Sunday overview

Sunday morning, slight headache to deal with and the hottest day of the year about to take hold, I stumble accross Clapham Common once more, looking forward to another of my teenage hero's Tim Wheeler and Ash.

First up though and it's The Vivians. They are very punk and oh so cool but not my cup of tea so I move on...to the bar. Hair of the dog always works eh?!!?

The New York Fund show country folk at its best. Beautiful melodies and a sound that works great in the sun. Fight Like Apes then up the tempo with great rock and roll and enough energy to make The Sex Pistols seem like Air. The Dublin band seem far too cool to be this side of London and maybe that's why their sound seems slightly lost with the crowd but they seem to have a fantastic future ahead of them and are certainly a band that I'll keep a keen eye on in the future.

Slow Club... now this is what a festival such as Ben and Jerry's is all about. Incredible vocals from a male and female duo that light up the festival and make everyone with third degree sunburn just feel warm inside. Their Low-Fi folk is so well received that the band feel almost embarrassed by the crowds reaction. Finally they invite a friend on stage to play the saw - yes the DIY instrument and their set is complete. Beat that Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly...



...And he does, just. Sam Duckworth as he is known to friends is a regular on the festival circuit and shows no nerves as he rattles through older and some new songs. I'm not a fan of his, but I have to admit, he does do a job on stage. 'War of the Worlds' shows our superhero singing he's never performed it before and 'I Spy' is a real singalong that finally brings the crowd into life. All set up now for two golden oldies The Lemonheads and Ash.

The Lemonheads fail to inspire. However cool Evan Dando looks, you can't help feel that The Lemonheads are a bit of a failed Foo Fighters.

Ash however, look like they are having the time of their lives. '1977' classics and singles including 'A Life Less Ordinary' and 'Burn Baby Burn' rally the crod into a singing frenzy. Tim Wheeler is loving every minute. However, I can't help but feel that the poor Charlotte Hatherley should never have left. She was very disappointing the day before and Ash are really not strong enough as a three piece. However, they finish and it give me just enough time to have a go on the Helter Skelter and have a Bohemian Raspberry ice cream.



What a great weekend. I have gained three stone, will have the worst time at work tomorrow as a result of heavy drinking but more to the point, the new bands outshone the oldies. Surely this can only be a good thing for today's state of music.

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