Friday 11th July - Day One

So the weatherman has told us that the weekend will be a scorcher, but we’ve all heard that one before. It’s 1pm and the sun is trying to break through the clouds, so I get my camera and some smokey tabs, jump into the motor, GAME ON…

Travelling to Manchester rates as one of my least favorite things to do, but I have ‘Forever Delayed’ on the stereo, so what the hell…. I roll into town at 3pm to find that I can’t park inside the ground and start my treasure hunt for a space. By the time I get back and wait to get my wristband and ticket, it’s around 3:45pm so I head into the ground to catch the last song by Kinesis, who Rock like a Mutha!

Heading up into the press and media room it becomes clear that this could be a strange day; the wind inside the ground is starting to swirl around dirvish-fashion, which I reckon could, and ultimately does, affect the sound. After grabbing a drink at the bar I head on down to snap Mars Volta who have just 30 minutes to squeeze around five songs in. Their debut album could also do with some timing control as the songs go on a bit, but in a live setting it works - demonic looks wrapped around intense hooks really does show a band on the edge of alternative!

Teenage Fanclub rolled out next. I have seen this bunch live so many times over the years and they are good live; they are also a very nice bunch, and playing a cricket ground suits them! We then move on to the Super Furry Animals who have a new album to sell, not that it matters a jot. They are on form, storming through ‘Rings Around The World’ and new single ‘Golden Retriever’ alongside many other faves. The wind has picked up and is playing havoc with frontman Gruff’s hair. It’s also starting to make the sound swirl, but that does not stop the band from ending with a rousing rendition of ‘Man Don’t Give a Fuck’ which is a rallying call to the masses. The band leave to the sound of feedback and samples mixed in with some stunning visuals. They then encore with an extended version of the same song - mad for sure - but S.F.A. win the day…

Now how often do you see members of a band help set up equipment; sure if you are in the pub, or it’s a support act down the local flea pit; but Flaming Lips are doing just that. Frontman Wayne is carrying stuff, checking amps, and it’s so refreshing to see… The band wonder off for a few minutes, then around 30 dressed-up freaks appear: lions, gorillas alongside some Japanese cartoon stars. Then before you know it, bam, the Lips are live. On record this band is a joy - one of the best albums of the last twelve months - but live they take the whole thing to a new level; tighter than a duck’s arse; they are having fun, and they want you to have fun too. I won’t even bore you with what they played, they were just…there. One word… Fantastic.

So we have our usual break of check one, two, three, with double and triple check thrown in, then in a flash, no fanfare, just walk on, plug in and ‘You Love Us’. Yes, it’s those ‘Generation Terrorists’ the Manic Street Preachers. Uncle Nick has his ‘lost in the jungle’ look on tonight, and is smiling. A trip through the Wire is always a fun thing….James Dean Bradfield delivers, as always, precise vocals and stunning guitar licks. They dedicate a song to Simon Price called ‘Die In The Summertime’ or is it Dai…….? Work it out for yourselves, but the band seem like they have something to prove, and perhaps it’s just that many are saying they are past their sell-by date. On tonight’s performance nothing could be further from the truth, although they still seem to have one hand on their rock past while still maintaining the delivery to Mondeo Man. It’s a fine line to tread, one feels that the Manics are about to rip it up and start again. I for one can’t wait because I love every incarnation of the band, so bring it on boys, bring it on!

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Saturday 12th July - Day Two

So onto Saturday and due to those immortal words ‘car trouble’ I only get into tonight’s Move at 6pm, and I have left my bag at home with my camera in it - not a good start. But hey, Depeche Mode frontman Dave Gahan is bringing the Rock ‘N’ Roll to the show. Just a few songs in and he has his top off, microphone stand lofted on high. He has the moves, he has the grooves, and on this showing if he does not go back to the day job, it will be their loss not his…Feeder seem to be inspired by Dave’s set, as they come out really fast and furious. When I caught them with Coldplay they seemed wishy washy; trying to be something they are not. But tonight they just Rock, and justify their place in Kerrang! Frontman Grant is singing better than I have heard him for a while; they seem to have a passion and desire that had lost it’s way. Welcome to the show…

Which is more than can be said for The Charlatans. Maybe this whole Tim solo thing is rubbing off, and oh yeah, we get all the lager louts throwing beer over each other, we get the Charlie Champions, we even get an unscheduled ten minute break when we encounter ’sound problems’. When the band return, it’s almost as if they got the pick-me-up they needed and start to deliver what we all know they are capable of. The one thing that sets them apart is a back catalogue of stunning songs but I leave before the end, a prior engagement beckons in Liverpool. Day two of Move for me has been more Filla than Killa!

Sunday 13th July - Day Three

After getting to bed at 4:30am, I get out of it at 11:30, shower and shave - well two out of three ain’t bad - and I’m on the road yet again to sunny Manchester. And YES it is sunny, ‘hotter than hell’ is how one chap on the radio describes it. This time I remember everything and even get in to catch the first band Oranger who are, well, a poor man’s R.E.M. Don’t get me wrong, they will fit right into alternative college radio in America, but we are not in America….

So onto Athlete whose latest VEHICLES AND ANIMALS album is one hell of a grower, but it lacks something, and that ’something’ is delivered live. Like Coldplay, this is one band that can only really be appreciated in a live setting. They open with ‘El Salvador’ and close with ‘Westside’. I last saw this band play to a handful of people in my hometown; they were a rough diamond back then; now with the edges smoothed they are the most likely to ride the tide into America and it couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of chaps…

John Squire comes out next, nice guitar - he used to be in the Stone Roses and the sooner he gets back there the better. He ain’t no Ian Brown, just as Ian is a rose lacking a thorn, John is a true talent wasting his time singing. Then along come Idlewild who are one bunch who look in need of a bath; they stand out like a sore thumb on today’s list. New bassist Gavin fits like a glove, and the crowd are already chanting singer Roddy’s name. They have some superb songs both old and new, and while the old still deliver the rough edges that the band built their reputation on, it’s the new songs like ‘Live In A Hiding Place’ and ‘You Held The World In Your Arms’ that nail it. With these and the very special ‘American English’ (my song of last year - it always sends a tingle up my spine), this is a band that is coming of age so quickly and are now much more hit than miss in the live arena. A glorious set…

Which is more than can be said for Badly Drawn Boy….. Like a fish on a bicycle, his showing here is an odd one. He lives about a mile from the cricket ground and as he says, not only is tonight the closest gig he has done to home, but also the biggest. He starts with a motown song! Then a new song, then he does, well, what he does. It’s amusing and entertaining for a while, like watching a busker on Piccadilly station waiting for a train, but tonight the train does not stop, and the boy goes on a bit. The crowd seem to fall asleep half-way through and the cheer at the end is more relief than accolade. Plenty of people tell me how great he is, but it’s mostly journalists, the real people still need convincing…

Then we get those boys from Athens, Georgia, ladies and gentlemen, R.E.M. Mike Mills has the kicks, Peter Buck has the licks, and Stipe? Stipe has it all, like the Duracell bunny gone a.w.o.l., he preens and prances his way around some of the best songs of your life. If ever there was a successor to the throne of Mick Jagger, then Stipe is it. He knows he is a star, we know he is a star; he has the look, the voice, and like I said - he has it all.

They do all the faves including ‘Orange Crush’, ‘Losing My Religion’ and a heart-stopping ‘Everybody Hurts’ and finally run past the curfew by about 15 minutes with ‘It’s The End Of The World’ bringing the day and the festival to a stunning close. They have made every other Move band seem ordinary.

This is a band that is about to release a second ‘best of’ - only U2 or The Rolling Stones can come close. The stage setup is simple and sublime, no matter where you sit in the ground, they looked and sounded amazing. They were also the only band who had every photographer grinning from ear to ear after capturing them. Last year David Bowie tore a hole in Move, but this year R.E.M. made it bigger. As for next year, the gauntlet has been well and truly thrown…

Praise must go to SJM Concerts who ran this show like clockwork, to the security that was firm but fair, and for the facilities on offer to us press chaps that were second-to-none. No matter who you worked for, it was not cricket for sure, but with quality acts and great organisation, one hopes Move goes on for quite some time to come…

Jj - 2003