We had originally planned to check out Sebastien Tellier, The Metros and Howling Bells on the Sunday afternoon. However I'd predicted that the weather would remain unpleasantly sunny, even though in fact it was shady for most of the day until we set out! Also we spent the morning booking that dream holiday to Iceland which all went according to plan, although we had to resist forking out extra to spend a crazy 24 hours in Greenland, and I even picked up a definitive Iceland guidebook from the local Waterstones. I also resisted buying The Human League greatest hits at a local record store in Clapham on the basis that it would be cheaper online. Oh well, so much for supporting independent record shops! I certainly didn't help matters by accidentally purchasing TWO copies of the same album from Amazon, which is somehow the second time I've pulled this stunt, after accidentally buying a Flaming Lips book which I already owned! We then sat around listening to a bit of Goldfrapp and enjoying some proper beers before heading out to the festival in the late afternoon.

For some reason it never crossed my mind to buy an official festival programme and I didn't see any vendors anyway. I also resisted some nice Flaming Lips t-shirts. Still, we weren't entirely prudent, as I insisted that we went on the big wheel, which went impressively high and was rickety enough to be interesting. It's a shame that the windows were too dirty to allow for a proper photo, and also that this was the only time it rained and my raincoat could have come in! I then was foolish enough to try the chicken kebab, which mostly ended up all over my clothes, and followed it up with a slightly unnecessary box of chips. At some point during all of this Jack Peńate had taken to the stage and he was absolutely fucking dire, as I surmised. We went for a site wander just to get out of earshot before reluctantly moving closer to get into position for Goldfrapp. If Jack has any hits we didn't recognise them, and apart from a couple of saddos dancing wildly, the reaction seemed to be polite indifference.

Thankfully his set finished and it had been one of those rare occasions where my hands hadn't been put together in applause even once. The sun had started to come out and go back in again, which was annoyingly inconsistent, and the soundtrack of The Wicker Man was played almost in its entirety as we waited for Goldfrapp. However there was a nice surprise as a video of Wayne Coyne appeared on the video screen talking about the festival and his forthcoming show before we looked at the stage to see the man himself standing there in the same sunglasses! He seemed to be scoping out the arena, presumably to prepare for the extravaganza later on, in particular looking at the stage height in preparation for the bubble stunt! Wayne then went off into a side booth, still attracting occasional cheers and waves. Just by standing there, he had completely upstaged Goldfrapp, as he has a tendency to!

Two guys were standing in the middle of the stage waiting to unveil Goldfrapp's banner, which turned out to be an unusual weave pattern design thing. The band were also a few minutes late onstage, presumably because Alison was getting ready. She eventually emerged in a crazy dress to play a very slow and very long song to make it clear that Goldfrapp were no longer an electronic disco band! Although their set was a juxtaposition between their older form and their new folky style, the balance was good, and it'll probably be an album or two from now before they become self-indulgent and refuse to play their Supernature hits. Indeed the only omission of the night was Ride A White Horse. Newbie Caravan Girl was very nice, Lovely 2 C U, Number 1 and Satin Chic were excellent and Ooh La La was given one of the biggest cheers of the evening.

They also had two girls serving as pole dancers who started off in nurses' uniforms and finished the show wearing lion masks and little else. Goldfrapp even had a pole in the middle of the stage for their use, being slightly more explicit than what Groove Armada had been up to the previous night! The crowd were good apart from some twat in front of me with a big head bobbing about and getting in my way, and just to reinforce this negative image he promptly left afterwards rather than sticking around to see The Flaming Lips! I'm also pleased and relieved to report that Goldfrapp restored musical sanity to this festival by being better than The Human League! However the undisputed highlight was Happiness, when some crazy creatures seemingly covered in multi-coloured toilet paper emerged to dance along. It was delightful insanity but I still had a sneaking suspicion that the next band would blow them offstage...

I guess I'm not spoiling anything by revealing at the outset that The Flaming Lips were the best band of the festival? Their set was short but sweet and the most concise distillation of the Lips live experience I'd ever seen. It was also a nice treat to see them at a festival for the first time since V2000! I observed the hundreds of balloons piled up by the side of the stage waiting to be released and Wayne unleashed a glitter firework, probably to test the wind direction to assist with the planning? As usual the band set up their own equipment but they permitted some roadies to help them out and a particularly big cheer, mainly from me, was raised as a gong was carried onstage. Could this be a proper return to the show of old? The huge video screen was raised but didn't work that well until the sun stopped shining on it, and also Wayne's wife Michelle was standing onstage too, which was a surprise. There was also a cruel tease as around two seconds of the legendary Soundcheck was played on the video screen, but the Lips would be starting in a "normal" manner. Michael climbed into his surprisingly easyfit skeleton costume as the dancers came onstage and surrounded Wayne to create a sense of mystery as the balloon was inflated!

This was the seventh time I'd seen the Lips and the third time I'd seen the bubble stunt but it was still so entertaining I'd be surprised if they ever drop it! As the band were between albums and this wasn't part of a long-running tour, just like at V2000, I had no idea what unexpected treats they'd throw in! Familiarity also helped me to appreciate the quality of the introduction tape (called TaDa!) which the band play while Wayne is in his bubble and it was no surprise that Race For The Prize was the first track, as I tried a bit of moshing. The crowd reaction was quite good, but it still wasn't a proper pit! It was the usual excess of balloons and confetti but the amazing swirly thing wasn't utilised until right at the end and Wayne barely hit the gong, which was a complete waste! Another shock was that this would be the one and only song off The Soft Bulletin, yet the band would get away with this almost unnoticed! This would normally be a point for some conversation and for the band to inform us that they are "The Flaming Lips all the way from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma", but they were in a much more focused mood than usual, keeping the pauses to a minimum and letting the music be the centre of attention.

Free Radicals featured some good shouting from the crowd and an amazingly colourful video whereas by Fight Test the stage now featured two huge inflatable creatures who were somehow dancing around and I determined that Nick Frost was not one of the people in red and yellow dancing on the right. Wayne never explained what the "plot" of the dancers were, presumably there no longer was one? A highlight was The Song Remains The Same, which I thought was a promising newbie but was in fact a Led Zeppelin cover version. Wayne encouraged everyone to run around naked for the song then to get dressed again afterwards, claiming that they'd obtained special permission for people to do this! It seems to be a new tradition to throw in an unexpected oldie and this time around it was Mountain Side from A Priest Driven Ambulance, which was faithfully delivered and went down a storm with everyone. Mind-blowing. Another new trick was that Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Pt.1 was delivered in its entirety as a ballad sing-along with the face mic being put to full use. I quite liked this but it may have been disappointing for people who'd never heard them perform it before? Also, as perhaps a gesture of toning down the show and moderation, there was no blood! The trilogy of innovation was completed with Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung which featured an amazing green laser and a wonderful vibe.

One number which still confuses me is Vein Of Stars. Why is this always played, and why always delivered exactly the same? Top gear was again attained for The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song after a bit of George Bush baiting, as Wayne reminded everyone that he still had six months left in which to complete his job of destroying the world. He did the slow crowd chanting bit at the start before launching into the full version and it was probably the best tune. It never quite hits the same spot on record! The W.A.N.D. has the opposite problem, as I now love it on the album but it still comes across as a poor substitute to Lightning Strikes The Postman live! I'm now so familiar with She Don't Use Jelly that I even sing along with the pre-song video and clapped along as Wayne inflated the enormous balloon at the end and knew to take a photo just before it burst. Still, they unfortunately still can't quite get the guitar right on it, and they changed it a bit by not doing an extended segment at the end. Wayne thanked Groove Armada and singled out London crowds for particular praise, which was interesting to note as I've never seen them in the capital before. They then finished the main set with Do You Realize?? and left the stage to a positive reaction.

SETLIST

Intro (TaDa!)/Race For The Prize/Free Radicals/Fight Test/The Song Remains The Same/Mountain Side/Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Pt.1/Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung/Vein Of Stars/The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song/The W.A.N.D./She Don't Use Jelly/Do You Realize??

I saved one piece of confetti and we made our way happily towards the exit. Normally I'd be furious at the fact they didn't return for an encore but the Lips usually squander it with an anti-climatic cover version and it was nice to see them finishing the set on a high. Goldfrapp had overran by a few minutes and I presume they had cut a bit of time off The Flaming Lips in doing so. Maybe the organisers would have been as keen to get the doors opened on the Saturday as they were in finishing it all promptly on the Sunday if they'd had been fined for making us miss Alphabeat?! The roads were crazily busy and everyone ignored the instructions of the large police presence to leave some space for the cars to get through. It's incredible to think that all these people had just seen The Flaming Lips and I hope that they buy their albums and get them to the top of the charts... Yeah right!! We had a long tube ride to get back but it was less chaotic than I'd expected. Lovebox had been a successful festival, albeit not being as amazing as the fully blown camping experience. Nevertheless, if I don't feel like camping next year maybe I'll do something similar again, and I enjoyed it sufficiently to wear my wristband for four months after the event!

SONG OF THE DAY: The Flaming Lips - The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song