Thoughts From Roskilde

First up, wonderful weather for the majority of the festival. This made quite a change from last year's floodfest, although still allowed an absolute downpour just as Jay-Z came on stage. Wonderful timing!

Pick of the bands were The Hellacopters (although added to by the dancing man in front of us), Job For A Cowboy (started well but then got a bit repetitive), Seasick Steve (who needs a MUCH bigger venue next year), Hot Chip (very bouncy in the rain, but NEVER end with 'Nothing Compares 2U' *ever* again), Kings of Leon (more chatty than usual) and Bullet For My Valentine (for encouraging people to crowdsurf in a venue that completely discourages it, not for playing too much off the new album).

The "why?" list of bands included Neil Young (4 songs in 45 minutes, on stage 2.5hours that felt like a week), Gnarls Barkley (doing the only song anyone knows right at the end is pretty cunty behaviour), Grinderman (even Nick Cave fans were disappointed) & The Chemical Brothers (the new stuff is worryingly Kraftwerk-like and the light show was just irritating).

Highlights generally were the happy smiley faces of pretty much everyone there, the range of food (although you might want to order more of the popular stuff next year, eh?) and the atmosphere.

On the downside, there was no shade whatsoever in Get A Tent camping, the snack bars ran out of coffee on the second morning and then closed completely before Jay-Z had really got started, and there really needs to be more places to sit that don't smell of piss.

And yes, I shall be going again next year.

Pearl Jam At Wembley Arena

Went to see Pearl Jam last night and I have to say I was underwhelmed at the very least. So underwhelmed in fact that we left before 10pm.

Got into the venue at bang on 9pm and saw some lot on stage sounding ropey in the extreme and apparently with a drop cloth behind them. "Support Band" I thought, so sat down. Song after song I didn't recognise went by and I eventually realised that this was actually Pearl Jam.

I only truly twigged it was them when they got a roadie on stage and he was introduced as being "from Cornwall so give him a big cheer". In Pearl Jam world, Cornwall's right next to London I can only assume. The guitar the roadie had brought on was strummed once, was out of tune, and another one tried instead. Which captured in microcosm the problem with the gig: how it sounded.

Now, if you've been in Wembley Arena, you'll not be surprised the sound was crap. But I'd been there about a month ago to see the Lostprophets and the sound had been brilliant, so I'd assumed (stupidly in retrospect) that they'd ironed out the problems that had previously dogged the place - particularly by moving the stage to the opposite end of the venue.

But no, the sound was as awful as I've ever heard it. Screechingly loud top end, precious little bass and a very muddy sounding middle. Oh and feedback, lots of feedback. "Wow" I thought "the sound position must be in a really bad location if they can't hear how bad this is" so I looked, and there wasn't a desk in sight anywhere in the Arena! So I can only assume the guy was mixing it from the car park. Probably something to do with the fact you can no longer smoke anywhere in Wembley Arena.

Oh, and if you're going to play at Wembley Arena, have the decency to have some sort of video screens somewhere, could you please? Thanks. I might have realised you weren't the support band if I could've seen your chubby face Vedder.