All Saints

T in the Park 2000

Saturday 8th to Sunday 9th July 2000
Balado, Kinross, Scotland, Scotland MAP
around £64 (£4.50 booking), w/e with camping £75 (booking £4.50)

It's the Saturday novelty spot, and in front of the stage there's a crowd of around 6,000 people. On stage, the girls are cheerful, despite the rain.

All Saints

Looking around, there's a wide mixture of ages, but those with their hands in the air seem to be the younger ones taken in by it all... some of those stood around us hold their hands over their ears, while others shake their heads and walk away.

Every song is torture... as each girl raises the mike to her lips, I vainly hope it'll get better, but I never noticed a single line in tune. The only time it improves is during the multi-voice chorus', where strangely there seems to be vocals while the girls aren't singing.... I'm only 99% sure about this, but there appears to have been pre-recorded vocal backing tracks - having heard their disastrous attempts at singing I wish there'd been more.

OK, I don't like All Saints, but I do love Pure Shores, and I really, really, REALLY gave them a fair chance, but it would be unfair to music to say anything good. The backing band seemed competent, but had obviously been told to not do anything to possibly upstage the girls - such as moving, smiling or tapping their feet... even then, it was a close run thing.

We've all heard that their acting is terrible... but it can't be as bad as their singing - someone needs to be brave and put these girls straight. If they're playing somewhere near you, walk in the other direction!

review by: Neil Greenway

photos by: Stuart McCandlish