Saturday, 22 February 2014

Random Saturday Ramblings on the Sziget line up- Part One

Well this was a Tuesday too.

February is generally a dull month, and Tuesdays in February seem worse than any other Tuesday. Yes, I dislike Tuesdays more than your average facebooker dislikes Mondays though I cannot really fathom why. What saves Mondays for me is that I was born on one, so I can't really hold a grudge against it for being there- good thing it is. Back to my point if I ever had one, bad as Tuesdays are, it strikes me that new Sziget announcements often come on Tuesdays, or at least definitely during the middle of the week, which is an awesome break from whatever else you were doing at that point. 
We've already had a couple of names drop this year and I have again promised myself to closely investigate even the most obtuse sounding acts lest I commit a crime such as not really being aware how much I liked Gesaffelstein until September last year. So here's a subjective rundown of the excitement factors:

-Queens of the Stone Age.Missed them last year at Sziget's sister festival VOLT because, well, basically, because stupid. Incidentally VOLT is also shaping up to totally rock this year, so here I come slow trains to the province and watery lagers. I am saying this without any hard feelings towards watery lagers, some of the most memorable beers I had were items of dubious origin in the dead of a festival night and I can absolutely see myself enjoying another of those to Foals or MGMT.

-Jake Bugg. Sziget's been spoiling me for the past few years with acts only the NME and myself can be absolutely charmed by, and here they go again. Though Lightning Bolt should go down gingerly with any festival crowd.

-London Grammar. I am definitely curious to see how their music shapes up live and whether they'll end up being a bit washed out on the Main Stage or having a moodier time in the A38 tent. I'd somehow go for the second option, The XX were definitely blighted by having to play in daylight- yes, some bands just don't work like that. And here's where I would really love to go on a ramble about how The Horrors should not work at 4 PM either but they do because they are the best ba...okay, time to stop.

-Klaxons. Admittedly, they should be a bit yesterday but the new material does sound promising, and if global warming and all that, Sziget is at least nearing the heat levels of last year no refrain will fit better than “We are the children of the sun/We came to be and to become/Awakening as one”. 

-Brody Dalle. Because Josh Homme is cool but his missus is epic.

-Placebo. I am sure a lot of people will frown with an exhausted "not-them-again" face, and yes, they are definite usual suspects and can occasionally play a dud of a concert, but the last one worked out quite fine. There's something liberating about seeing a band over and over again and not being hung up on the importance of the moment anymore but just letting go and enjoying the vibe.

-Bastille. They could never really win me over,they kind of sound like children's toothpaste to me, but in true Seinfeldian vein, you can be sure to find a couple of scenesters to discuss the correct pronounciation of their name while queueing for the above mentioned lagers. And yes, Pompeii is perfectly catchy for a good main stage jump around.

Next week brings new names, so why not have another subjective rundown of what I wish was on that list:
-Arctic Monkeys. Because, bar the Horrors, they are the best band in the world and Sziget deserves them as headliners. It does seem a longshot seeing their summer schedule, but who knows, no one can stop me from dreaming.
-The Horrors. Nauseatingly excited about the new album, which I predict to be brilliant and that calls for another outing in Budapest.
-St Vincent. She must grace us with the most fabulous hair and cheekbones in the music industry and the sublime fact that not even those can eclipse her music.



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