Leeds Festival - Travis Day - Saturday 25th August
Sun, sex and sangria - well the first 2 anyway are up on offer today and none offer it better than the Moldy Peaches. A sexual country blues act for the 21st century with rhyming couplets like "You want to fuck me, You want to eat my Pussy" - made all the stranger for the fact its sung and played by people in Robin Hood, rabbit and Spiderman costumes. It hilarious, perverse and a anti-dote to all this 20 something rock angst that makes up the majority of the festival bill. Get these guys to write for Britney and you've got the most overtly sexual record since "Je Taime".
Followed perfectly by the Lo-Fidelity Allstars. If the Peaches were the foreplay well Lo-Fi Allstars are the real deal - the wham bam thank you mam!!! With hard house disco beats made for that drunken fuck the only thing holding us back are the limp big beat / hip hop instrumentals which spoil an otherwise perfect set. Moving on eventually from the loss of The Wrecked Train and finding that music really does mean life. They may be veterans but that doesn't stop Run DMC for putting on a pretty lame show. Going through the old skool motions maybe its time that Adidas' most famous patrons give up the day job. Much better are new skool / old skool rappers Ugly Duckling who by this time next year will be the names on everyone's lips. Like Jurassic 5 before them they take life by both hands and set to make it one long party. They got the gold chain and it says it all!!!
Mull Historical Society are everything Travis should have been had they not lost it after the first album. Take "U16 Girls" or "Happy" and times it by 10 and you end up with the MHS. Harking back to the days of Brit-pop (but at the same not being so referential), along with Gloss and Haven it could see a return of British guitar music to the top of the charts. John Peel has backed them as have Lamacq, Radio 2 and MTV. Trust me check these guys out before they hit the big time.
From the fantastic Big Dog to just a big disappointment with The Strokes. Looking seriously out of place after being moved from the Evening Session Stage to The Main Stage at the last minute (ok it isn't their fault and to be honest we can pin the blame at NME's door for this one). Despite some classic singles "New York City Cops", "The Modern Age" and "Sometimes" you just can't help but get the feeling that by this time next year they'll have gone the same way as Gay Dad. They may be cool. They may be sexy - but would you still love them if they came from York instead of New York. You've got to ask yourself these questions haven't you.
For the 1st time ever Amen don't do anything for me, but its not been the same since he ranted about destroying the American Dream and then was seen walking around with a typical American blonde the day after. Surprising or unsurprisingly depending if you're one of the few people to hear the album, Proud Mary, really do put on a fantastic show. It may be retro but it makes you feel all warm inside and ultimately if you music can make you smile its all you need. The crowd loved it as well so maybe we haven't seen the last of these guys. Straight after the soul train rolls into town in the form of Mo Solid Gold and boy do these guys know how to entertain. One moment K is a motown hero, the next he turns into a mad Mick Johnston (Ed: Obscure Brookside reference). Even Robbie Williams could pick up a few tips from these guy and I mean that as the highest possible compliment.
Green Day do their tired punk rock work out very badly and we all leave. Taking us back to our child hood was floppy haired gorgeous pin up Evan Dando. Rolling out the classic Lemonheads songs like "Its A Shame About Ray" while interspersing it with a few of his solo efforts. It may be cruel to say so but stick to the oldies, pout a bit more and play the new songs in the privacy of you're own bedroom. Apparently he's without a record deal at the moment and its not hard to see why. A Calvin Klein modelling contract awaits!!!
A night with Travis isn't everyone's idea of fun, but the camp fires burning and the tent is packed for Ash so we might as well give them one more chance - its the biggest mistake of my life!!! By the time they've played 3 songs I'm not sure which is worse - the actual songs or Fran's ever so amusing anecdotes which flavour the evening - whatever it doesn't matter because after "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?" everyone buggers off to their tents. And Fran that ever so punk rock haircut of yours, Roy from Emmerdale (The one looking like an extra from Planet Of The Apes) was sporting one earlier - is that the sort of attention you really want to attract?
Alex McCann