Broken Down Halo - T In the Park 04

T In The Park 2004 (Day Two - Saturday 11th July)

T 2004. Day 2. The rain forecast for Saturday never materialised and thankfully the weathermen got it wrong again for today. Sheez! If you want to know the weather forecast, just look out the window. That seems the best bet.

Another thing which was no different today was the traffic to the site. Still horrendous. Slightly better than yesterday. But enough to hold us up so much as to just catch the tail end of RAZORLIGHT's set. We'd been looking forward to catching them on the back of their excellent debut album "Up All Night", but from those we talked to, it appears that their live set didn't fully match up to expectations, so maybe we didn't miss too much afterall.

What that meant though was that our Sunday T was now properly opened at the NME stage by wondrous New Yorkers STELLASTARR*. The band have been doing the rounds as a support band over here for what seems like an age now, but, thankfully, they are now starting to build up their own following and an excellent Glastonbury set on the new band stage (seen live by BDH thanks to the wonders of BBC Three and interactive TV), backed up by an equally electric T set looks to bode well for the band, as they return to Manhattan to record their second album.

They have the looks. They have the sounds. A modern day fresh Sonic Youth, with more tunes, and despite attractions elsewhere, they captured a healthy and enthusiastic crowd, belting out tracks from their eponymous debut and a few new songs to boot. Singles "My Coco" and "Jenny" really deserving a wider audience.

With the great Scots hopes, FRANZ FERDINAND, about to rock Balado to the full, it was so so hard to tear ourselves away and we managed to make it right through to their last song before the call of Franz drew us to the Main Stage.

What a difference a year makes. Franz are everywhere. A worldwide phenomenon that's put Scotland's faltering music scene firmly back on the map and finally opened the eyes of London's A&R execs as to what is happening up here. We were one of the lucky ones, catching the guys in the X-Tent last year in front of a handful of watchers (who'd obviously read the small NME article on this new band that we had), even taking time to talk to Nick after the event, not knowing that 12 months later you wouldn't be able to get near him or the rest of the band.

The crowd reaction said it all though. Bouncing, mouthing every word and taking lead singer Alex Kapranos aback. The band seemed surprised by the amount of love and adulation that was in abundance, as the opening riff of "Take Me Out" filled the Fife air. They rattled through what already seems like a greatest hits set. Every one a winner. "Jacqueline", "Michael" and a superb high-tempo'd "Matinee" leaving those watching breathless. There's so much hype around at the moment, for so many bands, but Franz Ferdinand live up to it. For a band so early on in their careers, their set was so tight, so polished, so perfect that you wonder just what level they could move on to next.

It would take some act to follow that and thankfully the NME stage provided it in THE KILLERS. At last, something to come out of Las Vegas that isn't tacky and glitzy. They do have a talented and charismatic frontman in Brandon Flowers and songs that defy you not to sing along and they're building up quite a following over here, as the large crowd in attendance would testify, giving rapturous sing-a-longs to singles "Somebody Told Me" and "Mr Brightside". It was definitely a case of "Glamorous Indie Rock 'n' Roll" for me, them and the band. Destiny is indeed calling them. Catch these guys in a small venue while you can, as mega success beckons.

That was quite a bit of excitement in such a small period of time, so it was time for our snoozy, relaxed afternoon moment and THE THRILLS provided that opportunity on the Main Stage, with their brand of Irish California-tinged sounds giving some fine sing-a-long moments in "One Horse Town", "Big Sur" and "Santa Cruz". Their new material is worryingly very very similar, so it will be interesting to see if they are just a one trick pony or can go on to develop the fanbase that last year's jammed King Tuts tent performance saw them attain.

Rest and relaxation over, it was time to rock again with the original indie angst-rock chick PJ HARVEY. Her iconic crown may have been under pressure from new pretenders like Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Distillers' Brody Dalle, but PJ is fighting hard to keep her pedestal position, seemingly adopting Karen O's haircut and dress sense in the process, and striking a fine figure as she strutted across the Main Stage in a skimpy body-hugging yellow punk design dress.

Having been a fan from the first time I heard "Sheena-Na-Gig", all those years ago, it's been good to see Polly Jane develop and this development shows no signs of slowing up as new tracks from the wonderfully titled new album, "Uh Huh, Her", didn't feel out of place alongside classics like "Dry" and "Dress" and thrilled the crowd in a tight set.

Time for food, as our Pixies feulled excitement rose. A delicious steak pie, mash, mushy peas and gravy combo from Posh Pies was duly scoffed by the NME Stage, as we caught some of BADLY DRAWN BOY's set, with Damian Gough's new material proving to be some of his strongest yet.

Having missed all bar "Gay Bar" at last year's RHCP gig on Glasgow Green, we thought we'd check out a bit of ELECTRIC SIX next, just getting to a jam packed King Tuts tent in time to get in, with hundreds more left disappointed outside. We only stayed for a few songs, but left happy after hearing "Danger, High Voltage", in what seemed to be building into a high charged performance from the Detroiters.

Having been impressed by their recent support slots on Franz Ferdinand's recent UK tour, we wanted to see a little more of Glasgow's exciting SONS AND DAUGHTERS and dropped by the X-Tent to do just that. The success of Franz has opened the doors to a number of Scottish bands like Sons and Daughters, but their polished, celtic-influenced rock sound and girl-boy harmonies stand out as some of the cream of the crop at the moment.

We were only able to hear half their set tonight, but we plan on catching them (supported by The Fiery Furnaces) at T on the Fringe in August. Why don't you join us?!

Now though it was time. PIXIES time!

Pre-T this was always going to be our highlight of the weekend and now, after the Pixie dust has settled, it most definitely was. So much so in fact that we just had to do a whole separate review of their set for the site, so read that elsewhere in the Gig Reviews section.

Words cannot do justice to the excitement felt in finally getting to see the band after all these years. I never thought I'd be in a field, twenty minutes from my house, as thousands sang aloud about slicing up eye balls, gouging away and being on a wave of mutilation, watching one of my favourite bands of all time.

Few words, 23 songs and many more wonderful memories in their sixty-five minute set, as the crowd lapped up song after song. Frank and Kim may have put on some weight and Joey and Dave may have lost their hair, but the passion and energy of their early years was still there for all to see, from the very first bars of "Planet of Sound" to the very last ones of "Vamos". It was over far too soon and with tumultuous cheers still ringing in their ears, the indie rock legends were away.

Wow.

So it was just left for THE STROKES to close BDH's 2004 T in the Park.

It was always going to be a hard job for a band to follow the Pixies, as lead singer Julian Casablancas acknowledged, but The Strokes made an ample attempt to do that, hindered by the fact that Julian was clearly wasted and incoherent in some of his on-stage banter, but his New York drawl could at least disguise this fact during the music.

The band almost peaked too early with "Reptilia", "Some Time", "Hard To Explain", "Last Night" and "New York City Cops" coming surprisingly early for a festival headlining set, but then, the Strokes have never done what's been expected of them, as their fifteen minute late appearance showed.

They managed to keep the crowd with them though, with Julian draping a saltire on his mic and professing his love and appreciation of Scottish audiences and rounding off proceedings with a storming cover of the Clash's "Clampdown" and our favourite Strokes song "Take It Or Leave It".

And then that was it. T over for another year. Twelve months till the next weekend of fun and fine music comes back to this neck of the woods. There were highs (The Pixies, Franz Ferdinand, The Killers and Stellastarr*) and there were lows (the traffic congestion, Bowie pulling out and the god awful Kings of Leon who we had the misfortune to catch a little of!). But it was fun and all of us here at BROKEN DOWN HALO can't wait for the next one to come round.