On its tenth anniversary the V Festival at Weston Park, Staffordshire beckoned to savour its radio-friendly ambience. The fact that it is almost within earshot of my home base was a strong incentive to attend, especially after experiencing dire overnight stays in cars and tents at previous events (most recently at the Download Festival where the ground was so hard, and the passenger jets coming in to land so frigging loud). The V Festival’s musical menu was predictable comprising mainly of the hyper-hyped and over-sold. But there were also a few surprise inclusions that made this an unusually diverse festival.

For example, the wonderful Frames from Ireland; the legendary Sonic Youth, The Roots and Robert Plant. In addition the menu also offered several leading-edge singer/songwriters, including America’s Joseph Arthur, Josh Rouse, Jonathan Rice, with the UK’s superb Stephen Fretwell and Tom Baxter. But my primary interest in covering this (and other music festivals) as a photographer/journalist is the unrivalled convenience of covering so many acts in one place, at one time. Armed with optimism, enthusiasm and a ton of photographic gear I headed off hoping that the blanket of dark clouds above would dissipate for the first performances.

By the time I’d received and studied the order-of-play I sadly missed No Hope In New Jersey on the Channel 4 stage but did catch Scottish band El Presidente. From my perspective, this secondary outdoor stage looked more interesting that the main V Stage, and El Presidente provided a turbo-charged introduction.

It was good to see this opening band greeted by a near-capacity audience so early in the day. The band’s twenty-five minute set was bulging with pop/rock anthems played by a powerful lead singer and a very tight band. The enthusiastic audience response fuelled the band’s performance which grew with each song. It was a strong start to my festival.

I stayed put at the Channel 4 Stage to watch a great band I have seen several times before, but never at a UK festival. The Frames have been Ireland’s most loved band for many years and last year won the coveted Meteor award for best live band. But while the band’s last three albums have sailed to the top of the Irish album charts the guys have yet to make a major impact in the UK.

This V Festival appearance is part of a campaign to make many new friends. THEY DID! Now it’s very unusual for seasoned press photographers to stay to watch a complete performance after the obligatory ‘three songs, no flash,’ especially with so many other acts to cover at a festival like this. But that’s precisely what happened, along with unrelenting calls for ‘more!’ from the excited audience at the end of the set.

Leadman Glen Hansard is one of the most communicative/audience-friendly around, and when the sun eventually appeared and bathed his face in a bright, white glow he spread out his arms for several seconds, looked up at the heavens and proclaimed loudly, “Thank you.” It was one special moment amongst many during a set consisting of some of the best rock songs from any band, anywhere.

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With the sun now beating down I decided to stay put to cover I Am Kloot, a band with a strong underground following. And by the sound of the reception the guys received it seemed that most of the fans were in attendance. But I was unmoved and uninspired especially after witnessing the previous incendiary performances. It was time to move on and I headed for the main stage and Joss Stone.

At just seventeen years of age Stone should still be in musical nappies. But her admirers have coughed up enough bread to buy over four million albums, while the media loves her. I have never been impressed with the songs, and a heavily Americanised voice that reminds me of so many black singers; she’s like a carefully honed product rather than an original talent. But I’m open to changing my view and I was hoping that seeing her perform live might do the trick. It didn’t.

Backed by excellent backing singers and instrumentalists, she seemed like a puppet with unseen puppeteers pulling the strings. The audience for her was massive and it seemed genuinely enthusiastic, however, attempts by her to generate singalongs met with tame responses.

My view was strengthened on day two when I caught the performances of KT Tunstall and Lucie Silvas, but more about that later…

I liked Athlete’s last album and looked forward to seeing the band on the main stage. This is one outfit that’s paid its dues through endless live shows over the last 3 years. In fact I caught an early toilet-tour show back in Wrexham and came away thinking that the band should and would break through. How success can change a band! Gone were the sweaty T-shirts and worn jeans replaced by dapper suits and a laid-back playing style that bored me to tears. In hindsight it was the most uninspired and boring performance of the festival. Hell, even the songs sounded very, very ordinary.

Back at the press base camp I spotted pink jump-suited Ian Brown wandering around and stopping every few feet to be photographed by and with ecstatic fans. But it was time for me to visit the Volvic Tent to catch a USA singer/songwriter whose recent Liverpool performance I missed. Joseph Arthur’s new album has met with unanimous acclaim but you wouldn’t have known it looking around the sparsely populated tent.

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A tall and very thin Arthur was fiddling with a bank of electronic paraphernalia when I arrived, and proceeded to give one of the performances of the festival. Songs were melodic and introspective, while his voice was clear, strong and biting. It was an expressive and accomplished performance from this guitar-totting performer, and one that inspired me to buy the record on my return home.

One artist that I had originally planned not to watch was Dizzee Rascal but with a gap in my schedule I decided to take the plunge, and I’m glad I did. I’ve been told that Rascal is very uncomfortable in business meetings, and says virtually nothing. He is more comfortable in the company of friends and it was clear from his performance in a packed tent that he views punters as friends, and gives everything! The bass was ocean deep, his vocal delivery was precision personified while his ability to tame an audience was superb. Rascal is an uncompromising performer of deep-down garage, and this performance showed him to be a master and innovator of his art.

Next up in the out-on-a-limb Volvic Tent was another American singer/songwriter who has built a quite strong following in Ireland and the UK over the past two years. Josh Rouse has toured with the Frames and several other major acts in Europe and America with his brand of USA folk/rock. The tent appeared fuller than for previous acts as Rouse and his band slid onto the stage to loud applause. A passionate and expressive performance followed and elicited a thank you from Rouse to the audience for ignoring the ‘big name’ acts to see him.

During the first day of the festival I had focused my attention on acts that I had not previously seen and those that I had seen perform some time ago. I had originally seen Franz Ferdinand on an NME tour just as they were starting to break. I was only moderately impressed and still don’t understand how the band won the Mercury Music Prize with such an ordinary debut album. The show opened with new and rockier material, which I liked, before reprising some golden oldies. It was a strong performance from a band sounding much tighter than I remember; a show I would call competent rather than brilliant.

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The main V Stage was hidden by a massive black curtain while being readied for an act I had not seen live. It was many moons ago when I received the promo single that I thought would definitely launch this band into the populist stratosphere. It eventually did but it was the band’s live show (seen on TV several times) that I thought would cement success.

Eventually the massive curtain was drawn to reveal a massive, sparkling band logo over the front of the stage and more glittering lights than you could poke a stick at. Then two massive mirror balls approached each other high above the stage to complete the set, while the band’s dress and makeup matched the glamorous landscape. The number of photographers wanting to cover the show meant that it became a split-shift affair with only 1.5 songs allowed to cover this amazing spectacle. Jack Shears and Ana Matronic performed above and beyond the call as they pranced around each other and delivered a party show to beat all party shows. I’m glad I was able to catch some of those happy, extrovert moments. A great spectacle and while not my favourite type of music I take my hat off to the band.

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And that was day one over for me in order I missed the exiting traffic and the hours it would take to clear Weston Park. Performance of the day? Definitely the Frames. Spectacle of the day? The Scissor Sisters. Revelation of the day? Dizzee Rascal. Highly commended? Joseph Arthur and Josh Rouse.

On the first day of the festival it was clear that the capacity North West audience had come to enjoy themselves and to see several new, hyped bands. Without exception, punters provided acts with the incentive to give of their best through their enthusiastic exhibitions of appreciation. In any language, this was the sort of audience that acts pray for and several proclaimed Weston Park as a more enjoyable venue than Chelmsford.

But there was more than music to keep the crowds entertained. The BMX bowl provided some spectacular sights for devotees, while the funfair contributed some terrifying rides. To complete a well-planned package there was food and drink aplenty with numerous helpful, friendly security and medical staff on hand.

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DAY 2

For anyone covering this festival, this was the really challenging day as there was so much to cover in what turned out to be sweltering conditions. For example, I could have happily stayed put at both the Channel 4 Stage and the JJB Arena (which happened to be quite close to each other) only venturing out for the Oasis headline slot on the main V Stage. But hell, I just had to cover singer/songwriters Stephen Fretwell and Jonathan Rice at the isolated Volvic Tent. And how the dickens could I get back there later to savour the delights of Roisin Murphy? In the end I decided to play it by ear (pun?) while praying for speed and strength.

On the way to my first gig of the day I passed what must have been the largest audience of the festival (so far) for Goldie Lookin’ Chain. Now, allegedly, there were over 50,000 at this festival and I’m pretty bloody sure that most were at this gig on the main stage. The big question is why? Acts like this drive me to despair about our music scene.

My opening gambit couldn’t have been more gentle or relaxing. I first heard the songs of Emiliana Torrini back in 1999 and loved them. But the lady disappeared from view when she failed to set the world alight with her debut album. She then wrote for other artists before making a live comeback this year. With a style and voice close to those of Scandinavian counterparts, Torrini mesmerised her large audience. During the three songs I don’t think she opened her eyes once, while her whole body appeared to feel the songs. It was the most emotional and intense performance of the festival by a singer/songwriter.

Back at the Channel 4 Stage the much vaunted Tom Vek provided a performance to forget. What the hell was he doing here anyway?

Having heard the The Departure’s debut album I wasn’t expecting much. Well, the performance at V was actually quite good; not brilliant but workmanlike; with the songs sounding a lot better live. I made a mental note to listen to the album again. So as far as this band was concerned, job done.

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The most hyped bands of the moment is The Magic Numbers, who happen to have been short-listed for the Mercury Music Prize. A pleasant enough band but by no stretch of the imagination a great band responsible for a great record. And while the band gave a far better showing than on the Jools Holland Later TV show (a very bad joke), I remain perplexed at the reason for the hype surrounding the band.

I mentioned earlier that there were at least two female artists at V who outshone Joss Stone. And this was one of them. Tunstall’s debut album met with wide acclaim and while I didn’t award it top marks, I felt it was a worthy opening gambit. This performance served to put meat on the bones through the test of a live festival performance.

Backed by an excellent band she proved to be a dynamic and skilled performer, and accomplished at getting the crowd on-side. It was an exciting performance from a singer/songwriter with a wide-ranging and excellent voice. In fact I was a little shocked at just how good Tunstall was, with the live arena the most natural place for her to be. And she was not alone in commenting that the audience at Weston Park was much better than at Chelmsford. It was one of the few shows on the day that I stayed to watch through to its conclusion. Respect!

It was time to vault back to the Volvic Tent for another American singer/songwriter whose recent album impressed greatly. Jonathan Rice provided one of the performances of the day with his melodic songs and vocal delivery that reflected the mood of the songs perfectly. A very fine performance.

Things were about to get difficult! I dearly wanted to watch Good Charlotte (whose latest album I loved) while catching Lucie Silvas at the nearby JJB Tent. With minutes to spare I managed both. Good Charlotte upped the rock band stakes with a performance of great album tracks which inspired and provided the first dramatic crowd reaction of the day. This was a nicely animated, solid rock performance and one of the best of the festival.

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When I first saw Silvas perform on TV I thought she was one of the new breed of young Yankee singer/songwriters. I was wrong of course and wanted to see the lass live behind her piano.

The festival provided the ideal opportunity and my first impressions were confirmed; she is indeed a fine and distinctive UK artist. With her perfect stage craft, and a very powerful voice she dominated the tent like a veteran. The crowd loved her, and so did I.

I’ve read mixed reviews about USA band The Bravery and thought it would be a good idea to catch them here to decide who was right. I couldn’t fault the guys who gave the sort of pop/rock performance to inspire the expectant, large audience. The lead singer led the way with an animated and communicative display.

Just prior to the festival I had received a quite stunning album by UK singer/songwriter Stephen Fretwell. It was enough for me to want to catch his performance in the Volvic Tent. By the time I had arrived the venue had filled nicely and a serious-looking Fretwell had just started to play.

He had come a long way since I last saw some two years ago as second support to the headliner. The songs are much better and his live performance at the festival had a tangible edge to it. Vocally Fretwell also seems to have become more adventurous with his supporting band adding depth to the overall sound. He was magnificent.

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Earlier in the day I had spotted Ricky Wilson of the Kaiser Chiefs hobbling on crutches around the press area and wondered how he would cope with a full-on stage performance. While waiting to enter the stage pit area I again spotted him struggling up the gangway leading to the stage. But as the band struck up Wilson was immediately into his stride as he attacked one of the hit singles from the album EMPLOYMENT.

He had obviously been practicing jumps with his impediment and managed several before I noticed the most serious look of pain cross his face. Not only was this one of the best band performances of the day, it was one of the pluckiest. As I rushed off to catch Sonic Youth hit after hit could be heard, accompanied of course by wild audience singalongs and massive applause.

I arrived at the JJB Tent just in time to witness the second song from Sonic Youth with Kim Gordon at the mic. The recent release of the deluxe 2 CD version of the band’s breakthrough album GOO had rekindled my interest and I just had to see them perform again.

It was a quite low key affair starting off with deep introspection that the capacity audience loved. It was then the turn of Thurston Moore to take over vocal duties while Gordon dominated centre-stage with her guitar playing in fetching hot pants outfit. The playing reflected a sense of calm authority and I was disappointed to only hear two songs.

It often takes a live performance for me to really appreciate the quality of an act. While the Doves have released some good albums over the years I never viewed them as anything more than a good band, albeit with the most fervent fans. But at V, after an introduction by comedian Peter Kay, the songs and the band sounded better than I had imagined they would. The performance also confirmed that the Channel 4 Stage had housed the best selection of acts at the festival.

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Time to catch another rock legend and for me one of the most anticipated gigs at the festival. And it seems I was not alone. The pit was crowded with photographers who had been warned not to take ‘full-frontal’ shots. I noticed that the stage preparations were meticulous and included the placement of several bunches of burning joss sticks around the singer’s mic.

It seemed to take an age for the man to appear but when he eventually did and launched into his first song, it was as though he was already half-way through his set. Well that’s experience for you. The capacity crowd was treated to fantastic show from Plant and his rock musicians. It was a riveting performance and one that compelled me to watch the man’s every move and listen intently to every note.

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I was covering the festival for the new monthly music glossy ZERO and was one of the photographers selected to cover the Oasis headline performance. As I was led to the stage by our handler I could hear and feel the tension rising from the largest audience at the festival. As I stood in front of the stage the bottles started flying, the massive crowd were cheering various messages being shown on the flanking screens, while the massive banks of lighting were being tested one by one.

Eventually the stage darkened and the roar of the crowd signalled the band appearance. Liam went immediately to the front of the stage and just looked at the crowd with characteristic contempt, nodding head and through the darkest of glasses. Because of the height of the stage we could just see Noel further back on the right of the stage. I have only ever seen the band perform once before at a festival in Dublin after the release of a disappointing album, and at the peak of the reported brotherly discontent. This was a more harmonious performance with the brothers openly communicating with each other early in the show. And they even looked happy to be at the festival!

The excellent new album provided a lot of new material to kick off proceedings including the bass-thumping Layla early in the set. Liam once again moved to the front edge of the stage, this time with a smile-shaped tambourine anchored in his mouth, and then placed on the top of his head. And how we photographers lapped it up! Even Noel joined in the fun by playing his guitar above his head.

It was a vintage performance by a band whose highly acclaimed album has given a vibrant, new lease of life, and in front of a massive and adoring audience.

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As I left the venue to find my car I looked back and one side I could see the flashing coloured lights from the Chemical Brothers show, on the other the piercing white shafts criss-crossing the stage on the Oasis main stage. It pretty well summed up a popular, enjoyable, worthy and diverse music festival. I’ll end this report with a few more photos. Enjoy!