Biffy Clyro

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  T in the Park Festival...

  by Shannon Andreucci

  on Wed, 14 Jul at 13:57

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  Torrential rain wasn’t the only thing pouring in over the weekend in Scotland. A sea of festival...

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  Torrential rain wasn’t the only thing pouring in over the weekend in Scotland. A sea of festival goers decanted through the T in the Park gates on Friday for an epic weekend of live music, excessive booze and mud wrestling. Gig Junkie packed their wellies and ventured down to Kinross to bring you all the exclusive coverage from backstage, side stage and front stage.

  PALOMA FAITH If it weren’t for the Duffy-esque vocal tones reverberating through the microphone I wouldn’t have recognised Paloma Faith as she was tightly clad in a black crystal encrusted floor length dress and was donning a peculiar red headpiece. She resembled the fiery red-headed woman on the ‘Redheads’ matchbox. The sunshine defiantly seeped through the clouds just as Paloma took the stage, which she constantly took time to acknowledge. The British songstress delivered a string of her own hits before playing a well-received cover of The Korgis’ ‘Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime’. Even with her quirky backup singers and ‘Where’s Wally’ themed band, Paloma Faith was slightly boring compared to many of the other acts on the bill, however there is no denying she has a simple, yet wonderful voice.

  THE TEMPER TRAP Realistically, The Temper Trap only have one hit song. There is just one single tune that a whole crowd will flock to the stage for. That song is none other than ‘Sweet Disposition’ and the Australian quartet awoke the otherwise dormant crowd with that blissful summer pop hit towards the end of their set. Beforehand, they showcased a variety of their pulsating rhythms and atmospheric sounds, showed off their new single ‘Love Lost’ and even incorporated a bit of a South American vibe into the music in attempt to energise the crowd. I was particularly impressed by the instrumental ‘Drum Song’ which farewells the ‘Conditions’ album with thumping tom toms and scattered percussions.

  EDITORS Over on the main stage, British indie rockers Editors executed their storming performance with precision and flair. They are never ones to disappoint, especially with crowd-pleaser songs; ‘Munich’ and ‘The End Has A Start’.

  SETLIST: In This Light And On This Evening An End Has A Start Bones Bullets Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool Munich The Racing Rats Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors Bricks And Mortar Papillon

  FLORENCE + THE MACHINE After frolicking around backstage in a surfeit of different outfits, Miss Florence Welsh waltzed onto the NME stage in a sheer, lace ivory number and knockout gold stilettos. Florence + The Machine performed a handful of songs to the massive crowd, including; ‘Howl,’ her Eclipse film soundtrack contribution ‘Heavy in Your Arms’ and of course the treasured ‘You Got The Love,’ which began with a verse of Coldplay’s ‘The Scientist’. Not too sure if it’s just Florence’s flaming red locks, but she has a transfixing stage presence that demands your attention. She delivered the last half of her set barefoot whilst scaling the speakers and beating the drummer’s kit.

  SETLIST: Howl My Boy Builds Coffins Drumming Song Heavy In Your Arms Cosmic Love You've Got The Love Dog Days Are Over Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)

  HOT CHIP Here is Hot Chip doing their thing in King Tut’s Wah Wah tent just before experiencing a mid-set power cut that threatened to tarnish their reputation, but redeemed themselves with some remarkable pop moments through songs; ‘Over and Over’ and ‘Ready for the floor’.

  SETLIST: And I Was A Boy From School One Pure Thought One Life Stand Over And Over Hand Me Down Your Love Take It In We Have Love Hold On I Feel Better Ready For The Floor

  BLACK EYED PEAS When the sun came down the Black Eyed Peas stormed the NME stage sporting robotic, crystal-drenched outfits and the usual superior attitude. Starting with the appropriately titled ‘Let’s Get It Started,’ which undeniably got the crowd moving to the palpable beat. A team of robots and lasers joined Black Eyed Peas onstage for their performance of ‘Rock Your Body,’ as the American quartet jumped energetically around stage inciting crowd participation. There were no urine/perspiration incidents this time around - Fergie had taken extra precautions against that possibility with a tightly clad aluminium full body suit. The international hip hop sensations treated their legion of fans to an exhilarating set list including latest chart toppers; ‘Boom Boom Pow,’ ‘Meet Me Halfway’ and ‘I Gotta Feeling’.

  MUSE Headlining the opening night for Scotland’s epic T in the Park was none other than rock royalty Muse. Naturally, the English trio attracted an enormous crowd for their highly commended stage show and had their fans thoroughly entertained and stimulated for a good hour and a half. Muse gave the usual stratospheric performance, launching with ‘Uprising’ and continuing with a succession of turbo-charged songs from the bands triumphant back catalogue. Front man Matt Bellamy – who was donning a silver sparkly suit - pounded out a plethora of songs on an illuminated grand piano as well as demonstrating his might guitar playing skills in front of a sea of people. Bellamy’s startling falsetto was revealed in the more intimate moments of ‘Starlight’ whilst the bands’ more explosive effect was showcased through ‘Resistance’ and ‘Supermassive Black Hole’. The crowd was also treated to a thunderous cover of Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley’s ‘Feeling Good’ along with the standard display of multicoloured lasers.

  SETLIST:

  Uprising Supermassive Black Hole Map of the Problematique New Born Interlude Hysteria Unnatural Selection Nishe United States Of Eurasia Feeling Good (Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley cover) Undisclosed Desires Resistance Time Is Running Out Starlight Stockholm Syndrome

  -encore- Plug In Baby Knights of Cydonia

  THE SUNSHINE UNDERGROUND The Sunshine Underground certainly didn’t bring any sunshine with them on Day 2 of T in the Park. It was just rain, rain and more rain all day and night. My heart sunk for those who hadn’t packed their wellies and were quite literally drowning in mud. The Leeds-based band did however manage to distract the crowd from the pitiable weather with some uplifting indie rock tunes. The Sunshine Underground played a selection of songs from their debut album ‘Raise The Alarm’ as well as their latest release ‘Nobodys Coming To Save You’. It was no extraordinary performance, but it certainly did the trick.

  NEWTON FAULKNER There was a little bit of magic oozing from the walls of the main stage as I walked across the muddy fields of the festival and the music hit my ears. As I looked up towards the stage I saw a long dreadlocked man tranquilly sitting on a chair strumming his guitar and singing. Who would of thought that little bit of magic could come from Newton Faulkner himself? To my surprise, he was brilliant. From ‘Dream Catch Me’ to ‘Gone in the Morning’ to a cover of Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ he had the audience completely captivated.. and all with a guitar and a few vocal chords! Faulkner appears to be a genuine character on stage and interacted constantly with his audience, taking them on a journey and telling them anecdotes and jokes along the way.

  LISSIE Under the Red Bull Bedroom Jam Futures is where I later discovered a hidden gem. It came in the form of a young, blonde lady carrying a red chequered flannelette shirt and jeans and firmly grasping an acoustic guitar. Her name was Lissie. My entourage and I were simply dazed and overwhelmed when we heard this folk songstress sing and cast her innocent magic over the crowd. Hailing from Rock Island, Illinois, Lissie has received rave reviews, being compared to the likes of Stevie Nicks and the Grateful Dead. It’s just a bit of simple country folk that she sings, but it is so effective. Being inside the warm, dry, illuminated tent also contributed to the amazing atmosphere I suppose.

  SHED SEVEN In the late afternoon, just as the rain began to temporarily clear, the NME stage was graced with the presence of indie Britpop veterans Shed Seven who drew in a considerably large crowd. Lead singer Rick Witter bellowed out a string of indie classics such as ‘Going For Gold’ and ‘Chasing Rainbows,’ treating the audience to a ‘greatest hits’ set rather than a selection of obscure album tracks. The English rockers from York appeared to be very much still intact, despite a previous four-year hiatus, and were revelling in their recent return to the big stage.

  VAMPIRE WEEKEND Vampire Weekend took to the main stage next and boosted the audiences’ spirits with their typically cheerful, sun-drenched tunes. A giant, attractive blonde woman with devilishly illuminated red eyes glared out at the crowd from the main stage, as the New Yorkers delivered a choice selection of songs from their two studio albums. Opening with ‘Holiday,’ the band managed to maintain a consistent sing along with their crowd, particularly inviting them to scream the lyrics ‘Blake’s got a new face’ with pure passion and angst. Despite the barrenness in the lyrics “Look outside the rain has gone,” the former single ‘A-punk’ was certainly a well-received and standout song of the affable set.

  SETLIST: Holiday White Sky Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa M79 California English Cousins Run A-Punk One (Blake's Got A New Face) Giving Up the Gun Horchata Campus Oxford Comma Walcott

  THE BLACK KEYS Here is the ‘all the rage’ blues-rock duo The Black Keys rocking it out on the NME Stage. Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney pulled in a rightfully curious crowd and belted out a fervent set that entailed predominantly new music from the latest release ‘Brothers’. For diehard fans of 2008’s album ‘Attack and Release,’ like myself, this didn’t quite suit me as I was yearning to hear ‘Psychotic Girl’ and ‘So She Won’t Break’, but settled with ‘I Got Mine’.

  PAOLO NUTINI You could hear the high-pitched, love struck shrieks from the other side of the park as Scottish heart throb Paolo Nutini took to the main stage on Saturday evening. Paolo wooed his primarily female crowd with an array of up tempo pop melodies and gritty blues, inciting epic karaoke sessions with crowd pleasers ‘Jenny Don’t Be Hasty’ and ‘New Shoes’. He has a genuinely amiable stage presence when performing live, which was only accentuated by his vivacious backing band. The young Scotsman was all smiles throughout the entire performance, but that beam quickly vanished when his head catapulted into a massive spotlight as he confidently strutted off stage. Nice one Paolo!

  MUMFORD & SONS One of the highlights of T in the Park was certainly Mumford & Sons who put on an amazingly intricate and elevating show underneath the King Tut’s Wah Wah tent. Regardless of the fact that international rap star Eminem was busting rhymes and whipping up a frenzy on the main stage outside, a plethora of folk rock fans flowed into the dark, smoky tent for a taste of Mumford & Sons. The energy that bursts out from this London four-piece is indescribable. They delivered an ace assortment of songs, demonstrating their instrumental skill and were even called back on stage for an encore with ‘The Cave’.

  SETLIST: Sigh No More Awake My Soul Roll Away Your Stone Nothing Is Written Winter Winds Timshel Little Lion Man Lover Of The Light Thistle & Weeds White Blank Page Dust Bowl Dance

  -Encore- The Cave

  EMINEM When a little birdy from backstage told me that Eminem had lost his luggage on the way to Scotland, I wasn’t at all surprised when he was 50mins late to come on stage. It didn’t seem to faze the crowd either, and even those who grew frustrated and disappointed, would have been instantly diverted and enlivened by the American rap superstar who blasted through an epic 29-song set.

  This was a significant performance for Eminem as it was his first show in five years and his only UK festival appearance for this year. It’s a shame there are claims circulating that he was lip-synching the entire time, but despite this it was certainly enjoyable for fans to bop around to much-loved tunes ‘The Real Slim Shady’ and ‘Without Me’. Marshall Mathers was accompanied by rap group D12 on stage for songs such as; ‘Purple Pills’ and ‘My Band’ and kept energy levels up for the two hour performance.

  The Detroit rapper blasted through a showcase of new material from his latest album ‘Relapse’ and with D12 shouted “Free Lil Wayne” – who is serving eight months in prison - during the song ‘No Love’. One member from D12 encouraged all the men in the crowd to put one hand on their private parts and the other in the air to scream, ‘F**k you bitch!” Following this, Eminem asked all the ladies to place their hand over their private area and the their rude fingers in the air to reply, “Fuck you asshole!” The obliging crowd naturally obeyed his request with joy.

  During the gig, Eminem thanked his loyal fans for their dedication to him. "Everybody who's an Eminem fan, I just wanna say thank you so much for the support you've shown over the years, for not giving up on me," he said. "I hope you enjoyed the show as much as we did tonight. Peace."

  SETLIST: Won't Back Down 3am Square Dance W.T.P. Kill You No Love So Bad Cleanin Out My Closet The Way I Am When The Music Stops Under The Influence Fight Music Purple Pills My Band Airplanes [Part 2] Stan Sing For The Moment Like Toy Soldiers Forever 'Till I Collapse Cinderella Man Beautiful Love the Way You Lie Crack A Bottle My Name Is… The Real Slim Shady Without Me Not Afraid

  -Encore- Lose Yourself

  T in the Park Festival...0.3 event