Thoughts on Glastonbury Festival 2011
July 1st, 2011
So for those of you who didn’t manage to decipher the last posts not so cryptic clue about what music is coming up today, I’ll make it clear now. It’s all about Glastonbury. Although, lets get the disclaimer out of the way, any opinions expressed here are based entirely on what I saw courtesy of the BBC’s coverage because sadly I didn’t go this year. Well I say ‘sadly’ but I’ll be honest, sitting on my comfy sofa in my warm dry house watching the rain soaked, mud splattered revellers braving the elements, I wasn’t exactly desperate to swap places with them. Having said that, there were a few pangs of jealousy come Saturday when the sun decided to show it’s face and Coldplay delivered a masterclass in how to headline a major festival. The only consolation was in reminding myself that no matter how pleasant it looked on the flatscreen, in reality the conditions probably remained far from ideal. Still I think half the experience of going to a festival like Glastonbury is forsaking the luxuries of everyday and just throwing yourself into it. Once you’ve accepted that the rain isn’t gonna stop, you can start to enjoy yourself. Whereas if you’re watching at home, you have to accept that the coverage isn’t gonna be great and that the presenters won’t offer any real critical appraisal beyond how ‘amazing’ or ‘game changing’ everything is. So, this here is my armchair viewers guide to a few of the things I saw on TV at Glastonbury Festival 2011.
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Beady Eye – Live at Wolverhampton Civic Hall 24/04/2011
May 6th, 2011
I kind of feel like this post should come with a disclaimer. An apology. Possibly even a couple of excuses. Not because it’s over a week overdue but because it’s about Beady Eye, a band with the strangest kind of stigma attached to them. Admit I went to see them and I can sense people judge me instantly. Re-adjust their opinions of me and my music taste. You’ve probably just done it yourself. At the very least, you’re probably a little surprised. Maybe I should start attending some kind of group therapy class. I could easily provide at least 2 good excuses for being there but I don’t want to. Hi, my name’s Richard, I saw Beady Eye live and I really enjoyed it.
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As the ridiculous world went by
November 3rd, 2010
Yesterday, I was lucky enough to see Suede perform an intimate acoustic set while promoting their new Best Of record. To say I was excited would be the understatement of the year. Giddy like a teenager, I must have beaming from ear to ear the entire time they were playing. It’s too easy to forget how important they were in my formative years but seeing them yesterday reminded me what a great band they were. Any reservations about them reforming vanished about a minute into their first song.
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Update
July 29th, 2010
My Dad died suddenly and unexpectedly after a short illness on Friday the 25th of June 2010. He was 67 years old. This last month has been the saddest, hardest and strangest time of my life. Despite his illness, it never occured to me that he would die. The thought never even crossed my mind. He rarely seemed to get ill and was ridiculously fit and healthy for a man of his age. To say that this came out of nowhere is an understatement and I can’t really begin to describe or explain how I feel right now. My emotions are all over the place. There are short moments of respite when I don’t think about him but they are sharply interrupted by the stupidest, most insignificant of things suddenly sparking a memory that has laid dormant for years. I can’t even begin to understand how my Mom must be feeling. Last Sunday would have been their 40th wedding anniversary but I guess somethings just aren’t meant to be. People say that life goes on but right now, that seems like the cruellest and saddest of facts.
I loved my Dad and I miss him so much.
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Florence & The Machine – Wolverhampton Civic Hall 10/05/2010
May 14th, 2010
For someone who belts out her songs, Florence Welch doesn’t half speak softly. She’s six songs into a sweaty, euphoria fulled set before she properly adresses the crowd at any length and when she does, the contrast between voice and her vocals is so stark, that for a moment you wonder how they possibly come from the same person. Not that you could really confuse her with anyone else. For not only does Florence command the stage she’s on, but in the ever saturated world of indenti-kit female singers and Winehouse wannabes, it’s fair to say there’s no-one else quite like her.
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