Recently Played: Tilly and the Wall - You and I Misbehaving
Connect Festival
I don’t have the staying power to put into words everything that happened over a three day festival, so I will sample moments as they pop into my head.
It’s been well publicised that I attended this event with Arabella. She lives in Oxford so the journey to Scotland proved to be rather drawn out and tiresome for her. We met on the train at Preston (Britain’s newest city). The two-hour coach journey from Glasgow took in some of the finer views of the Scottish countryside, with ever climbing mountains, tremendous lochs and sparkling waterfalls. Set around the stunning shadow of Inveraray Castle, Connect is surely the best music festival to head to if you’re looking for breathtaking scenery. The campsite, although basic, afforded us some beautiful views to wake up to in the morning.
I was surprised at how easily I managed to put my tent up, the only drawback being the unevenness of the ground upon which we had to pitch it. We later discovered that our camping neighbours consisted of some Scottish drug addicts who loved to stay up shouting all night and a couple who insisted on having noisy sex at four o’clock in the morning. All part of the festival experience, you say? I would rather be in a comfortable bed.
The Music
Ah, the music. The festival was split into two main outdoor stages, a smaller local talent bandstand and an indoor tent for ‘techo-dance-trance-house-drum and-bass-rubbish’. Here follows a list of the bands we managed to see over the three days. I have ordered them loosely in order of preference, with my favourite at the top.
Regina Spektor
The Divine Comedy
Teenage Fanclub
Jarvis Cocker
The Polyphonic Spree
Patrick Wolf
Vashti Bunyan
Big Star
Seth Lakeman
Tilly and the Wall
Rilo Kiley (we only saw a few songs because we had to rush back to see TFC!)
Modest Mouse
Captain
Bat For Lashes
The Parsonage Choir
The Kissaway Trail
The Twilight Sad
Aqualung (Again, only saw a few songs & the sound system was terrible. I like them though)
Rick Redbeard
The Fire Engines
Mogwai (just didn’t do it for me at a large outdoor stadium)
Scott Matthews
Björk
Newton Faulkner (Newton Faulkner is probably the second worst act I have ever seen live. UFO. Hello.)
We could probably have packed more in and we regrettably missed some that I would have liked to see (Super Furry Animals, Echo & The Bunnymen, Idlewild, Two Gallants, Primal Scream). One has to consider that it’s sometimes better not to see a band at all than to see them on a dark, rainy Saturday night in the middle of a large field filled with drunks and drug addicts. It could very easily ruin your opinion of the musicians.
Disjointed points (stars)
- I am going to marry Blake Sennett.
- Neil Hannon is too cool.
- The Polyphonic Spree started their set with a large red sheet across the front of the stage from which a love heart was cut in order to reveal the band behind.
- We made some impressive stage hopping stunts on Saturday evening, running through urine-infested sludge in order to catch a few Rilo Kiley songs before Teenage Fanclub came on the main stage.
- The Rizla Tent = an atrocity to music.
- Beer and food was pricey. £3.50 for a pint of beer or cider.
- The boy with the pink hat and his friend are notable amusements to this list.
- Having to carry a tent over a long distance is not my idea of ‘fun’.
- Living off biscuits soon becomes off putting.
- Lots of people were wearing Threadless T-Shirts apparently. I was disappointed not to see anyone wearing a Hefner T Shirt but the man in the Frank Zappa T Shirt made up for it.
- Linda McCartney sausages are rather tasty.
- Using a fishing rod as a portable flag pole is ingenious.
Finally. Whether you are at a music festival or not: never stay still for too long, you will sink.
11th September, 2007 at 5:37 pm :
the \"inveraray castle\" link doesn’t work.
11th September, 2007 at 5:38 pm :
hah. i bet you thought i would say something more interesting. or not actually.
12th September, 2007 at 11:32 pm :
The link works now. I am surprised you commented at all, actually. I saw this as one of those posts that no one would go near.
13th September, 2007 at 12:04 am :
I am near.
13th September, 2007 at 12:05 am :
"# Linda McCartney sausages are rather tasty."
YAY! Try the pies, if you haven’t already. They’re YUM! Kelly will back me up on this *cue Kelly*
13th September, 2007 at 12:40 am :
I am near = Armenia
I will look out for the pies. The sausage probably tasted better because of the ridiculously high price I paid for it.
I have not slept properly for a long time.