Review:
'ZERO 7/ POSITIVE FORCE'
'London, Marble Hill Jazz Cafe Picnic, 13th August'
- Genre: 'Pop'
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Our Rating:
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Here, at the poshest festival known to mankind (with the cleanest festival toilets I’ve ever seen in my life – apparently provided by the same toilet company who provided the lavs for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee party), we were treated to some genuine quality acts. Unfortunately, this notion of “genuine quality” may have gone over the heads of most people present, but there you go, more for me…
It was raining heavily, but still the gentry managed to keep the grass grassy and litter free. Not a bad thing, but I resent the fact that at this particular (Mean Fiddler) venue you were allowed to drink out of glass bottles, but everywhere else you’re forced to drink flat rubbish out of plastic cups – not a big deal in itself, but a tad indicative of latent snobbery.
There was a serious amount of yo-yoing going on between amazing live music, and the dreary, sanitised atmosphere of the festival itself. Take the mind-blowing performance from the legendary FEMI KUTI and the POSITIVE FORCE. Well actually, Femi Kuti was unable to make the gig due to ill health, but the Positive Force went on to give an energetic performance (seriously, those dancers – phew! I wish I could move like that!); punching the listeners in the head with their glitzy, frantic, and often politically motivated blend of Big Band and Afrobeat.
Like the Foreign Beggars who were on earlier during the day, who had songs with titles such as “Asylum Speakers”, you got the impression that the Champagne Socialists in the crowd were nodding fervently in agreement, whilst simultaneously sending their kids off to boarding school, driving gasoline-guzzling jeeps, and reading the Daily Mail. I’d like to see if they’d still be raving about equal rights if someone opened a refugee detention centre in the heart of Twickenham. Ah well, goes with the territory I guess.
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Headlining this event was easy listening-meisters ZERO 7, who normally one would associate with lounge music - nice, inoffensive and unchallenging. They held to this maxim when JOSE GONZALES made an appearence, who (sorry guys) is a little bit boring, despite being a lovely instrumentalist. Although they did come into their own when the ever charismatic SIA FURLER took centre stage, dancing like a Charlston lunatic, and mixing cocktails for band members when she wasn’t singing. Eventually though, it became hard to see the stage through the sea of Fuji Mega Cameras with gigantic telescopic Paparazzi lenses. Initially I thought there was a high concentration of photojournalists present, but no, it was the expensive equivalent of the swathes of mobile phones on Camera that you normally get at gigs.
All in all, if you’re a genuine music fan, then this event is worth taking a look. The music is top notch, and there’s no doubt that the atmosphere is pleasant enough, albeit overtly high-brow and very clean-cut. For around £35, the ticket itself isn’t that bad a price, BUT be prepared to pay for the nose for food and drink, and be aware that any serious forms of revelry will only be tolerated if you’re carrying a Waitrose picnic bag, and you have a sprog named Tamsin in tow…
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author: Sian Owen
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OOOhhhh!! Still cutting the rug, but justifiably so!!
There were clean festival toilets, what more do you want?? But I know what you mean about revellry, having raised the odd eyebrow when tranced out deep within, during an instrospective bout of wild abandon (only to be snapped out of it by some complaining sod or other).
"But I left Tasmin tethered to the lost kids marquee with ten cigs and a bottle of brandy" I wail, but it's never enough.
Top review Sian
------------- Author: Mabs
25 August 2006
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