Beachdown

[NMH]

Yesterday night was cool, despite a lack of any 'name' bands billed.

The headliner seemed to be a girl-singer-led 'disco' band, oddly enough - replacing the original top-billed act. Everyone got into it though, showing that live music is the best for moving about and having a good time.

Who's going today?

A bit of advice;-
There are ob with SNIFFER DOGS. 'Nuff said?
They are only allowing a maximum of 4 cans of beer, and I don't think any bottles of spirits or wine. So, if you have several people in a party, split the booze up - or put any spirits/mixed drinks in a plastic bottle (like sports drinks come in).

The beer inside the venue is expensive, and as far as I saw, only Tuborg on draught (£3.50 a pint)
Food too, is not going to be cheap - but there are a LOT of food tents! It's also mainly healthy food, so you might just like to try stuff and not bother if it's a fiver or so to snack on something reasonably healthy. There's even Thai, Indian, and Mexican to name a few.

The venue is huge! Three stages, and you may have to choose between two decent acts (e.g. tonight De La Soul are on stage 2 while Reverend and The Makers are on the main stage at the same period).

The sound system is good! With several stages and on varying levels, it's also broken up so there's no disturbance from a competing area. The beer tent/bar has a DJ in an ice-cream van, and that's fun for when you just want to hang, chat, meet or dance.

So far, so good!

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

Yeah maybe. But not as good as Friday night at Southend, ha!

 

[D'Angelo Saxon]

Tonight was pretty good. De La Soul were brillio!

 

[NMH]

Tonight was pretty good. De La Soul were brillio!

Were they? I caught one number, and it was just some geezer shouting over a hip-hop noise. Not my cuppa, so I got down to the main stage and saw Reverend and The Makers - who were great!
Their singer is a natural frontman - not for charisma or anything, because that doesn't count for much nowadays (it's just posing) - but he banters with the audience and keeps a constant communication going. Musically interesting too - going to be huge I reckon.

Brighton stage - KOVAK were very good, glammy dance music fronted by a lass who can belt them out....and looks great with it. Excellent drum/bass rhythms, upbeat high-energy tuneage.

 

[NMH]

Yesterday evening;

A Certain Ratio were sparsely noticed, they cross genres from Joy Division style to Gang Of Four.

The BEAT went through a set that - although reliably dance-worthy - hasn't changed since 1982. A crowd pleaser is a crowd-pleaser though, and basically the whole hillside was skankin' along furiously.

Fun Loving Criminals look like a bunch of guidos off the set of Supranos, but doing Eminem white-boy rap, with relatively harmless lyrics ("I got a supermodel on my knee" or "where do bums go?"). The singer does wild guitar soloing around a dominant bass and drum beat - and sets up the audience rapport with "aw thanks you guys, you really touch me" kind of stuff - pointing at people in agreement when they shout stuff, and generally feeling the luurve!
I wouldn't buy it, but as a live band they were as fun-lovin' as the name suggests.

Tonight is Jah Wobble, Roy Ayers and Alabama 3, for me. Better pack an anorak though.