. Apparently they were half an hour late for us but I'm not sure if that was played up because it didn't feel that long at all. The light show was pretty spectacular with images from their latest album 'Chinese Democracy' as the band came out to the album's title track. DJ Ashba playfully played the opening riff to Welcome To The Jungle a few times before launching into it for a sea of happy faces. The stage show was complete with fireworks ensuring they get the attention they deserve. The set was full of classics including It's So Easy, Mr Brownstone and Nightrain.
The band did milk it a few too many times with solos from Richard Fortus, Dizzy Reed, DJ Ashba. Bumblefoot and even Axl Rose, who played his piano solo before going into November Rain. The fact is we don't really need to be reminded how good they are, it just adds to their notorious egoism! Never the less they try to keep grounded and not take themselves too seriously by playing the Pink Panther and James Bond theme. The most annoying thing was hearing a gaggle of people behind me relentlessly commenting on how DJ Ashba was trying to replace Slash, and after he did his solo he scraped an applause. Okay there are a couple of similarities, they both like to light a cigarette before their solos and both wear hats, but it doesn't mean DJ Ashba wants to be Slash! He adds the glamour reminiscent of the old Guns 'N Roses and is exactly what the band needs right now.
After all, there's only so long you can look the porky Axl Rose. Regardless of the fact that most people think he's a first class cock the band are here for the fans and play most of the tracks you would want from a Guns N' Roses gig. Strangely they only played two tracks from 'Chinese Democracy' which would have been more had the promoters let them play longer, apparently. But that's what makes Guns N' Roses. Hardly any bands have that Rock and Roll 'give a fuck' attitude anymore and telling the cops and promoters to fuck themselves is just part of their rock charm. Finishing with Paradise City it soon becomes clear that Guns N' Roses were one of the best headliners Leeds Festival has had. Hey, at least we didn't get the sound pulled on us!
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