Rest my Chemistry

Day 3. By this point in the adventure, a few things have started to happen. I am adapting to the heat (mostly)-it also helps it is slightly cooler today - a positively chilly 34 degrees C🤣. I am feeling slightly sleep deprived (5 am finishes are ok in isolation but when your 40 plus, having them back to back starts to feel like military drill. Also, my liver is starting to feel pickled. So I declare a rest day and am proud to do so- I have learnt adventure does not always mean extreme and you need to be able to be well enough to enjoy the good times.

So after a leisurely day, pottering by the pool and exploring local foodie places (green pasty anyone?) , we jump in a taxi with our 20 odd yr old new taxi compadres, refusing any suggestion of consuming their vile of colourless liquid (if you know, you know) and arrive promptly at the festival gates, sober, only intoxicated on the prospect of the line up of bands to come!!!

First up...The Pixies! We set up camp in our usual spot, front (and left)- we are becoming to used to this relative ease of gaining a good spot🤣- I may eat those words at another point. And a few moments later, Black Francis and his well worn crew stroll casually on to the stage in their inimitable and frankly dour style. I have seen Pixies a few times before and they are not exactly known for their stage presence and true to form they whistle through the first few songs with pin point musical precision but without barely moving or looking up from their instruments...but wait!... Something is different...firstly they are playing all the hits! This is most likely entirely their choice (they are not a band to suffer fandom gladly) and it seems to be working!.... They are slowly building a dynamic with the crowd....and wait....could this be?... Black Francis is beginning to ....smile?...what?... 🤣. By mid-set they actually look like they are starting to enjoy themselves and it's a huge pay-off- they play better and more dynamically than I've ever seen them and by the end of the overrun set (nada problemo), they are deserving of the raptous applause and take a well earned bow (another first)!!! ❤️

We barely have time for hydration break before we are back in position for our second act of the evening... Kings.Of.Leon 🫪. Once again, I have seen these lads a few times and they feature heavily on my most played list on YouTube. So it was no surprise that they played a set of wall to wall sing along bangers to the delight of L'espagne crowd (special mention to Nathan Followills drum breaks on Molly's Chambers.... sensational). There were a couple of surprises though- firstly, they pIayed a great deal more songs of of the first 2 albums (Youth & Young Manhood...and...Aha Shake Heartbreak...I think that's right but my pride won't allow me to look it up.. apologies if not😋). These songs were interesting because, either by necessity or design, they played them slower but heavier with a bigger bass component...it gave them a more anthemic, stadium feel and I must say...I liked it!!! The 2nd surprise, however, was how electric the energy was in the crowd- this continued to grow to epic and frankly gargantuan proportions until it dawned on me that Spain were on a cliffhanger World Cup football game and as the messages of their exploits rippled through the crowd, they got more and more excited. The band played into this energy, with Caleb at one point sarcastically declaring "oh...you seem to like that one!?😉", as they played a lesser known track....and Spain scored the goal that would put them in contention for the win. Indeed, as Spain wrapped up their success on the football field, it was announced on the big screen and the band beautifully transitioned from yelps of "oleh oleh oleh oleh" into 'Use Somebody'....and the crowd...went....off!!!!! Nathan (drummer) had even found time to put on a top for once (a Spanish football shirt🤣).... They knew exactly what they were doing!?...but full credit to them...it was the last night of their tour and they were going out in style....I hope they enjoyed it as much as we did!🙏

After all that excitement, I needed a lie down so we retreated to the quieter end of the park, Phil got a beer and I did some star gazing. As we trundled over to mainstage to get a spot at the back (not really bothered about being near the front for the next one), we were questioning why KOL hadn't been put on as a headliner (as they were clearly of that calibre), instead the festival choosing to close with a "little known" band 'Twenty One Pilots'...until it was pointed out that their 4th album was one of the most streamed albums of all time in 2014 with over 4.2 billion downloads...ah ok...I must have missed that😊. I was still unsure, having heard only the odd song and my cynical self was convinced that it surely must be a 'social media' band elevated to grandious status by shared 'likes' of the 'youth of today' (insert eye roll here). I am happy to say, I was only partially right. Yes, they clearly have a huge cult like younger audience that no doubt fuels their relevance and they are most definitely 'instagrammable', but after seeing them perform (exactly the right word), I can see why people enjoy them. In terms of stage presence, they are interesting...with back flips, crowd surf boarding, stage climbing, costumes, fire...I could go on!... There was always something to see. But more over, these guys are quite musically talented and very diverse. The drummer was on point and basically drove the whole thing forward, playing difficult fills like they were nothing, and the singer had a strong and versatile voice beautifully arranged around his synth melodies. All in all, I was impressed and I wouldn't shy away from seeing them again at some point should the opportunity present itself.

Alas, it was nearing home time- time flies in this place. But we did manage to see a few tracks from the amazing Interpol before we began the long trek back to the accomodation. In contrast to the previous guys, this band just gets the job done with driving rhythm and melody, sinister lyrics delivered by a rock solid nasal and perpetually cool singer...they lulled me into a dreamy ethereal state and were exactly what was required to, for one night at least, 'Rest my Chemistry' 😉xxx.