Entertainment For Lively Minds
Reading, as seen from home on BBC3
I watched Florence and the Machine perform four songs. I was disappointed. I suppose I'm at fault as I was expecting an intense Goth musician, not a happy go lucky pop performer. She was too up and happy, clearly enjoying giving her audience a good time. I was expecting a more sombre pissed off type of semi-confrontational performance. Basically I was expecting Siousxie and the Banshees which is how she comes across on the studio album. My fault and irrelevant for everyone else reading this.
It just makes me wonder how much of her true artistic self is in the album and how much is others (producers, record company people, PR etc)? Duffy confessed in a Q interview with Paul Weller that the whole 60's Dusty Springfield thing was pretty much completely her record company's creation, and that she had little previous interest in that particular style of music. I just wonder if the whole Goth-pop thing is really Florence's bag, that she would have gone in that direction by herself anyway? I heard she used to do messy blues-rock before signing her record contract.
Unfortunately the live performance, as seen on TV and not experienced live, revealed a few deficiencies. Stripped of the studio created bombast, her songs did feel a bit slight, more lightweight and insubstantial. Not bad by any stretch of the imagination but a bit less than they originally seem when wrapped in the great production (which makes me feel comfortable in saying that Lungs is probably the best produced album released this year).
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I'm not an uncritical Radiohead fanatic and I recently saw a French concert video from circa 2003. It was so boring I had to watch it three songs at a time over a week before finally giving up before the end. I only planned to watch the first half hour of Radiohead last night. Their Reading performance was so good I watched the full hour long set in one sitting. A well chosen selection of audience friendly tracks with a tendency towards heaviness to begin with (they opened with Creep and followed it with The National Anthem).
It was interesting that it took about five songs before a track from OK Computer turned up. Most bands would have put songs from their biggest album up front but Radiohead don't need to as the rest of their catalogue is up to scratch. At about song eight they played Just, the first track taken from The Bends. It was odd how banal it's straight forward rock guitar histrionics were in comparison to the later period stuff. Still a great song, but a bit commonplace, as though any other band could have made it (which of course many have spent whole careers trying to do, and failing to match it).
I'm still working on liking In Rainbows (currently it's still boring and musically unappealing). The three or so songs taken from it sounded pretty decent so it might help me "get it" next time I listen to it. Arpeggi/Weird Fishes for example is a song I've never cared for before. This time it made sense and I got the point of it.
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I fast forwarded through Bloc Party and The XX.
Vampire Weekend did two songs. Really good tracks etc but I find I have nothing to say about them.
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs performed their two recent singles. The songs SOUND good but I just don't think the songwriting is very strong. I find I'm oddly indifferent to their new album and this performance hasn't changed my mind.
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Don't think the songwriting what?
The suspense is...
Will have to iplayer the Radiohead footage, should such a thing be possible. Was unable to make it to Leeds fest this year but Radiohead were my main reason for wanting to go. Having seen them for the first time last year, I was astounded by what a powerful thing their live show is, the National Anthem is something very special indeed live. Persevere(sp?) with In Rainbows, it's a bit special.
Same line-up as Glasto, T In The Park, V etc etc
I'd like a rule that a band can only perform at ONE large scale televised festival per year...if I had a pound for everytime I watched the summer festival coverage and saw bloody Maximo Park, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Kings of Leon I'd have, well about £9.00 actually but you get my point!
Now look at this line-up from the Summer Sonic Festival in Japan recently, this is more like it...
Sonic Youth, Teenage Fanclub, CSS, Flaming Lips, The Specials, Elvis Costello, Mogwai, Vaselines, Tom Tom Club, Soulwax & Joan Jett (!). OK, I admit I am ignoring the fact that Linkin Park, Limp Biscuit and Keane played too but I really would like to see a bit more variety at the Festivals over here.
Best thing of the Reading Festival coverage for me was Eagles of Death Metal and Radiohead. I am not a fan of Radiohead, I liek the fact they are doing things their own way and they seem decent chaps but my favourite album by far is The Bends, the rest I find a bit dull and unlistenable.
However, I was really impressed with their show at Reading, I thought the set was really well balanced and they actually rocked out a bit too. They were certainly into the music and looked like they enjoyed themselves, that was the big shock as I always thought they seemed a bit po-faced and earnest.
Isn't the non-floppy haired guitarist tall too...!
radiohead's set
was on the BBC 'red' button this morning when i was having pre-work cup of tea and watching news. Presume it'll be on for rest of the day.
Four or five songs
I think I lasted four or five songs of Radiohead's set (on the V+ box yesterday evening) before giving up after Karma Police and putting on Come Dine With Me.
I guess you had to be there.
F & the M
Goth?
I think not, unless you mean Faith and the Muse...
Agreed
I thought Radiohead were amazing. I don't care much for festival highlights, I'd much rather be there in person and there's always some sort of sound problem which is much more noticeable when watching it from the comfort of your sofa, but Radiohead were something different.
I only got to see the 'red button' highlights so was unable to see 'Creep', which I was very disappointed about. But I agree with LOUD's comments about the early material sounding far more banal than the more current material, so this was possibly for the best.
I should point out though that 'Paranoid Android' was really special, full of punk fury. A song made for Reading Festival.
Of the rest of the highlights I really enjoyed Faith No More and the Arctic Monkeys, and was left devoid any strong opinions from the rest of the lineup. Still would have paid the full ticket price for the Radiohead set alone.
Creep
I thought Ver Head had disowned this as a piece of juvenilia?
So had I,
thought they had vowed never to play this, but it seems to have creeped back into the set
Only decent tune they ever recorded,
so no wonder really.
:)
Agreed 2
Watched them on BBC3 Sunday night and thought they were absolutely splendid. Ditto the stage set, and flag free tv coverage, which somehow managed to make me feel I was up there with them.
Made my bank holiday.
Creep gets played from time to time
as the one hit wonder tag is no longer a threat. I guess they don't mind it too much and are willing to play it if the mood takes them.
Although clearly pop Florence is mildly gothic. And gothic music performed with a smile just isn't right.