Our annual music review of the GREENBELT festival held at Cheltenham Racecourse.

100 PHILISTINE FORESKINS - Underground - 2:00pm
This time last year most people had no idea who 100 Philistine Foreskins were, now we're lamenting the death of Doogs in the land of Scots. . . Hmm, a tenuous play on words if ever I heard one. What I mean to say is that this was the band's last official gig before disbanding due to the lead singer's move to the US for the next three years. If they're still new to you 1 Samuel 18 will fill you in on the name. The Foreskins started as the Scottish freak punk side project for Dougle McMysteron of Voice Of The Mysterons during their band's downtime but soon became his main project. Since last year they've had to draft in Logie from Rodent Emporium on drums for their last few gigs after Ian stepped down earlier in the summer for family reasons. The band still like to do their cover of an Exploited song (Ian used to drum for the Edinburgh punk legends) and also paid homage to Blaster The Rocket Man (the previous project of the Mysterons lead singer). Still at their best when using Old Testament imagery to rant about everyday issues such as lust ("White Washed Tomb") and being chased by perpetual temptation ("My Own Corpse Is Chasing Me"), the tunes usually rack in at around a minute in length. Explaining the meaning of "A Little Knowledge Is A Dangerous Thing" Doogs says the song is aimed at people who suddenly think they're an expert because they've read one book, adding that reading The God Delusion may actually enrich your faith once you realise just how poor it is - going on to say, "Dawkins is a great scientist but a poor theologian." This year the five second wonder "Dear Westboro", a tune proclaiming that God does not actually hate fags, was followed up by a song in which Doogs asked to be forgiven for his anger (albeit righteous) towards the notorious Westboro Baptist Church. The moral of the story being don't hate the hater but instead love your enemies. Their set ended (as it did once again in an even more bizarre way for their acoustic set in G-Music) with "Zekes Old Bones", most certainly still their strongest song and a stone cold classic. That hypnotic drum solo at the end of the tune was massively extended and then used as the bed for a rousing rendition of "Amazing Grace". Just before Caledonia's finest sideburn-wearer left the stage Dougle left with the words "Jesus loves you, deal with it." Unbelievably moving.
Greg Sammons

Firefalldown (Greenbelt '10, pic by Jonathan Watkins)

FIREFALLDOWN - The Underground - 2:40pm
Cross Rhythms listeners will already be familiar with this Filipino trio's powerhouse single "Commissioned" and it was with that song that they burst into their set before the tightly packed Underground crowd. This energetic three-piece crafted an enticing mix of heavy yet melodic rock supported by a seriously funky undercarriage. They were also explosively loud (as proven by complaints of temporary deafness from Cross Rhythms' accountant Rob Thompson who was present in the audience). The band performed their latest single "Stand Tall" ("a song about standing up for what you believe in," explained frontman Jon Blaylock), which proved to be a searing groove-laden number full of unexpected twists and great riffs complete with hit-everything-in-sight drumming from Andrew Hodgson. Throughout the set Jon demonstrated an impressive vocal technique particularly on new song "I'm The Way" with a vocal armoury which ranged from choir boy purity to gruff, rough growls to full-on screams. "We're all missionaries," observed Blaylock before the band kicked into "These Moves" featuring a thumping bassline and an epic reverb-drenched guitar solo. A hugely powerful performance from a band clearly there to minister as well as rock out.
Peter Timmis

CATAPULTS - Underground - 3:20pm
Earlier this year I had the pleasure of recommending these guys to the Meltdown crew for their sessions here at Greenbelt and I'm pleased to say I had no need to apologise one jot, for me they're one of the musical highlights of this year's fest. You'd reckon that these five youth are heavily inspired by some of the more experimental bands in the Tooth & Nail/Solid State fold. They themselves cite La Quiete, Raein and Funeral Diner as their influences but for me they sound like an early Mewithoutyou, with dashes of The Chariot and early Norma Jean thrown in. The five-piece met at a church youth group in London and nicely meld hardcore energy and aggression with more introspective heartfelt emotive rock. Unlike the standard fare emo that graces the alternative charts this really does feel genuinely emotive and passionate, wrapped up in a real evangelical zeal but without it seeming condemning or patronising. You can really feel the Holy Spirit in their music, like there's some kind of anointing over their music. For such a young bunch of musicians, this is a very impressive starting point. These guys could end up being the most important bunch of Spirit-filled purveyors of noisy music in the UK.
Greg Sammons

Foy Vance (Greenbelt '10, pic by Stefan Metzler)

FOY VANCE - Centaur - 3:50pm
Foy was possibly the most talked about artist at this year's Greenbelt and he seemed to be everywhere, even stepping in to play an extra Mainstage slot when Gil Scott-Heron pulled out. I caught the Celtic soul man at the full to capacity Centaur with many disappointed fans left outside being unable to get into the plush venue. Vance took to the stage sporting his ever-present flat cap and adopted his familiar hunched stance over an acoustic guitar. Foy's distinctive voice and deft fretwork filled the room backed by some inventive looping effects from a laptop but then some bad news: "There's no nice way of saying this; my gear's broke," grumbled Foy, "I wouldn't mind but I carried it for four hours on the train." After a bit of fiddling by a techie sound from the guitar was restored but the electronic wizardry remained silenced. This wasn't a major problem as the audience were then treated to Foy's captivating story songs performed by just a single guitar and vocal. And what a vocal! His time spent living in the southern states of the US have given the Northern-Irish-born boy's voice a huge injection of soul; sweet and tuneful but with plenty of bite and grit. After several numbers the laptop sprung back into life so Foy could once again demonstrate his ability of layering sounds to build a one man orchestra that sounded much bigger than one man with a guitar had any right to. The set ended with an atmospheric singalong of "Guiding Light" while Foy played his guitar with a violin bow to haunting effect. A brilliant songsmith on top of his game.
Peter Timmis

CONDUIT - Underground - 4:00pm
Every time I see Conduit they seem to have a different line-up. They now seem to be back to their previous drummer (from their Ignited days) after dabbling with former Gen and Calling All Cars sticksman Jon Tearle. It's also true to say that every time I see Conduit they seem to have improved on the previous time, although once again they had to battle with a dodgy sound system (when IS the Underground venue going to sort out this ongoing problem?). The poor sound particularly affected Conduit's most recent recruit on rhythm guitar. Last year I really enjoyed the use of spoken word over some of the synth instrumentals, this year a standout moment was the wonderful use of Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream speech as they segued from "I Am Moth" into "Seize The Day". Every song was fully familiar to me having played their excellent debut full length numerous times over the last few months but some of those songs transferred live better than others. Much of the crowd also seemed familiar with many of the tunes, singing and clapping along to some of their more anthemic moments. A theme of this year seemed to be that more bands felt able to preach from the stage, something that the event organisers have frowned upon in the past. Conduit naturally were one of the strongest architects of taking advantage of a captive audience. This is clearly a band that has captured many people before this gig and after this set will no doubt have gained a number of new fans.
Greg Sammons

Jo Mango (Greenbelt '10, pic by Drew Mclellan)

JO MANGO - Performance Café - 4:00pm
Mike Rimmer and I have long been fans of the oh-so-delicate music of Jo Mango and if you've yet to encounter the ethereal output of this Scottish singer/songwriter let me say at the outset, I consider her one of the most original song stylists on the UK scene. The Café throng were soon entranced by Jo's little-girl-lost voice of brittle sweetness as she accompanied herself on various instruments singing songs inspired by such events as "the time I burnt my kitchen down." Her introduction to one song, involving an insect eating fungus she'd seen on TV's Planet Earth was rather stomach-churning and seemed to bear little relationship to the beautiful song that followed. There was a killer last line to one song ("Life would get very dull if we knew what would come next") after which Jo picked up an omnichord ("an instrument only made in the '80s") and which sounded like a cross between a celeste and a church organ and perfectly suited that eerily haunting voice. There was another rather gloomy song introduction about "Glasgow, the knife crime capitol of Europe" while the closer, Jo's latest vinyl release "The Moth & The Moon/The Black Sun" was an absolute treasure.
Tony Cummings

(VERB)SWISH - Performance Café - 5:00pm
Before I discovered that Gil Scott-Heron had made a late pullout of this year's Greenbelt lineup I stepped unprepared into the Performance Café and witnessed what was, for me, not only the outstanding set of the weekend but a performance of such stunning verbal dexterity that it resembled where Gil might have been today if he hadn't (to use one of his own images) "copped out on skag" and embraced true spirituality rather than the psychobabble the Greenbelt programme interview saw fit to publish. If you don't know yet (Verb)Swish is a half Ghanaian performance poet from South London and he arrived for the Performance Café gig with Sh'maya, a bearded white guy who is another maker of rhymes, guitarist and whiz with a loop station, and Rebecca, whose occasional bursts of angelic-voiced song added to the effect. Beatbox and guitar quickly gave the loop station a solid groove over which (Verb)Swish poured forth his rap/poetry hybrid is a dazzling array of memorable images. "Locking the accuser of the brethren in the house of mirrors" was one that particularly rang home. The audience was dazzled by the sheer speed and power of the images that poured from this prophet poet. There was an amusing moment when he spoke to the audience with the words "I woke up" and then stopped to explain this wasn't the start of another poem! He then went on to introduce "What If. . ." birthed through the youth work (Verb)Swish is involved in in South London. Again it was dazzling stuff. "What if Christ tips down in April rainfall/What if there's something we've lost the taste for." (Verb)Swish's breathtaking display of verbal dexterity suddenly came to an end when he generously passed over centre stage to Sh'maya who skilfully sang, harmonised, added a beat and then launched into his own spiritually powerful poem ending with the ringing declaration "I am the Word!" From beginning to end a brilliant performance.
Tony Cummings

Luke Leighfield (Greenbelt '10, pic by Peter Timmis)

LUKE LEIGHFIELD - Mainstage - 5:40pm
"I was expecting 10 diehards stood here in the rain," Luke confessed to the surprisingly strong turnout enjoying the afternoon sunshine but, as many discovered, there's no better soundtrack to a fabulous summer's day than some well-crafted, witty and quintessentially English pop rock. 'Rock' is a word that featured heavily in Leighfield's performance; it was his first show with two guitarists in his backing band, it was his first mainstage festival slot and clearly the young songsmith was enjoying dipping his toe into the water of rock stardom. "How's my festival voice? Is it ROCK enough?" he enquired before humorously pulling some rockstar poses. Most of the tunes came from Luke's excellent latest album 'Have You Got Heart?' including a 'rocking' version of "60,000 Miles" that really benefited from the dual guitars of Ben Price and Simon Humphries - those expecting one man with a piano must have got a surprise! Older material from 2007's 'Fan The Flames' went down just as well including the brilliantly observed "If You Haven't Got Anything To Say" featuring the killer lyric "Life's not a competition and even if it was, justice will prevail like it always does/So when others succeed keep your faith and remember you've got to keep singing a song." Described as "the busiest man in indie" Luke is building his fanbase the old fashioned way - getting out there and taking his music to as many ears as possible - and judging by the number of people who left the arena with wide smiles his fanbase had expanded even further.
Peter Timmis

Ellen And The Escapades (Greenbelt '10, pic by Drew Mclellan)

ELLEN & THE ESCAPADES - Mainstage - 7:50pm
I'd gone to Mainstage expecting to see Irish singer/songwriter Fionn Reagan but apparently Fionn was another last minute pull out from the Greenbelt lineup. Instead the GB organisers brought in this group from Leeds whose main claim to fame is winning the Emerging Talent show at the Glastonbury Festival. This level of success clearly didn't impress the smallish crowd who had gathered and after two or three songs many had drifted away for, despite being referred to by some critics as "alt folk", Ellen's sound was, to my ears, straight country music. Ellen Smith possesses an excellent voice of gentle poignancy and the songs, largely taken from her newly released EP 'Of All The Times', all had a tuneful lilt. But an exceedingly downbeat stage performance with a seemingly nervous Ellen saying absolutely nothing between songs meant there was little or no connection with the audience and though The Escapades played tightly behind her it was only a cover of The Band's "The Weight" that brought the first spark of enthusiasm from the disinterested crowd. Ellen's single "Coming Back Home" was also deftly performed. But it was too little too late.
Tony Cummings

Michael McDermott (Greenbelt '10, pic by Stefan Metzler)

MICHAEL McDERMOTT - Performance Café - 8:00pm
"I'm hollow and haggard, I'm in desperate need of a shower," sang the Chicago-based folk rock singer and I'm sure a large number of those at Greenbelt could empathise. Since the early '90s McDermott has been building a loyal fanbase who are enthralled by his gritty, old school American songwriting. In the early days comparisons were made to Springsteen and Dylan and major label deals were signed but these are now long behind him: "My career's taking off like the Mexican space programme," he joked to a full-to-bursting Performance Café. Playing without a backing band Michael switched between acoustic guitar and keyboard delivering songs like "So Am I" and "The Great American Novel" in a gruff Tom Waits style. It was an emotional performance with a truly heartfelt rendition of "I Still Ain't Over You Yet" with "hopeless romantic" McDermott passionately delivering the lines "Most nights I wished that we'd never met/And most days I choke on my fear and regret/But I hate to admit that I still ain't over you yet". Michael received a round of applause as he told the crowd he had recently become a father, "I told my wife I was just coming to England to get some sleep," he laughed. A charismatic and captivating performance from a singer who had earned his kip.
Peter Timmis

Lou Rhodes (Greenbelt '10, pic by Stefan Metzler)

LOU RHODES - Performance Café - 9:00pm
After an unfeasibly lengthy soundcheck Lou was ready to take her seat onstage and despite a few technical problems the relaxed vibe of the Performance Café did seem to be the ideal venue for this folksy acoustic singer/songwriter. Some may remember Lou from her days in Manchester-based electronic duo Lamb but since they split in 2004 she has pursued a more earthy musical approach and for this performance her acoustic guitar was joined by just cello, double bass and a little embellishment from a kick drum operated by Lou's left foot. As the musicians started to play "It All" from Ms Rhodes latest album 'One Good Thing' and her whispering, almost porcelain voice filled the tent any frustrations felt at the delay soon disappeared and the room fell into silence. One of the set's most moving moments was an aching "The Ocean" which Lou introduced as "a tragic song of love and loss" and covered the subject of the suicide of Lou's sister in 2007. Later, sound problems returned to spoil the ambience slightly but Lou battled through to play a delicate "The Rain" ("I hope it doesn't bring any to Greenbelt") and the bluesy "Circles" proved an excellent closing number.
Peter Timmis

Shed Seven (Greenbelt '10, pic by Peter Timmis)

SHED SEVEN - Mainstage - 9:20pm
Now don't get me wrong. I like Brit pop. (That's hardly surprising considering how many 'modern' worship albums I've listened to in the last few years which have so slavishly copied the sounds of Oasis, Blur, et al.) Yep, I enjoy anthemic, hook-laden music with lots of guitar. I am even reasonably warm to some of Shed Seven's old hits like "Getting Better" and "Disco Dawn". But as I stood watching the one-time hitmakers go through their paces I got increasingly irritated. Why, I asked myself, were Shed Seven here on Mainstage on Saturday night (arguably the highest profile gig of the whole Greenbelt festival)? Couldn't the Greenbelt organisers have given that slot to a TobyMac, a Third Day or a Casting Crowns? Or if such CCM best sellers were unavailable or were too expensive to fly in from the States what about taking a punt on Blighty's [dweeb]? Judging from the queue to see [dweeb] at the Underground last year they are today Britain's most popular non-worship Christian ministry act and with a new album and single out would surely have been as big a draw as a Brit pop outfit now long past their hitmaking period. But, for some unexplained reason, more than half of the Mainstage allocations went to acts professing no Christian faith. Now, of course, it's one of Greenbelt's more endearing policies to display its 'inclusive' ethos by putting some non-Christian acts on the bill. But offering more than 50 per cent of the Mainstage slots to non-Christian acts is clearly too much particularly when there are dozens of fine Christian acts, currently far more popular than Shed Seven, who have never been invited to play Greenbelt. But I've digressed. Shed Seven ran through their oldies with competence but no real spark. Lead singer Rick Witter bawled out the songs with little distinction and danced his peculiar dance. Lead guitarist Paul Banks looked thoroughly bored with much of the proceedings. And though the final song "Chasing Rainbows" got some sections of the crowd bopping - particularly mums and dads trying to relive their youth - it was in truth nostalgia more than creativity that held the crowd.
Tony Cummings

THOMAS TRUAX - Performance Café - 10:00pm
The Greenbelt committee have clearly developed a taste for weird. Other GB attractions this year included the decidedly quirky Social Services and The Fancy Toys. But for those in the Performance Café throng who didn't catch Thomas Truax's previous Greenbelt appearance or knew about his musical association with GB favourite Duke Special, the performance by this American-born, London-based songwriter, performer and inventor of experimental instruments will have been akin to stumbling into a parallel universe. From the moment he launched into "Prove It To My Daughter" and began sticking his head inside the horn of his "hornicator" (an old gramophone horn to which Truax has added a set of strings, a kazoo and a microphone) it was obvious this wasn't your average songsmith. Playing the "Theme From Twin Peaks" from his Psycho Teddy-released album 'Songs From The Films Of David Lynch' he set his Sister Spinster in motion. This weird invention is, roughly speaking, a spinning wheel with metal spokes which, through the use of various contact mics, pounds out a primitive drum beat to the songs played on Thomas' exceedingly shiny guitar. He sang (in truth, not very well) his composition "Inside The Internet" followed by "The Butterfly & The Entomologist" during which he produced a pocket fan from his pocket and held it against the guitar strings to produce an eerie sound. Then there was a number called "You Whistle While You Sleep" and by the time he closed the audience had either left bemused or were cheering for more. To quote from another review, "There's a fine line between the unique and the insane and it's a line that New Yorker Thomas Truax (pronounced troo-aks) straddles with his chin held high and the hornicator firmly glued in his left ear."
Tony Cummings

SUNDAY, 29th August