Reflections on Witnness 2002…

In terms of highlights, I remember watching Haçienda That and being really impressed. They were givin’ it full-on Madchester, and even though the underfoot conditions in the tent weren’t the best, by the end there were loads more people there than when they’d come on. It was just one of those really nice gigs where the momentum gradually builds and by the end everybody’s totally into it. I also thought Basement Jaxx were great, and I really liked The Dandy Warhols.

“But you know, the sheer level of discrepancy in what people adjudge to have been the highlights never ceases to amaze me. I mean, lots of people were of the opinion that the Polyphonic Spree stole the show last year, and I think that’s nonsense! And I’ll tell you why – there was hardly anyone at the bloody gig! They were on at midday – which I can vividly recall, because the only reason I saw them was due to the fact that I had to be up early to do interviews – and I remember walking down past the campsite and noticing that things were very quiet.

“So I get down there and there’s about 80 people in front of the stage, half of whom didn’t even have a clue who the band were. Then afterwards everyone’s raving that Polyphonic Spree completely blew everybody away. It’s ridiculous!”

Bands to look out for…

“Well, like a lot of people, the one band I’m really looking forward to seeing this year is the White Stripes. I love Elephant and White Blood Cells, and their image is great, their interviews are great – they’re just the best rock ‘n’ roll band to have emerged in a long time. I’m also looking forward to seeing Super Furry Animals, not to mention Supergrass – I really thought Life On Other Planets was just a fantastic record.

“And I don’t give a shit what anyone says, I think Coldplay are really good. Yes, they’re a girlie band and, yes, they’re a student band, and they’re so big that if you’re cool, you can’t like them. But I don’t give a fuck – I like them and I think they write great songs. I mean, if they sold 2,000 copies of each record, everybody would be saying, ‘Ah man, you’re missing out on this great band’. The fact that they sell 5 million copies of each album means everybody goes, ‘Fuck those smug bastards’. So that’s my take on Coldplay. Am I looking forward to seeing David Gray? Jesus no!”

The festival experience…

“This is kind of an odd one – I always say I don’t like festivals, and then I go and I usually really enjoy it. For instance, if you go to Glastonbury, by about the third day you start becoming a completely different person. And given the amount of, er, extracurricular activities on offer, it’s perfectly possible to have an absolutely amazing day there without seeing any live music at all.

“Obviously something like Witnness is on a much smaller scale, but by the same token it can still be an extremely cool experience. Like, probably the best part of going to any festival are those utterly unexpected moments – you get completely sidetracked on the way for some food or something, wander into a tent and end up seeing the gig of your life.

I suppose ultimately there’s only a bunch of years you can really do festivals properly, after a while you just don’t wanna sleep on a campsite, know what I mean? But then you go and do it a different way, I guess. I mean, I do have a backstage pass, and I am working at it – which frankly probably gives me more legitimacy to be there – but do I enjoy it? Of course I do, I absolutely love it. I think it’s a great experience, although I don’t think the music is the most important thing. The most important thing is definitely the vibe.”