Glastonbury 2009 - Saturday afternoon live blogging (Spinal Tap and Dizzee Rascal)

I'm wondering how much Spinal Tap I will hear this afternoon...and how much I will be able to endure. I'm interested to see what kind of stage props the band will subject us to...

Of course today is all building up to the big headlining set from The Boss but lots of great bands coming up. A big draw for me is Kasabian who really need to put in the performance of their lives if they are to convince me that they still have what it takes. The new album is a mess but maybe it works live. We will wait and see.

Huge crowds gather to see Rolf Harris perform - he's now a bit of a Glasto icon. And Damon is preparing for tomorrows big Blur headline slot by watching Spinal Tap. Huge fan apparently...

Seems like music and tennis is connected but also a dividing force. Justin Timberlake is at Wimbledon. I've heard his music. He's better off staying at the tennis. (I'll get me coat).

6music are repeating some of Doves set from last night. Excellent stuff...

News that Spinal Tap set is in full swing. Jamie Cullum has joined them on keyboards and there is talk of dwarfs. That can only mean Stonehenge... Now Jarvis Cocker is playing bass for the Tap. The world officially goes crazy.

Some more from yesterday's White Lies set on 6music. Death from the excellent debut album To Lose My Life. It's like they have been doing Glastonbury for years.

Finally we have some BBC2 coverage. First up is a bit of the set from The Script and Talk You Down. Plenty of passion and energy but the band seem to be turning into Keane. Shame. Breakeven is introduced with a cool drum solo and is easily the band's best (known) song. The vocals are seriously ropey and front man Danny O'Donoghue looking and sounding very uneasy. They are yet to become a festival band.

Lots of talk from Lowe and Whiley about Spinal Tap but no actual band. Come on people show us some music! More tour guide stuff from Mark Radcliffe showing a wonderful vista of the festival site. But still no SPINAL TAP!!! Instead there is an acoustic performance from Jason 'I want to be Jack Johnson' Mraz. Yawn...


At last some Spinal Tap, opening with the appropriate Stinkin' Up The Great Outdoors. Just the one track as a taster and a bit of a boring straightforward one.

A quick interview with the boys (the irony of the last song is lost on Zane Lowe) and then into the magnificent folk-rock prog-opera that is Stonehenge, complete with inflatable stones and the dwarves. Seen it all before but it is brilliant stuff. More to come hopefully.



I hate to complain about the BBC coverage this year but do we really need to a feature on Glastonbury fashions. Pretentious moi?

Then a repeat of Get Behind The Wheel from last night's Neil Young set. Any chance of some *new* music, like from today, please?

Apparently Dizzee Rascal is performing a medley of Michael Jackson covers. Nice tribute but a bit obvious. I hope they show it...Speaking of Mr. Rascal, he's up next on BBC2 performing to a huge crowd. Maybe the appetite for rap is alive and well. I still don't think it has any place at Glastonbury.

Now a repeat of Lets Dance from Lady Gaga. Now I see (and hear) it again, it's obvious that there are about four vocal tracks at the same time and she isn't always singing. Even when she asks the crowd to sing, there are still invisible backing singers to be heard... Hmmm...

A Bruce montage and more nonsense from Rascal brings this afternoon on BBC2 to a close.