Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band brings Hard Rock Calling to a perfect close

Sunday was a big day for many. Paul McCartney was headlining and England were playing Germany in the World Cup. It was announced that the match would be shown on screens inside the arena, somewhat stealing the show from the bands but hey-ho, at least it seemed to prevent a contingent of fans staying in the pub. Just as well for the egos of More Than Me, competition winners who have won a pretty decent prize of opening the day's proceedings. To their credit, they don't seem particularly nervous, and their prize seems well deserved as they play some pretty harmless American pop rock and absorb some of the atmosphere as they go.

It's bloody hot now and the Ray Ban toting Joshua Radin is up next. Given his recent tour of quite modestly sized venues, this is quite a step up for him. The Zach Braff connection however will not prove powerful enough to ensure everyone in attendance knows the words. The backing band are decent, the drummer is a monster, and seems to give it everything he's got, but Friday was the loud, belt-it-out day. In the vein of slightly gentler music, it works, its fine, but Elvis Costello has so much more presence.

Sadly perhaps, the highlight of his set is the comical set up involving a fantastic array of musical instruments which frequently fall over, are tripped over, or seemingly impossible to tune. That said the man himself makes his appearance and resplendent in straw hat and grey suit, and despite the earlier hitches settles right in with a rousing rendition of 'Good Year for the Roses' that has a lot of those not preoccupied with the football singing along. Easy going stuff but I didn't want to miss The Urban Voodoo Machine on the second stage so I scooted off to what was an unbelievably quiet tent.

I was actually taken aback at the distinct lack of people at the start of this set. I can only suppose that this is where the impact of the football match is being felt most severely. However the tent soon packs out for what is certainly one of the most entertaining sets of the afternoon. The drummer stands and shoots gazes into everyone's eyes, before the rest of the band take to the stage. Washboards, accordions and trumpets abound as the ramshackle-yet-simultaneously-cohesive Machine ramble through their 'Bourbon Soaked Gypsy Blues Bop'N'Stroll'. It's, and I'm sure they hate people saying this, Gogol Bordello-esque but slightly rawer and with less clothes; better than the football.

Getting back to the main stage it was time to give the prize for 'best guitar straps of the day' as Crowded House stroll on. Neill Finn was effortlessly charismatic and taking the initiative on the football, simply noted that the crowd may be feeling "a little tense." Dipping into their back catalogue for their big hitters 'Don't Dream It's Over'/'Four Seasons In One Day'/'Weather With You' they actually fit the bill nicely. Great big choruses that get people singing (and a certain proportion of the crowd need some camaraderie at this point) and they pave the way nicely for Crosby Stills and Nash.

For all the acts on Sunday, Crosby, Stills and Nash are by far the closest thing to 'hard rock', and they show it by absolutely tearing into their set. Massive folk-seeped riffs and solos clearly demonstrating they still offer a lot, they seem to be genuinely loving it. While undoubtedly they have had time to hone their craft, they really put on a great show. Just as well really given the person they are playing before.

They turn their hand to a cover of 'Behind Blue Eyes' which serves as the perfect compliment to the almost biblical lighting the stage is experiencing. Low sun and dry ice create surging beams of light that seem to evoke a sense of nostalgia whilst raising the theatrics to an unexpectedly grand level. Many acts from the weekend would do well to take some pointers from them, I doubt many will be playing well into their 60's as well as they manage to. Speaking of which…

Indeed it was time to get comfortable and find a spot where you could see the stage. The enormous proportion of Beatles fans is evident from the T-shirts and there are a vast amount of families who have probably found Paul McCartney and/or The Beatles to be the only musical crossover between the divergent tastes of them and their kids. It must be said that the stories conjured up by the man are almost as big a part of the show (almost three hours long), as the songs themselves. Little two sentence liners about "the greatest compliment Jimi Hendrix ever paid us (The Beatles)"... really add to the richness of the show. It's quite odd how he addresses tens of thousands of people like he was down the pub just with you. There's a mix of solo work and Beatles songs, even a little tribute to Hendrix with a 'Foxy Lady' jam. 'Jet' still sounds great and 'Live and Let Die' is an absolute stomper. 'Eleanor Rigby' created a great, close atmosphere that never let up, trundling along and keeping everyone rooted to the spot. 'Hey Jude', also the song chosen by the crowd to bring Macca on at the start of the night, is utterly anthemic and ironically sounds like an enormous football chant. 'Day Tripper' will always be a brilliant song and 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' brings the evening to a perfect end. Not quite a festival, but after that no one cares.

Latest Updates