Yeah son, no kidding, it's the ATP 2004 Weekend Two motherfucking write-up, part 1! It's Friday, and it's Friday. And it's Friday, and it's Friday!
I should say that one of the great things about this weekend was that each day was progressively better in terms of music, so when I look at the list of bands I saw and liked on Friday, it seems comparatively sparse. This might be the place to put some general observations about the crowd: many freaks, many beards (I blame Will Oldham, also possibly James Murphy), many hipsters-gone-wrong, but also many HOTT people of all genders, and a much healthier boy/girl ratio than two years ago.
The Fiery Furnaces are a good band, but they’re nowhere near as good this time as when I saw them live previously. That time, I was expecting something that sounded like Gallowsbird’s Bark and was rewarded with raw rock’n’roll, but at half past five on a bright afternoon in Camber, something close to the sound of that record would have gone down a treat. Instead, the Furnaces sound far too choppy: their habit of segueing from a snatch of one song into another becomes a handicap in this context. You can see the crowd start to energise as ‘Tropical Iceland’ begins, only for that energy to disperse when they suddenly cut into a new song less than halfway through. Essentially I think at a festival like this you need to be able to settle into the feel and groove of each band, and I found I couldn't do that with the FFs on Friday, even though they were one of the bands I'd come to see.
Still, that one that goes "he beat me he bang me... and I wish I was single again" - that was good.
Nina Nastacia is more impressive, ironic since I’m sure I’d rather listen to a Fiery Furnaces record than one of hers nine times out of ten. I only catch the end of her set but it’s very much in a folksy, mournful, countrified kinda vein.
I have to agree with the assessment of The Shins as offered by a guy we ran into on Sunday: they just sound like Travis to me. Everyone else I’m with seems to like them though, so what do I know? And a German guy in the crowd for The Shins provides the line of the weekend when he raises his arms and calls out: ”The crowd is ready: play on!” - so not a complete loss...
I go downstairs though and discover Enon, who comprise a genius drummer, a Jenny Everywhere, and Andrew from Buffy – no, seriously, not only does he look like an older Tom Lenk (Hobbit hair version, as seen on Angel), but he even talks like him between songs: “thank you for being so kind and gentle with us…” Anyway, Enon start off sounding a little or maybe a lot like Blonde Redhead’s more spiky, poppy moments, and that’s okay – but then Andrew (okay, his name is John Schemersal) puts his guitar away and starts throwing shapes and getting in touch with his inner Jake Shears, and the music gets more electro, and it’s fabulous. Then he and the girl swap places and things get better still. I still don’t really know anything Enon other than the fact that I remember Flux talking about them once, but I’m keen to find out more – I know a couple of titles of songs I liked: ‘Starcastic’ and ‘Monsoon’, although I have a terrible feeling that their latest album is only available on import in the UK… Band of the day, so they get a linkity.
Modest Mouse are the worst band of the weekend, not so much for the music (which is dull, dull, dull), but more for the whining and haranguing of the crowd in between every song. RESIST EMO!
ESG are great, for the one snatch of song I see – unfortunately the downstairs venue is completely crammed and hot as hell, and I am slightly exhausted by the day. Besides, you can hear a surprising amount of the ESG gig from the pub. Honest.
I don’t really have much to say about Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Malkmus is a guy whose stuff I like occasionally, and who is liked by a lot of people I know and otherwise share taste with, but he doesn’t do anything for me. He did even less for those who dragged me away after only a little of his set, though… It’s not like I get paid for this, so it’s back to the pub, to run into random unexpected ‘Lither Ms Mono, then onto the dancefloor… and then to bed.
I should say that one of the great things about this weekend was that each day was progressively better in terms of music, so when I look at the list of bands I saw and liked on Friday, it seems comparatively sparse. This might be the place to put some general observations about the crowd: many freaks, many beards (I blame Will Oldham, also possibly James Murphy), many hipsters-gone-wrong, but also many HOTT people of all genders, and a much healthier boy/girl ratio than two years ago.
The Fiery Furnaces are a good band, but they’re nowhere near as good this time as when I saw them live previously. That time, I was expecting something that sounded like Gallowsbird’s Bark and was rewarded with raw rock’n’roll, but at half past five on a bright afternoon in Camber, something close to the sound of that record would have gone down a treat. Instead, the Furnaces sound far too choppy: their habit of segueing from a snatch of one song into another becomes a handicap in this context. You can see the crowd start to energise as ‘Tropical Iceland’ begins, only for that energy to disperse when they suddenly cut into a new song less than halfway through. Essentially I think at a festival like this you need to be able to settle into the feel and groove of each band, and I found I couldn't do that with the FFs on Friday, even though they were one of the bands I'd come to see.
Still, that one that goes "he beat me he bang me... and I wish I was single again" - that was good.
Nina Nastacia is more impressive, ironic since I’m sure I’d rather listen to a Fiery Furnaces record than one of hers nine times out of ten. I only catch the end of her set but it’s very much in a folksy, mournful, countrified kinda vein.
I have to agree with the assessment of The Shins as offered by a guy we ran into on Sunday: they just sound like Travis to me. Everyone else I’m with seems to like them though, so what do I know? And a German guy in the crowd for The Shins provides the line of the weekend when he raises his arms and calls out: ”The crowd is ready: play on!” - so not a complete loss...
I go downstairs though and discover Enon, who comprise a genius drummer, a Jenny Everywhere, and Andrew from Buffy – no, seriously, not only does he look like an older Tom Lenk (Hobbit hair version, as seen on Angel), but he even talks like him between songs: “thank you for being so kind and gentle with us…” Anyway, Enon start off sounding a little or maybe a lot like Blonde Redhead’s more spiky, poppy moments, and that’s okay – but then Andrew (okay, his name is John Schemersal) puts his guitar away and starts throwing shapes and getting in touch with his inner Jake Shears, and the music gets more electro, and it’s fabulous. Then he and the girl swap places and things get better still. I still don’t really know anything Enon other than the fact that I remember Flux talking about them once, but I’m keen to find out more – I know a couple of titles of songs I liked: ‘Starcastic’ and ‘Monsoon’, although I have a terrible feeling that their latest album is only available on import in the UK… Band of the day, so they get a linkity.
Modest Mouse are the worst band of the weekend, not so much for the music (which is dull, dull, dull), but more for the whining and haranguing of the crowd in between every song. RESIST EMO!
ESG are great, for the one snatch of song I see – unfortunately the downstairs venue is completely crammed and hot as hell, and I am slightly exhausted by the day. Besides, you can hear a surprising amount of the ESG gig from the pub. Honest.
I don’t really have much to say about Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Malkmus is a guy whose stuff I like occasionally, and who is liked by a lot of people I know and otherwise share taste with, but he doesn’t do anything for me. He did even less for those who dragged me away after only a little of his set, though… It’s not like I get paid for this, so it’s back to the pub, to run into random unexpected ‘Lither Ms Mono, then onto the dancefloor… and then to bed.
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