The JP Stage

[Uh-Oh!]

I love the JP stage, one of my favourite areas, however I sometimes wish it was a proper outdoor stage like West Holts or Park as opposed to being stuck in a huge big top. It's a complete nightmare come headliner time particularly with the folding chair brigade camped up in their refusing to budge. Thinking back to Mumfords in 2010, great show but was way too packed in there and having to thread your way past the folders made things worse.

[fatyeti24]

i'd like it to represent more closely what Peel actually played. it seems to be heavily weighted towards indie music. where's the gabba? the hardcore punk? the heavy, heavy dub? the 'what-the-f*ck-is-that-i'm-turning-the-radio-off' stuff only Peel would touch?

i'd find it hard to believe the man himself would have spent a great deal of time in there.

[Uh-Oh!]

i'd like it to represent more closely what Peel actually played. it seems to be heavily weighted towards indie music. where's the gabba? the hardcore punk? the heavy, heavy dub? the 'what-the-f*ck-is-that-i'm-turning-the-radio-off' stuff only Peel would touch?

i'd find it hard to believe the man himself would have spent a great deal of time in there.

[fatyeti24]

True, doubt Mr Eavis would ever book Napalm Death or Bolt Thrower, two acts JP used to champion on his show.

[AnnaGrant]

i'd like it to represent more closely what Peel actually played. it seems to be heavily weighted towards indie music. where's the gabba? the hardcore punk? the heavy, heavy dub? the 'what-the-f*ck-is-that-i'm-turning-the-radio-off' stuff only Peel would touch?

i'd find it hard to believe the man himself would have spent a great deal of time in there.

[cdm22]

They were actually very good this year in having fire warden types telling people to not use their chairs in the tent. I for one didn't have a problem getting in the tent once, just come in from the right hand side of the tent.

[abdoujaparov]

f**ked Up did one of my favourite ever Pilton performances in there a couple of years ago, and they're definitely the kind of band Uncle John would have played

the problem I have with the JP tent is that consistently over the last 3-4 years, the sound there has been awful.

[jackarmy]

Get The Fall to play in there!!

[thesecretingredientiscrime]

There's several bands in there JP would have championed. Bands like Warpaint and The Horrors especially.

[strummer77]

There's several bands in there JP would have championed. Bands like Warpaint and The Horrors especially.

[Festival Liam]

Please keep it as a tent. The atmosphere is aided so much by it being a tent. If they are having sound problems, maybe they need to move it further from the pyramid stage some how, as that causes some of their issues.

I have no idea about John Peel's music tastes and wheather he would approve of the stuff being played there.

To be honest this year I wasn't that impressed with the line up. The only people I actually wanted to see were Hurts and Anna Calvi. I may have seen some others if they hadn't clashed with other stuff

[fatyeti24]

There's several bands in there JP would have championed. Bands like Warpaint and The Horrors especially.

[baxterboy]

I love the JP stage, one of my favourite areas, however I sometimes wish it was a proper outdoor stage like West Holts or Park as opposed to being stuck in a huge big top. It's a complete nightmare come headliner time particularly with the folding chair brigade camped up in their refusing to budge. Thinking back to Mumfords in 2010, great show but was way too packed in there and having to thread your way past the folders made things worse.

[Uh-Oh!]

For some reason i 'aint been down there for the last couple of years but chairs in there?that is shocking,surely the stewards need to be stopping that,it's bad enough at the front of the main stages never mind in a tent of that size.

[jimmyt]

I love the idea of the stage being programmed specifically to the tastes of John Peel himself, even if only for one year. I have been helping to run a "John Peel" night every year since his death at a local pub/club with the rule that JP had to have liked or at least played every record we play for the 6 hours the night runs - we get the best, most ecclectic mix of music every time and it's never the same.

All time John Peel headliners?

I reckon you'd want The Faces (cos he played mandolin, or at least pretended to, on TOTP with them.

The Smiths (or Moz doing Smiths songs - because their sessions were the best ever - fact!)

Public Enemy (because JP was pretty much the first person to play hip-hop on the radio in this country and he LOVED PE)

That would be awesome, in my opinion. Particularly if you had a dutch techno/gabba act on before The Faces, Napalm Death (as mentioned in the thread) before Smiths/Moz and maybe Belle & Sebastian before PE becuase they did some of the last great Peel sessions. It wouldn't go together and neither should it - that was the great thing about listening to the great man's show.

Who else would you guys put on the bill (and who would you have headlinging instead and for what reason)?

edit: Obviously The Fall, The Wedding Present (I met him at Phoenix festival watching them and he told me that they were the best thing that was going to be on all weekend - he was half-right)and The Undertones would all have to play too!

Edited July 7, 2011 by jimmyt

[sisterofmercy]

Whenever I walked past during a big set at the JP tent you could tell that those with chairs had been asked to move, as there was a ring around the outside perimeter of the tent full of said people and their chairs.

I used to think it was a rubbish tent sound wise and not great for headliners, but this year I was rather impressed. I think it depends on whereabouts you are in the tent, makes all the difference.

[Uh-Oh!]

I love the idea of the stage being programmed specifically to the tastes of John Peel himself, even if only for one year. I have been helping to run a "John Peel" night every year since his death at a local pub/club with the rule that JP had to have liked or at least played every record we play for the 6 hours the night runs - we get the best, most ecclectic mix of music every time and it's never the same.

All time John Peel headliners?

I reckon you'd want The Faces (cos he played mandolin, or at least pretended to, on TOTP with them.

The Smiths (or Moz doing Smiths songs - because their sessions were the best ever - fact!)

Public Enemy (because JP was pretty much the first person to play hip-hop on the radio in this country and he LOVED PE)

That would be awesome, in my opinion. Particularly if you had a dutch techno/gabba act on before The Faces, Napalm Death (as mentioned in the thread) before Smiths/Moz and maybe Belle & Sebastian before PE becuase they did some of the last great Peel sessions. It wouldn't go together and neither should it - that was the great thing about listening to the great man's show.

Who else would you guys put on the bill (and who would you have headlinging instead and for what reason)?

[LondonTom]

They were actually very good this year in having fire warden types telling people to not use their chairs in the tent. I for one didn't have a problem getting in the tent once, just come in from the right hand side of the tent.

[happinessisawarmgun]

I really like that it's a tent. Better sound, and I like it being dark(ish) for bands in the daytime. I've only been there twice, for the XX last year and Darwin Deez this year, but both were excellent gigs and I couldn't pick a fault with the venue.

[thesecretingredientiscrime]

there's several indie bands he would have championed, sure. and i know i'm lumping together a bit there with that comment, but his shows on the radio were so much more varied than that.

whether his taste would have stretched quite as far as Example though, one can only speculate.

[ukslim]

I've never liked that tent, right back to when it was the New Bands Tent. It's a long walk from the other places I want to be, fighting through Pyramid/Other crowds and/or the Dance Field's cacophony on the way . The neighbouring campsite is like an Eritrean refugee camp. The food available in the area is mediocre.

But, when it's got a band you want to see, and once you're in, it's reasonable.

I haven't perceived chairs in there as a problem. They're not allowed, and stewards seem to enforce it pretty well.

Remember John Peel is just a name (and a tribute). It's carrying on doing what it did before the name change, which is fine.

I honestly think a stage that was programmed in the true spirit of John Peel's shows, would need to be much smaller, since it mostly wouldn't draw crowds.

Edited July 7, 2011 by ukslim

[ovy]

The Black Keys in that tent last year, prior to the amazing Groove Armada set, was what dreams are made of.

Peel like The Black Keys. I LOVE The Black Keys. Everything sure was swell.

[TentOnFire]

I love the JP stage, one of my favourite areas, however I sometimes wish it was a proper outdoor stage like West Holts or Park as opposed to being stuck in a huge big top. It's a complete nightmare come headliner time particularly with the folding chair brigade camped up in their refusing to budge. Thinking back to Mumfords in 2010, great show but was way too packed in there and having to thread your way past the folders made things worse.

[Ian_Mackay]

Yeah I agree.

Oh and as for it not being tent... that would lose the whole atmosphere of the place. It's such a good venue because it is the only major venue indoors and thus has a very different feel (and better sound...). Myabe make the tent bigger, but I think it's a really good venue.