2005’s tip for the top, The Subways, are first onto the 02 stage, and you can almost smell their ambition. After a series of false starts and an unfathomable three year gap between records, the trio from Hertfordshire finally look like they’re ready for greatness as they crank their amps up to eleven in a bid to blow away any lingering hangovers. In many ways Billy is the consummate frontman. He tells us we’re sexy after almost every song (more of this sort of thing) and he guides the crowd like an old master. The only problem with the set is their songs. They just don’t have that magic that lifts a mediocre band from being pretenders to the throne to genuine contenders. We see flashes of brilliance during ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Queen’ but on the whole they’re just like three puppies who want to be loved rather than the biggest dogs in the yard.
Next up it’s Revenge of the Nerds Part Two as everyone’s favourite wallflowers The Hold Steady make their return to Oxegen in the Green Room. Playing material from their brand spanking new record Stay Positive, the band are on fire as they bash out their bar-room anthems to the boozy massive. It’s hard to criticise a Hold Steady gig. They play loved up E Street Band-inspired songs and do so with a smile on their face, and ultimately what’s not to love about a besuited, moustache-wearing keyboard player who is clearly madder than a bag of hammers.
We go from one ill-advised ‘tache to another when we make the trek over to the IMRO stage for Derry hopefuls Fighting With Wire. Much to our amusement, FWW frontman Cahir has now grown his own lip-warmer, but when they unleash the opening riff to ‘Cut The Transmission’, we’re willing to forgive the ‘70s porn star look. It’s reassuring to see an up and coming Irish band with a packed stage, and it’s cool to watch them stealing some of the crowd from those Sylvia Young-schooled types The Feeling. Cahir is in a wicked mood too and warns us that fellow Derry native Phil Coulter is allegedly robbing people’s possessions in the campsite. They only play for 30 minutes but it’s as thrilling and exciting as ever and next year we want to see them moved up in the pecking order.
Recent Sony BMG singings In Case Of Fire aren’t faring as well in the New Band tent though. While they have the look and (for the most part) the songs to give acts like Biffy Clyro a run for their money, they need to work a bit more on their onstage patter, and you can almost hear a pin drop between songs. Hopefully next time we see them they’ll have the bite to go along with their impressive bark.
The Pigeon Detectives on the other hand know exactly how to work their crowd on the O2 stage and are supplying us with good stuff in the form of ‘This Is An Emergency’ and ‘I’m Not Sorry.’ As per usual, frizzy haired singer Matt Bowman is bounding around like a mental patient on day release, and we wouldn’t want him any other way.
The Kooks, on the other hand, are utterly hopeless. Their performance is dull, flat, lifeless and strangely hit-free. Luke looks like he’d rather be eating Pot Noodles backstage than trying to steal Rage Against The Machine’s thunder, and even when we hear ‘She Moves In Her Own Way,’ we’re not bothered in the slightest. To make matters worse, he’s still wearing the same cardigan and t-shirt combo that he’s had on since last year. We know it’s a festival, but for God’s sake have a wash old son.
After that disappointment, Harrow-born hottie Kate Nash gives us a bit of glamour on the 02 Stage. Looking like she raided Barbara Cartland’s make-up box, the singer is sitting resplendent inside a giant shell as her band try their best to deliver a solid set in the open air. By now the black t-shirt brigade have arrived in force for Rage Against The Machine and it’s quite funny watching a few thousand goths and metallers clap along to Kate’s catchy tunes. Her performance is far from vintage though, and her voice just doesn’t carry as well as it does in the smoky clubs where she made her name. Still, we’re always happy to hear ‘Foundations’ and as ever it’s a bona fide festival classic.
Somewhat bizarrely The Pogues and their spiritual children Flogging Molly are on at the exact same time in the Green Room and New Band tent respectively, so we decide to split the difference and catch both. Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it at Oxegen?

After a wonderfully chaotic weekend, what better way to end this year’s Oxegen than with a set by a band who are no strangers to a little bit of anarchy themselves – Rage Against The Machine. Coming onstage 15 minutes late, they hit us between the eyes straight away with a fiery version of ‘Testify.’ Not resting for a second, we then get the unholy trinity of ‘Bulls On Parade,’ ‘People Of The Sun’ and ‘Bombtrack’ before they stop for a quick breather. We may be only four songs in, but I have to say that in all my years of attending Oxegen, I’ve yet to see a main stage act play as viciously or as raw as Rage. It’s going down a storm.
Mid-way through the show we spot an inverted American flag flying in the breeze and the thought occurs that this show is more than just a musical performance – it’s a statement of intent. Prior to their reformation last year, there weren’t many bands around who had the stones to speak out against the monkeys in government (we’re looking at you Mr Bush) but now that we’ve got RATM back in action, we know we’ve at least four individuals who are willing to put their money where their mouths are.
Perhaps one of the most surprising things about tonight’s set is how fresh all the songs sound. They might have been written over 14 years ago, but they’re still as vibrant and downright funky as ever. Hell, even some brief sound glitches can’t stop the band as they electrify the crowd with their sonic manifesto. After a brief exit, they come back on for a killer encore featuring three songs (‘War Within A Breath,’ ‘Wake Up’ and ‘Killing In The Name Of’). Not surprisingly ‘Killing...’ has the moshers worked up into a foul-mouthed frenzy of four-letter words, and it’s a scene that’s both funny and frightening in equal measure. Before they leave Punchestown for the next stop on the reunion tour, Rage Against the Machine stand side by side to accept their applause in a show of unity that hints that maybe we’ll see a fourth studio album after all. It might sound mad to say it, but being sworn at by a bearded bloke with an Afro for 90 minutes was the most fun we’ve had all year. Welcome back boys.