Sunday brought better weather but sadly Jane’s Addiction on the NME stage had been cancelled due to illness as had their previous nights gig at Reading.

On the main stage Seasick Steve was making his own style of music with car parts and scrap timber accompanied by Led Zeppelins John Paul Jones on base and sometimes mandolin. Steve pulled some poor girl from the audience to serenade her with’ My names Steve and I’m your man’ with one song being interrupted by a naked member of Madness kicking a large football into the crowd.

The nuttiness erupted as Madness hit the stage and everyone danced along to a succession of Madness hits including the every popular “Baggy Trousers”, “Night Boat to Cairo” and just about everything else in their back catalogue.

Moving back to the NME Stage we were fortunate to catch Americas Bombay Bicycle Club playing their well received melodic whimsical tunes.

All in all we do feel that to get the best from the Festival it pays to see what’s on the smaller stages as the NME/Radio 1 Stage had by far the best variety and styles of music in the festival.

Article by Janet Hart