Lunar Festival: Day 2 review

My Brightest Diamond

A night of shivering in my tent was followed by a gorgeous morning and fruity fresh made pancakes for breakfast. Plank! (6/10) started things on the main stage. Whose musical ability and percussion driven jams reminded me of seminal krautrockers' CAN.
Jane Weaver (7.2) and My Brightest Diamond (6.8) both put on sets of arty pop, the former playing a mix of space rock and dream pop, the latter St Vincent avant garde pop,  both are amazingly talented, singers with great songs,  and I feel that both are  hugely underrated. I also  got to meet Jane Weaver in person, the encounter was a little awkward, but she was very friendly and happy to sign my CD.

Jane Weaver

Syd Arthur (6.8) have gained a lot of hype of late. They've got style, and their take on 70's prog rock sounds fresh. All the elements of an amazing band are there, yet I felt something was missing. I'm not quite sure what though. The Pretty things (8.8) are one of the great unsung British bands, yet they are finally beginning to get the respect they deserve. S.F. Sorrow is now seen as a classic album rather than the commercial failure it was on release. In a way this isn't all so bad, as they have aged much better than their contemporaries The Rolling Stones. Two new younger members have given the band a blast of energy, yet the original members still have the fire in their bellies, and natural cool that made them so dangerous the first time round. For me the highlight was hearing their take on acoustic slide guitar and blues classics by Robert Johnson and Bo Diddley.
Wilko Johnson's (8.8) take on the blues is much more rough and raw. What amazes me the most about

Wilko Johnson

him is how he manages to make barre chords sound so distinctive, his machine gun style lends a power to his playing that few guitarists can match. While his stage craft, his gurning and shuffling has been perfected from years in the business. Wilko is a born entertainer, and he belongs on the stage.

The Pretty Things

I'm happy that I got to meet Public Service Broadcasting (9.2) and could tell them how much I loved their 'Race For Space' LP, and give them my idea for their LP3. My signed copy of their first album is something I will treasure. On stage PSB had TV screens, a light up Sputnik, a horn section and a dancing astronaut. J Willgoose Esq, hilariously used his sampler not just for the songs but also to communicate with the audience. A posh voice which announced 'Thank you. Lunar Festival!' that also had a response to every heckle that could be thrown at it. PSB prove that music can be cerebral without being pretentious or overly serious. My face hurt from smiling so much.

Public Service Broadcasting

 
Much like the night before there was plenty of choice for things to do afterwards, and at 2 am I went to bed happily listening to the sound of a man violently throwing up.