There is nothing outside, above

Since you guys really did a number on my bandwidth with my last Hot Chip live track, here's another! Set closer, alas no Sinead to cameo, but nice and gentle and a huge singalong.

[download Hot Chip - Nothing Compares 2 U/In The Privacy of our Love (Glastonbury 2008)]
mirrors: sendspace / zshare

Usually drink, usually dance, usually babble

Here's a little sample of this year's Glastonbury shenanigans. There was more than just Winehouse punching fans, and Jay-Z covering Oasis, though the latter was amazing and you should seek it out at once. From the Other Stage, this is Hot Chip covering 'Wearing My Rolex', a recent top ten hit from Wiley. Also, they are joined by Wiley.

Incidentally, I'm sure someone else must have noticed that Alexis Hot Chip is clearly stealing sartorial nous from Eddie Jemison of the Ocean's Movies.

[download Hot Chip ft. Wiley - Wearing My Rolex (Glastonbury 2008)]
mirrors: ysi / sendspace / zshare

edit: here's another track from the same set.

Bang Bang Anglo-Saxon at the Disco

Here's a couple more live tracks from Glastonbury weekend. This time, it's the sound of Wimbledon's premier troubadour, Jamie T. His album is probably the one I've enjoyed most so far in '07, and it's fun to hear him blaze through 'Salvador' and lead an almost-singalong for 'Calm Down Dearest'.

[download Jamie T - Calm Down Dearest (Glastonbury 2007)]
[download Jamie T - Salvador (Glastonbury 2007)]


[buy 'Panic Prevention' (US)]

Born in a manger...

Sure enough, the glut of live recordings and videos from this past weekend's Glastonbury festival has begun to hit the internet. This site, in particular, has done a nice job of collecting them all in one place. Kudos for that.

From all that footage, there was only one band who I was interested in, and here are three songs from their set. They happen to be Super Furry Animals, one of my all-time faves. One's a new, guitar-heavy reworking of their 1999 single 'Northern Lites', and then there's two songs from the upcoming 'Hey Venus!' I can never say a bad word about SFA, so you might as well just listen to the songs for yourself.

[download Super Furry Animals - Northern Lites (Glastonbury 2007)]
[download Super Furry Animals - The Gateway Song (Glastonbury 2007)]
[download Super Furry Animals - Show Your Hand (Glastonbury 2007)]


[pre-order 'Hey Venus!' (UK)]

Somewhere in a field in Hampshire

Today's the last day of Glastonbury, and reading all the coverage of the thick mud and Killers currently entertaining 175,000 people in south-west England, I'm reminded of my two visits to the world's biggest festival.

The first time I went was 1999. We'd just taken our GCSEs, my trivia team Bob the Zealot made it to the final on Steve Lamacq's Thin Quizzy segment, and everything was exciting. On the first day, the sun shone until Travis - not yet the huge band they'd soon become - played 'Why Does It Always Rain On Me?' and it began to piss down, and I got to see Pavement and dEUS, and, early in the day, Muse on the small stage. I thought they were rubbish that day. Look at them now. Saturday was Gomez, Super Furries - the incredible set where a tank drove through the crowd - and the Manics, and on Sunday I can't even remember who I saw, but it was amazing. Ozomatli were in there somewhere.

Sunday night, after all the bands were finished, my friend Nico and I were walking around the campsite because someone said the TV show Trap Door was playing somewhere. We never found the show (good thing Youtube is around) but we bumped into some joggers, a field full of teepees, the world's smallest disco, and a girl from Coventry whose name I can't remember, but she hung out with us til the sun came up and then ran off.

I guess what I'm saying is... I can't wait to go back. It's probably my favourite place in the world.

Here's a live download and a live video, only the latter of which is from Glastonbury '99. But dEUS did play that song, and it was ace. Also, I know it's not really in Hampshire, but I'm sure most of you get the picture.

[download dEUS - Sister Dew (live)]

Underworld, King of Snake: