Glastonbury Diary, Part Three: The Music

Seeing this on the screen was only a hint of the excitement to come.
Seeing this on the screen was only a hint of the excitement to come.

What follows is a pretty simple list of every single musical act I saw at Glastonbury 2009 for at least one song.  There were others that I walked by, and sometimes it takes a whole song to walk by them, but when I don’t know who’s playing until I’m finished walking by them and have gone back to my tent to look at a list of who was just on stage, I don’t think that counts because I wasn’t paying any attention at all.  I’m looking at you, The Script (or was it The View?)  I’ll make very brief remarks about some acts, and pretty lengthy ones about others.  I probably won’t say too much about the music for some bands, but will assume you know them already instead.  Find out which acts had me dancing, which had me skankin’, which ones had me screaming, and which one left me in tears.  Buckle up, because this is going to take me a while. Continue reading “Glastonbury Diary, Part Three: The Music”

Friendly Fires & White Lies at Slim’s 4/11/2009

This picture is not from this show, but the singer was wearing the same shirt.  Thanks to http://www.flickr.com/photos/fugutabetai/ for allowing the share.
This picture is not from this show, but the singer was wearing the same shirt. Thanks to http://www.flickr.com/photos/fugutabetai/ for allowing the share.

I thought I was seeing a White Lies show, and it was nice that Friendly Fires were playing. But by the time the show was over, it was clear I had seen a Friendly Fires show, and that it was nice that White Lies were playing.

I got there right as White Lies were taking the stage. (There was an opener called The Soft Pack but I was unable to see their set. Other reviewers might lie about this.) I like White Lies album a lot, and the music sounds good live. It’s just that they don’t do much on stage. They just stand there. Their music calls for them to be dressed better, too. I still like the album, but their set left me cold.

I scooted up front with some friends to watch Friendly Fires, and this band is a great time! The songs sound so lively on stage, and the band performs with a catchy intensity. It makes it hard to not dance. There was, in fact, much dancing. I still can’t recommend their album other than as a demo for their live show. Their set was only 40 minutes or so; they’re going to need more material to become a true headlining band. But if you are at a festival where they’re playing, make a point of visiting their stage.