It's not just the matter of civilised living, but the music as well. For pretty much the same price, the line-up for previous ATPs had been far more appealing that Glastonbury, and this year was no different. Weekend two offered a greater variety than the mainly post rock of the previous weekend. In fact the days were perfectly planned out. Gentle melodic bands to warm us up on the Friday, full on rocking action of the Saturday and calming bands to ease us back into the real world. But don't say that this festival was for wussy indie kids, the fantastic onsite pub, where artists and fans mingled, was the site for partying till 5 every morning.
The first day of any festival is always the hardest, as you adjust to your new surroundings and settle into your temporary rock and roll lifestyle. So listening to Nina Nastasia was a pretty good way to start, with her acoustic songs backed only with a guitar and violin. In amist all the excitement of the weekend, she was a forgotten gem.
The highlight of the Friday were The Shins, who made their appearance just as their second album Chutes Too Narrow was receiving rave reviews. Performing live with songs off this album and their debut Oh Inverted World, it is a surprise that it has taken so long for this band to make an impact. With their Beach Boys style harmonies, and Jame Mercer's pop melodies, everyone will be singing these songs by the end of the summer. |  |
 | Rounding off the first melodic day, were Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks. Watching Malkmus will never be like watching Pavement, and mainly playing songs off the recent Jicks albums didn't really help either. Although it was a pleasure to watch Stephen Malkmus perform, it was too formulaic by the end, with only Malkmus's bluesy guitar solos breaking the tedium. |