Roskilde, Saturday 3rd July 2010

Boys walking around shirtless and girls in bikini and bra tops abound at Roskilde on Saturday. Looks like the sun will be unrelenting. But no one is complaining: it sure beats the near washout of Roskilde Festival 2007. First up on my schedule is the Rumour Said Fire, said to be the Danish keepers of the Simon and Garfunkel flame. Pretty good folk rock. The Roskilde admin must like this band a lot, as they were chosen as a band to guest blog for the official festival Web site. Even better is the next act on the same stage, Odeon, the Asteroids Galaxy Tour. They’re a prime example of a Scandi band that has proved it is possible to become famous, no matter where you’re from. They’re a huge success now but they got their start on the Pavilion Junior stage years ago (the stage where up and coming acts play before the 4-day festival officially begins) Mette Lindberg, the blonde hippie frontwoman, is resplendent in a hot pink leopard print shirt, gold sequined short shorts, hot pink tights, and probably the most sensible shoes (black trainers fastened with Velcro) I’ve seen a dancing frontwoman wear ever since I started gigging regularly. Good on her. Songs like ‘Around the Bend’ and ‘The Sun Ain’t Shining No More’ have the crowd cheering for the band’s psychedelic-tinged indie soul.

From the far northwest to the far southeast is a fair trek over to Arena, but it’s worth it, because starting in early evening, there are three acts in a row that I want to see, each having made a name for themselves in entirely different ways. First is Vampire Weekend, who in 2008 was still playing smallish clubs in America, and now they’re playing for stadium audiences like they’ve being doing this for years. Frontman Ezra Koenig must be boiling in a rugby-style top that makes him look like a walking advert for a soft drink that shall not be named. Facility management have placed a large fan in front of him, and the rest of us wish we had an electric appliance blowing cold air at us while we stand in somewhat stifling heat watching them tightly packed under the Arena ‘Valhalla’ tent.

Obligatory pogo-ing ensues for ‘A-Punk’; I agreed with a new Swedish friend that Vampire Weekend’s music is sunny and fun. And Koenig’s jokey stage patter is perfectly suited to the music style too. Koenig quipped that they were no longer Roskilde virgins and ‘just like losing your real virginity, it’s fun. But it’s also sad and painful. And here comes the sad and painful part, our last song’ before playing set ender ‘Walcott’. While their set is not earth-shattering, it sure is a lot of fun, and you can sense the joy with every note played.

As is commonplace at Roskilde, the fan demographic changes dramatically as the crowd switches over from the hipster Vampire Weekend fans to the Joy Division / New Order diehards at Arena. I am approached by a fellow punter, and they all want to know what Bad Lieutenant sounds like. I try to explain what came before Bad Lieutenant, even name-dropping both Joy Division and New Order to help jog their memory. Not sure if this is doing Bernard Sumner a disservice, but these people sounded genuinely sincere when asking for information, so I couldn’t begrudge them. I mention Sumner’s former bands not expecting at all to hear songs from his earlier eras to be played.

Bad Lieutenant’s debut album release last year, ‘Never Cry Another Tear’ was a strong rock and pop showing from Sumner and his fellow former New Order mate Phil Cunningham and third member Jake Evans, so I would have been happy with a Bad Lieutenant-only set. Yet the set was heavy on Joy Division and New Order favourites, Sumner knowing full well that the crowd will go mental for them. It’s an engaging set, and Sumner’s voice is still sounding amazing after all these years.

I decide to retreat from my barrier position at Arena for the next act whose identity should be obvious if you look around Arena and spy all the Australian flags. The hordes have come to see drum and bass rockers Pendulum, who have just released a new album ‘Watercolour’ last month. Looks like the Aussies have a big fanbase in Scandinavia. Retreating was probably a good decision, as punters run and trip each other trying to get as close as they can in the front of the pits. Several wipe out in the process.

Wearing sunglasses for Pendulum is probably as good of an idea as wearing earplugs, because they have a searing light show to go along with the searing dance beats. ‘Pendulum!’ is chanted over and over again until Rob Swire and his mates arrive onstage, ready to wow the Roskilde crowd. I’d only heard about them from Radio1 and wow, what a powerful, exciting performance that has everyone’s feet off the ground constantly. I almost feel bad that I’ve got to leg it in advance of Muse playing Orange Stage.

But this is Muse we’re talking about, the Devon rockers that seems tailor made for stadiums, and they are worth it. They show no signs of wear despite being all over Europe the last couple weeks, Matt Bellamy belting out each number with boundless energy. ‘United States of Eurasia’ live continues to wow me, and tracks from ‘The Resistance’ are met with what seems like endless crowd cheers. Conspicuously absent was the Twilight saga cheesy love song ‘Neutron Star Collision’. Old favourites like ‘Time is Running Out’ and the Anthony Newley cover of ‘Feeling Good’ are applauded alongside more obvious favourites like ‘Black Holes and Revelations’ and ‘Knights of Cydonia’. It is something amazing when you see that each and every person watching, no matter if they’ve snagged a prime spot in the pits or are standing somewhere outside on the Orange Stage surrounding grounds, they are all jumping up and down, pumping enthusiastic fists in the area while Muse performs ‘Plug in Baby’. What an awesome way to end Saturday at Roskilde.