V  Festival

V Festival is a bit of an odd duck. Though a massive success in the UK  its almost redundant in a country filled with Bluesfsts, Big Days Out, and Splendours in the Grass and you can only reunite the Pixes once before the trick gets old. Still, this year’s V Festival delivered exactly what it promised – lots of good music  in a pleasant setting.

V Festival is basically two festivals separate by a wide area of grass. I stayed by the Blue Stage, home to the more rock and pop acts. The two other stages paid host to some sort of dance festival and the world’s largest chillout tent (take that, Air!).  A bit of Robyn’s set convinced me to stay far, far away.

I missed Garage to V winners Little Red and arrived in time for dance-punk masters Hot Hot Heat. The crowd went mad and the lead singer’s ironic moustache set a pattern for the day. One thirty is a bit early for a rave-up but the quality of songs like ‘Bandages’ easily made up for it.

Modest Mouse played basically the same set they played during last year’s tour – heavy on material from mainstream breakthrough Good News For People Who Like Bad News and light on everything else. Despite his professed dislike of success frontman Isaac Brock brought a manic intensity to modern classics like Float On and Bukowski while guitarist Johnny Marr ensured that Morrisey would stay far, far away from the festival.  It was a great set but I still wished they’d dipped into their vast back catalogue.

Jesus and Mary Chain. ‘Just Like Honey.’ One perfect song anchored by a set full of perfect songs that I was singing along to before I even knew the words. Utterly wonderful fuzz pop that made me a convert.

Queens of the Stone Age were my biggest worry. I take rock a bit too seriously and I was afraid QOTSA would be a bloodless joke. The 3,000 PERSON MOSH they started took care of that and careful note- taking gave way to slam-dancing, circle pits, and avoiding blows to the head. QOTSA can play like motherfuckers and write good songs but the real genius was in the energy they generated. Any rock show where I have to leave 3 songs in to bandage my skull is a good rock show

I’m not qualified to judge the Smashing Pumkins. I didn’t really grow up with them and they don’t mean as much to me as they obviously meant to the tearful crowd. Billy Corgan’s got a great voice and guitar chops, though his taste in Dalek skirts is questionable. Melissa Auf der Mer is still lovely and songs like ‘Tonight Tonight’ and ‘1979’ are genius.  All in all a pretty good end to a pretty good day

Brimstone

Check out Liveguide's photos from V Festival Sydney, click HERE