Well, we liked it so much last year, we were
back for more… back to Minehead for the third (and our second) “Shiiine On”
Weekender! And this time, it was also, for me, a case of, “careful what you
wish for…” as joining returnees “The Big Man”, Matt and myself at this
now-annual celebration of 80’s/ 90’s Indie and Dance music and culture, as our
4th chalet member, was my dear lady wife Rachel! Well, I did say
about last year that I couldn’t think of 2 better people than Rich and Matt to
share the weekend with, “Rachel notwithstanding…”! Plus, her presence removes
any doubt and awkwardness as to whom would be sharing the double bed in the
chalet!
Leading up to the big weekend itself, my
missus also entered into some drink-related text banter with the boys, which I
guess at least took her mind off the late withdrawal of her potential
highlights Sultans Of Ping FC, weakening an already nowhere-near-as-good-as-last-year
bill (I mean, Embrace as headliners? Landfill indie of the first water!).
Still, nonetheless, it was an excited and anticipatory trio that headed down
from Swindon on a bruisingly cold but sunny Friday, hitting the resort for 1.30
then having to queue in the longest and slowest-moving queue to get our
wristbands and intro packs. Next year, I’m booking under the name of Xerxes, no
messin’… Anyway, we then met Matt on the seafront for the now-traditional
opening day fish and chips, before heading into our Silver Apartment, on the
far side of the site this year, to get squared away before the festivities
started.
So, into the arena for 4 pm, where a large and expectant crowd
heralded the first significant entrance of the weekend - that of JIM BOB of
Carter USM, bounding onstage suited and booted to the "One Foot In The
Grave" soundtrack intro and jauntily declaring, "Butlins! Never
thought I'd ever say that..." then adding ironically, "anyone here
come straight from work? I'm still at work, you cunts!" Despite initial set-up
problems with his acoustic guitar, my former Jamie Wednesday correspondent then
played a fun, pun-laced set of Carter's various hits and misses, the
knockabout, Cockernee music hall nature of the material standing up well to this
acoustic treatment. "Prince In A Paupers Grave" morphed into a
maudlin drinking song, and "Every Time A Church Bell Rings" became a
bitter and acerbic social commentary, introduced with, "Jarvis Cocker was
right, cunts are still running the world!" The erstwhile Mr. Morrison
turned a chant of, "you fat bastard!" into a tribute to Carter’s former
manager, the late Jon Beast, with a touching, "RIP you beautiful wonderful
man," the subsequent huge singalong to the splendid-sounding "Only
Living Boy In New Cross" the set highlight. "This Is How It
Feels", the old Inspiral Carpets number, was dedicated to Clint Boon's
pool party, and the double of a singalong "Sheriff Fatman" and a
stark "Impossible Dream" featuring snatches of Bowie's "Rock And
Roll Suicide" finished an entertaining opening set. You're wonderful, Jim,
gimme your hands!
A quick drink break at the bar at the back of the venue, running into
both Kate Hayden for a quick chat about diabetic offspring, then Russ Hunt and
his charming wife Deb, before hanging back whilst the rest of the crew went in
for POP WILL EAT ITSELF. Never been a fan, finding their rap/indie dance
mash-up a bit grubby and laddish, although I confess I'm more kindly disposed
to them these days than I was for, say, their horrendous Reading 1991 set.
Plus, at least they're not The Levellers...! So I almost enjoyed the likes of
"Can U Dig It" and "Dance Of The Mad", both of which got
the joint jumping, and were played by this 2017 PWEI iteration (only Graham
Crabb and Richard March remaining from the original line-up, along with recent recruit Mary Byker
from Gaye Bykers On Acid!) with energy and enthusiasm. Not my bag, but my crew
loved it, so what the fuck do I know?
However, next up were the nearest to a nailed-on Sure Thing all
weekend, something we could all agree on. THE WONDER STUFF were Band Of The
Festival last year, and tonight laid down a serious marker for this year, with
a stunning set of their virus-level catchy, fiddle-inflected strident
indie-power pop. From Miles' "Oi! Oi!" introductory rallying cry and
the opening bars of superb lead-off track "Red Berry Joy Town",
through the powerful, four-to-the-floor yet totally joyous singalong "On
The Ropes", via the flippant, chugging "Unbearable" and the more
fiddle-based mid-set, to the "Groove Machine"-oriented final barrage
culminating in a thunderous "Ten Trenches Deep", this was again a
great, rabble-rousing, all-inclusive Festival set. "We're going to attempt
to cool it down a bit as there's not enough defibrillators in the room to go
round!" quipped the sartorially elegant Miles, resplendent this time in
check tablecloth shirt and grey kilt, however the crowd were having none of it
and were there to party. Ourselves included, as we were in the mosh from the
off, although Rach had to withdraw as some dickhead (in all honesty, the only
one we encountered all weekend) was throwing his weight around near her (this
also got the vigilant Russ' attention from his stage-tight guitar tech position).
The only dampener on an otherwise great Stuffies set.
Whilst the rest of my crew stayed in for Arena headliners The
Levellers, I had other plans, as I can't stand them! Luckily, neither can Russ,
so I met up with him and Deb for a drink and some convivial rock conversation
in Hotshots for an hour or so. Nice to catch up with this splendid and
knowledgeable gent.
Returned to the main arena after the Levellers’ set, as the crowd
dispersed into various after-hours stages; we wandered off into Jaks, the small
pub-like venue at the back of the arena, for THE ORCHIDS, kicking off at 10.30
with some pleasant if somewhat innocuous drippy C86 jangle pop. Wallpaper music
really, so we popped back into the arena, sat in deckchairs and got some late
night snacks! THE TRAIN SET, next up in Jaks, were more substantial fayre, with
some robust sounding shouty post-baggy rock, underpinned by the ubiquitous (at
the time!) funky drummer beat. "She's Gone", a rattling-good tune in
the vein of The Coral (only better!), and a darker newie, "That's My
World" were my highlights of a decent set. I stayed in with Rich then,
enjoying some choice DJ selections (XTC, Bunnymen and Orange Juice amongst
them) before THE WOODENTOPS eventually joined us after a fiddly soundcheck,
vocalist Rolo announcing, "let's take the tempo up a bit!" as they
kicked into their set 15 minutes late at 12.45 am. The band from the 80's whose
"live" performances always transcended their studio output, they'd
disappointed with a patchy “slight return” a decade ago, but tonight seemed in
better nick, the taut, wired rockabilly rhythm of opener "Get It On" evidencing
this, galloping along at a ferocious pace. Inevitably, they couldn't keep up
this frenetic velocity, although they did manage to do so in snatches (e.g the chaotic
denouement to an otherwise French 60's B-movie type new number, and the frantic
pulsing beat of "Well Well Well"), yet it was the lighter touches
which shone through - the calypso sway of "Good Thing", creepyunderpinning
bass of "Last Time" and
libidinous groove of "Give It Time", f’rinstance. The echoey-sounding
Rolo was also in an odd and somewhat bolshy mood, namechecking a steward who had
threatened to throw him out earlier during one number, and launching into an
extended and perplexing, almost free-form jam for their penultimate number, as
the set wore on considerably past its scheduled finish time. A final, excellent
"Plenty" capped a curate’s egg of a set as the time bumped on until 2
and the clearly pissed-off DJ launched into his own, half-hour-late, set. Nevertheless,
I ruminated as I wearily headed back to the chalet, at least it sounded waaaay
better than that 100 Club "Slight Return"!
Day two promised very few musical highlights; a very good thing, as it
subsequently transpired! A "Big Man Special" fried brekky after a
lazy morning set me and Rach up for Clint Boon's lunchtime pool party, which we
popped along to via Kate's "gin window"! The pool party itself was
fun, but Boon inexplicably pissed off after an hour, leaving some stranded and
flailing Butlins attendant to backfill with some odd musical choices. Back to
the chalet afterwards, then off into the mid-afternoon arena, ignoring SPACE on
the main stage 'cos they're rubbish, and eventually wandering into the Inn On
The Green for BMX BANDITS. With their classy, bouncy indie pop with C86 and
melodic Big Star/ Teenage Fanclub inflections, and led by vocalist Duglas
Stewart, who with his tweed jacket, scarf and gregarious, easy-going manner,
reminded me of my chiropractor (!), they were an absolute delight and easily
the best thing on, on an admittedly-thin middle day. "Serious Drugs",
made famous by my mid-90s Boston buddies Gigolo Aunts, was an obvious set
highlight, as was Duglas phoning up TFC's Norman Blake and leaving him a
message on his answerphone! Unfortunately, by this time Rach, who'd hit the gin
window and the breakfast vodka pretty hard, was a little the worse for wear, so
I missed the end of their set getting her back to the chalet to sleep it off!
And that was basically it, music-wise for a few hours! Thankfully, the
likes of Starsailor, Fun Loving Criminals and Embrace held little to no attraction
for me, so I was happy to sit in the chalet for the evening hours watching TV
until Rach, amazingly, revived and declared herself fit for some late-night
musical shenanigans! So off we went, via a trip to the La's photo exhibition
and a fun chat about Liverpool music with the proprietor (an acquaintance of
The Wild Swans' Paul Simpson!). Then into Reds for WOLFGANG FLUR, due on at
10.30. The former Kraftwerk man joined us at 10.45, DJing some teutonic synth
music underpinned by a heavy, pounding dance beat and accompanied by a
slideshow which mainly depicted portraits of the artist as a young man, with his
former bandmates. "The following is suitable for dancing - you are invited
to" read one early slide, and whilst that may have been so, the relentless
beat made it difficult listening, so we decamped to Jaks for the last knockings
of MY DRUG HELL''s very mod-ish, 60's Brit-beat pop set. Final number,
"Gypsy's Soul" was typical of their oeuvre, having possibly walked
straight out of The Kinks' songbook. Stayed for THE WENDYS, who mined a seam of
groovy baggy dance, with a more acerbic, almost Fall-like in-your-face vocal
overload. Okay, I guess, with "Plastic Jesus" a highlight.
I then left the crew to Hurricane #1's render mercies and wandered
over to Centre Stage for my only such visit of the whole weekend! Running into
Steve Lamacq on the staircase for a pic and an extremely quick few words on my
late 80's darlings The Parachute Men (of whom Lamacq was also a fan), I then
took a spot on the barriers at the front, for the entrance of CUD at 1 am to a
considerably bigger and more enthusiastic (or drunk!) crowd than last year.
"Good evening and well done! I've been in my dressing room for 7 ½ hours!"
quipped pliable vocalist Carl Puttnam, before wiggling and gyrating his way
through the frantic jangle of opener "Get Us Out". A propos to their
recent UK tour, this was a singles-orientated set, the taut, funky "Hey!
Wire", a racey, hooky "One Giant Love" and the libidinous,
almost smutty "Strange Kind Of Love" tumbling thereafter in quick
succession. "I was pleased to hear that the adjective most used to
describe my band is "legendary"!" boasted Puttnam; a slight
exaggeration, sure, and not entirely justified on tonight’s evidence as for me,
there was a fair amount of fat in the set. However, the likes of "Hey
Boots" and "Robinson Crusoe" were little belters, and the cover
of The Kinks' "Lola" was an orgiastic delight, with a drippingly
lecherous vocal performance from Puttnam. Overall, a fine way to end an odd but
memorable day two!
A day three littered with potential highlights kicked off again with a
Big Man fry up! Everyone set off before me to catch UKE2 at The Inn On The
Green at midday, and I caught up with them in this rammed little pub venue
after a shower. An odd proposition, this lot; 3 baggy-haired gents playing
Britpop and indie staples on ukuleles! Nonetheless, this was an all-inclusive,
check-your-cynicism/cool-at-the-door, good time singalong performance, with the
likes of "Disco 2000", "There Is A Light That Never Goes
Out" and "Sit Down" raising the roof, and "I Am The
Resurrection" a suitable punctuation point on a fun set.
Wandered into the main arena with Rach, bumping into the Make A Wish
puppets Walter and Eustace for a pic on the way down the front, for somewhat of
a revelation! IAN PROWSE, former frontman of Pele (for whom my only previous
experience had been a short set on Reading 1992 Sunday, when the Big Tent
re-opened following repairs due to the high winds, and which in all honesty I
paid scant attention to, as I was lamenting the cancellation of Power Of Dreams
and Captain America!) and recommended by Russ, was playing a largely
fiddle-driven upbeat and eminently tuneful folky pop set, with an extensive
backing band, and doing so rather splendidly, actually! A rambunctious
"Raid The Palace", which Prowse dedicated, "to the government of
a J Corbyn... which is coming!" then segued seamlessly into a frankly
amazing cover of The Clash’s classic "London's Calling"; then, before
a poignant and affecting closer "Does This Train Stop At
Merseyside?", a buoyed Prowse announced, "be kind to each other, in
your heart and soul, and the best way to do that is to never ever read
"The Sun" newspaper!" Great stuff, prompting me to dash over to
the merch stand afterwards and buy his CD, stopping the man on the way back to
sign my set-list!
A nice appetiser to a promised and pre-established highlight, as up
next were THE ICICLE WORKS, with unkempt and raffish mainman Ian McNabb leading
his gang of ruffians onstage at 3 and kicking into sweeping, heroic opener
"When It All Comes Down", which he then, perversely, stretched into a
Neil Young-like 8 minute guitar workout! Thereafter, though, and despite
struggling with the vocal mix (asking on numerous occasions to turn it down),
McNabb delivered exactly the performance we'd hoped for; a sharp and snappy, virtually
"Greatest Hits" run-through, replete with widescreen, windswept
choruses suitable for some raucous arms-aloft singing along, driving guitar
riffs, epic brain-hugging hooks and just enough prog styling to keep on the
right side of overblown self-indulgence.
"Evangeline" was a keyboard-driven delight, "Starry
Blue Eyed Wonder"'s elegiac opening broke like a greyhound from the traps
into a big riff-heavy rocker, and "Understanding Jane" was
thunderous, the audience backfilling the huge hooks before a cacophonous false
finish. McNabb himself just concentrated on the rock, rather than demonstrating
any of his mad-as-a-box-of-frogs tendencies, as per his Facebook postings, and
the set was the better for it. An anthemic "Hollow Horse" finished a
slightly raggedly delivered but overall splendidly chosen set, totally living
up to the pre-fest billing. Great stuff!
THE WEDDING PRESENT were next up in short order, amazingly starting
with an incendiary version of debut single "Once More", David Gedge's
elastic wrist strumming away at light-speed. "Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah
Yeah" followed, breathless and full-sounding – a hell of a start, they
can't keep this up, surely?!
Inevitably, the answer was no. "This Is an album called
"George Best"," deadpanned Gedge as they strummed their way into
"Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft", the opener from that “classic” 1986
debut album. The subsequent run-through was intriguing but uneven, with numbers
such as the melancholic "A Million Miles" and a savage, punky
"All This And More" holding up well, but others not really standing
the test of time for me. I dunno, their tongue-in-cheek slogan of "all the
songs sound the same" seemed quite appropriate tonight, and I found myself
more entertained by the young drummer's facial expressions than by their
subsequent set! Not bad overall, but they'd opened with their best 2 numbers
(by a million miles!) and thereafter all seemed a little samey.
Better than THE FARM, though, whose echoey baggy styling provided the
backdrop for tea, the crew wandering into the arena late-on to check out their
set closer, the ubiquitous baggy anthem "All Together Now". But we
knew there were some real classic
indie anthems, just around the corner...!
"I've just seen Bez in the car park, do check your cars
later!" quipped PETER HOOK as he led his band THE LIGHT onstage for their
early evening set. Then the synth beat of New Order’s game-changing dance
crossover classic "Blue Monday" kicked into gear, Hooky already
imperiously conducting both his band and the enthusiastic and engaged crowd,
his low-slung bass stance unmistakable. "True Faith" followed, big,
bold and puffed out, Hooky remarking, "I used to work at Butlins... I
poisoned all your mothers and fathers!" "Temptation" was quite
brilliant, the pulsating synth and multi-layered hook driving the song, before Hook
diverted away from the synth-fuelled New Order material and into rockier,
darker Joy Division territory via a snarling, seething "Digital". The
brooding, morose "She's Lost Control" was powered by a harsh,
synth-snap rhythm, but the subsequent, roaring "Transmission" and
stately, widescreen "Ceremony" were all about Hooky, his growling
vocals and distinctive bass chord patterns both standout features. All too
soon, Hooky heralded the end of this wonderful hour-long set with a
tongue-in-cheek, "this is what it's like when you're over 60 - something
to look forward to - well, [for] some of you!" (ironic too, given his own
gigs are known to stretch to up to 3 hours!), then the inevitable "Love
Will Tear Us Apart" turned into a communal singalong, the band paring the
music back for the audience, before bringing it thunderously back to fittingly
cap the Set Of The Weekend in some considerable style.
I didn't plan on going in for the list, but took a glance down the
front and ended up getting one anyway! That was that for me, although the crew
went back in for the plodding morass of laddish baggy dance that was THE HAPPY
MONDAYS. Headlining the whole Festival, reports suggested vocalist Shaun Ryder
was off his box on something (pick your own substance!), not recognising when
the set was finished! Oh dear…
Rach and Rich decided to stay out for some late-night drinking at Jaks,
but Matt (who was pooped, plus had a work meeting the next day!) and I (who was
just pooped!) headed off back to the chalet for a reasonable night’s sleep,
bumping into Ian Prowse along the way for a nice chat (during which he replied
to my not having that familiar with Pele back in the day with the immortal
phrase of, “that, sir, makes you a cunt!”). One last Big Man brekky the next
morning, before we all bade our farewells and headed off, elated but all a
little broken. I don’t recall it being so hard on my body last year – and I was
so glad I wasn’t partaking in the weekend’s copious drinkies! Still, another
great weekend in brilliant company – the bill may not have been a patch on the
previous year’s, but there were a couple of great performances from Hooky and
his crew, and Milo and his, plus some other highlights (Icicle Works, BMX
Bandits) and some nice surprises (notably Mr. Prowse). Who’s to say we won’t be
back next year for three in a row?
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