Miscellaneous - Minehead, Somerset, 27/4/2007...29/4/2007

  by Anthony Dhanendran

published: 15 / 4 / 2007

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Article

Until last year, the All Tomorrow's Parties festivals have been held at the Pontin's holiday camp in Camber Sands, on the Sussex coast, a place that sometimes felt intentionally out-of-the-way. But times change, and the festival has moved on and across the country, to Minehead in Somerset, and to Pontins' deadly rivals Butlin's. The Butlins site is markedly better than its predecessor, with more pleasant, bigger accommodation and more amenities. And, coincidentally, the musical line-up at this year's first event (another takes place later in May, 'curated' by the attendees, who've been asked to pick their ideal bands) is the most accessible the festival has had in some time. That's surprising considering who's curating it this time round, the prickly Bad Seeds and Dirty Three violinist Warren Ellis. To give the man his due, he's putting in plenty of hard work, playing a headline set with the Dirty Three on Friday night, then two sets with Nick Cave the following evening, followed by another Dirty Three set on the Sunday afternoon. Likewise, Dirty Three drummer Jim White is putting in appearances with all sorts of bands. Between them and the presence of Cave, the festival is starting to feel a lot like an Australian love-in, and arriving on Friday afternoon to find throngs of aforesaid Antipodeans does nothing to quell that appearance. Still, it makes for a friendly atmosphere. The festival kicks off on Friday evening with the Only Ones, who are disappointing, to put it bluntly. Lead singer Peter Perrett surely has the thinnest, frailest body in showbiz, but he puts it about the stage to good effect. Sadly, his voice has taken a pounding over the years and it's only the predictable appearance of hit single 'Another Girl, Another Planet' that makes the set interesting. They're followed by Ellis, however, with the Three, who play a contemplative, moving set of songs from their back catalogue. By the time they've finished it's fittingly dark outside. The preponderance of known acts leads, inevitably, to a festival where the big names are the highlights, although violinist Lajko Felix (a Warren Ellis find) puts in a stunning performance on Saturday afternoon. Then it's downstairs to the main stage, which has been erected inside the tent of a main hall, a place that resembles, more than a little, a motorway service station. It's an impression that's not helped by the giant Burger King and Pizza Hut logos staring out at the performers on stage. In fact, during Low's potent and exciting set, it's a matter of keeping your gaze focused on the stage in front, for any glance to the left will reveal a large and magic-deflating 'Puppet Castle' sign. Low are followed by Spiritualized, in their new 'Acoustic Mainline' guise, which involves Jason Pierce and a keyboardist, accompanied by a four-piece string section and a three-piece gospel choir. The new arrangement is clearly doing wonders for Pierce's temperament, as he's on spectacular form tonight. The set takes in a couple of Spacemen 3 songs, including the fragile Feel So Sad, as well as several from each of 'Ladies and Gentlemen' and 'Let it Come Down'. There's a surprise in store early on as Pierce breaks into a spirited cover of Daniel Johnston's 'True Love Will Find You In The End'. Although that was a peak, the true zenith of the evening is reached an hour or so later, when Nick Cave appears on the same stage, accompanied by the rest of his new band, Grinderman. But before playing anything from the new album, there's a set of Nick Cave songs to get through first, and it's superb, taking in most of the greatest songs of his last 20 years, including 'Red Right Hand', 'The Weeping Song', 'The Ship Song' and 'Deanna'. It's topped off with a reading of 'The Mercy Seat', and even the tuneless singing coming from the front row of the crowd doesn't dampen the mood. Then it's down to Grinderman to close the main stage for the night, and when they return to the stage, Cave's clear enthusiasm for his new project shines through. The set takes in the entire debut album, including a spirited 'Honey Bee (Let's Fly To Mars') which sees Cave doing a rather strange but nonetheless impressive bee impression at the front of the stage. Later that night, Nina Nastasia plays alongside Jim White of the Dirty Three, and while Einsturzende Neubaten (featuring former Bad Seed Blixa Bargeld) attempt to drill through the stage above, France's Youpi Youpi Yeah and Chicagoans We Ragazzi entertain the crowd in Reds (“The Home of the Redcoats”). Both bands are spirited and punky, if a little repetitive. The following afternoon, it's the turn of Papa M, who's David Pajo from Slint in a quieter, more contemplative guise. He plays a beautiful, meditative set that's suited to his thin, reedy voice. The effect is only spoiled slightly when somebody at the side of the hall starts playing one of the many computer quiz machines that are littered around the Butlins site. On the main stage today, the Dirty Three are playing their second set of the weekend, and while they're playing a different set to Friday's, the discerning are heading upstairs to see Joanna Newsom. The harpist's voice is an acquired taste, but her talent can't be denied. And most of the crowd are converted to the charms of her high-pitched singing early on, particularly when the songs are as good as the ones she plays from her recent album 'Ys'. It's by far the stand-out show of the festival, so much so that when she comes back on three hours later, the same hall is packed out and the queue downstairs winds around several corners. Meanwhile, Cat Power is playing on the main stage. She's known for being flaky, to the point of playing shows in the dark, but that seems to have been dampened with the confidence that comes from having a full band behind her. Her set is classy and self-assured, and the soul-influenced songs from her last album 'The Greatest' – as well as a stripped-down cover of the Rolling Stones' '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction' – are the highlights. But it's lacking a spark, and much of the crowd starts to drift off before the end. The final act on the main stage is, fittingly, Warren Ellis again, this time back with Cave and Grinderman. While the Grinderman set is a more assured version of yesterday's live debut, the 'solo' set takes a couple of different turns, but it's still very much a crowd-pleaser. As is the whole festival, in fact: while this has been the most accessible ATP of recent years, it's no less good for all that, and the best performances came from the established artists. Ellis said that he wanted “to promote older people” this time round, and it looks like he was right to do so. The photographs that accompany this article originally appeared on www.efestivals.co.uk

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