This weekend I went to Main Square Festival in Arras, France. I arrived at 10:45 AM and shortly thereafter made it to the main gates of the venue to wait with other avid Radiohead fans. Doors opened a little after 3:00 PM, at which point said fans and I sprinted for the front row. I had a backpack, which meant I needed a bag check, but I still made it to second/third row, stage left (Jonny's side!).
Vampire Weekend : (B) I like seeing bands live before I hear their record. These guys were fun live - the lyrics are elementary, and the music isn't too complex. French audiences are amazing - they get into every song, and clap on the quarter notes. Good for Vampire Weekend, considering every song had a straight beat, with little variation, and a bass drum supporting the hand-claps. The French audience tried hard to sing along to "One," per the lead singer's request. I faithfully danced to every song because this band had a good beat and good charisma, but they sang way too much about Cape Cod, and mentioned many times how they were from New York. I was a bit put off that the drummer looked like Matt Cameron - but could probably never play like him.
The Wombats : (C-) British Blink-182? Not very fun to watch live. I danced to most songs because the beat was there: same old straight punk drum beats. I don't like genres and generalizations either, but this was essentially an indie-punk band. So strange that a decade ago a rock festival meant rock music. The singer had Robert Smith-esque hair, and the bass player actually did look like a guy from Blink-182, which made the whole show comical. The lyrics were silly, but to their credit, all three members of the band were into it and they all sing, too. In fact, they opened the show with a three-part-harmony tune, which I hear opens their latest record.
The Do : (B+) This was the first band of the night which employed some good i
nstrumental, stylistic, and rhythmic diversity. They opened with the track that opens their latest record, a juvenile anthem called "Playground Hustle." The Franco-Finnish female vocalist was absolutely gorgeous, and did I mention she plays guitar and piano? Her voice was cute, which stood out on "At Last!" and "The Bridge Is Broken." On the latter, her falsetto soared into the Mariah Carey region - when she prompted the audience to follow along, we all looked at each other, confused whether we should even attempt the note or sing a few octaves below. After a few failed attempts, she shrugged it off and continued to prance around the stage in bare feet and a dress that reminded me of something Bjork would wear. The bass player also played keyboards, flute, and auxiliary percussion instruments (glockenspiel!). On drums was a guy named José, who was clearly a trained funk / prog drummer, which made the dancing all the better. Fantastic show, but I checked out their debut record and she sings much better live.
Sigur Ros : (A-) This was my second time seeing Sigur Ros, and they've changed a lot. Our favorite Icelanders swapped the video display for gigantic light lanterns that line the back of the stage. Now they've made room for more instruments on stage: marimbas, organs, harmoniums, xylophones, guitars, basses, drums, pianos, a horn quartet, and of course the beautif
ul string quartet, Amiina. Their latest album received little attention at this show, but the songs were performed exceptionally well. Jonsi looked nervous at first, but totally nailed the beautiful opener "Sven-G-Englar." He became more relaxed as the show went on, and even once starting beating his guitar with the violin bow - eventually breaking it and tossing it out into the audience. He had the best costume: a black (with green trim) Spanish army suit, with feathers sticking out the collar, and a touch of glitter on his right cheek. Orri wore a colorful crown throughout the whole show and played extremely well. Jonsi spoke in English mostly, and at one point shyly introduced a song. He then turned in Goggi's direction, shrugging, not knowing what else to say. "Gobbledigook" got the audience clapping which made Jonsi smile. The highlight was near the end, when the stage exploded into confetti, which just confirmed that this might be the most magical band of this current era.
Radiohead : (A) Clearly everyone at this festival was coming to see Radiohead. It wasn't just my familiarity with Radiohead's catalogue, nor the fact that they are still one of my principal musical influences, that made their show incredible. These guys believe in every note they play, and know how to perform. "15 Step" opened the set, and with no hesitation the band plowed through "Airbag," a stunning version of "There, There" (featuring Ed and Jonny on a pair of toms each!) and "All I Need." I was amazed at how each musician was clearly in his own space and had his own responsibilities - though I got there early enough to secure a spot in front of Jonny, Colin Greenwood (bassist, and Jonny's brother) actually became my favorite member to watch. Colin gestures every drum fill and has a really subtle standing groove while he plays. He's also the most directly involved with engaging the audience with his expressions and actions. Jonny just plays his guitars and stares at you creepily. "Where I End And You Begin" got the full-out dance / club treatment and almost sounded like an Underworld track at times - this song has really grown from its much darker and ominous presence on Radiohead's last album. Ed and Jonny's doubled guitar intro to "A Wolf At The Door" locked in beautifully, and Thom took the mic to the edge of the stage, outstretching an arm and jerking his body as he rapped the lyrics like an MC.
"Exit Music" maintained its chilling dynamics found on the record, and proved to be one of the most skillful and authentic performances of the night. Thom opened the first
encore with "Cymbal Rush," (a song from The Eraser) a big surprise for everyone there. The second encore kicked off with "House of Cards," at which point we thought the show was over. Colin then began the growly bassline to "National Anthem" and the band ended quietly, calmly, and beautifully with "Street Spirit." Little stage banter left more time for music and experimentation on stage: "Weird Fishes / Arpeggi" benefitted from a longer, droning intro, and "Idioteque" and "The Gloaming" both had extended outros which each evolved into an electronic mess; but a good mess, mind you. We heard every song off In Rainbows, which made me realize that I actually really love Radiohead's most recent effort. Hearing it live confirmed the strengths of "Faust Arp, "Reckoner" and "Videotape," three songs which I wasn't too thrilled about earlier.
Besides the music, the lighting spectacle and video display made this show aesthetically gorgeous and relevant (read more about it here). These guys never looked tired on stage, and humbly accepted the incredible applause they received at the end of every song. The other albums also received pretty generous play (the inclusion of "Dollars And Cents" reminded us that Amnesiac was still an album, too). Because this was a music festival and not uniquely a Radiohead show, I think that affected the setlist a lot (though that's not to say it wasn't varied over twenty-five songs). What prevents me from giving this show an A+ is probably just my bitterness: I really wanted to hear "Planet Telex," "Knives Out," or "Let Down."
Vampire Weekend : (B) I like seeing bands live before I hear their record. These guys were fun live - the lyrics are elementary, and the music isn't too complex. French audiences are amazing - they get into every song, and clap on the quarter notes. Good for Vampire Weekend, considering every song had a straight beat, with little variation, and a bass drum supporting the hand-claps. The French audience tried hard to sing along to "One," per the lead singer's request. I faithfully danced to every song because this band had a good beat and good charisma, but they sang way too much about Cape Cod, and mentioned many times how they were from New York. I was a bit put off that the drummer looked like Matt Cameron - but could probably never play like him.
The Wombats : (C-) British Blink-182? Not very fun to watch live. I danced to most songs because the beat was there: same old straight punk drum beats. I don't like genres and generalizations either, but this was essentially an indie-punk band. So strange that a decade ago a rock festival meant rock music. The singer had Robert Smith-esque hair, and the bass player actually did look like a guy from Blink-182, which made the whole show comical. The lyrics were silly, but to their credit, all three members of the band were into it and they all sing, too. In fact, they opened the show with a three-part-harmony tune, which I hear opens their latest record.
The Do : (B+) This was the first band of the night which employed some good i
nstrumental, stylistic, and rhythmic diversity. They opened with the track that opens their latest record, a juvenile anthem called "Playground Hustle." The Franco-Finnish female vocalist was absolutely gorgeous, and did I mention she plays guitar and piano? Her voice was cute, which stood out on "At Last!" and "The Bridge Is Broken." On the latter, her falsetto soared into the Mariah Carey region - when she prompted the audience to follow along, we all looked at each other, confused whether we should even attempt the note or sing a few octaves below. After a few failed attempts, she shrugged it off and continued to prance around the stage in bare feet and a dress that reminded me of something Bjork would wear. The bass player also played keyboards, flute, and auxiliary percussion instruments (glockenspiel!). On drums was a guy named José, who was clearly a trained funk / prog drummer, which made the dancing all the better. Fantastic show, but I checked out their debut record and she sings much better live.Sigur Ros : (A-) This was my second time seeing Sigur Ros, and they've changed a lot. Our favorite Icelanders swapped the video display for gigantic light lanterns that line the back of the stage. Now they've made room for more instruments on stage: marimbas, organs, harmoniums, xylophones, guitars, basses, drums, pianos, a horn quartet, and of course the beautif
ul string quartet, Amiina. Their latest album received little attention at this show, but the songs were performed exceptionally well. Jonsi looked nervous at first, but totally nailed the beautiful opener "Sven-G-Englar." He became more relaxed as the show went on, and even once starting beating his guitar with the violin bow - eventually breaking it and tossing it out into the audience. He had the best costume: a black (with green trim) Spanish army suit, with feathers sticking out the collar, and a touch of glitter on his right cheek. Orri wore a colorful crown throughout the whole show and played extremely well. Jonsi spoke in English mostly, and at one point shyly introduced a song. He then turned in Goggi's direction, shrugging, not knowing what else to say. "Gobbledigook" got the audience clapping which made Jonsi smile. The highlight was near the end, when the stage exploded into confetti, which just confirmed that this might be the most magical band of this current era.Radiohead : (A) Clearly everyone at this festival was coming to see Radiohead. It wasn't just my familiarity with Radiohead's catalogue, nor the fact that they are still one of my principal musical influences, that made their show incredible. These guys believe in every note they play, and know how to perform. "15 Step" opened the set, and with no hesitation the band plowed through "Airbag," a stunning version of "There, There" (featuring Ed and Jonny on a pair of toms each!) and "All I Need." I was amazed at how each musician was clearly in his own space and had his own responsibilities - though I got there early enough to secure a spot in front of Jonny, Colin Greenwood (bassist, and Jonny's brother) actually became my favorite member to watch. Colin gestures every drum fill and has a really subtle standing groove while he plays. He's also the most directly involved with engaging the audience with his expressions and actions. Jonny just plays his guitars and stares at you creepily. "Where I End And You Begin" got the full-out dance / club treatment and almost sounded like an Underworld track at times - this song has really grown from its much darker and ominous presence on Radiohead's last album. Ed and Jonny's doubled guitar intro to "A Wolf At The Door" locked in beautifully, and Thom took the mic to the edge of the stage, outstretching an arm and jerking his body as he rapped the lyrics like an MC.
"Exit Music" maintained its chilling dynamics found on the record, and proved to be one of the most skillful and authentic performances of the night. Thom opened the first
encore with "Cymbal Rush," (a song from The Eraser) a big surprise for everyone there. The second encore kicked off with "House of Cards," at which point we thought the show was over. Colin then began the growly bassline to "National Anthem" and the band ended quietly, calmly, and beautifully with "Street Spirit." Little stage banter left more time for music and experimentation on stage: "Weird Fishes / Arpeggi" benefitted from a longer, droning intro, and "Idioteque" and "The Gloaming" both had extended outros which each evolved into an electronic mess; but a good mess, mind you. We heard every song off In Rainbows, which made me realize that I actually really love Radiohead's most recent effort. Hearing it live confirmed the strengths of "Faust Arp, "Reckoner" and "Videotape," three songs which I wasn't too thrilled about earlier.Besides the music, the lighting spectacle and video display made this show aesthetically gorgeous and relevant (read more about it here). These guys never looked tired on stage, and humbly accepted the incredible applause they received at the end of every song. The other albums also received pretty generous play (the inclusion of "Dollars And Cents" reminded us that Amnesiac was still an album, too). Because this was a music festival and not uniquely a Radiohead show, I think that affected the setlist a lot (though that's not to say it wasn't varied over twenty-five songs). What prevents me from giving this show an A+ is probably just my bitterness: I really wanted to hear "Planet Telex," "Knives Out," or "Let Down."
