~*~ Glastonbury 2010 ~ Saturday 26th June ~*~

I couldn't resist. Two Door Cinema Club were playing again, on the Other Stage, so I dragged everyone along with me to see them. They were even better in the sunshine, because their breezy summery pop fitted perfectly.

I then headed up the hill to The Park, to see Here We Go Magic, because I'd heard rumblings about them from various music sources and, let's be honest, I like the name. The five-piece produced decent rock music with lovely twiddly guitar bits and atmospheric keyboards. The vocals were a little bit too shouty for me at times but they were mostly good, and I enjoyed the use of chanting. There were some particularly entrancing guitar melodies.

I didn't stay for the end of the set. Instead I wandered over to the Pyramid Stage. With unusually impeccable timing I reached the Other Stage just as Reef started playing Place Your Hands (the only song of theirs anybody knows), which sounded fantastic. And, equally impeccably, it finished as I reached the end of the field. I stayed at the Pyramid for my favourite Lightning Seeds songs - Change and Lucky You, both of which suited the sunny weather beautifully, with vocals as good live as in the studio, and I heard a lovely accoustic version of Marvellous. Speeding off the the cinema tent, I joined up with Kara and Jon for How To Train Your Dragon, which we all loved, the dragon was particularly adorable. Admittedly we were the biggest "kids" there, but I had to make the most of my last month as a teenager, didn't I?! (what's your excuse, Special K?! :P)

Pilton Pasta proved as reliable a lunch as usual, and I had to take on carbs to survive what was to be an evening that can only be described as EPIC.

I exploited Seasick Steve's remarkable set (I have never heard such amazing riffs resonate from two Morris Minor hubcaps welded around a broom handle) to a shameful degree, landing myself a spot centre stage, second row, for one of the bands I was most looking forward to seeing, The Dead Weather.

Now, I could expound the wonders of Jack White's "other other band" (as Q mag so succinctly labelled them) until Jack Johnson truly learnt what an electric guitar was for, (ah the beauty of eternity), but for now I'll stick to a brief live review. "W-O-W." OK, maybe a little more than that. In an album review I did for the student mag that, life being what it is, I have as yet failed to post here, I described their second album as something along the lines of "delicious guitar-driven chills pulsing down your spine", but possibly more biologically accurate. ANYway, their live set is mindblowing. I didn't know whether to stand frozen with awe (complete with slack jaw) or leap around in a wild and decidedly pagan fashion. In the end, I settled on a combination of the two.

Each of the four members of The Dead Weather is an incredibly talented individual. I have now seen *JACK WHITE* jamming on electric guitar (yes, he emerged from behind the drumkit) which made my SUMMER. Alison Mosshart, beautiful, sparrow-framed and completely off her rocker, was rarely vertical when she wasn't singing in her smokey, husky and oh-so-enviably-cool voice. And the Other Two, who both have very interesting names which, if it wasn't so late at night, I would totally have the decency to look up on the internet, were also very worth watching. And they gelled perfectly. I repeat: "W-O-W."

Now, the next act in the evening's line-up was the one I was least sure about. Dead Weather? YES. Scissor Sisters? YES. MUSE? HELLS YEAH. Shakira? Hmm...

However, despite the gold drape backdrop, the diva in diamonds and feathers that I'd anticipated never showed up, to the huge relief of me and my new friend at the time, who shall henceforth be known as Gay Simon. (this nickname is not intended to show homophobia by its means of distinction, I just believe that anyone wearing pink heart-shaped sunglasses, a flame-covered cowboy hat and a hot pink t-shirt saying: 'I think I might be gay', and proclaiming his love for Jake Shears not only merits the epithet, but desires it). As Glasto friends go (you know, the people around you who magically become your friends when the actual people you're sharing a camp with inexplicably don't feel the need to see Tim Rice-Oxley/Jack White/Emily Haines at close quarters) he was fantastic. We had a 'Shakira Fears Support Group', held a heated 'Dan Gillespie-Sells/Jake Shears' debate and so forth. Wonderful.

Anyway, Shakira came on wearing, a surprise to all present in the Pyramid Field, a t-shirt and jeans. Yes, there was a shiny metal skirt thingamajig for the belly-dancing (good, but no match for Femi Kuti's girls) but that was more of a Special Guest slot. What Shakira is incredibly good at is reminding you why Spanish is Sexy. The typical British reaction to songs in Foreign Tongues didn't make even a ghost appearance, it was definitely an 'I wish I could speak Spanish' affair. She was down to earth and smiley, and most importantly determinedly Columbian. Gay Simon and I had a fantastic time dancing to She Wolf and Hips Don't Lie. A very pleasant surprise.

Of course, Scissor Sisters blew most other acts out of the water. Having seen them back in 2006 in a cowbarn, I had hiiiiiiiigh expectations, and they didn't fail me one little bit. Of course, being from Across The Pond, you have to wade through rivers of melted cheese as they tell various stories of their various experiences of various places, but Jake's dedication of a song to his new fiancé was truly touching (although Gay Simon's heart was apparently broken). The wonderful thing about their set is that noone can resist dancing to them. It does not matter that you don't have enough space to swing a flea, you WILL dance to I Don't Feel Like Dancin' to Appreciate The Irony. Kylie fitted in as if she'd been a founding member, and the new single, Fire With Fire, not a favourite with everyone (as my mother keeps reminding me) was brilliant live. Raunchy and superbly-costumed, the Scissor Sisters burn a welcome imprint into your brain.

Right, the first thing I need to say about Muse is that I have never been so crushed in my entire life. The only reason my arms weren't pinned to my sides was that there wasn't room for them there. I had 2 different guys' elbows at each cheek, which gave me the horrible idea that if they made certain movements at the same time I may actually experience what it would be like to have the head mobility of an owl. But not for very long. Of the crowd I was talking to before the gig, I was the only one to survive. People were dropping like flies. I didn't see a huge amount of stage during Supermassive Black Hole. I was busy being kicked in the head by people being security-lifted out of the crowd.

Despite ALL THIS, it was a fantastic set. The music sounds like it has come from another dimension, it soars and swells and removes you from your earthly setting. Which was fortunate. Matt Bellamy, who is famed for being 'a little bit out of it' isn't a traditional frontman. Straightforward audience interaction is minimal, and rarely does his voice come through the mic other than in the context of a song. But the raw power the three of them generated was enough to finish off an amazing Glastonbury day. The megaphone + microphone combination of Feeling Good was intriguing, the honeycomb digital backdrop was mesmerising, and the Edge's slot as Special Guest was a real Moment. All this made the fact that I had to stand under a tap afterwards undeniably worth it.