22.30, Dance Stage

…Otherwise known as DEATH IN VEGAS, busy fucking with minds a short distance away in the Dance Tent. Now, you could call it cheating (Hope Of The States, for one, would probably be jealous), but the fact that the Dance Tent doubles as the Cinema Tent later on means that it has a large screen, and DIV put this to extremely good use with some astonishing visual projections that greatly enhance the experience of seeing them live. Just as quickly as I was caught up in The Polyphonic Spree’s happiness mania, I’m intoxicated by the relentlessly throbbing and pulsing music of Richard Fearless and associates. Given their penchant for guest vocalists, there’s one track that’s absolutely crying out for The Raveonette’s Sune and Sharin. Their set ends with a ten-minute version of ‘Hands Around My Throat’, the collaboration with Adult.’s Nicola Kuperus from the Scorpio Rising album, and it’s the perfect conclusion – nihilistic, sordid, dead-eyed and depraved. The grass may be greener on the other side of the fence, but I prefer it on this side, where it’s black, thank you very much.

Bands or artists I would have seen in an ideal world but missed due to clashes / rearranged running orders / my own sheer laziness or stupidity: Young Heart Attack, Saves The Day, The Blueskins, Ladytron, Vue, Evan Dando, Buck 65, My Computer.