Since overcoming the latest testing episodes in its near 40 year history, the event formerly known as Pilton Festival and Glastonbury Fayre opened its gates on Wednesday to nearly 200,000 revellers, the highest attendance since the super fence was erected in 2002 to combat mass breaches of the site's perimeter.
The successful new band showcase the Queens Head was moved from its spot by the Other Stage, meaning a hike across the site on Thursday to attempt to see Maximo Park open the festival, which was ultimately unsuccessful due to most of those 200,000 others having the same idea. While energy levels were still at a premium we spent the early evening hopping between tents in the Dance Village, culminating in a surreal episode involving a very, very bad performance by one-time chart-topping soul-pop geezers East (or is it E?) 17 and the wildfire rumours of the untimely demise of a world superstar. Guilty pleasure 'Stay Another Day' took on an eerie quality rather than the joyous, mass sing-along expected. Novelty rave hit 'House Of Love' never appeared to salvage the mood so it was on to the Silent Disco to watch the Kleptones' headline slot.
Constructed in the manner of 2ManyDJs or Girl Talk's eclectic, party-starting mash-ups, the sea of headphones were soon bopping along as Aphex Twin does strange things to Bon Jovi and Phil Collins waxes lyrical over Edwin Starr's 'War'. The best is saved 'til last as 'Rehab', 'Disco Inferno' and 'Toxic' combine for one momentous chorus, inexplicably leading into a rabble-rousing mix of Rage Against The Machine's 'Killing In The Name Of'.
Camping near a massive dome-shaped structure called the 'Bassline Circus' suddenly seemed not such a great idea while trying to get to sleep at 4.30AM, the tent situation made infinitely worse by the early emergence of a burning Avalon sunrise followed by the distant strains of 'Waterloo' being sung by Bjorn Again and a legion of early bird Abba devotees at the Pyramid stage.
No chance of any Abba covers from Canadian anarcho-punks Fucked Up who follow up Mark Ronson-supported Devonians Rumble Strips in the John Peel tent. Singer Pink Eyes (who must be upwards of 20 stone in weight) scales the rigging to deliver 'Twice Born' before launching himself into the crowd for the rest of the performance. The hordes of moshing fans lap it up and afterwards the stage's organiser thanks the security present for their light-handed approach.
The Pyramid stage's special guests turn out to be Pharell Williams and his NERD crew, who work the crowd into hyperactivity with 'Rock Star' and 'Lapdance', and even show a moment of overwhelmed humility while gazing at the sea of bodies watching them. Sadly this doesn't last, as the late start time means the sound is cut before they've finished doing their thing. This provokes Williams to argue "You've all paid 200 dollars to come see NERD" before storming off in a huff.
Luckily, delusions of grandeur and diva antics fail to sully the warm glow that descends across the field as Fleet Foxes reach their first beautifully-realised three part harmony. Unphased by what must be the biggest stage they have played so far, they seem totally relaxed, bantering and talking over each other between tracks. 'White Winter Hymnal' and 'Your Protector' have the crowd singing along, right up to the tree perched at the very back of the field.
The Park stage's secret guests are thankfully not NERD but Dead Weather, Jack White's new play-thing, featuring the sultry Alison Mosshart of The Kills on vocals. Their performance is bluesy and sinister, promising much for the forthcoming album. Jogging back down to the Other Stage means we manage to catch a fair chunk of Friendly Fires' pleasingly danceable, synth-driven indie-pop - the euphoric 'Paris' one of the best crowd pleasers thus far.
Declining the oportunity to witness the year's biggest selling artist (until Jacko overtakes that in about 10 minutes) Lady Gaga "riding a disco stick" we decide to check out Coventry's finest The Specials over on the Pyramid. With collaborator and super-fan Lily Allen bopping to the side of the stage having just completed her own performance, they run through a set chock-full with hits, which resonate in 2009 as strongly as in their Thatcherite birthing period. It's hard to imagine a more uplifting way to put across subject matter of economic decay and civil unrest but boy do they pull it off, 'Ghost Town' soundtracking the sunset and setting the stage for something special to come.
Chosing a headliner to watch on the Friday was the toughest decision of the festival, one of the downfalls of enjoying a wide spectrum of music, but in the end it was no choice really. While there were strong reasons to watch Bloc Party, Doves, Q-Tip, Ray Davies and Animal Collective (though possibly not Jason Mraz), these were ultimately negated by the appearance on the Pyramid Stage of the legendary Neil Young. While his Isle Of Wight appearance had given some clues as to the direction of his set, he is renowned for doing whatever the hell he wants, even if this means touring through the Republican heartlands of America with a setlist including 'Let's Impeach The President' as he did with Crosby, Stills and Nash a couple of years back.
So, instead of fragile, acoustic strummer Neil, we are treated to gnarled, grizzly and cantankerous rocker Neil. 'My My, Hey Hey' opens proceedings in style, while an almost impossibly passionate 'Down By The River' and 'The Needle And The Damage Done' are awe-inspiring. 'Keep On Rockin' In The Free World' sees Young tease the crowd for ten good minutes by constantly pretending each chorus is to be the last before launching back into another. He closes with a fantastic cover of The Beatles' 'A Day In The Life', the finale of which sees him systematically dismantle his guitar while attacking it with vicious abandon. He carefully places the mangled instrument upright which provides a great opportunity for all the keen snappers in the audience.
Buoyed by the classic rock 'n roll stylings of a true great, we head to the Avalon field's Diner for some classic '50s grooves before venturing into the wild and wonderful badlands of Shangri-La and Trash City to honour Neil's sentiments and "keep on rockin'".
The successful new band showcase the Queens Head was moved from its spot by the Other Stage, meaning a hike across the site on Thursday to attempt to see Maximo Park open the festival, which was ultimately unsuccessful due to most of those 200,000 others having the same idea. While energy levels were still at a premium we spent the early evening hopping between tents in the Dance Village, culminating in a surreal episode involving a very, very bad performance by one-time chart-topping soul-pop geezers East (or is it E?) 17 and the wildfire rumours of the untimely demise of a world superstar. Guilty pleasure 'Stay Another Day' took on an eerie quality rather than the joyous, mass sing-along expected. Novelty rave hit 'House Of Love' never appeared to salvage the mood so it was on to the Silent Disco to watch the Kleptones' headline slot.
Constructed in the manner of 2ManyDJs or Girl Talk's eclectic, party-starting mash-ups, the sea of headphones were soon bopping along as Aphex Twin does strange things to Bon Jovi and Phil Collins waxes lyrical over Edwin Starr's 'War'. The best is saved 'til last as 'Rehab', 'Disco Inferno' and 'Toxic' combine for one momentous chorus, inexplicably leading into a rabble-rousing mix of Rage Against The Machine's 'Killing In The Name Of'.
Camping near a massive dome-shaped structure called the 'Bassline Circus' suddenly seemed not such a great idea while trying to get to sleep at 4.30AM, the tent situation made infinitely worse by the early emergence of a burning Avalon sunrise followed by the distant strains of 'Waterloo' being sung by Bjorn Again and a legion of early bird Abba devotees at the Pyramid stage.
No chance of any Abba covers from Canadian anarcho-punks Fucked Up who follow up Mark Ronson-supported Devonians Rumble Strips in the John Peel tent. Singer Pink Eyes (who must be upwards of 20 stone in weight) scales the rigging to deliver 'Twice Born' before launching himself into the crowd for the rest of the performance. The hordes of moshing fans lap it up and afterwards the stage's organiser thanks the security present for their light-handed approach.
The Pyramid stage's special guests turn out to be Pharell Williams and his NERD crew, who work the crowd into hyperactivity with 'Rock Star' and 'Lapdance', and even show a moment of overwhelmed humility while gazing at the sea of bodies watching them. Sadly this doesn't last, as the late start time means the sound is cut before they've finished doing their thing. This provokes Williams to argue "You've all paid 200 dollars to come see NERD" before storming off in a huff.
Luckily, delusions of grandeur and diva antics fail to sully the warm glow that descends across the field as Fleet Foxes reach their first beautifully-realised three part harmony. Unphased by what must be the biggest stage they have played so far, they seem totally relaxed, bantering and talking over each other between tracks. 'White Winter Hymnal' and 'Your Protector' have the crowd singing along, right up to the tree perched at the very back of the field.
The Park stage's secret guests are thankfully not NERD but Dead Weather, Jack White's new play-thing, featuring the sultry Alison Mosshart of The Kills on vocals. Their performance is bluesy and sinister, promising much for the forthcoming album. Jogging back down to the Other Stage means we manage to catch a fair chunk of Friendly Fires' pleasingly danceable, synth-driven indie-pop - the euphoric 'Paris' one of the best crowd pleasers thus far.
Declining the oportunity to witness the year's biggest selling artist (until Jacko overtakes that in about 10 minutes) Lady Gaga "riding a disco stick" we decide to check out Coventry's finest The Specials over on the Pyramid. With collaborator and super-fan Lily Allen bopping to the side of the stage having just completed her own performance, they run through a set chock-full with hits, which resonate in 2009 as strongly as in their Thatcherite birthing period. It's hard to imagine a more uplifting way to put across subject matter of economic decay and civil unrest but boy do they pull it off, 'Ghost Town' soundtracking the sunset and setting the stage for something special to come.
Chosing a headliner to watch on the Friday was the toughest decision of the festival, one of the downfalls of enjoying a wide spectrum of music, but in the end it was no choice really. While there were strong reasons to watch Bloc Party, Doves, Q-Tip, Ray Davies and Animal Collective (though possibly not Jason Mraz), these were ultimately negated by the appearance on the Pyramid Stage of the legendary Neil Young. While his Isle Of Wight appearance had given some clues as to the direction of his set, he is renowned for doing whatever the hell he wants, even if this means touring through the Republican heartlands of America with a setlist including 'Let's Impeach The President' as he did with Crosby, Stills and Nash a couple of years back.
So, instead of fragile, acoustic strummer Neil, we are treated to gnarled, grizzly and cantankerous rocker Neil. 'My My, Hey Hey' opens proceedings in style, while an almost impossibly passionate 'Down By The River' and 'The Needle And The Damage Done' are awe-inspiring. 'Keep On Rockin' In The Free World' sees Young tease the crowd for ten good minutes by constantly pretending each chorus is to be the last before launching back into another. He closes with a fantastic cover of The Beatles' 'A Day In The Life', the finale of which sees him systematically dismantle his guitar while attacking it with vicious abandon. He carefully places the mangled instrument upright which provides a great opportunity for all the keen snappers in the audience.
Buoyed by the classic rock 'n roll stylings of a true great, we head to the Avalon field's Diner for some classic '50s grooves before venturing into the wild and wonderful badlands of Shangri-La and Trash City to honour Neil's sentiments and "keep on rockin'".
