END OF THE ROAD FESTIVAL 2010: Day Two

During the Friday night at End of the Road Festival it had rained heavily. It may have stopped but Saturday morning was a sodden and grey one with rain-threatening clouds looming ominously over Larmer Tree Gardens.

Luckily by the time the first bands were taking to the stage it did seem to be brightening up. Brooklyn’s Forest Fire opened proceedings on the Garden Stage with the song ‘Slow Motion’ from last year’s album “Survival”.

The steady, slow pace of their ramshackle alt-folk-rock suited the just-waking-up mood. And the occasional frazzled guitar and shocking red eyeshadow of their guitarist also helped remind everyone of sore heads and how they might look if only a mirror was at hand.

The Tipi Tent was crammed to capacity for the first of the weekend’s performances by Daniel Lefkowitz, the crowds no doubt drawn by the Low Anthem associations of the newest signing to End of the Road Records. With the tent so full I only managed to catch two songs from the back – the VERY back – before returning to the Garden Stage. Here Woodpigeon were replacing the last-minute cancellation from Timber Timbre.

The Woodpigeon-backed-by-Eagleowl set was the same as yesterday’s Big Top set but on this stage the sound was clearer and stronger. And with the sun now breaking through, lying on the grass soaking up this glorious music a second time was an unexpected delight.

Next I caught two songs from Nurses in the Big Top en route to the Tipi Tent to catch the lofi post-folk of Edinburgh’s Eagleowl – now performing in their own right after two turns as Woodpigeon players. Accidentally introducing themselves as “Eaglebowel”, their pared-back and unrushed set was another soothing treat. They introduced ‘Blanket’ as the “nearest we get to a pop song”.



For the last number ‘No Conjunction’, the four piece were joined on stage by members of Meursault, Woodpigeon and Allo Darlin’.



I had heard promising things about Coventry beatniks Don’t Move, a four-piece featuring skinny ties, shaven-headed accordion player and a car-plate registration sign. However my expectation of danceable Mod or Two Tone-influenced sounds was not met – their tense, jittery rhythms reminded me of (not-my-cup-of-tea-at-all) Wild Beasts. For me: it didn’t move.

On The Garden Stage, the Rhode Island five-piece Deer Tick were basking in the now strong sunshine. Or maybe large aviator shades are part of their everyday appearance?

The band play a grizzled, rock-and-rolling Americana that owes as much to The Replacements as to The Band. This was a loud and energetic set that finished with an intense rendition of ‘Mange’ including bandleader John McCauley and his guitar going walkabout into the crowd.

Then back to the Tipi Tent for the first (new to me) Canadians of the day: The Wilderness of Manitoba. With banjos and braces aplenty, the first of their old frontier songs was a quiet affair. The next - “a ghost story” - started to up the volume and included an instrument not seen at End of the Road festival yet – a pair of singing bowls. I’m not sure about the Fleet Foxes comparison but this is a band definitely worth giving more time too.

And at this point the camera batteries gave up. At The Garden Stage I saw the first ten minutes of The Unthanks set I saw a few weeks earlier at Green Man. And again I left. Not because of the band but to check in on Monotonix and the much talked about roaming live sets from these Israeli rockers.

Entering the Big Top stage only minutes after they had started, I fully expected the band to still be on the stage. How foolish. All band members including the drummer were already in the crowd. Up close this might have been thrilling but from the fringes of the crowd all there was to see was a tight cluster of figures and the distant noisy and not particularly attractive punk-metal throb of the music. So instead I took the opportunity to stock –up and then returned to see the closing numbers of The Unthanks set.

This was a winning combination of the rich resonant Northumbrian folk - played beautifully by the elegantly dressed band and string section - and the down-to-earth humour and banter from the Unthanks sisters. Oh and the tap-dancing. I still haven’t stood through an entire set but what I have seen is enough to ensure I don’t make the same mistake in future.

Leaving the Garden Stage, Monotonix were now playing outside the Big Top tent - still in the middle of a packed throng. The singer did not appear to have many clothes on.

At the Tipi Tent the set from Annie And the Beekeepers was interrupted by a power failure so they continued playing their rustic Americana acoustically. Which was no good if you were stood at the edges of the tent and straining to hear. Also by now I had had a bellyful of rustic Americana and was looking for something a little louder and faster.

This came from Brakes in the Big Top stage with their spiky and short outbursts. There was a loyal core following in to watch them but also a much larger crowd (others seeking some noise?). It’s always a surprise how tight and proficient the band are for a group initially dismissed as a joke side-project and that doesn’t seem to take itself seriously either. They got a whooping great reception and the whole set – including one new song about voodoo called ‘Hoodoo’ on the set-list below – was huge fun which even a broken guitar string couldn’t hold back.

From this list a couple weren't played including 'NY Pie' and 'Huevos Rancheros'

After a boxful of veggie curry, I opted for Jonquil in The Local. The six-piece mix subtle Afrobeat flavours with indiepop – as if Vampire Weekend went to Oxford Technical College rather than ivy-league colleges, dropped the pretentiousness and upmarket product placement and wrote better songs. It was a smallish crowd (the band were competing with Yo La Tengo and Black Mountain) but fun and upbeat even if like me you were unfamiliar with the material. The band played a cover of a song by The XX but they should stick to their own material – it is far superior to the disco-lite of tonight's cover.

Then it was over to the Tipi Tent for the three late night surprise slots. The first was announced in rather sombre tones “At 11pm every night a new band is born. It is now 11.15pm”. Were they called Snakewolf? Wagonstage? Or Snakewagon? The name was irrelevant. This was an expanded The Low Anthem featuring ex-member Daniel Leifkowitz and a sixth member on bass playing a none-too-serious but uproarious set somewhere between Americana jam band session and a drunken hoedown. With a backdrop of a beach towel with a wolf on it, a stuffed meerkat on stage plus a ragbag of fancy dress including sacking, German helmets and random pirate outfits, the band ripped through songs of underage love, pretty girls and the laws of inevitability. Towards the end the levels of inebriation on stage became apparent as a drunk Ben Knox Miller attempted to drum using a now empty bottle of Jamieson’s. Fun entertainment that only the most po-faced could fail to enjoy.

Next up was Dylan Leblanc ahead of his Garden Stage set tomorrow. I found the first couple of listens to his Paupers Field album quite unmemorable but recently his rich country sounds had start to earworm their way into my head. However this set, proficiently delivered though it was, became a retrograde step in my appreciation or otherwise of Mr Leblanc. It all felt a bit too somnambulant and lacking in distinctive hooks. It could have been in part the unfortunate sequencing that saw them to go on after such inspired nonsense from Snakewagon. Dylan Leblanc’s attempts to empathasise with the crowd also backfired: “Weren’t that last band GREAT?” he asked us. “Yes” came the reply “Bring them back on”.

The final surprise slot of the evening was from brother and sister duo This Frontier Needs Heroes who have been touring Europe in their own right but also acting as backing band for Kath Bloom (more of her in Sunday’s report to follow). With just acoustic guitar and tambourine accompaniment to beat out a rhythm, the pair used their contrasting voices – Brad’s deep bluesy growl, Jessica’s crystal clear higher register – to sing songs of space babies, reckless girls and war. This was perfect end-of-the-night listening. The only thing that interfered was their rambling banter and tales between songs – definitely likeable and occasionally amusing though it was, I thought their music did all the talking that was necessary.

Not a day with as many highlights as Friday but those surprise slots – well at least two out of the three - had ended the day on a high.

END OF THE ROAD FESTIVAL 2010: Day One

End of the Road hit its fifth anniversary this year. I first visited Larmer Tree Gardens in North Dorset for the second festival in 2007. Returning three years later, it all looked reassuringly familiar. And that’s because End of the Road got it all – stages, line-up, amenities, art and surprises - right from the start.

Themes for this year’s festival seemed to involve harmoniums and banjos. And Canadians – lots of Canadians – but this was a good thing. However my End of the Road started – after an early morning departure from Manchester and a “that’ll do” approach to tent-pitching – with a trio of Americans.

The Daredevil Christopher Wright kicked off the Friday programme on the Big Top Stage with the eponymous song from their debut album “In Deference To A Broken Back”. From this quiet start – just harmonies, acoustic guitar and the gentlest of drumming – they moved through whimsical reflection (‘The East Coast’) to the jangly clatter of ‘A Conversation About Cancer’ with several new songs along the way plus winning brownie points by telling us that on this their first UK trip they had already tucked into fish and chips with mushy peas.



The album is an unsung gem from this year’s releases and the trio captured the spirit and variety if not the subtlety of it live but were not well served by the booming sound in the Big Top (more of this later).

A quick check-in with the hobo blues of Charlie Parr on the Garden stage (good) and then the opening two songs from New Zealand’s The Ruby Suns (not so good), led me to the Tipi Tent. Here I caught the end of the set from Olivia Chaney.

Lovely lilting folk from a trio performing on keyboard/harmonium, cello and violin. My immediate thought – “classically trained” – was confirmed by the fact that one of the songs of her five track CD being sold is a cover of Monteverdi’s ‘Oblivion Soave’. Classy in all senses.

Next up on the same stage was Allo Darlin’. The first thing the band did was tell us the tent rules: “no sitting down - you have to stand up”. A smart move that got the afternoon crowd on their feet, instantly closer to the low riser stage and more engaged. The band’s debut full-length released earlier this year on Fortuna Pop is another gem – bitter-sweet tales of romance, infatuation and disappointment set to swooning indie-pop with catchy melodies and singalong choruses.




As well as five songs from that record the band also debuted a song which they had never all played together before called ‘Darren’ dedicated to “well, you know who it’s about” (Darren Hayman watched on from the side of the stage) and a solo number from Elizabeth called ‘Tallulah’ about listening to the Go-Betweens. This combination of music fan affection and allusion with such glorious songs make Allo Darlin’ a near-perfect package. A real highlight of the festival under the belt within the first couple of hours of being here.


Next I caught the end of Elliott Brood on the Big Top Stage. The besuited Canadian three-piece played foot-stomping folk with joyous rasping vocals, a thumping backbeat and infectious bonhomie.

They enthusiastically called on the crowd to help them with claps and cheers which were enthusiastically returned. The feel-good atmosphere and crowd appreciation was palpable. I didn’t hang about to see but I suspect they shifted plenty of copies of their latest album (Canadian release only currently).

Instead I caught the first two songs from Trembling Bells on The Local stage. In a larger tent than has previously hosted The Local, this half-size circus tent lacked the relaxed intimacy of the smaller one. It’s unfair to judge on the first two songs alone but I’m still to hear Trembling Bells recreate the magical allure of the records live.

Lavinia Blackwell’s psychedelic swirl dress with medieval drooping sleeves and built-in chocker is worthy of mention in its own right though. Put the brightly coloured circus tent to shame.

Next on The Big Top stage was Woodpigeon. Here Edinburgh’s eagleowl (plus the drummer from Meursault) provided the restrained orchestral backing to Mark Hamilton’s songs of loss and love including of course ‘Woodpigeon vs Eagleowl’ (“about how my bird is better than your bird”).

Mark Hamilton is a prolific songwriter so as well as songs from the Woodpigeon albums were new songs about First Nation myths inspired by a visit to Waterton National Park, another about climbing Arthur’s Seat to gain his manhood (“I broke my foot”) and a Withered Hand cover ‘No Cigarettes’ (“a song about dependency, self-hatred and – eventually – love”). Eagleowl were a fine stand-in for the normal band and with the witty and poignant storytelling in both word and song this was a great afternoon treat that managed to dodge Big Top sound problems neatly.

Then to the Garden Stage for more songs about disaster and emotional damage from The Mountain Goats. Songwriter and band leader John Darnielle, suited and bespectacled and continually checking the set-list in his jacket pocket after each song, looked more thoughtful novelist or trendy academic than rock star. But whilst singing with a devilish glint in his eyes and leering smiles, he appeared more like a cold-hearted salesman luring the unsuspecting in.
I clearly belong to the school of thought that says at 6pm on the first day of a three day festival what you want is bitterness, angst and despondency. And The Mountain Goats delivered this in spades but with a winning, wry humour. The crowd singalong for the spectacularly cynical ‘No Children’ (“and I hope you die / I hope we both die”) was - somehow – totally life-affirming. The only disappointment was this was over so quickly.

Time-out to re-stock and re-fuel meant I missed all but the final two songs from Wolf Parade. I’ve never really given time to the Montreal band’s cerebral indie-rock but this brief encounter and the audience response makes me think I should try again.

Then back to the Big Top. Here Edwyn Collins delivered a career-spanning set: starting with the title track from his new album ‘Losing Sleep’ and delving back to solo tracks from earlier records and several Orange Juice songs too. It was surprising to hear how many of his songs prior to his 2006 double brain haemorrhage reference physical infirmity and illness: ‘ Make Me Feel Again’, ‘Dying Day’ etc.

The five-piece band (included The Sex Pistols’ Paul Cook on drums) seemed a bit nervy for the first couple of songs but by time we hit ‘Rip It Up’ and ‘Falling and Laughing’ the set was more about the audience celebrating that Edwyn Collins is still with us and writing songs and not about the proficiency of the band. The three or so new songs suggest the reports of how good the new album is (out next week), are to be believed.

The New Pornographers (more Canadians) were the headliners for the Big Top Stage tonight. This was my second encounter with the band this week having seen them in Manchester on Wednesday. This was a very similar if not identical set but finally songs from the latest album “Together” are starting to click for me.



On record the Dan Bejar-penned songs give a diversity in tone and style. Without these live the set appeared a bit samey and wasn’t served well by the sound again – Kathryn Calder’s glorious vocals were at times obscured in the mix. However unlike Wednesday it was great to actually be able to watch all six members of the band at work including some impressive eight-feet-in-the-air drumstick twirls from Kurt Dahle.

Then it was over to the Tipi Tent for the first of the weekend’s late-night surprise sets. A rumour was circulating the tent that one of them was going to be Belle and Sebastian which felt unlikely (“they’re a bit up-themselves these days aren’t they?”) but you never knew the strange powers of End of the Road.

Instead New York’s Freelance Whales took to the stage. Performing a largely acoustic and hushed set (“like when we used to busk”) on banjo, harmonium (again) and mandolin these six songs or so were pleasantly diverting rather than exceptional.

I didn’t know who the next surprise band was until after they finished playing. It turned out to be Plants And Animals which was a huge surprise in itself. I had assumed that Plants And Animals peddled a gentle, rustic variation on the Animal Collective sound. Instead the Canadian (of course) trio’s set involved extended blues ragas, crunching indie-rock and intense riffing.

Some songs noodled on a bit too much for my liking but when they kept them taut and brutal I was more inclined to them. Plants And Animals said that they “weren’t expecting” to be playing this late-night set so soon after their earlier appearance in The Local. Interesting. Maybe Stuart Murdoch et al did cancel at the last minute then??

All this, Pieminister and no rain either. A first day that didn’t disappoint.

THE EAST COAST
The Daredevil Christopher Wright
In Deference To A Broken Back [BUY]

TONIGHT IN MANCHESTER: The Soundcarriers

Akoustik Anarky appear to be settling in nicely to their new home for their monthly nights: the Ducie Bridge pub on Corporation Road. If you are in or around Manchester tonight, this gig is definitely one worth catching.

Nottingham's The Soundcarriers headline following the release of second album "Celeste" earlier this year. Described by Piccadilly Records as nodding "to a warm West Coast sound, under-pinned by a Kosmische/Can groove and topped off with a delicious female vox, bringing to mind the likes of Broadcast and Stereolab". Do you need any more recommendation?!



Excellent support from Wigan's The Maladies of Bellafontaine (I know: The Best. Name. Ever) and Liverpool's Nick Ellis. The latter is not familiar to me but according to AA he is ex of "frontman from Liverpool's greatest ever band - The Maybes?"



Plus aA DJ sets too - all this for just £5 advance.

LAST BROADCAST
The Soundcarriers
Celeste [BUY]

JOSH RITTER "So Runs The World Away" + UK Tour

It came as a shock to find out Josh Ritter is on album number six. He’s one of those artists, like Ed Harcourt or Ron Sexsmith, who I bundle together as fine craftsman: intelligent, literate songwriters, steadily constructing solid bodies of work which I ignore imagining that may just be a bit dull. This clearly says much more about me than Mssrs Ritter, Harcourt and Sexsmith.

So here’s “So Runs The World Away” that sixth album released earlier this year. The title is from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”. Whilst making this record Ritter was also working on a novel and of course this Idaho-native turns out to be the son of two neuroscientists – so far, so brainy. And my first listen did conform to (my) stereo-type: finely crafted singer-songwriter fare which treads a middle ground between genres so you could never label it ‘americana’ or ‘alt-folk’ (or indeed ‘alt’ anything). On that first listen the two tracks that stood out were ‘Folk Bloodbath’ and ‘Rattling Locks’.

The first starts as a gentle lullaby building to rousing folk anthem in which the lives and deaths of a host of American folklore characters collide. It is not as gory as it sounds but delivered with just the right amount of spooky atmospherics. ‘Rattling Locks’ is equally atmospheric - taut, jerky guitar and ominous drumstick clatter soundtrack the dark thoughts of either a spurned lover or possibly a stalker. If the dial had gone around a few notches it could easily be Califone.



It took a few more listens for me to open up to other songs - once I’d got past my cloth-eared prejudice. Ritter’s voice is some between Josh Rouse and Nick Drake – not as warm and boyish as the former and not as dry and frail as the latter. Initially it can appear a bit characterless – but on closer listens it is subtly effective, even emotional. Some songs are quite poppy – ‘Lark’ is a Paul Simon-like ditty – or are overloaded with romatic yearning and start to drift, like ‘Southern Pacifica’. But overall, even where there are polished exteriors to songs, Ritter manages to give them real depth and substance.

Some lyrical conceits could easily head-down cul-de-sacs marked ‘cliché’ or ‘pretension’ but Ritter steers them away from this. So although ‘Lantern’ is build around the premise “be the light in my lantern”, Ritter creates a more panoramic sweep to the song placing this in the context of an epic, dangerous, even Biblical, journey and struggle. ‘The Curse’ is a conversation between lovers, one apparently immortal awaking after sleeping for thousands of years. Rather than toe-curling it is actually poetically tender and delivered with a graceful minimalism.

Ritter on "So Sails The World Away": “It’s a record pre-occupied with the extremes of scale… where the songs felt large to me.. I wanted them to feel like the steel hulls of massive ships sliding by deeply from below. Where they were small, I concentrated in on the smallest details that I could."

As well as the cover artwork and above words from Ritter, the record is full of imagery of ships and sea voyages. One or two of the thirteen songs do drift a little close to the doldrums and normally I want a bit more grit or rawness from a record (the emphatic bluesy stomp of ‘The Remnant’ satisfies some of my need for a bit of anger). But Ritter manages to engage through subtle shifts in mood and tone, smartly poised musical arrangements and literate, layered, but not too brainy lyrics.



An mp3 of ‘Change of Time’ is available via Ritter’s website in return for your email if you want to sample more. And later this month Ritter tours this album with The Royal City Band (most of the musicians who played on “So Runs The World Away”). Support for all dates is from Dawn Landes - who is also married to Ritter and is definitely worth arriving early to see.

17 Sep Town Hall, Oxford
18 Sep Oran Mor, Glasgow
19 Sep Albert Hall, Nottingham
21 Sep St Georges, Bristol
22 Sep RNCM, Manchester
23 Sep Barbican Centre, London

SWEET BABOO "I'm A Dancer / Songs About Sleepin'"

Sweet Baboo (aka Steve Black) has long demonstrated a love for the self-referential: his first album was not only called “The Mighty Baboo” it opened with ‘Recapping All My Other Songs’. Now two years and two albums down the line here is the third Sweet Baboo record “I’m A Dancer / Songs About Sleepin’”, doubly titled as it is also released on vinyl with a title for each side. Repeated lyrical themes are also important to Sweet Baboo – virtually every track on 2009’s “Hello Wave” seemed to feature the word ‘darling’ – and the songs on this record do indeed feature dancing and sleep. But so, so much more as well.

With Black playing in so many other bands (Cate Le Bon, El Goodo, Spencer McGarry Season, Euros Childs, Wickes and H Hawkline for starters) the moniker Sweet Baboo is probably a good tactic to remind himself who and where he is when writing his own songs. But Sweet Baboo is so much more than a stage name. Behind the casual, boyish appearance (check the teenage bedroom collage album artwork) and apparent nursery-rhyme simplicity of some songs, is a complex personality and a sophisticated and witty songwriter.

The first, full-band version of ‘I’m A Dancer’ which opens the album may possess a casual bravado in the boasts of dancing prowess but on the second, stripped-down and slower version which completes side one, what becomes apparent is the fallibility and even vulnerability of Sweet Baboo. In this heart-laid-bare version, you realise how ‘dancing’ is a metaphor for infidelity and how he longs to be caught out and damned to hell. The transformation from upbeat to heartbreak confessional is stark.

That all sounds a bit grim but “I’m A Dancer / Songs About Sleepin” is actually a hugely fun – and funny - listen. A collection of folk-blues tall-tales, about moles, lungs, drinking or growing extra thumbs in compost (“you’ll need three for loving me”).

If you’ve seen Sweet Baboo live you will know what a genuinely funny entertainer he is. Here the uptempo skiffle of 'Who Would Have Thought' continues that tradition with uproarious lines about zombie collages and cut ‘n’ paste demons. But even the most jovial songs can reveal some hidden doubt, self-criticism or admission of weakness. And then there is the tenderness and heartfelt emotion of ballads such as ‘If I Died Would You Remember That You Loved Me’. As I said: this impressive record is about so much more than dancing and sleeping.

Over the three Sweet Baboo records there is a clear growth in confidence and ambition as a song-writer. But for all their convoluted lyrics, surreal imagery and emotional depth, these are instantly accessible and catchy melodies, delivered with minimal studio trickery and a refreshing lack of à la mode flourishes.

I’ve tried to think of other singular artists who could be compared to Sweet Baboo (Daniel Johnston? Euros Childs? Woody Guthrie? Loudon Wainwright?) but all feel inadequate or inappropriate. The mark of a true original? It is equally difficult to find a single song to represent the album – and on each time I listen I discover a new favourite. Currently this is the quiet pastoral folk of ‘Y’r Lungs’ – and it only takes one listen to this to realise that Sweet Baboo is so much more than a “fool on a North Walean hill with a bottle of rum”.

Even the Welsh tourist board has recognised the talents of Sweet Baboo – earlier this year they used a re-worked 'How I’d Live My Life (aka The Bumblebee Song)’ from “Hello Wave” to soundtrack a TV advertising campaign. I hope this new record (his first for Shape Records) continues to win recognition and fans for his music. It deserves to - you will be hard-pushed to find a more humane and witty record this year. Despite his claims otherwise, the only thing clumsy about “I’m A Dancer / Songs About Sleepin” is its title.


Sweet Baboo - Y'r Lungs via FollyOfYouth

Sweet Baboo
I'm A Dancer / Songs About Sleepin [BUY]

JOHN GRANT "Queen of Denmark"

The initial press coverage for the April release of John Grant's “Queen of Denmark” tended to focus on the role of Midlake as backing band supporting Grant during recording “The Courage of Others” or comparing the tone of Grant’s first solo record to Dennis Wilson’s “Pacific Ocean Blue”. I’ve listened to neither that Midlake record nor Dennis Wilson’s 1977 album. I’ve also not listened to John Grant’s previous underachieving band The Czars. All this was good because I came to the record without baggage. John Grant on the other hand....

What is inescapable from first listen is Grant’s issue with personal identity, a lack of comfort with his own body and self, and a wish to change, move on, escape. Some of the song titles alone tell you this. ‘I Wanna Go To Marz’ starts with unbearably sad piano then blossoms into a day-glo hymn of escape to a confectionary-laden paradise. It is so beautifully realised it is tempting to believe that ‘Marz’ is real but the constant tug of sadness running under the song, and the video too, suggests it is little more than an illusory dream.



Then there is ‘Sigourney Weaver’: a ballad full of elegance and pomp in which Grant claims kinship with a procession of Hollywood actresses who fought alien monsters, vampires and demons. And such battles are things Grant knows plenty about. Brought up in strict Presbyterian household, keeping his sexuality secret and then using alcohol as a crutch during his time with The Czars are all some of the demons he has had to fight. ‘Jesus Hates Faggots’ is a brutally raw portrait of living with bigots who demonise homosexuals – and almost any other minority group you can think of. You can taste the hatred and sense what it must have been like living through this in the reported words of the bigot and in the singer’s reaction (“I've felt uncomfortable since the day I was born / Since the day I glimpsed the black abyss in your eyes... I can't believe that I've considered taking my own life / Cos I believed the lies about me were the truth”).

Not all songs are as troubled or full of bile as this but in each one feelings are never swept under the carpet but rather paraded up and down on full display. The delivery throughout is reminiscent of the impassioned 70s singer-songwriter, lush but sombre with touches of orch-pop drama; it can be mannered but is unflinching in its honesty and never feels artificial.

If this all sounds unrelentingly gloomy it’s not. There is a rare beauty and even occasional flicker of hope in those songs of escape; and elsewhere the soft-shoe shuffle of ‘Silver Platter Club’ or the hilarious ‘Chicken Bones’ lighten the mood.



There’s even a love song in ‘Caramel’ in which Grant comes across like a low-rent Rufus Wainwright – and for me sounding less like himself is a bad thing. For all his personal issues with identity, he cuts a distinctive presence throughout the record, whether pained, vulnerable, bitter or angry. The final song ‘Queen of Denmark’ is breath-taking, a bitter tirade at a ex-lover shot through with admissions of his own weaknesses and guilt, a solo piano piece during the verses, it angrily erupts into a full-band stomp for the spat-out chorus.

From coming to this record with no baggage or expectations, it grabbed my attention in the first play and has never let go. And with repeated listens it only grows in stature. I feel for the pain that John Grant has been through and still carries but he has turned it into a memorably powerful record, and one of the best of the year.

I got "Queen of Denmark" shortly after it came out in April, wrote this in July but was prompted to finally post this following Grant's performance at Green Man Festival this August. And the intervening time and the video for 'Chicken Bones' has given me a new mental image for John Grant: a down-on-his-luck super-hero, sometimes comic, sometimes tragic, always trying to right wrongs - his own and those of others.

MANCHESTER GIGS IN MUSIC: September 2010 Pt.1

With August and festival season behind us, it's back to a month chock-full of gigs. Well, festival season is not quite over.

Not only does this month have the excellent (and now sold out) End of the Road Festival in North Dorset but also, closer to home, Manchester's own boutique, urban one-dayer Postcards From Manchester, this year at The Deaf Institute. Twelve hours, ten bands on the poster, three more in the basement courtesy of For Folk's Sake (and all for £12 pounds advance); it certainly lives up to to the promoters' aim "to show what Manchester is all about- innovation, originality, and most importantly, fun". Read more about the bands on Pull Yourself Together and buy a ticket whilst there still are some about.

This month's mixtape could have been just from Postcards From Manchester but instead it draws from the full month's offering. It may not be as coherent as Postcards From Manchester but there's so much this month I wanted to feature - and then look at all the other great gigs missed out! The download link for the mixtape [63mins/73 MB] is in the post following.

Manchester Gigs in Music: September 2010 Mixtape

Slaraffenland Meet and Greet [3.48] (12 Sep Academy 3 BUY TICKETS)
Ólöf Arnalds Innundir Skinni [6.44] (16 Sep Dulcimer BUY TICKETS)
Homelife Buffalos [10.49] (9 Sep Band on the Wall BUY TICKETS)
The Brute Chorus Hercules [14.00] (16 Sep Ruby Lounge BUY TICKETS)
Grinderman Get It On [17.05] (29 Sep Academy 1 BUY TICKETS)
Brown Brogues Wildman [19.08] (4 Sep An Outlet BUY TICKETS)
Ducktails Hamilton Road [21.31] (22 Sep Trof NQ BUY TICKETS)
Deer Tick Twenty Miles [25.11] (30 Sep Deaf Institute BUY TICKETS)
The New Pornographers Moves [29.01] (8 Sep Ruby Lounge BUY TICKETS)
Allo Darlin’ If Loneliness Was Art [32.30] (18 Sep Deaf Institute BUY TICKETS)
Kath Bloom Heart So Lonely [36.50] (10 Sep Band on the Wall BUY TICKETS)
The Soundcarriers Last Broadcast [41.42] (11 Sep Ducie Bridge BUY TICKETS)
Erland and the Carnival Gentle Gwen [45.14] (25 Sep Night & Day BUY TICKETS)
Zola Jesus Night [48.47] (2 Sep Deaf Institute BUY TICKETS)
Damian Jurado Mr Brown [50.56] (26 Sep Deaf Institute BUY TICKETS)
Josh Ritter Change of Time [55.02] (22 Sep RNCM BUY TICKETS)
Walton Hesse Auld Claude [58.18] (26 Sep Odder BUY TICKETS)
Phosphorescent South (of America) [63.08] (6 Sep Night & Day BUY TICKETS)

And not forgetting:
2 Sep Women Deaf Institute / 4 Sep Neon Indian Deaf Institute / 4 Sep Eels Academy 1 / 6 Sep Cymbals Eat Guitars Deaf Institute / 6 Sep Jonsi Academy 1 / 8 Sep Bright Light Bright Light The Corner / 12 Sep John Head Deaf Institute / 14 Sep Moddi Night & Day / 14 Sep Horse Feathers King’s Arms / 15 Sep Black Mountain Academy 3 / 15 Sep Trouble Books Trof NQ / 16 Sep Sky Larkin Deaf Institute / 18 Sep Sage Francis Roadhouse / 18 Sep Joanna Newsom Palace Theatre / 20 Sep Liam Frost Sound Control / 21 Sep The Travelling Band Sound Control / 23 Sep The Answering Machine Sound Control / 23 Sep The Vaselines Deaf Institute / 23 Sep The Wilderness of Manitoba Night & Day / 23 Sep The Shout Out Louds Ruby Lounge / 25 Sep Mount Desolation Deaf Institute / 25 Sep Hexstatic Sound Control / 25 Sep Young British Artists Soup Kitchen / 26 Sep Fuzzy Lights Dulcimer / 26 Sep Pete Molinari Academy 3 / 28 Sep An Astronomical Evening with Darren Hayman Godlee Observatory / 28 Sep PVT Deaf Institute / 28 Sep Islet Islington Mill

MANCHESTER GIGS IN MUSIC: September 2010 Pt.2

Mixtape: September 2010 [63 mins/73 MB] - download here.

GREEN MAN FESTIVAL 2010 Day Three

Sunday got off to a punchy start with sunshine and the “seventh live concert performance” from The Singing Adams. The band features Steven Adams, ex-Broken Family Band, plus Matt Ashton on guitar, Melinda Bronstein on drums and Michael Wood on bass. As the band pointed out they were appearing on the Main Stage directing after Saturday’s headliners The Flaming Lips: “good to see they didn’t appear too disconcerted about going on before us”.


At first listen to these songs live there clearly is a debt to BFB as you would expect from a band formed around their main songwriter but The Singing Adams seem to concentrate more on the ‘indie’ than the ‘country’. And the themes of the songs appear to be more about flight and starting over but contain the same wit and sarcasm as BFB. And if the music wasn’t enough to wake us up, the band made the front rows turn around and sing a line of one song repeatedly to the hill. Just the sort of enthusiastic start the final day of Green Man needed. The Singing Adams are starting work on their debut album this month.

I then caught two songs from eight-piece (or so) Sons of Noel and Adrian in the Cinema Tent. These two new songs, including one about “eighty bottles of gin”, are a natural continuation of the slow-moving doom-folk sounds of the first record and therefore an essential purchase.

Shame not to stay but I wanted to see Je Suis Animal on the Far Out Stage. I tend to narrowly categorise the Norwegian five-piece as indie-pop but forget there is much more to them than this. And also seeing them in the flesh I realised they were not the youthful striplings I imagined.

Mixing songs from “Self Taught Magic From A Book” album with new songs plus a couple of instrumentals their sound is closer to early Broadcast or even in one drone-motorik number, Electrelane. The sound didn’t bring out any subtleties of the melodies so it was the louder numbers that worked best here.

Back at the Main Stage for Alasdair Roberts. During the set, he introduced one song as being inspired by reading an academic book on dying which featured the tales of an Arabic traveller recalling burial rituals he had witnessed in Russia in the 9th century. Simple songs about fancying the girl next door these ain’t. Instead the four-piece band mixed Alasdair Roberts originals with traditional ballads from places as diverse as Newfoundland and Derby, including two from new album “Too Long In This Condition”

His final song had an extended spoken word introduction about St Columba and medicinal herbs before turning into a separate song which ended with another crowd singalong of the refrain of “all days will end in joy”. Most songs may have been slow-paced and quite serious folk ruminations but by the end you realised not only how varied and engaging the forty-five minutes had been but were left with a silly smile and a hopeful heart.

The rest of Sunday has an open book. Most of the bands we had wanted to see had been and gone so it was time to make some random choices. The only expectation I had of Megafaun was that they would probably play some gloomy Appalachian folk. I didn’t expect their set in the Far Out Stage to be on of the uncontested highlights of the whole three days.

The trio of two brothers, Phil and Brad, and childhood friend Joe, do play hillbilly music – but as though it was high-octane rock and roll. These baskeball-loving, heavily bearded dudes were also some of the funniest and most genuine entertainers I have come across – they talked about cricket, Norwegian food, temporary tattoos and how they’d turned down a signing session in the Rough Trade tent because they would rather set up an NBA Discussion Table to talk basketball. Not many takers for this but there were plenty of takers for the music.

Not knowing any of the material was irrelevant. Performed on banjo, acoustic guitar and drums, two or three-part harmonies were at the core of most songs - some were simple, almost acapella numbers, others larger-than-life performed with shouts, glee and gusto. Even Phil playing two harmonicas at once didn't feel like a gimmick. The overall vibe was party but there were moments like the song about their grandmother that were intensely moving.

The reception was off-the-scale: not sure if this was people who seen them before live and knew what to expect or from those, like me, caught up in the emotion and exuberance on stage. This included their song ‘Worried Mind’ sung with The Tallest Man on Earth and members of Bear In Heaven. Astonishing. Afterwards I got to shake Phil’s hand and get Brad to sign my freshly-purchased CD. Just need to track Joe down next time they visit the UK.

After the emotion, a break and some food was called for so I caught a few songs from Laura Marling, watching from on top of the hill. I’ve never seen her live before so would have been tempted to stay but instead opted for another act I’ve never seen live.

The Tallest Man on Earth is Kristian Matsson who performs with just guitar and voice. But what a voice. For such a slight, unimposing figure in skinny jeans and T-shirt, he has a deep growl of a voice with a huge range that filled The Far Out Tent with ease. Walking around the stage, occasionally crouching or leaning out towards the crowd, he turned his songs about “flowers, insecurities and death” into little pieces of theatre without ever appearing precious or forced.

This was another powerful emotional performance that was met with an equally emotional response. Returning the favour Megafaun and others came on the stage for the final song a cover of Gillian Welch’s “Everything Is Free Now” (caught on camera here). If it had been emotional before this moving scene left grown men weeping. At least it did the two I was with.

It was unlikely that anything else would touch the magic of Megafaun or The Tallest Man on Earth. So the rest of Sunday became a bit disjointed as I caught part of different acts to wind up the final day of Green Man.

Girls in The Far Out Tent got a good reception. The first half of their show mixed songs from “Album” with a few new ones – all mainly mid-tempo and a very straight rendition of the recorded ones. It was well delivered but felt a bit flat after the earlier scenes on the same stage. So after the excellent ‘Lust For Life’ I headed back to the Main Stage.

Here Tindersticks were halfway through their set and the rain had started again. This was another band who surprised me with how well they fared in an outdoor festival setting. Stuart Staples said he had hated the first half-hour “but now I don’t want to leave”. I don’t know if this was earlier nerves or if they got a rough reception in that first half-hour but the second half I watched was deeply moving (finishing with ‘Harmony Around My Table’) and enjoyed by a respectful if soggy audience.

More running about: I caught a few Efterklang songs in the Far Out Stage and then ten minutes of Joanna Newsom on the Main Stage. Watching the harp being played on the big screen was engaging but those ten minutes like the other ten minutes I’ve spent with her records made me again realise: I can’t really take more than ten minutes of Newsom tweeness. The grand piano or harp-playing accompanied by string quartet, bass and drums was beautifully arranged but I can’t find a way past that voice or the complex melodies.

So the end to my Green Man was instead spent warming up and drying out around the bonfire. This year’s Green Man Festival had some exceptional music programming on offer. Inevitably there's the occasional disappointment and the rain and mud took its toll but there was so much good and unexpected stuff in such a beautiful setting that a return visit next year will be an essential part of 2011 whatever the weather.

GREEN MAN FESTIVAL 2010 Day Two

Saturday morning at Green Man was spent applying plasters to welly boot blisters, sipping coffee and analysing the skies to work out whether the rain was stopping or not. However if it had just been drizzling in the morning by midday day two at Green Man was greeted by another almighty downpour.

Our first destination was the Cinema Tent – not because it was dry but because of the great line-up for the “Disappointing Crazy Golf Tent” strand in which Welsh bands performed in front of the “whacked-out art-trash video projections” of Casey Raymond and Ewan Jones. First band we saw was H Hawkline fronted by Huw Evans on guitar and accompanied by drummer and (that man again) Sweet Baboo on guitar. Their extraordinary set was only three songs: the first two were extended krautrock jams with occasional distorted shouting. The third (“Steve just reminded me this is the first and only proper song we will play”) was a cover from a Welsh 80s post-punk band – I missed the name but must track it down. Shockingly good and given an extra edge by those surreal images. H Hawkline have an album due later this year on Shape Records.

After a short break the next band Sweet Baboo appeared. Or rather it shuffled around. With a new drummer, Sweet Baboo took over the guitar and vocals and Huw played bass. This was an electric set that reprised all the songs from yesterday’s acoustic set and more but was just as hilarious and engaging if a little more hungover: they’d been drinking with The Flaming Lips drummer the night before – who later came into watch wearing a Cymru shirt. These new Sweet Baboo songs are sounding mighty fine – my favourite lyric being “Daniel Johnston has got hundreds of good songs / And I’ve got six / So there’s catching up to do”. Maybe it doesn’t translate on the page. Sweet Baboo live is a delightful package of self-deprecation and comical boasts, casual mistakes (“this is the one Huw is most likely to get wrong, so watch out for that”) and rambling stories but ultimately clever, witty and moving songs. A talent to be celebrated.

Next was Richard James and band - here performing under the alias Pen Pastwn. Sadly I only caught 20 minutes or so but what I saw was a hushed and mesmerising set of instrumentals and Welsh language songs lovingly played - like the one below (the video playing behind the band is for ‘When You See Me In The Pouring Rain’ from this year’s highly recommended “We Went Riding” album).



Leaving the cover of the Cinema Tent, I was pleasantly surprised to find the rain had stopped and there were patches of clear blue sky ahead. So it was back to the Main Stage to see Race Horses – another Welsh band releasing a highly recommended album this year (and so a shame they clashed with Y Niwl playing in the Cinema Tent). The four piece play psyche-pop in the tradition of Gorky’s and SFA but with youthful dashes of music hall, glam and even (on record) sea shanty.



Towards the end of the set singer Meilyr Jones broke a bass guitar string. The comment from Dylan on keyboards was “That’s the fourth gig in which we’ve broken a bass string. I believe in their whole career Led Zeppelin only broke one. And they did alright didn’t they?”. Smart boys who won new fans here and deserve much more attention and acclaim.

The Race Horses Set List:

Last year at Green Man Festival I spend much of my time at the Pub or the Far Out Stage. This year and today particularly the Main Stage was an irresistible draw. Next on was Montreal’s psychedelic rockers The Besnard Lakes. My last encounter with them was in a tiny pub upstairs room with smoke machine. How would they fare in the open air? Pretty well is the answer – the loud epic nature of their songs suited the expansive setting. There were a few dissenters in my group (“crap”) but to hear songs like ‘Devastation’ and ‘Albatross’ roll out across the Welsh hills whilst the beer can I held was vibrating with the volume was pure joy. The band were mostly tight-lipped but singer/guitarist Jace eventually gave us a smile as the sun broke back through the clouds during ‘And This Is What We Call Progress”.

The Besnard Lakes Set List: Like The Ocean, Like The Innocent / Devastation / Glass Printer / Albatross / And This Is What We Call Progress / Disaster / You Lied To Me

On a quick visit to the Far Out Stage I caught two songs from Rick Tomlinson’s Voice of The Seven Thunders including an impressive psych-folk instrumental that somehow built in intensity section-by-section without you even noticing. Must make sure I catch their full-set at End of the Road in September.

Instead for me it was back to the Main Stage for Fanfarlo, a late but perfect addition to the Festival line-up. And the sun was still out. Despite their apparent non-stop touring the five-piece looked fresh and relaxed. Their set included oldies like the gorgeous ‘We Live By Lake’ (“a song about a village far away in Sweden”) plus the two new songs I’ve heard before – growing on me slowly – and even possibly a third new song. I was right at the front so couldn’t tell how big the crowd support for them was behind me but certainly ‘The Walls Are Coming Down’ got huge cheers and a hefty singalong. New album. Soon please?



Fanfarlo Set List
Atlas / Finish Line / Harold T Wilkins / We Live By The Lake / The Walls Are Coming Down / ? / Fire Escape / Waiting in the Wings / Luna

Next: Mexican food at the top of the hill with Johnny Flynn in the background.

I then caught the first two songs from The Unthanks. At first I thought they had misjudged their opening song. A slow dirge-like number with just voice and tap-shoes. But as they added in the string quartet and piano it took on a life of its own. One day live or on record I will give The Unthanks some proper attention.

Instead I was intrigued to see how These New Puritans would fare live presenting their new album ‘Hidden’. As I arrived, the empty stage was strafed with searchlight beams. At the side of the stage two bassoon players looked on nervously. Ominous rumbles turned into ‘We Want War’ and three of the band (no keyboard player Sophie? Unless she was one of the bassoon players?) appeared to play drums, keyboards/samplers and guitar/vocals.

For just five performers they made a hell of a racket – I think the drums and roto toms were double if not treble-micced. The combination of all the elements played loud together with the lighting effects was thrillingly dramatic. A nice touch mid-set was when singer Jack Barnett took off his jacket to reveal a chain mail vest. Like on ‘Hidden’ it does feel as though they are spinning out the same trick – but you can’t fault the band for ambition or for a sense of dark theatre.

By now the mud and late night was definitely catching up with me – and I watched the remaining two Main Stage acts sat down from the top of the hill. Billy Bragg’s solo set included stories about tea-drinking, GCSE results, Ingrid Bergman and a basic guide to politics (“whatever The Daily Mail says, do or think the opposite”) mixed with ‘Greetings to the New Brunette’, ‘The Milkman of Human Kindness’, ‘Sexuality’ and a new song about bankers moving to Dubai (“he says he’s an ex-pat but we all know he’s an economic migrant”). He finished with “let’s have a singalong” ‘A New England’ and then to the tune of ‘One Love’ a chant to politicians urging them to drop international debt. Elder statesman in so many senses.

Saturday headliners The Flaming Lips were never likely to be shrinking violets. I’m not a fan but was intrigued to see the latest stage show. And if you wanted razzle-dazzle it didn’t not disappoint: giant animated visuals, confetti cannons, oversized beach balls, Wayne Coyne surfing the crowd in a giant hamster ball and then singing sitting on the shoulders of a bear. At one point Wayne wore giant hands (lobster claws?) that then starting emitting green laser beams. However I couldn’t help think it was disguising a deficit in the music which was mostly noodling and directionless. Also Wayne’s continual urging to the crowd in the lull between songs (“come on, come on, come on, come on Green Man”) became a bit tiresome. We left during the encores to avoid the crush.

Trudging through the mud in the campsite the music and crowds were far in the distance. But in the still night air there was still confetti falling peacefully around us like snowflakes. Confetti and mud: a fitting combination for another special day.

GREEN MAN FESTIVAL 2010 - Day One

Arriving at Glanusk Park Estate in thunder and lightning and then having to put the tent up in a torrential downpour was not the start for Green Man Festival promised by the druids. Ah well, even mystics can get it wrong sometimes. The best way to forget about being soaked to skin within 20 minutes of arriving on site was to start watching some bands. Especially with this year's visit being an extended group trip with many first-timers - they needed to be distracted from the rain and convinced of the merits of being here quickly.

Given the conditions and delays in putting up the tent we missed the opening acts on each stage and instead the first band we saw was the thirteen piece Spencer McGarry Season. This was dapper soul-pop with an occasional touch of The Divine Comedy and a natty wardrobe of bowties, braces, cocktail dresses; plus the first appearances of many this weekend for grand piano and a string section on the Main Stage. A fun start despite the rain – and also first sighting of several of the weekend of Sweet Baboo here playing guitar.

Undeterred by the rain and eager for more music we (an extended group trip this) then tried to catch the end of Matthew and the Atlas. But in what would be a theme for the weekend we managed to edge into the packed Far Out Tent (the only music stage with shelter for the audience) as the band walked off stage earlier than advertised. Ah well the walk had done us good and helped to churn up some of that Welsh mud.

Then it was back to the Main Stage for The Wave Pictures making their first Green Man Festival appearance. I may not be objective in this but they did not disappoint even with just a thirty minute set. After 3 songs the band invited audience requests – Mr P and myself managed to get three in starting with ‘Now You Are Pregnant’ sung by drummer Jonny Helm - but a fourth (for ‘Strawberry Cables’) proved too much. But there was nothing to argue with about this uplifting set.

The Wave Pictures Set List: Canary Wharf / Long Island / Leave The Scene Behind / Now You Are Pregnant / We Dress Up With Snowmen / Friday Night in Loughborough / I Love You Like A Madman / Sleepy Eye / Too Many Questions / Blind Drunk

Up at the Green Man Pub we then caught the second half of Katell Keineg. Backed by guitarist and bassist she delivered a very engaging downbeat folk including a lovely cover of Big Star’s “Thirteen”. Worth further investigation.

A return trip to the Main Stage found us waiting for Mountain Man in the rain. Alas they had been delayed en route (probably followed the open-to-interpretation directions of the Green Man website?). Instead we were treated to four acoustic songs from the exceptionally talented Sweet Baboo.

After playing with The Spencer McGarry Season and not expecting to play this afternoon he had got “twatted. So don’t expect any fast ones”. Instead he played four new songs of about super brains, zombie collages, balloon rides and dancing, most from his third album due imminently. The video below is the one about balloons from his collaboration with The Voluntary Butler Scheme and others as Wickes. With banter as good as the songs this was a hilarious and inspired turn that never felt like a ‘fill-in’.



Further re-jigging of the main stage running order followed with Caitlin Rose moved across from the Pub.

Wearing sunglasses through the set was a touch odd given the weather but her brand of Nashville country was very soothing despite the shockingly young appearance of her and her band.

More sunglasses on the main stage followed with Erland And The Carnival. I find it difficult to categorise their music still (psyche-folk-rock just doesn't do it) or capture what makes it so thrilling. But the pounding rhythm section and the frazzled guitars and garagey keyboard sounds continue to impress live – even more than on record. A great live band and a stirring appetiser for a Pieminister tea-time visit.

Following pies, next on the main stage was Fionn Regan. I only know his first album of quiet folksy songs. I think for his second he has decided to move and live in 1967 - large sunglass, head band, amulet around his neck. The sound is similarly up-dated – or is that back-dated - a sixties tinged rock that just didn’t hold my attention on first listen.

Instead we went to catch the re-scheduled Mountain Man on in the Green Man Pub. Only to arrive as they finished their last song of course.

Sleepy Sun are on the new Rough Trade Records Psych-Folk compilation. This was my first encounter with them live or on record and they weren’t particularly folky. In fact after 1967 we now seemed to find ourselves in Far Out Tent visiting 1972. For Sleepy Sun played a sensuous heavy rock with much throwing of long hair and thrusting of hips from the long-haired male and female co-vocalists. Plus full-throated wailing and some possible prima donna reactions to technical malfunctions - which all shouted hairy 70s rock. For the most part they got a good reaction but I need more convincing.

Next on the Main Stage was John Grant whose “Queen of Denmark” album is one of my favourites of the year. He performed either seated at grand piano or singing at microphone with one other musician who would either alternate playing the grand or provide acoustic guitar/keyboard accompaniment and backing vocals.

It was an astonishingly beautiful recreation of the record with just one/two performers. Highlights included ‘I Wanna Go To Marz’ with simple piano accompaniment for Grant’s singing, a solo performance of ‘Queen of Denmark’ (“some more gloomy shit”) from Grant seated at grand piano and this acapella rendition of ‘Chicken Bones’ as requested by several in the front few rows.



John Grant Set List: Drug / New Song / Sigourney Weaver / Where Dreams Go To Die / It’s Easier / Outer Space / Queen of Denmark / Paint The Moon / Chicken Bones / Caramel

Forsaking a good spot for Beirut, I hot-footed it to the Far Out Tent to catch Steve Mason. I entered to see the band finish a song and (I thought) the set as per the theme of the day. However there was one more song to play – an impromptu (“I don’t do this often but since it’s you”) version of The Beta Band’s ‘Dry The Rain’ performed just on acoustic guitar, bongos with occasional percussion and electric bass. It transformed the tent into an arms-aloft revivalist meeting. Quite beautiful and a special moment to catch but as Steve said “Keep it quiet I played this”. So shhh.

Beirut was one of the must-see acts for me especially having always missed previous tours. There was equal anticipation amongst the crowd including quite a few teenagers – clearly a bigger and broader following than I thought. So when Zach Condon, looking relaxed and fresh-faced, walked on stage with a seven-piece band there was a rapturous welcome and later impressive word-for-word singing of songs like opener ‘Mount Wroclai’ or ‘A Sunday Smile’. It took me the first three songs to put away my nervousness and high expectations and enjoy this set of songs from all three albums and a new one (or two?) too.

It wasn’t just that this was a festival that earned such applause for a band whose front line includes an accordion, trumpet, French horn and trombone. It’s the glorious sound they bring to the songs and how they conjure faraway places. As beautiful as the Brecon Beacons are, when Beirut hit their stride you couldn’t help but feel transported to a Mexican street corner or East European street cafe. This was consistently impressive but occasionally exceptional. Headline act and longer set next year please?

Sticking with the extended group, I hung around for Friday Main Stage night headliners Doves. I only know one Doves song. And they didn’t play it. Instead they seemed to play one thin and insubstantial song over and over. I gave them the benefit of the doubt initially and thought they would work in this slot (and they did for the vocal fan club at the front) but soon it was apparent this was in my view a rare and under-powered misfire in the programme.

A shame but this or the constant rain were not enough to spoil the many, many delights of the first day of Green Man 2010. Reports on day two and three to follow.