The All-American Rejects

V Festival (Staffs) 2004 review

By Guy Powell | Published: Thu 26th Aug 2004

V Festival (Staffs) 2004

Saturday 21st to Sunday 22nd August 2004
Weston Park, Staffordshire, TF11 8LE, England MAP
w/e with camping £98.50 & w/e no camping £82.50 (both sold out); each day £46.50

Coming on stage with no introductions are The All American Rejects – as they launch in to their set with a rather depleted crowd I find it hard to believe that people aren’t here. With versatility and talent that most NME Stage bands have lacked, they certainly manage to set the bar that all other bands for the day should follow.

A lot of bands bring one or two guitars to a set – but the only other time I’ve seen quite so many was at a Stereophonics tour – and even they limited their axes-of-choice to Gibsons whilst The All American Rejects seem to have a larger collection of guitars than the whole of Denmark Street.

If one band were to be called a hidden gem this weekend, then it would have to be The All American Rejects – even if they, as many others have done, insist today’s crowd was better than yesterday’s.

The only real comment is that whoever was operating the PA seemed to not quite be sure what they were doing – with vocals turned down a bass turned up the mix was maybe not the ideal was to experience TAAR. None the less – a, quite frankly, fantastic set.
review by: Guy Powell


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