Mardy

I only caught the second half of her set, but it was great. And as @The Nalsays, she absolutely fucking nailed it later the same summer at EOTR. Sunny afternoon on the Garden stage, big crowd and every single member of the audience came away a convert. Can see her doing the same early afternoon at the Park, you're both right.

Dunno if anybody's posted this before, but I've just been alerted to the fact that both RBCF and the (excellent) Stella Donnelly are in with a good shout, European Tour ends a day or two before Glastonbury. Stella D played in the Leftfield last time. Hopefully back again.

Yeah, absolutely agree with that. Can't really blame her for moving to Harry Styles band though

If nothing else, it means the return of the best goddam drummer in the world back to Pilton (Sarah Jones, last seen absolutely killing it with Hot Chip at WH in 2015)

Yeah, lot of truth in that. I like to think of myself as "not really a Pyramid kind of guy", but over the last few years, some of the most memorable sets I've seen have been there, Vampire Weekend, Patti Smith and Stormzy are real standouts in recent memory. Patti Smith, in particular was fantastic, and worked perfectly there, sounding out that message to the masses mid afternoon, not just preaching to the converted on a smaller stage.

A toss up between West Holts and The Park, I reckon. (No, I don't mean I spend 5 days w*nking by the Glade)

Ah makes sense, thanks. Damn shame though, cos those dumplings are good, real good.

Easy to knock Lorde. Even easier after this belter of a line from the NME's review of Solar Power.

Getaway was the one, yep. A little squeal of joy from me when I spotted that one. All we need now is Addams Family and Fish Tales. Get 'em on the lineup poster!

Aha! Magic. Nice one. I thought about it but didn't include the screenshot here because it had a real name on it., Very glad I made that decision 🙂 My first memory of Mixmaster Morris at Glastonbury was 93/94ish, him playing upstairs on a double decker bus somewhere on site (it's a bit fuzzy), was about the time he did that Dreamfish stuff with Pete Namlook

Mixmaster Morris self-confirmed on his Facebook page (no big surprise, but still). Glade lounge and Shangri-La

They weren't at EOTR in September, either. Have they knocked the festival side of things on the head completely?

There was some fantastic vintage 90s pinball machines in there. I got pretty emotional when I stumbled upon them on Sat or Sun afternoon. Things I’d never thought I’d see again, let alone play. Stuff yer Kylies, yer Rosses, yer Dolly Partons, that’s very much my legends slot.

Hehehe, yeah, absolutely how I feel, hence my lack of activity on here over the last couple of years. But now I'm back back back, expect me to be spraying meaningless generalisations, poorly argued opinions, invalid criticism and c-bombs around like confetti.

Cowboy Junkies on the Garden would be fantastic, yeah, that's a great shout, and definitely not too big. I've seen them twice, once in 1992, at the Royal Albert Hall and 25 years later at the Bridge theatre, about 4 or 5 years ago. Amazing both times. To see/hear 'Cheap is How I feel' and 'Sun comes up, it's Tuesday morning', what a fucking thrill that was. The thought of those on the Garden Stage, proper goosebumps stuff.

Brilliant. Figured you’d be speaking at Glasto University or something, but delighted you’re sorted

You know, I really thought I was over it, I really thought I wasn't fussed. We'd had conversations about it, decided we weren't bothered, yadda yadda yadda. Bought Primavera tickets instead It was only bloody @The Naland @Woodersonon Thursday who lured me back in, and then there I was this morning, sweaty palms, trembling bowels, dry mouth, like a junkie jonsing for one more fix. See you all in June. Ridge and Furrow, right?

If you book the train well in advance and Pollock Halls/Brae House halls of Residence at the right time, you can do Edinburgh fairly reasonably (they seem to release a load of rooms May/June time). Think about 60/70 a night for two people, and Pollock Halls offers a massive breakfast which sets you up for most of the day. 35pppn is alright, I reckon. Yeah, decided against Glastonbury, I think. Dipped out in the original sale, and not sure I can be going through it all again, that's mainly why I booked Primavera tickets. But after 25 years of going to festivals, last year's EOTR was the best weekend I've ever had in a. field, so I reckon Primavera, Ed Fringe, Green Man and EOTR will do me. You doing weekend 1 or 2 or both for Primavera? Weekend 1 for sure, I guess, what with Nick Cave doing that one, amIright?

The WIP aspect is one that really appeals to me, I love seeing the evolution of a show from tentative beginnings to the finished article. I've just been looking at the Mach site as a result of your post, and it's such a mouthwatering prospect. I usually do 4 to 6 days in Edinburgh. Try to cram in as many shows as possible, say 5 or 6 a day on average. If you stay at the University halls of residence and pick your times, it can be pretty reasonable, there's usually some decent late deals. And I love the way the whole town is buzzing for the fringe. I'm able to be flexible cos I don't work in August, which makes things easier, but the flip side of that is I can't take time off in May for Mach, especially as I'm off to Primavera in early June. Too many events, not enough leave/money! But looking at that line-up list, so so tempting to do Mach...

I've been wanting to go to this for years, it's absolutely on my list, but the timings are terrible for me, can't fly back from Moscow, get there and fly back without taking plenty of leave, so I think I'll do my semi-regular trip to Edinburgh fringe in Augusta instead for my comedy fix. I'm dead envious of you, though, and can't wait to hear your reports of it.

Ah man, that's no good. I'm pushing 50, I'll be tucked up in bed by then.

There is no way on this earth that he is hitting those notes.

Caribou/Kelly Lee Owens in Margate 7/10. good gig, very subdued crowd, half full and lethargic. But as it was my first gig back, probably just as well, to calm my anxiety about crowds etc EOTR 10/10 One of the best weekends of my life. A pure fucking blast start to finish. Doesn't get any better Lump at the Scala 5/10. they were OK, but ridiculously overcrowded, way too hot, just fucking hellish. Lump only played for just under an hour, which given the conditions, was a relief. Arab Strap at Electric Ballroom 7/10. Good evening, great to see some friends and get out. Sound wasn't great though, seemed pretty muddy and we moved around a few times. But you know, Arab Strap, what a band.

Woffy, come here and give us a kiss you magnificent bastard. How's tricks? For comedy, i reckon you want a) to be downstairs, dunno why, but it feels important, something about going down the steps b) a low roof, I think the laughs need to be contained and not escape upwards/outwards c) a low stage, 9-12 inches max. d)Stage should be pretty small, one mic, couple of spots. no frills. e)the backstage area shouldn't be literally backstage, the comedian should have to walk through the crowd a bit to get onto the stage. and f) there needs to be no space at the front, no real gap between comedian/crowd. A ramshackle arrangement of chairs, not neccesarily in formal rows

London? Roundhouse is OK for a largish venue, but I love the Lexington. Used to like the Scala but had a bad experience there a few weeks back. Union Chapel also great. Outside London, Ramsgate Music Hall is decent, although the Trades Club in Hebden Bridge probably my favourite. And for comedy, the Stand in Edinburgh is the best venue in the world, bar none.