Today is Splendour number eight and again it has pulled a
large 20,000 crowd to Wollaton Park despite, what I would describe as, a weak
line-up. We have long stopped worrying about the line-up and now automatically
go to our local festival every year.
The Specials headline above James and Bananarama who
headline the second stage, which is usually where the better acts are to be
found. The fact that a clearly main stage artist such as Bananarama are on there
hints at a lack of better options but we’ll see how they do later. Let’s start
at the beginning.
Well not quite the beginning because we don’t arrive until
about 2.45pm and it’s a decent start with Lenton’s Amber Run up on the Main Stage.
We thread our way through the multitude of deck chairs, blankets and cool boxes
to the front where a small enthusiastic crowd are the only ones paying
attention but they are heavily into it. We join them.
As they finish another Nottingham artist Keto or Leah as she
is known to her friends is starting up on the Second Stage. As perhaps you can
already tell the focus of the festival is promoting Nottingham and both are
repeat visitors. As well as Nottingham bands, the majority of the food and
drink on offer is local. So although we touch base briefly with Leah, we feel
the real ale tent is a bigger pull particularly as beer stocks rarely make it
past tea time. Castle Rock seem to have almost exclusive rights this year with
a couple of beers from new Shipstones the only other option. We buy six
vouchers which may be a mistake as it assumes a fair longevity for supplies.
London rapper Roots Manuva is next on the Main Stage,
although running fifteen minutes late due to technical issues. He plays a
rather tired sounding set, although he is definitely not my thing.
We go for a wander to check out the other stages. Aside from
the main two stages there are three smaller stages. There is a ‘Fringe’ stage somewhere
in the main field but we don’t even stumble across that. The other two, an acoustic
stage and a comedy stage, are both located in the courtyard area.
We take a seat on the rather uncomfortable gravel strewn courtyard
floor (some matting would be nice guys) to watch Essex girl comedienne Ellie
Taylor. Taylor, a former model for Greek yoghurt (apparently) seems obsessed by
two things. Firstly her weight (aren’t all women!), she is delighted at her
sister’s pregnancy because she is pleased to see any rival female gain weight.
Secondly with genitalia (are all women?), pointing out that men have few
inhibitions about using theirs for comedic affect and urges the women in the audience
to use theirs for ventriloquism. Something to try later perhaps, oh to be a fly
on the wall. It was quite an amusing half hour.
We head back to the main field to find that the final barrel
of real ale has been drunk dry at 5.05pm, which may be a record but perhaps
only just. We move on to some ‘craft’ version, which is at least better than
nothing, as we sit in the outside ‘bar’ area and listen to Lawson up on Main.
Next stop, The Twang. These Brummies were once going to be really
big but somehow it never happened. Tonight though, their, dare I say baggy/Madchester,
sound goes down a storm. They are also the first band today who look they are
having a really good time and that means the audience have a good time too. They
may now be totally unfashionable but their lively music and sneering vocals help
make this possibly the set of the day.
By contrast James are incredibly business like even though,
with an irritating time clash between stages, we only stay for four songs. Two
of which are new material and one of which is the popular 90s hit ‘Sit Down’. Although
I love the way that this is tossed aside so early on and would really like to have
stayed to see what Tim Booth and co played later on but we must move on. There’s
karaoke up on the other stage.
Which is perhaps a little unkind but Keren and Sara are
basically two fifty-something young girls dancing round their handbags and
singing into their hair brushes. Perhaps that’s always been the case but you
know what, the large crowd love it. Cruel Summer, Robert De Niro's Waiting, Nathan
Jones, Venus... they’re all here. Well not all as they’ve had 28 hit singles in
all and like the Twang they grin and smile infectiously all the way through it.
The only thing that would have made it better was if Terry
Hall had popped up on stage to join them for the songs they did with the Fun
Boy Three. The girls hint at this themselves but I don’t think Terry is
listening.
Hall is up next on Main with tonight’s headliners The Specials.
As is tradition we ignore the headliners and head off for a curry. Na na na na,
na na na na, hey hey, goodbye.
(Saturday 18th July)
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