“…So what I am trying to say is that this here is the real shit, this is the real deal.” Ben Kowalewicz is soaked to the skin and grinning from ear to ear. Looking out over the bowels of Camden’s Underworld surveying a devotional sea of faces rammed to the venues rafters that has spent the last hour screaming back every syllable of the bands back catalogue and even, via the onslaught of internet fan frenzy, songs from their latest record, Billy Talent III, which is still over a month from release.

“It’s actually Billy Talent the third,” states guitarist and signature coiffured man mountain Ian D’Sa. “We’re going to have to rethink that now though, you can’t really have a Billy Talent IV. The best rock record in history is a IV you can’t go head to head with that!” Speaking at Atlantic Records London head office D’Sa and drummer Aaron Solowoniuk are discussing the build up to the new album and the effect that the success of Billy Talent I and II has had on the band. Coming 6 years after the release of their debut album as Billy Talent ‘III’ is their most complex and complete work so far, taking the introspective self analysis of the first album and fusing it with the superior song structure of their sophomore record. Billy Talent have never shied from difficult subjects, making intelligent, issue based songs over a soundtrack that melds punk and more dirty ‘Appetite For Destruction’ era rock, but with ‘III’ they have merged their most intensely personal songs as well as flexing previously unworked musical muscles.

“I think this record we felt more liberated, the second record was much more stressful, but I think that’s natural. You’re second record, especially if following up a successful first record, we definitely felt pressure on that one. This record was much more laid back in the sense that we felt we could experiment with whatever styles we wanted, “ explains D’Sa when considering how the band felt when coming to begin a new record on the back of two incredibly successful discs. “You kind of have to learn to let go of a record when you get back off of tour you have to leave those songs there and wipe the slate clean so that you can get into the space of writing new ones.” Adds Aaron.

There is a definite evolution to the sound on ‘III’. the songs are less immediate than the likes of ‘River Below’, ‘Try Honesty’ or ‘Red Flag’, but after a few weeks ‘III’ is a record all the richer for the darker tempos. One song that stands out and acts almost as a fulcrum to the entire record is ‘White Sparrows’. A song that details the tragic loss of a loved one. It is a literal translation for Kowalewicz who went through a very personal loss as the record was being made. It’s a distinctively personal record, “Yeah, Ben lost someone very close to him about a year and a half back and I just came out of a four year relationship,” notes D’Sa “so a lot of these songs are reflections on things that have happened to us in the last one or two years. It’s definitely more personal than the last record.” In terms of putting ‘III’ together though it seems to have been a much easier experience than might be expected.
“I had maybe 6 song ideas that I was working on on the last tour. Generally on the road I’ll bring a little m-box, pro tools thing,” says D’Sa, “so when we got back we spent 3 months combing through those and they translated to the first demos. The first demo’s we did were ‘Devil On My Sholder’, ‘Turn Your Back’,‘Pocketful Of Dreams and ‘Tears Into Wine’.”

“The first half of the record we jammed out a lot more and that’s really about getting back into the process of actually writing a record. It’s really hard to jump into, “OK I’m going to sit down and write a song now” and then on the second half of the record some songs came really fast, like ‘Rusted From The Rain’, which is our first single took maybe a week and a half to finish. Which is really quick for us.” One thing that fans will notice is that the band have really stripped back the guitar sound to a much rawer, almost grunge like tone. “Yea with this record we’ve gone back a lot more to our original grunge and early 90s influences as we were actually listening to that a lot on tour, bands like Soundgarden, Rage Against The Machine, early Chili’s stuff, and I think you can really hear that coming through.”

The Underworld show is a secret warm up for the bands appearance at the Download festival, but it’s also something of a thank you to their London fans, like a family reunion.
It’s an intense baptism that highlights just how powerful the bond is between this band and their fans. It’s a relationship that has seen the band rise from tiny clubs to headline slots at Reading and Leeds on the Lock Up stage later this year and appearances at Download.
“Playing in front of 650 people who love every word is the best, but then so is playing to 20,000 people in the afternoon, or in a tent. I mean that Lock Up stage is going to be insane.” Says Aaron with palpable glee. “One of the great things about playing festivals is that you get to see a lot of bands that you know from touring etc, and we get to share a stage with a lot of great bands we like and know like Anti-Flag and Alexisonfire so it always make for a fun day and then to get to play outside is amazing”, adds D’Sa.

One thing that is certain is that the band approach every show with the same attitude of trying to give the crowd the greatest show that they can. “There’s definitely a headspace that you have to get into before you play”, says D’Sa before Aaron adds “It’s the same with every show it’s just when you get out there what happens directly infront of you dictates how intense or not you are going to be. When you do your stretches backstage and you go out and kids are losing their shit you just react to that, but then we played Coachella at 1 o’clock in the afternoon and there was maybe 5% of the festival watching, but we still tried to rock it, it’s just all about the energy you get off the crowd. We try our absolute hardest to kill every show but there’s that little extra that you get from the crowd”

With their most mature record to date in the bag, Reading and Leeds tents to headline, and as Ben announces from the stage of the Underworld a full autumn UK tour to look forward too it seems certain that the band will be getting that little extra energy shot in bucket loads for the rest of the year.

Hove Backstage by boat

Day two at Hove Festivalen and we kick off the morning with a little exploration of the festival Island and surrounding coast by jumping aboard a gorgeous motor boat and pootering along the coast. Our captain is more than happy to extol the virtues of the surrounding countryside, which is by now revealing itself to be so breathtaking it will undoubtedly be slapped with a government health warning sooner or later. Revelation of the trip though is perhaps that last year the captain played host to those lovely Kooks boys who were such models of British politeness that they left a lasting impression. Good to hear!

Musically the second day of the Hove Festival in Norway opened with exemplary exponents of the new Bergen Wave, The New Wine, who those of you in the know may have seen rammed into the top floor of the Lock Tavern last december or possibly whipping up a frenzy at Komedia stepping into Golden Silvers shoes at The Great Escape. Tonight in their home country they seem like a band where everything has been taken to the next level, commanding the stage with a mature confidence that belies their youth.

Part of a new wave of electro tinged bands from Bergen that have forsaken sequencers and backing tracks in favour of pure analogue tones they create a heady mix of disco-intelligencia grooves and driving drums that make them eminently danceable. Fueled by the viral success of two download only demo’s and a raft of support in the Norwegian blogosphere they justify the hype and show exactly why the waves of praise coming out of SXSW and TGE have been so strong. Notebooks out and double underlining for these boys!

Following on from the delicate synth sounds of The New Wine it’s over to the Amfiscenen stage where it’s all getting a bit heavy for a tuesday. Brighton metal merchants Architects may have an excess of energy having taken the schoolboy error decision to drive from Germany to Norway thinking it would be a quick nip along some motorways. Still the boys arrived in plenty of time and are in the mood to see a 40foot wide circle pit, which they duly receive. It’s a breathtaking site at teatime on a tuesday and the band seem more than satisfied with the results of their jaunt north. After this sun drenched brutality I take a trip over the hill into the big pink tent known as the Teltscenen. Now I am sure the irony would be truly lost on him but seeing misogynist gangsta rapper Nercro ply his generic, drear-hop in a pink tent almost makes it bearable….almost. Fleeing quickly from the hideous Necro (if you buy his records it’s you fault… just like watching Transformer’s 2!) there’s just time to hit the backstage beach bar where we find Hockey BBQ-ing some freshly caught pollack before heading back to Amfiscenen where US metalcore juggernaut The Black Dahlia Murder are launching into their own brand of brutality. Featuring new material around the choice cuts of Miasma and Nocturnal the band live up to the hype created by their new live DVD Majesty which surfaced this year. In the home of Death Metal they find new and old friends a plenty.

Fleet Foxes

Unfortunately we only hear Hockey through the trees due to technical issues but the americans brand of funk rock always goes down smooth like Ron Burgundy. One band who are really getting into the vibe of things is Seattle multi harmonists Fleet Foxes. Guitarist Skylar has Norwegian blood and the band take the chance between songs to ask the crowd to settle once and for all his own dilemmas about how to pronounce his surname Skjelset. Once the band have managed to solve their phonetic quandries they get down to the business of bringing to life last years seminal, self titled debut on stage. Fleet Foxes are an interesting proposition live. There are moments when they play some songs early on and it is easy to get lost in your surrounding rather than the music, but then they will step up everything a gear and unleash moments of pure transcendence. ‘White Winter Hymnal’ and ‘Oliver James’ provide standout moments, whilst ‘Mykonos’ creates the illusion of a new Beach Boys live and in the flesh. There is a strong lineage of Folk and Country Americana bands inspiring devotional followings in Norway, they love the Eagles here, and Fleet Foxes provide the moment of the festival so far as their 4 part harmonies swirl around the main stage and reverberate like ghosts through the trees.

So it’s in a blissed out state that we sumble across British band Golden Silvers expecting them to be Norwegian techno pranksters Casiokids…the two bands have switched set times. The Silvers seem to be going down a storm here and it’s brilliant to see them translate their success at home overseas. Speaking later they reveal their excitement about playing multiple gigs and stages at Glastonbury this coming weekend, if you can get there check them out.

Alas we have to leave the Golden Silvers and head mainstage way as the Killers are fast approaching. The killers are a strange proposition these days, arriving in a flurry of photo bans and orders that noone should talk to the band it’s a bit like Elvis sweeping into the building. They’ve also got a third album which divides people in a way that marmite would have to respect, but from the number of lithe Norse ladies sporting ‘I Heart Killers’ scrawled across various body parts it doesn’t seem like there will be any questions asked of them tonight. Indeed when they launch their set with ‘Human’ you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who wasn’t forgiving of their appalling punctuation.

It’s a triumphant set and, in all honesty, one of the better live performances that they have put in recently. They certainly raised their game to their surroundings and old hits like ‘Somebody Told Me’ remind you that before their new wave Abba on acid experimentation period they just wrote fantastic funk rock pop songs.

You might think this would be the end of the night but it’s off back to the big pink tent to see the Golden Silvers (Who of course you know by now are actually Casiokids) Casiokids are an amazing mix of Sigur Ros and the Teletubbies, a notion further enhanced by their closing song stage invasion that in Flaming Lips style features friends and tour staff dressed up in costumes and oversized bobble head masks.

To close out the night we take one final trip to the Amfiscenen where New York instrumentalists Ratatat. Playing their 3rd set of the festival…apparently when asked to leave the festival site at 4am on monday morning they just refused…and who could blame them!

Casiokids

Hove's second stage

Blogging for Spoonfed

The 3rd annual Hove Festivalen opened to glorious sunshine on the south Norwegian coast yesterday as 12,000 revelers made the journey to attend the festival that the likes of Jay Z, Franz Ferdinand and the Ting Tings have declared “the best festival on earth”.

Franz Ferdinand headlined the main stage yesterday and treated the crowd to a raucous set that ran the full gamut of their hit laden back catalogue as well choice cuts from their third album ‘Tonight’. In supremely relaxed mood the Scotsmen got particularly rapturous reactions for ‘Take Me Out‘ and ‘Ulysses’ . The band had spent the afternoon cruising the coastline and then grilling their fresh catch on the backstage BBQ, so it was no wonder that the band were in benevolent form when they hit the stage in the quasi twilight of Norwegian high summer.

Elsewhere on the site Jesse from Eagles Of Death Metal was heard berating over eager press hounds with the killer phrase, “this ain’t Vietnam son, there are rules!” Though he could have been referring to his strict regime of chatting to every lady that he came across. What the man sings onstage in songs like ‘Just 19’, he lives everyday. The Eagles headlined the second stage set in a stunning natural amphitheater. The band are a strange proposition, there can be no doubt that the majority of interest in the band came from the fact that it was one Josh Homme sitting in on the drum stool. Yet Mr Homme is not a touring member of the Eagles Of Death Metal and so no matter that Jesse is full of infectious charisma, coming across like a southern fried Andrew WK, after 30 minutes you just can’t help but notice that the songs start to drag out a little. They need a couple more albums in them before they can really command a festival headlining set, but in a short sharp shock you won’t find a band trading better good time rock’n’roll at the moment.

Lykke Li

Before the Jesse good time show Swedish songsmith Lykke Li took to stage. Lykke often gets lumped in with a raft of female singer songwriters and artists breaking through at the moment. Little Boots, who plays here Wednesday, Ladyhawke, Lady GaGa (Is there an L rule at the moment?) but increasingly she is demonstrating that she is in a league of her own. With a set that included all the best moments from her 2008 debut ‘Youth Novels’ she provided the perfect soundtrack to the onset of the slow sunset. More like fellow Swede fever Ray than Ladyhawke, and with more of the experimental grace of Bjork than Lady GaGa, Lykke Li is an elfin-noir pop princess, creating glacial soundscapes over which to implore, chide and seduce lovers past and future.

Earlier in the afternoon British contingent the Ting Tings and White Lies both took to the mainstage. The Ting Tings are imbued with a kooky pop sensibility that lends itself perfectly to the Scandinavian outlook, though the White Lies, looked a little less comfortable clad in pure black, bringing their Joy Division inspired nu-gloom to a field that was at the time approaching bone meltingly hot temperatures. I want to like White Lies, I really do, they are perfectly nice folks, but everytime I see them live the generic nature of their music keeps creeping back in. I used to fill the void for Interpol albums with Editors records, now White Lies seem to be aiming firmly at the gap for Editors fans but with the Birmingham boys making a come back this year and Interpol in the studio rehearsing new songs White Lies should be wondering who will be listening to them come christmas.

Alongside a line up that over the next 4 days includes the likes of Faith No More, The Killers, Slipknot and Fleet Foxes Hove is a festival that likes to combine green issues and forward thinking technologies. This year sees the introduction of a completely cashless site where an Oyster card like system is used to pay for all food drink and merchandise also allowing you to cash in unused points at the end of the festival meaning no more attempts to try and get through 50 beer tokens on the last night for fear of being left with useless tokens!

Not only this but the catering has been so good that even the vegetarians in the party have been fully satisfied. How will we ever go to another festival again?!

View from the bar

Monday nights are usually best spent in quite reflection on the events of the weekend, a sort of weekly moment of clarity before beginning the whole cycle again. However, Dead or Alive are now giving you a reason to skip the weekly lull and extend your weekend to a four day extravaganza. The rambunctious promoters have taken over The Old Queens Head in Islington to bring you a night of intoxicating acoustic revelry.

One name slinking his way onto the bill is the supremely talented singer songwriter Skin Benshaw. What began in bands like Oursleepwalkinghero Skin has continued and developed into a burgeoning solo act that after several free demos and gigs across London will see him begin recording his new EP in the high summer. Those of you who get a kick out of Conor Obesrt, Leonard Cohen or Frank turner would be highly advised to head down to the Old Queens Head and catch this rising artist in the most intimate of settings.

In advance of Dead Or Alive we tracked down Skin Benshaw for a few appetite wetting words.

Hello Skin Benshaw, I hear you have a new EP in the pipeline. What’s the news?

The plan is go into the studio this weekend and get the basics down, then take them away and think about what might be added. The go back in and add it. Recording and producing it, and probably playing the odd note too, will be my old friend Al Riley, who’s just back from producing Tricky’s new album in Paris.

Who or what is inspiring you these days?

At the moment I’m listening to the new Grizzly Bear and Phoenix albums pretty much constantly. Sometimes at the same time in different rooms. I’ve been playing a lot of Bonnie Prince Billy lately too. Oh and Joanna Newsom’s Ys, which I came to late and now can’t shake off.

You’ve done a few interesting covers in your time any current favorites you’re considering or even planning to air at the old Queen’s?

There’s considerable pressure to roll out the cover of Jojo’s Get Out (Leave), but I think the moment may have passed.

It’s festival season. Beer festival memory it’s legal for you to share with us?

At a beer festival in Somerset a few years ago we dragged a log out of the woods for the campfire. It turned out to be an old railway sleeper soaked in petrol. My tent never smelled quite the same.

Finally we’re giving you a pound for the jukebox what 3 tracks are you going to play?

Sultans of Swing / Money for Nothing / On Every Street. Can’t go wrong with the Straits.

Skin Benshaw plays Dead Or Alive on Monday 29th June.
Entry is £4 or £3 with a flyer.

Details here.

This saturday sees an extra special version of the Macbeth’s hottest monthly event, the superlative Twisted Licks. This months installment features an appearance from rising avant jazzsters Chik Budo as well as a rare outing from multi instrumentalist and one man renaissance Daniel O’Sullivan’s Mothlite project.

O’Sullivan is a London based composer and multi instrumentalist who will be known to may through his prolific CV which includes work with the likes of Æthenor, Guapo, SUNN O))), Ulver, Miasma & The Carousel Of Headless Horses, The Big Pink and Grumbling Fur.

His collaborations with the likes of the dark iconoclast and Southern overlord Stephen O’Malley have helped him garner an impressive reputation. But this is no case of who you know not what you can do. O’Sullivan has produced a long series of spellbinding work, with a frightening output level. None more impressive than last years Mothlite album ‘Flax Of Reverie’. Released on Southern Records it is a squalling, pulverising journey that uses cinematic techniques culled from Stan Brakhage who shocked cinema goers by creating unexpected results by attaching physical debris to the celluloid, and melds them to a world inspired by Lewis Carroll and Tim Burton.
The heart and soul of Mothlite is O’Sullivan’s collaboration with Antti Uusimaki, a Finnish producer and engineer, who’s CV strangely features the Klaxons.

O’Sullivan is a master of the unnerving, the 6 parts that make up Flax… each taking the listener on a unique journey that promises to turn a part of north London into an entirely new world for the best part of Saturday night.

Alongside Mothlite are Chik Budo who recently levelled the Insomniacs Ball with their brand of avant jazz, and also turned in a set supporting punk legends ACR. Never failing to bamboozle and seduce this is a band who can follow Mothlite into the rabbit hole and come out stronger the other side. Completing the line up is Nottingham’s SWIMMInG, a band that have been accused of the dark alchemy of melding the Pixies energy to the Boards Of Canada’s quirksome ways.

This month will prove a very special edition of Twisted Licks.

See here for details.

They say that Sunday is funday and there was certainly a celebratory air present as sunshine greeted the final day of this years Isle Of White installment, not least due to the heady double bill headlining the main stage that would see Neil Young following the mythic Pixies.

Before that though there was a world of entertainment to be absorbed. Not least the exciting prospect of the Bog Top Stage being curated by Tim Burgess of The Charlatans. The wily old fox has managed to snare an incredible line up of buzz bands including the likes of The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, S.C.U.M., The Horrors and topped it all off with a turn from the Charlatans themselves.

Over on the main stage events kick off with the local jazz ensemble Papa Do Plenty, who do enough and feature a spectacular brass section.

One of the highlights of the afternoon is the return of Goldie Lookin Chain who leave the crowd on a feel god high after versions of Your Missus Is A Nutter and rousing closer Your Mother’s Got A Penis. They carry on the frivolity backstage after hijacking several golf buggies to race around at terrifying speeds dangerously close to frank Black.

8 months ago The Script were, they freely admit, playing in shitholes to 40 people who had mostly been forced to come down after the playing of the friends guilt card. However today they walk onto stage to be greeted by 20,000 enthused mid afternoon fans knowing that in the immediate future they will be supporting the likes of U2 and Macca. Breakthrough single ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’ creates one of the moment of the festival with the band declaring “sometimes a song just comes along that’s bigger than you and bigger than the band…”. From the word for word rendition that the crowd hurl back at them they aren’t far off the mark.

Following on from the Script Leeds boys The Pigeon Detectives turn in a blistering set of their octane indie. The band are currently working on their new album and the initial signs are highly promising for fans.
Over in the Big Top Tent The Horrors are proving why they are everybodies new favourite band. New album Primary Colours has been attracting plaudits from every quarter, including the likes of NIN frontman Trent Reznor, and there’s certainly no doubting Farris and Co’s commitment to their new set. They can only be happy that they are in the Big Top and not having to rock the lords of the night look in the blistering sunshine.

Preceeding the Pixies is never anyones idea of easy, but Simple Minds and Jim Kerr roll back the years to deliver a crowd pleasing set.

Taking to the stage to a rapturous response The Pixies deliver on every level. Hearing Frank Black scream “I am the son of a motherfucker!” is as vital as ever. They rip through versions of Debaser, Velouria, Gouge Away and the Kim Deal led Gigantic. There is some friction between Deal and Black which seems to have grown since the refored properly last year, the two baiting each other on stage. Not that it diminishes the power of tracks like ‘Where Is My Mind, and when the cry of ” This Monkey’s Gone To Heaven” goes up across the Isle Of Wight night heaven seems like a place on earth.

Neil Young is almost certainly a living legend. He also seems to have discovered the key to eternal life. Strolling on stage with an acoustic guitar Young doesn’t seem to have changed on iota since the Live Rust era. Kicking off with From Hank To Hendrix Young begins with an acoustic set that includes Heart Of Gold and Old Man before bringing out Old Black and cranking up the volume, breaking out the opening riff to Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black). It’s the start of a raucous set that includes a staggering 15 minute version of Rockin In The Free World, that caps off a 25 minute blast that included Cinnamon Girl and Fuckin Up. Compared to Youngs recent tours it’s a rock heavy set that shows when he wants to he can still wind it up. After pumping out Down by The River Young closes out the night and the festival with a cover of the Beatles Day In The Life. It’s a fitting end to an eclectic and superlative weekend 2010 has a lot to live up to.

The second day of the isle of White festival saw temperatures soar on and off stage. Following friday nights storming headline set from the Prodigy the weather decided it needed to follow suit raising temperatures to skin blistering heights.

Enjoying the vibe were the likes of Paolo Nutini and The View who treated the assembled crowd to high octane versions of ‘5 Rebeccas’ and ‘Temptation Dice’ in a set showcasing the highlights of their Which Bitch album. Over on the Big Top stage The Maccabees followed up a successful jaunt in Europe with a celebratory set that saw the crowd spilling out of the massive tent. Lead singer Orlando capped off a performance of ‘Precious Time’ by declaring “I am so pleased for you with the weather, you couldn’t of had it better could you?!” The band capped their performance with a version of ‘Love You Better’ off of their sophomore LP Wall Of Arms with guitarist Felix noting, “it’s been great to be a part of the Isle Of Wight Festival, we didn’t expect so many people, it means a lot”. The band will be heading out on a headline UK tour in October where alt-folk legend Adam Green is expected to support after the band talked with him at this years Great Escape Festival.

One of the highlights of the festival so far came when Mercury Rev took to the Big Top stage adding some surrealist beauty to proceedings. Though they faced a mixed crowd, with a high percentage of pop pickers trying to jostle for position for Will Young who followed them, the band, lead by the messianic Jonathan Donahue managed to transport the entire canvas clad crowd temporarily into another world. Featuring versions of ‘Holes’ and ‘Goddess On The Highway’ from the seminal Deserter’s Songs as well the band closed with the space-rock incantations of ‘Senses On Fire’ from their latest album ‘Snowflake Midnight’. Speaking on Sunday morning Festival curator John Giddings declared it the highlight of his festival so far.

One of the more surprising aspects of the festival was the appearance, much to the astonishment of the just finished Nutini, of the Red Arrows, who spent 24 minutes indulging in incredible aerial acrobatics to the delight of 60,000 sky craned necks. From Red Arrows to White Lies the main stage saw the UK band delivering their sombre indie noir.

White Lies face the press @ Isle Of Wight FEstival 2009

Following on from the interpol-lite antics of White Lies Maximo Park seem like a bunch of schoolboys who fell in a vat of Red Bull when they were babies. Front man Paul Smith demonstrating a severe allergy to ever having two feet on the stage at any one time as the band romped through a tea time set that featured latest single ‘The Kids Are Sick Again’ and classic ‘Our Velocity’ from 2007s Our Earthly Pleasures album. The only weak point of the set came when they tore into a lacklustre version of their next single ‘Questing, Not Coasting’. It’s a low tempo love song that will definitely translate better to halls and radio than the sunlit evening of the summer festival circuit.

The evening saw Calvin Harris rocking the Big Top Stage whilst a band who have been causing a lot of column inch scrutiny recently strolled onto the main stage. Since the departure of Andy Burrows Razorlight have been a band in transition and despite the presence of the requisite hits and sing along moments, there was the sense of a rudderless ship. Borrell needs a foil or he is in danger of descending into one glove land.

The main stage was headlined by Welsh rockers Stereophonics who duly gave the crowd exactly what they were expecting. Jones and co filling an hour and 10 minutes with a set that confirmed all suspicions that like fellow country men The Manic Street Preachers they have begun a period of mid career phone in albums. Where the manics have recently recaptured the fire of their youth Stereophonics are walking the line between genuine act and their own best cover band. Not that any of that matters when they crank out Bartender and the thief.

After the overblown antics of Razorlight and Stereophonics you would imagine an hour and a half of Pink Floyd might not be the antidote. However the Australian Pink Floyd turned the Big Top Stage into the dark side of the moon for a short time last night, including perfect verions of ‘Comfortably Numb’, ‘The Wall’ and ‘Wish You Were Here’ and a simply breathtaking version of ‘Big Gig In The Sky’ that featured one of the vocal performances of the year. All in all, a perfect way to end a long and eventful day.

The final day of the festival sees the dream double bill of The Pixies followed by Neil Young as well as performances from the likes of The Horrors, Black Lips, Pigeon Detectives, Simple Minds, Killing Joke, The Charlatans, The Script and The Rumblestrips.

The Isle Of Wight Festival 2009 kicked of last night with a racous headline set from veteran Essex boys the Prodigy. In a set that featured a potent mix of new and old material   with highlights featuring a burning rendition of Voodoo People and the mini aural revolution of Firestarter alongside Invaders Must Die that showcases that Liam Howletts men have no intentions of resting on their laurels just yet.

Earlier in the day Bassment Jaxx lit up the mainstage with their intoxicating cocktail of rhythms, live dance and cabaret, Where’s Your Head At? featuring a stage invasion by two high kicking Gorillas. Despite the predictions of showers the English summer gods decided to be lenient on the likes of Ladyhawke and Pendulum and the evening turned into a balmy summer night.

Pendulum seemed in particularly high spirits as they thanked the fans for giving them two years where the only way has been up. It’s perhaps unfortunate then that their set felt like it went on for hours and one of the highlights was a unique Mexican Cheer, though the crowd duly obliged when invited to, “get crazy”.

The festival attracted a raft of celebrities including the surreal sight of Nikki Grahame and Natalie Cassidy enjoying the Noisettes and posing for the barrage of photo requests. Noisettes put in a storming set and declared that they felt blessed to have been given the chance to get where they are and that, “the quality is creeping back in”, to British music.

Day two sees highly anticipated sets from Razorlight as they adjust to life post Andy Burrows as well as turns from The Maccabees, Mercury Rev, McFly, The View, Stereophonics and Maximo Park.

The notion of interviewing Dinosaur Jr founder and mainstay J Mascis is always adaunting one. Famously reticent in interview Mascis comes across as an otherworldly and aloof professor, reluctant to communicate verbally what he could so easily impart with a simple solo or feedback squall. However, in person, hunched over a west London hotel couch, though never bordering on chatty Mascis is engaging, witty and warm. As well he should be, for life is good for Mascis at the moment, the original line up of Dinosaur Jr are about to drop ‘Farm’ their second album since reforming for ‘Beyond’, they have signed to new home Jagjaguwar and Mascis is also a new father. Though for now he seems far more interested in iPhone apps.

‘Yeah I use one for making notes or song ideas when I’m at home, around the house, so o record them right into the iPhone, it’s called Note2self, and it sends it all to your email’ states Mascis revealing a little insight into his current writing process behind ‘Farm’. Somethings in the Dinosaur camp have not change though as Mascis still writes all the songs alone and takes them to Murph and Lou Barlow. This includes the drum parts, a situation that in the past led to Murph wanting to ‘kill J for the longest time’. Things are a lot more harmonious these days though, and Mascis is allowed to create the only way he knows how. Given the breathtaking tour de force of songs like ‘Ocean In The Way’ it would seem it’s certainly a formula that works. ‘Yeah, I write them’, states J ,’ I usually just sit down in front of the TV, so it’s usually at night.’ Though there are some who are still reluctant to fall into line with Mascis’s timetable, ‘well yeah I’m usualy more nocternal but I have a kid who’s forcing me to get up early so I’m not really sure where I am tight now.

Farm was recorded at J’s own studio Bisquiteen studio which allowed the band to work at their own pace. ‘Well it starts with us trying to get the drum sound down, but we don’t practice before hand, so we’re practising as we go, so it takes a long time. Because I’ll make a demo with drums and guitar and give it to Lou and Murph, and it takes a while to sink in to Murphs mind’, he says with just a hint of a wry, knowing smile. When asked if there’s any debate about the drum parts Mascis simply smiles and says ‘no because to me it’s part of the song so there’s not much room for diversion.’

The artwork for ‘Farm features two green behemoths striding through a cityscape, it’s very reminiscent of the Ents from Lord Of The Rings, which given Mascis’s propensity for saying a lot by saying very little seems highly apt. It also rings with environmental connotations that spring to mind. ‘No, I don’t think so, I don’t really think about that with music,’ J notes when asked if there were any themes or outside influences that had seeped into ‘Farm’s psyche. ‘The guy who did the artwork, Mark, I’ve never actually met him. But my mangershowed me his website and there was a black and white cover piece on there which I really liked so we went with him.’

Where Beyond was wrapped up in the hyperbole and epectations of the reunited line up ‘Farm’ finds itself having to live up to a different weight of expectation, as the fan have now accepted the idea that the original band is back together and together to forge new music and not just regurgitate the old records their is a hunger to see if they can match the power of those early records. ‘I think maybe it was a harder record as we wanted to finish it in a much shorter amoint of time, so we were all stressed out and we had to concentrate to get it finished. I guess in a way it seems more confident”, notes J in a voice that makes it impossible to imagine him ever being stressed by anything. Whatever the pains of the birthing process though Farm is a stunning record featuring everything that Dinosaur fans could possibly ask for. There are moments, in ‘Plans’ that match anything they have ever committed to tape, as well as a new found maturity that has subconciously added another level to the bands music. Despite the writing process there is a frision to the way these three men play for each other that seeps through inn record and devastates live.

‘Right now we only know one of the new songs ‘I Dont Want To Go There’ so we need to learn some new songs. I guess I’ve picked out maybe half of the new songs we’re going to learn off the record.’ States J when asked about the setlistinga for the upcoming shows in support of Farm.

In terms of sound, as their very moniker suggests, there is never too much evolution from record to record, yet Mascis is a man at constant toil to gone and refine his sound.  ’I always get a couple of new pedals to try out for each record. I really like the Roland B-Bop fuzzbox, I’m always hooking up a bunch of fuzzboxes together. Ampwise I used a Vox Super Berkeley which is like the American version of the AC30. Live I use a completely different set up. Much louder!’

Talk then briefly turns to J’s solo work and his recent involvement with the likes if Alien Workshop, specifically a new film he has contributed music too. The promo for which features J busting some crazy skate moves. Does be still like to get on a board? ‘actually now I’ve got a kid I’ve been skating again when we’re out in the yard a little bit’, he reveals. And with that Mascis is whisked away for lunch, a contented and warm man.

Dinosaur Site

Looking For Eric
Dir: Ken Loach
Star: Steve Evets, Eric Cantona, Stephanie Bishop, Gerard Kearns
Cert: 15

It’s easy to forget. It’s easy to let the passage of time quell raw emotion into a fuzzy haze. Modern football has a short memory, superstars are quickly replaced, transfer records based daily and wages plucked from the sky. So it was a genuine surprise that one of the by products of seeing clips of Eric Cantona in his strutting, karate tinged pomp in Ken Loach’s new surrealist drama Looking For Eric was to experience the onset of genuine goosebumps inspired not just by football clips from the last millenia, but by clips of a Manchester United player!

Given his latter day development as an actor, a philosopher and a man who can do a nice line in selling cars Eric Cantona is a figure rife for mockery, which is exactly the reason that the marrying of Cantona to gritty British director Ken Loach could have gone so horribly wrong. Fortunately Loach (Kes) is no mug and, guided by a script from long time collaborator Paul Laverty he has crafted a film that is both surreal, harsh and unexpectedly moving.

Eric Bishop (Steve Evets) is a man who’s life is in ever decreasing spirals of collapse. Lumbered with two stepsons from his last marriage, it is when his now adult daughter from his first marriage asks him to drop her own baby off at his first ex wifes house that he realises he is still in love with her and has been in a purgatorial limbo ever since he left her over crossed wires and ill communications all those years ago.

It’s in a state of despair over his current circumstances, and aided by the perloining of his stepsons weed supply, that Eric first comes across his statuesque idol, Cantona literally appearing out of a closet. From here on in Eric has a guide, a signpost to getting his life back on track. Evets is a tour de force as the beleagured postie, bringing a realism and verite to the part that perfectly balances the surrealism of Cantona, played of course by Lui-Même as the credits list. Evets is no stranger in real life to dealing with surreal situations, one of the endless supply of ex members of The Fall, he once went toe to toe with Mark E Smith.

The moments when Cantona are on screen are a perfect mix of comical, absurd and heartwarming. It is difficult to criticise Cantona when playing himself, and there is very little to fault, but there are times when he seems to revel in the self parody a little too deeply. Fortunately Loach has the skill to temper these with moments of pure genius, the now infamous ‘trumpet scene’, will surely live on in clips shows for eternity.

Where the film frays is, like so many premiership teams, when it tries to visit the harsher, darker sides of life. The two stepsons have become involved in violent crime and need all their dads help to get them out of it. It’s never less than evocative and affecting but it turns Looking For Eric into a film of two halves. In the end the richest moments of the film come from the relationships between Eric and his hero and first wife Lily, and the efforts of his boss to try and bring him round via the mire of self help.

As an exercise in exploring Cantona’s mythic relationship with the fans it is a unique work, as a heartwarming surrealist drama it will be, and thoroughly deserves to be, one of Loach’s greatest hits, if not greatest work.

Looking For Eric is out now on national release.