top ten festival moments....

[andyblack]

right, ok so it's a bit moribund on here at the moment, which is rubbish considering we're in the middle of loopy festival season. and thus it's time to provoke some discussion. the festival has a `name your top ten ever moments` competition, and thus, tell us yours, and to start you off, heres mine (and yes, im rubbish i only started going in 2005, i know, i get countless lectures on this from richardh).

Summer sundae : top 10 moments.

1, Forward Russia, Outside Stage, 2006. Ok, so it’s a family friendly festival, but everyone needs to make a little noise sometimes? Kind of like Billie Mackenzie from the Associates fronting a post punk band. Yep, noisy but they still made an ace pop noise.

2, Elbow, Outside Stage, 2006. Ok, so it rained a bit, but for just over an hour or so, everyone had the time of their lives. More notable as Elbow’s first ever festival headliner.

3, Redcarsgofaster, Rising Stage, 2005. The first time a Pineapster band snuck onto the bill. Their terrifying attempt to imitate a food blender mixing Joy Division, Stereolab and Donna Summer left a crammed tent, including Steve Lamacq looking as though they’d just been staring at the sun for 45 minutes. Utterly blistering.

4, Liam Frost & the Slowdown band, Outside Stage, 2006. Everyones been there? middle of the Saturday afternoon, sun out, 2nd scrumpy of the day, walking across the back of the field when you ears are caught by a new band cranking up on the main stage? And suddenly you’re in aural heaven? That’s one of the brilliant things of summer sundae. That’s how I discovered Liam Frost.

5, Gruff Rhys, DeMontfort Hall 2007 : The super furry front man brought Spacemen 3’s Sonic Boom (who’s just produced MGMT) with him on keyboards, whilst fellow former Spacemen 3 co-founder Jason Pierce (headlining with his band Spiritualized) appeared from nowhere to watch from the side of the stage, it marked the first time both founder members of Spacemen 3 had stood comfortably in each others presence in 20 years.

6, Patti Smith, Outdoor Stage 2006 : She turned up with Tom Verlaine from Television playing guitar for him. Everyone sang along to virtually every word, I guess we can now admit it was the drummer from Love Ends Disaster! who stole the stilton from her rider?

7, Maybeshewill, Outdoor Stage 2009 : A massive european tour, and notable record sales got the Leicester lads a return visit. Again, theres nothing like some instrumental, film soundtrack, post hardcore music to wake up a dozing audience on a sunny, Sunday morning. They played he films the clouds pt 2, and the choir section was enough to stop me in my tracks, wake up the entire site and nearly turn a newly single lad to tears.

8, The Airborne Toxic Event, De Montford Hall 2009. Heard them on holiday in 2008, Came home in Jan to find them playing the tiny Royal in Derby. And they were brilliant. Rob booked them, and they did’nt disappoint either. Which was ace considering no-one had ever heard of them.

9, Uncle Frank, Musician Stage, 2009 : Leicester’s answer to a New York gangster finally brought his barry white meets the jungle book soundtrack band to SSW. And he did’nt disappoint. A full band and horn section (including Fast FLC), luminous boiler suits, and all round sing along laughter made me smile more than any other ssw act ever.

10, Peter Wyeth, one for 2010. The one man musician who is the only person I’ve seen make grown men weep through his work. Honestly, honestly totally spell binding. A mixture of simple melodies, bird songs, loops, samples and beats. One man everyone in Leicester holds in the highest regard musically. He’s playing the musician stage this year. I recommend each and every one of you attends. You’ll so not regret it.

[Kaybee]

No good at remembering years but:-

Headliners:

David Byrne

Patti Smith

Belle and Sebastian

High up the bill:

Sophie Ellis Bextor

Reverend and the Makers (on the recommendation of Michala and Leprekorn)

Undercard (ish):

Frank Turner

Natty

Kissmet

Imelda May

[butchwade]

In alphabetical order:

Airborne Toxic Event

Amy Winehouse

Belle & Sebastian (my number one pick)

Blockheads (the set in the tent, not the DMH one)

Duke Special

Kissmet

Lemon Jelly

New Beautiful South

Proclaimers

Reverend & The Makers

Richard Hawley

Tom Robinson

Oops! That's 12!

[Kevin_gillett]

Only been to two but my favourites are

Little Man Tate - Rising tent 2006

Liam Frost - On the hill, 2006

Whitest Boy Alive - Indoor 2008

Gomez/Belle and Sebastian - Headlining 2006

Forward Russia as per the first post

Howling Bells, both indoor 2006 and top in the rising tent 2008, saw the improvement in them

Cold War Kids in 2008

The 15 a side North v South football game in regents, 2006

[simonphilipcouchman]

Been a while but here is my top ten SSW moments:

1. Discovering the festival in the first place after finally getting fed up with the corporate fleecing of V in 06. I only wish I had been at Summer Sundae that year as the line-up and it's promotion on 6Music attracted me to the festival, and our first visit in 2007

2. The surprise hits like tiny dancers, rod thomas and flithy dukes. Every year always brings a great band I've heard off!

3. The line up of bands i've never heard and then the months of discovering them, and then loving them so much they become the must see acts of the festival. Stand up Fanfarlo (even if they did pull out! -last year that is, looking forward to this year), Stornoway, Woodpigeon, Cherry Ghost, My Latest Novel, Tom Baxter, Leisure Society, Easy Stars, Dengue Fever. So many to list!!! I love creating an ipod playlist every year to get into the bands I may not of heard of.

4. The diversity of bands OK, I'm not happy about Tinchy but is suppose there is a few kids that aren't too happy about Turin Brakes and Slow Club.

5. The staff at DMH From minute we arrived at our first SSW festival, the staff have been unbelievably friendly, helpful and polite. It is clear the staff are all very proud of the festival and of DMH itself.

6. The location I live in Lancaster and had never been to Leicester before. I love the place now, and always enjoy the fact that the festival enables you to experience the local area, shop, drink and dine out of the festival site (try doing that at V or Leeds or T!!). I love the gallery (How many festivals would include a trip to a museum to see Wallace & Gromit!!). I love the Belgian Beer shop and I love the Tree lined walk to town.

7. Thursday night on the open top bus One of my all time favourite things, and the first thing we encountered on our very first SSW in 07! Brilliant, and again shows the passion the local people have for the festival as a town

8. Real Ale Tent Ok, This one is always a blur, but I know its fab and I like it - even it does have a knock on effect of me not being able to remember much of The Whitest Boy Alive due to the roisy effects of the Real Ale Tent and the bad influence of my brother.

9. The Stages The fact that the four main stages are so close together and the timing of teh acts generally means I get to zip around seeing as many acts as possible (as sometimes getting annoyed with my wife for wanting to sit in the sun rather than come inside for Woodpigeon!!)

10. Richard H and Rob C As much their festival as Glastonbury is to Eavis. Will miss RH running around this year - remember him panicing at Noah And The Whale as it was packed!

And if there was an eleven, Uncle Frank!! What a man!

[SweepingTheNation]

2004 was my first one, so I'd go for...

2004 Beta Band

Last festival set, and as kinetic and inventive as if it were their peak

2005 British Sea Power

Began with Yan throwing a lifesize model of a swan into the crowd, causing a proper rolling around on the floor fight between two women; ended with the band attempting to ward off an eight foot tall bear

2005 Tom Vek

On a day when it rained so hard water was cascading down off the roof of the main stage, he got the massed umbrellas to bob up and down in time to Nothing But Green Lights. Whatever happened to him?

2006 ¡Forward, Russia!

Big cheer goes up just in front of me, and as I readjust I see Steve Lamacq being held aloft crowdsurfing, wearing an expression which suggested that as much as it was against his will he'd go along with it for now

2006 Belle & Sebastian

A set full of surprises (Electronic Renaissance!), Stuart having mascara applied mid-song, and the whole field dancing to The Boy With The Arab Strap

2007 !!!

Nic Offer dancing on the DJ equipment and the sheer punk-funk energy of it all. I managed to twist my ankle mid-set

2007 Gruff Rhys

An excellent set of loop pedal wizardry and typical oddness culminating in the eighteen minute, Sonic Boom assisted Skylon!

2008 Of Montreal

Brought all the theatrics and made sense of their electro-glam at the same time

2008 Lykke Li

In front of a good number of fellow performers, including Of Montreal's Kevin Barnes with over his mouth, Li dances across the stage, thrashes at a percussion set, covers Can I Kick It? and charms everyone with working pop senses

2009 Monotonix

Of course the balcony jump, but when they started carrying the drumkit out of the door I was in the balcony taking photos and thought they were going into the bar. I rushed down, out the front and back through the Victoria Bar entrance just in time to see the procession turn left, somewhat visibly surprising a leading member of the local music scene who was chatting in the bar at the time and had spotted it in his peripheral vision

[andyblack]

Been a while but here is my top ten SSW moments:

7. Thursday night on the open top bus One of my all time favourite things, and the first thing we encountered on our very first SSW in 07! Brilliant, and again shows the passion the local people have for the festival as a town

[llcoolphil]

1. Liam Frost and the Slowdown Family - my best ever SSW find but id have bet money he was on friday evening not saturday afternoon!!

2. WBA

3. !!!

4. El Pussycat

5. Yoda

6. Coldcut (Im bloody sure I havent imagined this)

7. Simian Mobile Disco

8. The Displacements (Sunday lunchtime slot rather than the year after)

9. zZz

10. Jason Manford

Mind you on another day it might include Gomez, Little Man Tate, Jamie T, Howling Bells on the indoor stage, The Lea Shores, The Falling Leaves or Kid British. Oh, and SEB

Edited July 5, 2010 by llcoolphil

[magicbaboon]

In no particular order:

* Getting up close and personal with Monotonix... very personal. Very personal indeed. A big picture of my bumcrack as seen at this set is also viewable on a BBC website. How many people can say that, eh?

* Entering the delightfully redneck and un-PC world of Special Ed & The Shortbus (who, incidentally, have changed their name to the Hot Seats... apparently some promoters didn't like their name)

* Belle & Sebastian, best headliner yet

* Super Furry Animals' 20 minute techno wig-out on The Man Don't Give A f**k

* Kings of Convenience's soul-soothing indoor set

* The Boy Least Likely To, the jauntiest band ever. I'll paraphrase the review that said "if all the toys from your childhood got together and formed a band this is what they'd sound like"

* Managing to catch The Divine Comedy's performance for the 6music hub tent - particularly A Lady Of A Certain Age

* The Proclaimers, when it seemed as though everyone in the whole world suddenly remembered how much they like the Proclaimers. Possibly holds the record for "largest number of people dancing on the DMH balcony"?

* The 2006 Summer Sundae Umbrella, which ended up being autographed by a LOT of people, including a delighted Nouvelle Vague and an utterly baffled and possibly slightly frightened Stephen Fretwell

* Being beaten by a 11 year old girl in the final of the Phrased & Confused fridge poetry competition

[rachel carroll]

The god-like Patti Smith, the insane Monotonix, the sublime Lightning Seeds, the haunting Bon Iver, the gobsmacking Seasick Steve, the mind-boggling Coldcut, the many hued cocktails, the surreal Mad Hatter's kids area, the one and only Rob Challenge in his special birthday golf buggy and seeing a girl with the Summer Sundae ice cream logo I designed painted on her face.

[Rob ic]

We're still compiling these off the messageboards up until Sunday....

We've had some great ones sent in by email.

[Liroy]

In no particular order:

* Getting up close and personal with Monotonix... very personal. Very personal indeed. A big picture of my bumcrack as seen at this set is also viewable on a BBC website. How many people can say that, eh?