Or more specifically KT Tunstall and David Gray at O2 Wireless 2006
Socks I tell you! Socks were rocked off peoples feet and floating around.
Was with the lovely company of Katie and her mum.
We went in, were searched, though notably my bag wasn't searched properly, lovely and polite people. Ticket exchange was brief and polite. and we were in! Made a beeline fo some fooood.
If I'm honest didn't really go for a look in the Xfm tent although was sat out it munching a jacket potato. The first band we hear in there was pants anyways... too much thrashing, drum.bass balance was crap... too much drum not enough bass. Does my head in. Then the second band we could hear from there was much better, a bit more melodic, I'll have to find out who they were.
Bit weary of festival food I am. So before I go on I must advise... Never go for the meat. Maybe risk the chicken a bit... if it's early in the day but in general never go for the meat f you can help it and definatley don't go for the fish unless it comes from a tin. We were quite pleased with there being a Jacket Potato stand. At least you can't go too far wrong with one. although they were a bit cold, and the cheese didn't melt, it was good considering.
However, bit of poor planning on the event organisers part. The Xfm tent - the loud thrashing, metally, rockin', emo - esque tent was about twenty metres away from the acoustic stage. The acoustic stage tried hard to compete... with their relaxed atmosphere, near Pimms bus positioning and colourful deck chairs... but to very little avail. you could hear them a bit in between band and set changes of the Xfm tent.
Food options were grand. Bar options were also grand. There was a Pimms bus! With a little mini fenced off Pimms Garden with deck chairs and a pimms tent! I was quite deeply impressed by that. Katie's mum admitted later that it was very tempting. There were also several Ice-cream trucks. Katie and I were a bit cold so we didn't really go for one. There were Chinese food stands, vegeburgers falafel stands, taco stands, fair trade coffee stands, organic this and organic thats and 'Herbal highs' which I must admit tickled me somewhat. No actual herbal mind altering substances though.
It was cold. it cooled down quite rapidly and as we settled for KT Tunstall it was quite fresh. I eventually caved put on my jumper and hugged my bag for warmth. It had been very hot though, so the ground was rock-hard. So sort of the worst of all worlds really as far as the weather was concerned... rock-hard ground, cold, threats of rain, dead grass sticking to you. Though to be honest I've been at Hyde park during bucket chucking rain. That was much worse.
Missed Missy higgings, and the Violent Femmes we caught the last 10 minutes of. I can't say that the violent femmes were that great but then i've never been too keen of what I've heard of them anyway.
Waited some time for KT Tunstall... ran a running commentary of technician activity...Then finally they went off...
KT Tunstall finally graced the stage, complete, with 2nd Guitarist, Bassist, Upright bassist, drummer, and trumpet. Oh, and possibly a keyboard.
She kicked off her set with I believe 'Another place to fall' but don't quote me, I'm not a massive fan so I'm not quite sure what's what except for two tracks. I thought she started off a bit weak to be honest, she sort picked up towards the end but I dunno. She's quite new I suppose, and she just didn't really energize the crowd, her performance just wasn't really suited to a large venue. She was good but you didn't hear her and think wow! She sort of failed to connect with the large crowd for the most part. That was even with my favourite 'Under the Weather'. She did kick things up a notch with 'Black Horse and The Cherry tree' which i have to admit despite not liking the song, I have to admire the the technique she has with it. She records bits of the song (like her voice singing 'woo hoo') and keeping with the beat sets them to play on a loop. Then she ended with my favourite 'Suddenly I see' I just love that song, but she was better by then. She then played the drums really energetically to finish off, that was good. She tried connecting by talking and joking, but it was all a bit forced, like in trying to connect with the crowd, she was trying verbally, rather than musically at times. She did greet us with Hello campers, but I dunno... her speaking just didn't feel right. She was also quite nervous, almost like a slight insecurity with her music, or the lack of variation, which is sort of to be expected as she has only one album. I guess she didn't have an ease with the large venu, but I'm guessing that as time goes by, and she gets a more varied setlist that will change, and she'll probably get better and better. At the moment she would probably be brilliant in a small venue with only a couple hundred people but she's not quite there with a festival/outdoor performance.
But see, that's the problem with this recent boom in alternative music suddenly hitting mainstream. There's a lot of really good and really new artists, who have just suddenly been hit with record deals, and undoubtably can write, and play the really good music that the public have been a bit deprived of. But just haven't been able to hone their performance. I mean there's been a lot of people, take, KT Tunstall for example. Who've been performing on small stages and/or not for that long... a few years perhaps. During a performance you have to be able to connect with the peole right at the front all the way to the very back of the crowd. On a small stage, the people at the back aren't very far away, whereas on a large stage the people at the back maybe a mile away. Suddenly sue to a massive rise in popularity are suddenly being booked for large stages with zillions of people. And I don't think you can just adapt your performance with a click of a finger. It's not like in the last centuary where people had to tour, and perform to death first. Take the Red Hot Chili Peppers for example, their live performance is mind blowing. In fact production actually does their music no favours whatsoever, they are just so much better live than their albums. From the word 'Go' they had been shoved in a van, and performing at all clubs and stages that would have them before they recorded their first album. Their stages only gradually getting bigger and bigger over the course of about twenty or so years. So each time honing their performance.
And this quite nicely brings me to David Gray's rockin' performance.
Oh yes. I was a bit doubtful, it had only gotten colder, and KT Tunstall hadn't really filled me with confidence but David gray. The minute he walked onto the stage with his band you just knew that this was going to be a good one. Also aided by his drummer Clune walking out with a suitable loud Hawaii shirt in Orange and Yellow. There was a keyboard, cello, bassist, possibly an Upright bassist, second guitarist, drummer, possibly a trumpet player... my memory is a bit hazy.
So there he was, tall, dapper in a suit with sparkly pinstripes and open collar white shirt, proud, incontrol but not annoyingly rock god-like. Stood there like a man, with full confidence in himself and the crowd. He knew this was going to be good, just as much as we knew it was going to be good.
Then it all kicked off with 'You're the one I love' and it was great. It was just so good... and that wasn't even the best part. a short greeting of 'Hello Parkers' bearing in mind that no one was actually camping. He then moved into 'sail away with me' cue much singing along. He talked as well, but it was more of a side commentary, and it was just natural, a couple comments about a sun set. Which was absolutley beautiful reflecting of David Gray's upright piano and somehow the maturing light just added that extra atmosphere and beauty to everything. He sang a few album songs I didn't recognise, and a couple new ones. That was great, I actually enjoyed standing there just hearing his music and feeling his performance as his energy just lit up the crowd. Then launched into one of my favourite songs 'Please Forgive me' ergo much more singing along and then as testimony to what a good performer his is, and his connectivity with us all everyone just started clapping keeping in time with the beat. I'm not sure whether we just started clapping in time or whether the drummer was just drumming in time with us but it was a truely magical moment. Alot of the crowd must have been clapping, because the din was almost overpowering the instruments at one point. David Gray took full advantage of this unplanned gesture of the crowd by only encouraging us further and clapping along, he stopped playing to conduct us into the time of the song, and all the other musicians instinctively stopped except the drummer. Then David gray sat back down and played some extended version of the outro, as we all clapped the beat, with his musicians joining in. That was a truely fab moment of improvisation, and crowd involvement. Next recognisable song was jokingly entitled 'Festival food' by him ('Hospital food') and again much hearty singing along. Some beer pickled twerps started being idiotic but we just moved away. And then there were tall people and I was mildly worried because having been able to see the stage (Best view I've ever had at a concert) all the way through it would have been annoying to not see his perform Babylon... But then we moved to a spot with some shorter people. And then eventually the end of the main setlist approached and 'Babylon' was played. One of the greatest songs ever, and again much much heartfelt singing along, arm waving, and general happiness. Knowing the words to the verses and well as the chorus. As he played the outtro he stopped, and as we all though he was finished he played a couple chords encouraging us all to sing his chorus 'If you want it, come and get it, for crying out loud, The love that I was, Giving you was, never in doubt, Let go of your heart , Let go of your head, and feel me now, Babylon, babylon' before finally launching into an extended outro himself. Then it was over. And he said goodnight and left...
Before coming out in a couple minutes for a truely wonderful ecore of 'this years love' again much singing along and jubilation and 'Say hello, wave goodbye' which was his saying goodbye.
Then we went, got Katie a rainbow beanie and went home.
So yes I highly reccommend seeing David Gray Live. I'd say give up either your left leg, or right arm. He is just that good a singer/songwriter/performer.
