Friday 27/08/04 Auf der Maur, Radio 4, British Sea Power, Secret Machines, The Streets @ Carling Leeds Festival, Leeds

OK, so having braved gale forced winds, blatantly stupid stewards & the downright crassness of Thrice, The Dropkick Murphys and Dogs Die in Hot Cars; The Streets finally get this festival off the ground.

If ever there was a more perfect mid-day festival band, then they're it.  Bit bored with plasi-Goths?  faux Dexy 's try-hards? Then go watch Mike Skinner persistently ask random women to get their tits out. 'Don't Mug Yourself ' is Terry Hall  if he'd stopped takin' all those bleedin' downers back then, and 'Dry Your Eyes ' (ably assisted by rapper Leo) is the tune of the day so far and 'Fit But You Know It ' is a barnstormer in its live form.  Keep it up!

If 'Up' means quick! start the Echo & the Bunnymen tribute hour! then, great... but if what yer after is cheap fezzie thrills and y'know SOMETHING TO GRAB YOU, then Secret Machines  and British Sea Power are way off the mark.  Well, at least BSP 'ave a go, what with their mams' conifers and occasional, apparent and seemingly forced 'craziness'.  The Coral are officially crazy, this lot are not... in fact, they're the Hoylake lot if they'd been locked in a room and made to listen to Springsteen over and over again.  On Vicodin.
See? that's at least a little interesting... but the Machines? pah! they do the kinda stuff JJ72 were dropped for - without the blonde fittie, vocal dexterity or Pumpkins-ness of Greaney & co.

So, it's somewhat of a relief to stumble across into the Dance Tent and - after the disappointment of realising they're not the razor-sharp Clash-heads they purport to be on record, but lumpy late twentysomethings - (deep breath) see Radio 4 shimmying away. 'Transmission ' is ace and 'Dance to the Underground ', replete with a bass line deeper and dirtier than the campsite's shitholes, is a 21st century 'Rock the Casbah '.  Judging by the crowd's reaction, the younger and better looking Dead 60's should be cleaning up this time next year. 

Rock! finally! and who better to dish it out than Auf Der Maur .  Melissa rocks. This we already know, but it's an extra special "Rolling Hills of England Love Vibe " rock she's kicking out today, stopping her set midway thru to have everyone "Rejoice in the thing you love most " and erm, scream. 
Ode to doin' da doyty 'Taste You ' is obviously erm, filthy... whilst she makes 'Pass It On ' apocalyptically rock like only someone of her pedigree can do.

Photos by Dave Kent