Connect Festival, Inveraray Scotland, Bloc Party, Amplifico, Broken Records and Crazy Dancing :-)

Officially my favourite festival of all time though I didn't get to see as much of it as I hoped. Def heading there next year.

amplifico,
     uploaded by Cabaret Voltaire.

After many cans of beer I felt full of Scottish hospitality.  :-)

I got up early the next morning and decided to explore the city and walked miles and miles to find me a pair of wellies and a raincoat. Really got a great taste for the city, took hundreds of pics and got back to the flat later than I should have.

Inveraray and Loch Fyne,
originally uploaded by neil.d123.

I then hopped a lift with the band to Inveraray. I've never seen scenery like it (though I am poorly travelled). It was mind blowing and it didn't seem like a long drive at all. I will get all the various pics I took together and stick them on here.

On getting to the site the first thing that struck me was how uncrowded it was. 15,000 people. That's not even half a field's worth at Glasto. I was alble to walk around at a normal pace, see all the things I wanted to see and not feel hassled or claustraphobic.

The first act I got to see was Amplifico as it took me ages to get my tent up in the rain. I hate errecting tents in the rain, most depressing. Anyhow, they were really really good. The last time I saw them was the Islington Bar Academy a few months back and although they were great then, they seem to still be moving onwards and upwards despite an apparent hiatus.

zadeh,
originally uploaded by Kazaroth.

A new addition to the band in the form of Az, as a percussionist and backing vocalist, really added a new depth to the sound. Allowing for a much more layered and high impact vocal performance. Az is a temporary fixture I think which is a shame as she was a great supliment to an already very tight act. Be sure to check out her myspace, have a listen to Sunshine as her sliky vocal is the perfect antidote to festival comedown. :-)

With my extra stong cider in hand, I stumbled accross Gomez. I'd forgotten about Gomez! I loved them when I was at Uni. The Bring It On album was an essential on campus for every student, I think it came in the post with the student loan ad's and free condoms. As they came on stage they announced "It's been ten years since we relased Bring it On, so we thought we should just play through the whole thing". I couldn't have asked for more. It's been years since I heard the album and I had a huge hit of nostalgia. I could practically smell the pot and McCoy crisps, though that might have been the hippy next to me.

BrokenRecords

I quickly ran to catch the end of Broken Records' set, I've liked them for a while. The guy that manages them used to be an A&R guy and is a really nice chap. He even came to a few of my old bands gig's back in the day. I only caught a couple of songs so it wouldn't really be fair to try and sound like an expert. Though I will be heading to more gigs in the future. Be sure to check them out soon as I know they're just going to get bigger and bigger.

After sampling much of the festival fayre available before I knew it I was watching Bloc Party in the evening. They were fricking amazing. I really wasn't prepared for the show at all. I could never say I was a hug fan, but seeing the performance on Saturday left me dizzy. At a basic musical and musicianship level they're stunning and I still think their drummer is one of the best around today. The crowd actually booed on hearing "Here's a new one for you off the new album". That's totally wierd!!?! All the classics were a 'new one' at one point. If you want a best of set go see a tribute band. Personally I think their performance is one of the best performances I've seen and probably will see all year. Really good stuff. As always, have a look and a listen if you're not familiar.

After having my eyes rattled by bloc party I hooked up with the Amplifico chaps again as I wanted to see where the parties were at (and hopefully get backstage for some free drinkies). We ended up in a dance tent dancing our tits off to the sounds of bagpipes and drums. I think that is something missing in clubs. I'd love to launch a clubnight of celtic music. It was MENTAL. People dancing on tables, hanging from the ceiling, everyone was smiling and going crazy. It was a great feeling. I took my video camera and will upload footage shortly.

On the Sunday I MISSED SPARROW AND THE WORKSHOP. I can't describe how gutted I was. This was due to being stuck in the mud at the opposite side of the site. So I couldn't get accross there in time. Travelling around the site was a bit difficult sometimes. Anyway, luckily the BBC filmed them and I hope to see the footage up online soon. Please have a listen to their stuff if you haven't already as I think I've truly fallen in love the Jill's vocal on the tracks they've recorded so far. I cannot wait to hear something produced outside their flat. Any producers who want to get involved be sure to send them a message.

BBC introducing had a strong presenence there and video'd a lot of what went on. I think their sites are fantastic, especially after they totally eclipsed Glastonbury's own site with their coverage this year. It really is become a great resource for new talent. Have a look there to wet your unsigned whistles.

After the 11 hour commute back I was welcomed to Camden with my girlfriend's homemade pizza and a very warm welcome from my housemates which reminds me why I love living there so much. Was worth going away just to come back. Anyhow, before I get gushy I will start the huuuge catchup process of going through the new submissions.

I hope all is well with you.

IB