Eating a full English breakfast is tricky when using a wooden knife and fork. Of course by saying this I would be starting at the wrong point of my V Festival tale. | "I would like to thank the lord of the land for letting me perform here. I know he's probably in the audience watching, so thank you." | | Rufus Wainwright |
Once upon a time in a very, very wet park, a Blast reporter called Josh was getting soaked and what a lot of fun that was boys and girls. Yes V had a very wet start -听 everyone putting up tents on the Friday will know that rain is no friend to campers. So Saturday came and with it so did furiously running from stage to stage and trying to meet a few stars. One of the first things on the agenda was meeting Morning Runner in their dressing room which was a lot of fun. If anyone casts their minds back I saw Morning Runner nearly two years ago in Wolverhampton in a very small, intimate gig... and it's great seeing a band like that grow in popularity before your eyes.
 | | We are Scientists make their entrance |
They put on a fantastic set for the audience even though they were one of the first bands on. They have really built up a fan base and there was a good collection of soggy festival-goers singing along. After that of course was the lovely Imogen Heap who is a marvel to see live. With an explosion of energy she pops up on stage and starts introducing her electronic equipment to the audience - "this is my parrot" particularly made me smile. She effortlessly blends this equipment into her set, and then harmonises with her own, sampled voice. Imogen Heap manages to combine amazing musicianship with a quirky, friendly performance. She jumps from layering vocals, to playing the piano, creating a drum beat, and then singing and dancing to the final creation.
Listen to Josh's interview with Imogen Heap
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After Imogen I met up with Nerina Pallot, who was just great fun to chat to, as well as being a great performer. She had a real energy up on stage and could move effortlessly from piano to guitar and back again. Unfortunately I couldn't stay for the entire set as I had to catch another talented singer. Hide and seek Rufus Wainwright is a brilliant pianist and singer but he hides away at the back of the stage too much. It was a lovely show to hear... but not to watch. One of my favourite quotes from him though has to be "I would like to thank the lord of the land [presumably of Weston Park] for letting me perform here, I know he's probably in the audience watching so thank you" Then of course the highlight of the evening was... no not Morrissey... but Razorlight! I can rarely fault Razorlight. They are always superb live. I just wish I could have stayed down in the photo pit all up-close-and-personal, but alas it was not meant to be. I still managed to watch the rest of the set from the back and they gave a great show. In the (Sunday) Morning I was up bright and early in the morning, a little less damp than before. The first band on my schedule was Biffy Clyro. Two things stood out: Firstly, what an amazing fan base they have... and secondly what amazing heads of hair they all have! A really good set from them I thought. But to be honest it was the first time I'd seen them.
 | | Paolo Nutini |
After that came the fantastic Paolo Nutini who was amazing to hear live. He has an incredible voice and it is one of the best shows I've ever seen. Everyone sang along and when the band stopped halfway through the wave of sound just hit you. Paolo also looked like he was having a real laugh up on stage. After that of course I interviewed him and it was great to meet him.
Listen to Josh's interview with Paolo Nutini
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 | | Bloc Party at V 2006 |
GOD BLESS BLOC PARTY! I love 'em - one of the best bands ever live and they played a faultless set on Sunday. I think my opinion might be tainted by how much I love them, but judging by the crowd's reaction they must have been one of the best live acts of the weekend. We Are Scientists were on the Channel 4 stage next and made the best entrance of the weekend. To the sound of Harley motorbikes the band all pedalled onto the stage on tricycles, wearing blacked-out helmets... and began their set in an equally eccentric manner. To everyone's surprise halfway through the set on came Russell from Bloc Party to join them for a song which was a real sight to see.
 | | Regina Spektor at V 2006 |
Now I know I have already said that such-and-such a band or singer provided an amazing performance on stage, but that's small potatoes to Regina Spektor's set. Walking on stage, tapping the microphone for a beat Regina really demonstrated her amazing voice. Then she progressed from piano to guitar, to hitting a wooden chair with a drum stick. She has so much talent and deserves all the success she gets. And then to bring a nice finish to my weekend came Kasabian. They live for the show, they really do. The entire band plays up for the audience and does not disappoint. They drove the whole gig along with their unstoppable energy. And in comparison to the other acts that were on that evening I think they were the most up-beat. So V came to a close with - yes you guessed it - more rain.
And as I sat in a tent at 7.00 on Monday morning eating my full English breakfast with soggy wooden cutlery I thought to myself "this is tricky". | 
