Slipknot cancelled, of course, so there was a late start down at the Main Stage, forcing thousands of people too lazy to give up their sort-of-green patch of grass to sit through the disturbingly serious and insulting Mindless Self Indulgence (right).But, eventually, Alexisonfire take to the stage to put all their energy into a performance that the crowd can't quite be bothered with yet.
Cajun Dance Party proved surprisingly popular, with even the kids in the back knowing the words. They just say "Thanks to everyone who came and watched Cajun at Reading and Leeds."
Johnny Foreigner got themselves a right little audience at the Festival Republic Stage. They were a bit poor at first, breaking guitars and messing up. But as soon as Eyes Wide Terrified kicked in, they had the place by the scruff of the neck, and managed to hold it together till the end of the set.
Hadouken!'s set was dominated by new material - which proved to be real crowd pleasers among these fluro-painted, foam 'H!' wearing kids (right). Lead singer, James, appeared to be in a showing off kind of mood, and ended up doing headstands before launching into The Prodigy's Breathe, to the delight of the older drunks at the back. Bassist, Christopher, said: "I wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who came to see us at Leeds and Reading festivals. Both shows meant the world to us. To have anybody turn up to our shows is an honour. To fill the tent at both sites is beyond words."Here's footage of Crank It Up, from behind a cameraman:
Pendulum turned out to be one of the best bands of the weekend. A beyond packed-out tent crammed with everyone from wasted teenage girls, to half naked, body painted men with poles with skulls on (right), tribal dancing under the influence of, I'm sure, a cocktail of drugs, all singing to tracks without lyrics, made for one of the best atmospheres of the festival.It was a bit like this:
And sort of like this:
Unfortunately, pretty much everyone left the NME/Radio 1 stage before Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band arrived onstage, in exchange for Jack Black & A Man In A Devil Costume [ie. Tenacious D]. The music was lovely, the performance was tight, but the crowd, apart from one guy caught on camera down the front, drew blank faces. The problem with sticking this band so far up the bill is that no one actually knows anything beyond Bright Eyes.
Naturally, everyone returned in time for The Last Shadow Puppets. And, as per usual with things related to Alex Turner, the hype is surprisingly accurate. The stage presence of the full orchestra has the whole place captivated. Everyone already knows every word to the singles, and when the crowd sing lines of Standing Next To Me back at him, Alex Turner's face is priceless. This being "Only our third gig", he appears quite overwhelmed. Here's Calm Like You:
Headliners, unless you're into Metallica, come in the shape of The Cribs. Now this band know how to do a festival. They play everything you could ask for - every single, all the best album tracks, and that Smiths cover. On top of that is the whole crowd interaction thing that's become expected of a Cribs performance. But by ender, I'm A Realist, things start to get a bit carried away. Ryan crowdsurfs and ends up completely lost in the crowd. So his guitar cuts out, leaving an empty bass line and drums, and vocals that can't be heard past the mics. The crowd fills in, but lyrics get muddled - not exactly the ending this set deserved.
Women's Needs:
Moving Pictures:
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