SUNDAY

D'oh! Not only did the festival go pear-shaped, but so has this account of it, now completed a whole year after I wrote about the Saturday! But, to put you out of any suspense, I must continue. Today came the only band here that really matter: The Super Furry Animals. Knowing this fact I'd repeatedly reminded everyone in the tent but to no avail as Nick and Joel, pissed off by the cold and rain and undoubtedly by the shite music they'd seen, announced they were going home. They had actually said on the Saturday, but I never believed it. Even today, why two people decided to leave the Leeds festival and catch a train home because of the mud is beyond me! Anyway, after a particularly bad nights sleep and feeling rather taxed (well it was my second festival of the week!) I decided to just go to the main stage and enjoy the music. Saturday had surpassed all my expectations, and with the superior bands playing today, only sheer musical heaven seemed possible.

After waiting for the damn bouncers to open the gates for what seemed like hours, I went straight to the front of the main stage, guaranteeing my place in the middle for the SFA. First band on were Kent, but I can't pretend they made any impact on me whatsoever: just quite dull.

The Delgados played some really charming melodies and even attempted to make the string section rock! They were good and, if they weren't so similar to Gorky's, I'd had purchased their records by now!

This is what made today special - the chance to see Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and SFA, at the time my two favourite bands, together within a matter of hours! Although I missed loads of good stuff on the other stages, it was this pairing that mattered! Gorky's were excellent, playing the "hits" and providing good rock-outs (Poodle Rockin' and Sweet Johnny) as well as the stunningly beautiful Humming Song and opening with Let's Get Together (In Our Minds). Sadly though, the crowd were dire, merely waiting for Deftones, totally unable to appreciate anything other than corporate rock. Apart from me and literally THREE other diehard fans at the front, all the band got was polite applause.

SETLIST

Let's Get Together (In Our Minds)/Desolation Blues/Sweet Johnny/Faraway Eyes/The Humming Bird (cover version)/Spanish Dance Troupe/Poodle Rockin'/Hush The Warmth/The Humming Song

(This may not be in the correct order. They also played a second cover version...)

Here comes a paradox: Idlewild are an INDIE band. They play the very dictionary definition of the dull indie music I rally against. Yet they were treated by this bizarre crowd as a true rock band, with the most undeserved violent moshpit I've ever been in. It's sad these people have been brainwashed - tell them Idlewild are rock, they believe!

From this picture you cannot imagine the carnage that followed! Deftones, despite being a new name to me, were given the reception of Gods. Their music did have heaviness to it, but it was such that they didn't even rock. But the crowd pushed me over towards the right of the stage, meaning I was in front of Bunf by the time SFA came on. Not too bad but, if you want rock, Deftones are not the place to go!

The now defunct Elastica didn't play because Justine had a sore throat. But they did at least have the decency to grace us with their presence (something so many bands wouldn't dream of doing) and threw everyone in the front row (except me of course) Elastica wristbands. But no Elastica can mean only one thing...

...the Super Furry Animals! Sadly, they didn't fill-in the extra time created by Elastica's departure, but it still meant less of a wait! The above picture shows something I didn't know happened: Cian was ONSTAGE setting up his steel drum whilst Elastica were throwing stuff at us! In fact, the whole SFA stage had been set-up without my noticing!

Well the moment finally arrived: The fifth time I saw SFA. Sadly it clashed with a Gorky's tent signing but by comparison that was a minor event. The big problem I'd pondered in advance was whether they were going to close with Gwreiddiau Dwfn/Mawrth Oer Ar Y Blaned Neifion or The Man Don't Give A Fuck. Gruff was wearing a cool red shirt and the largest sunglasses you've ever seen (which he put on whilst onstage to earn a few laughs after commenting about the sun). They followed opener Drygioni with Ice Hockey Hair and Do Or Die - what a start! Sadly though, because this was the Mwng period, they then went into a fairly long batch of quiet songs, a habit SFA took many years to break out of. They also played a very good Northern Lites but sadly the furry trumpet players had been replaced by the Super Furry Scientists.

But they redeemed themselves with an astonishing last third. My closing song question was answered - they played Gwreiddiau Dwfn/Mawrth Oer Ar Y Blaned Neifion BEFORE the end. It was great and Gruff even swung his soon-to-be-routine amazing swirly thing. Even the previously weird crowd were enjoying it! They closed with the ultimate - a version of Calimero with the "I feel like chicken tonight!" climax - a total surprise at the time. This was followed by the apocalyptic Night Vision (featuring a distorted mic for the chorus and Cian on guitars) and Gruff wearing a hard hat (which was given out to a member of the audience who wasn't me of course!). Now to complete the most amazing of final three songs they gave us the Man Don't Give A Fuck, and thankfully it hadn't been chucked from the set. This featured a well-balanced techno finale before disaster struck: My camera had run out before the panda rave! Despite this most tragic event, the pandas were brilliant and their fists in the air will no doubt be a defining image of my youth that I fortunately got a photo of later! Although not up to the height of the Guerrilla shows, SFA still drew rings around everybody else.

SETLIST

Drygioni/Do Or Die/Ice Hockey Hair/The Turning Tide/Nythod Cacwn/Demons/Y Gwyneb Iau/Northern Lites/Gwreiddiau Dwfn Mawrth Oer Ar Y Blaned Neifion/Calimero/Night Vision/The Man Don't Give A Fuck

(This setlist may not be in the correct order)

Yes I was tired but I had enjoyed the day so far. But SFA had provided such a peak so early on I just couldn't care less what happened next. I had the misfortune to hear some of the piss-poor Gomez but just went back to the tent to nurse my wounds and didn't come out until the middle of Beck. To me he sounded pretty poor but maybe that was just the circumstances. Still, I took this lovely long distance photo before making a break for the second stage.

Standing at the back of the second stage for The Wannadies proved to be my final act for the day. They played some songs not called The You And Me Song, but thankfully followed them with The You And Me Song! OK, they're just one-hit wonders for me, but that's a stunning song and, after a moment of such musical perfection, I decided to retire for the night, on the assumption that nothing could better it. Bad decision really but I was tired and it *really* was raining! I could have saw Embrace indoors which in hindsight might had been best. So I just lay in the tent for ages failing to get to sleep, nursing my SFA-related injuries, hearing Pulp play Common People in the distance making me wish I was there. My one remaining (who hadn't gone home that is!) mate came back to the tent early and, in his typical fashion, just went to sleep (no stamina!). But it was by now that I realised two festivals is a big no-no. Also my absurdly high expectations for this day meant it didn't blow me away as much as I'd hoped, hence a smattering of criticism expressed above. Still, one more day to go!

SONG OF THE DAY: Super Furry Animals - The Man Don't Give A Fuck