V2003 - August 15th - 18th

Friday - 15th
Pick the guys up - have a good run up with hardly any hold ups arriving at lunch time.
We meet up with Steve and the gang. There is usual saga with steve's gazebo vs the fire marshalls.
We camp close to fresh watertanker and there seems to be more toilets than last year.
After setting up the tent we go for a wander in the arena . It's the usual set up with a funfair and main areas sealed off until tomorrow. There is the usual festival fodder available and tokens to be purchased to get beer.
The jjb arena is open for the evening with the usual disco followed by films into the wee hours - me and joel head back later for Goldmember.

Saturday - 16th
We head off to the arena in the morning for breakfast and a chance to visit clean toilets.
The stages normaly get going just after 12 so we head over to the nme stage.
12:25 - nme stage - the zutons - lots of sax appeal - a good start to the day.
13:10 - nme stage - the stands - dylanesque - when this river rolls over you / here she comes again
13:55 - nme stage - haven - indie rockers - say something / still tonight
14:15 - v stage - inspiral carpets - I leave the guys to it and take a nostalgia trip over to the v stage - looking slightly older apart from clint who looks the same - all the hits - saturn 5 / this is how it feels / 2 worlds collide / i want you
14:40 - nme stage - spearhead - I head back to the guys where spearhead finish by jumping down into the crowd and still carry on accapella style while the stage is being reset
15:40 - nme stage - shack - scouse folk pop - just the odd swear word and his daughter in the audience too!
16:40 - nme stage - the distillers - raucous sound - brody will hurt her throat if she carries on singing like that - loads of nifty feedback - death sex.
We have a break, something to eat and a wander. Alas one of our stools broke - it's now a fight to see who has to stand! There is an impromptu sumo wresting competition behind the sound desk in a ring made from the cleared space of empty beer cartons - something to do between acts. There is also a bike and skateboarding display in full progress on a constructed half pipe.
18:00 - v stage - queens of the stone age - lets rock! - lost art of keeping a secret / nobody knows / hanging tree
19:30 - v stage - david gray - the other side / sail away - we did, over to the coral
20:00 - nme stage - the coral - a bit all over the place but good - spanish main / pass it on.
21:15 - v stage - red hot chili peppers - all the hits - by the way /suck my kiss /zepher song / a bit of london calling as a tribute to joe strummer / give it away / under the bridge - flea in his skeleton costume and kiedis all in black - alas it was a bit of a lacklustre performance.
There is a massive queue back to the campsite with everyone being checked - make way for the box!

Sunday - 17th
Time for breakfast in the arena again and the clean toilets. There's a pretty big queue for cash machine most of it through a muddy swamp.
12:30 - v stage - eisley - the angelic voices of the eisleys (plus friend) similar to the throwing muses - they look like angels too - if only they told us who they were - a nice angelic start to the day.
13:20 - v stage - echo & the bunnymen - someone has started something with macca down the front - killing moon / walk on the wild / nothing ever lasts forever
14:00 - jjb arena - the rain band - alas only caught the last song they must have came on early.
14:15 - v stage - reel big fish - lots of knockabout humour - lots of brass - songs about beer and fancying your girlfriend's girlfriend.
Another break for food and a wander. I leave the guys to the hives whilst I go over to see killing joke for nostalgia - the nme stage is packed - a bit odd for kj - surprisingly athlete arrive on stage (much to the annoyance of the punk/goth contigent who abruptly leave) - they have swapped the order around after kelly osbourne's non-appearance.
16:40 - nme stage - athlete - biggest crowd for the nme stage - good set - el salvador / westside
17:45 - nme stage - killing joke - heavy and loud (and that's just jaz - resplendant in spider shirt, painted face and wolf clothing) - classic performance - requiem / war dance.
18:20 - v stage - ash - back to v stage searching for the guys but they have moved leaving me to get mashed down the front, time for the phone - girl from mars / kung fu / envy / shining star.
19:30 - v stage - foo fighters - best performance of the festival with dave in his dr love guise giving advice, giving his opinion on orbit extra gum and proclaiming taylor hawkins the greatest drummer in the world - all my life / monkey wrench / learning to fly breakdown.
21:15 - v stage - coldplay - biggest crowded of the festival - we only stop for the first few numbers - it takes a good while to get to the back - politik / god put a smile on my face / a rush of blood to the head.
21:40 - nme stage - feeder - we head over to feeder to show our support and they don't let us down - forget about tomorrow / buck rogers / comfort in sound / just a day.
After last night's queues we hang around a bit so that crowds die down.

Monday - 18th
Awake at the crack of dawn - decamp - back to reality - traffic not too bad.