popwreckoning

In the second half of my interview with Delphic‘s guitarist, the incredibly thoughtful Matt Cocksedge, we talk more about how album #2 is going to differ from their debut album Acolyte, and Matt tells me his personal philosophy on being a guitarist. We even chat about their Irish mates Two Door Cinema Club in my attempt to persuade them to come back and do a co-headlining tour in the States together next year. (Time will tell if I was successful…)

Part 1 of this interview can be accessed here.

Matt Cocksedge, Delphic: It’s very strange, being in a band and writing intensely personal stuff and then giving it to the public, and it’s not yours anymore, you know? It’s theirs. It’s there for them to interpret as they like, and it’s there for them to believe in or destroy. And you just kind of have to go with it. And it’s definitely difficult to get used to. Now we know a little more about what it’s about, we know how it goes and we’ve been there, and we know we’ve made a record and we can do it, we’ve got a bit more belief in ourselves and more of an idea of who we are and what we want to do. It’s an exciting time in Camp Delphic! We’re very much looking to the future. It’s very weird saying all this, having coming to tour America for the first time, it’s bizarre. It’s like, “Hi! We’re here supporting a band in America on our first tour, and we’re looking forward to writing our second album!” Considering our album only just came out…bizarre!
Mary Chang, PopWreckoning: It’s good! Maybe it’s my personal observation with how much music I get sent, but there’s seems an oversaturation of the new generation of bands coming out of Britain. And there’s no way NME, or Q, or anyone else can keep up with everyone. As a blogger I think you do get jaded because there are so many bands to assess. Do you feel that there’s pressure to come out with a second album quickly, because you worry you might get lost in the shuffle as new bands come up? Maybe you can tell me more about how the recording process is going for Delphic album #2.
MC: We’re doing bits and bobs in our studio [back in Manchester] and building up ideas, but we’re really approaching it differently than the first record. The first record was very much built up at our studio at home and was very layered and detailed. By the time we went to the [recording] studio, we knew basically how the songs were going to turn out and exactly what they would sound like and all that, whereas for this one, we kind of want to leave more to chance and be more open before we get to the studio. We want to play together more in the studio and then take it on a more natural band angle, rather than building it up in a studio environment. And yeah, there is definitely that feeling of pressure. You know, there isn’t that luxury that bands used to have of doing the first record, going on tour, maybe taking 18 months, 2 years to write, record, and release the second record. That time’s gone. The public’s attention span is so short, and that’s a good thing and a bad thing. It’s good because bands can’t get lazy. But it’s bad, it’s changed the way music is digested, it’s changed the way bands have to approach writing and touring. And their releases. And we’re kind of part of a generation of bands that needs to keep writing and recording and releasing and touring and writing and doing that to establish a fanbase, establish some sort of place within the whole thing. But for us personally, we just want to write the next album because we’ve got ideas and we’re inspired to do it, we want to get it out there. We don’t want to go on a holiday for 6 months, we don’t want to stop doing this and we don’t want to keep touring endlessly. We are very much like, “right, this is the first record, we achieved a certain amount [of success and fame] with that, but there’s so much more we want to do.” We don’t want to play the same songs for another year. And this is our first tour of the U.S., properly, and so where are we? We’re in September, 2010? Most of these songs were written like in 2008. Some of them were written at the end of 2007.
PW: So are we looking at a 2012 release then [for album #2]?
MC: Hopefully! I think, maybe sooner if we’re able to.
PW: I guess it depends on touring commitments and if you’re even home long enough to do anything.
MC: We’re excited, we have a lot of ideas and are really keen as soon we get back from America, we’ve got a few more gigs, got four or five gigs, but once that’s done, we’re straight into rehearsals for the second album. Straight into that. And we’re really…that’s the most exciting thing, we don’t want to stop. We’re doing something we really love doing. We’re not going to take it for granted. We want to just work on it and get better. We just can’t wait to, you know…as much fun as this has been in the United States, I don’t want to put that down, I’m just saying that we’re so excited to kind of see what happens next, and see where it takes us, and see where we go with it. We got into a band to write music and make albums, you know? And to be given the chance to do that is the most incredible thing. We feel incredibly lucky to be able to do it, and we want to do it to the best of our ability. And we’ll see how that goes. We’ll wait and see. [smiles]
PW: It should be interesting to see how this one turns out, with the different approach.
MC: Definitely, definitely!
PW: I know I’m definitely looking forward to it! And a lot of people are.

PW: Since I am a writer, I would like to know who in Delphic comes up with the song titles and who writes the lyrics?
MC: Emmm…the whole thing is a very collaborative process. Everything – music, lyrics, videos, art, all that stuff is very much the three of us. We won’t let anything through that not all three of us are behind, you know? It’s one of those things where everything we do is Delphic, it’s not “Matt from Delphic,” or James or Rick from Delphic. It’s the band. Well, magicians should never reveal their secrets, should they? [smiles]
PW: [laughs] I was just curious because every band has their own little story [on how they come up with lyrics]. The most unusual one I’ve heard is of White Lies, who came in second in the BBC Sound of 2009 poll. Bassist Charles Cave of White Lies writes the lyrics for guitarist Harry McVeigh to sing. Interesting, yet it must be weird singing about someone else’s experiences. Do you find when you’re writing lyrics it becomes an emotional thing? Because it’s been amazing to talk to other Delphic fans and hear what they’ve gotten out of your song lyrics. Different people get different things out of music. Coming from the writer’s perspective, I like to look at lyrics closely and interpret them. Are there any particular songs on the album that are especially personal to you?
MC: All of the songs are very personal to me. Definitely. And you know, it’s strange when you write something and then someone else is expressing it. And it’s also interesting, because you get the opportunity to see another interpretation of it almost immediately. I think a lot of what we wrote on the first album, lyrically, was open to interpretation, and purposely so. I mean, yeah, it’s personal, but I think one of the great things about music is that it’s your thing. We’ve written this album, but it’s your album. All of the experiences of listening to it, you’ll never share the same experiences that someone else has when they listen to the album. But that’s amazing, that it can be so personal. I like that people can read into things and take different things from it, and that’s fine. But there’s always going to be what it means to you, and it’s always going to be that personal thing. But certainly now I don’t think we want to impose that on the audience. We have a thing of what it means to us, but the audience…I wouldn’t want to say anyone’s interpretation of our music is wrong or inaccurate.
PW: Morrissey has been asked many times to explain, “what does this particular Smiths song mean?” and he has said, I don’t want to say what it means to me, because music means different things to different people.
MC: Definitely. I’d hate to destroy anyone’s idea of something. Someone could think one of our songs is a really romantic song, when actually it’s about trying to get away from someone. It’s like Sting…
PW: [laughs] Yes yes!
MC/PW: [at the same time] “Every Breath You Take”!
MC: Some people have that as a wedding song. And it’s a stalker song, you know? [both of us laugh] For that reason, it’s nice for people to have their own interpretation. And not be too clinical about it.

PW: So how long have you been playing guitar?
MC: Since I was about…hmmm…shit, I don’t remember. 14 or 15 maybe?
PW: Wow.
MC: When was OK Computer? Was that 1997 or 1999? [It was released in June 1997.]
PW: Not sure, it seems like so long ago now! When did you get into synths? Was that before Delphic?
MC: Me and Rick had always been messing around with synths. His dad built a synth once. His dad was always into cool music. [I don't know Rick Boardman's dad personally but from what I have heard about him, he is probably the coolest dad ever.]
PW: That is like the coolest thing, ever.
MC: He’s very cool, very cool. If you ever get to meet him, you’d like him.
PW: All I can say is, all of your families seem so cool. For example, James’s parents. How is it possible they let him move to Manchester and never made him move back home? [James Cook is from Chippenham, England, a town west of London, but moved to Manchester years ago for university.] My parents would have never let me do that.
MC: Oh, you should come over for a course. That’s what James did, he came up to Manchester for uni and just stayed here. And they were cool about it.
PW: But then he stayed. Forever! There’s never been a reason for him to go back?
MC: Manchester, it’s a better place than Chippenham. Not to slag off Chippenham, I have been to Chippenham, but Manchester is better than Chippenham.
PW: What’s Chippenham like?
MC: It’s a smallish town out in Wiltshire. Lots of countryside, there’s no scene there. Yeah, we were into synths, and he had a Juno 60 that we messed about with, and that was fun. But yeah, I was much more into guitars and effects pedals. I like synths but I’m one of those people who doesn’t really bother with algorithms. And chains and stuff like that. I like to sit down at a synth and fiddle about, and I let my ears guide me to the sound.
PW: So are Rick and James more of the technicians on that side of things?
MC: Very much, yeah yeah. They’ll talk about sound waves and I understand that stuff, but it doesn’t interest me. I don’t care about the calculations and the technical specifications of sound. I just care about the sound hitting me and expressing something. And that’s the way I operate. And I think it’s kind of good to have that in the band. Like those guys can get technical about it and then I can come in and say, “that just sounds like shit.” [laughs] “But it’s got this amazing sound wave function on it!” And it’s like, I’m not bothered.
PW: “It’s not doing a thing for me.”
MC: Yeah, “make it sound better.”
PW: Now is it because of their university backgrounds that they know all this stuff about synths?
MC: I dunno, maybe?
PW: Weren’t they studying music?
MC: Well, it wasn’t straight music. It was recording and popular music. I think they took something from that, but they just both researched the synth thing and really got into it. And that’s their area. I was quite happy to let them have that. It’s like, just let me buy effects pedals and I’m happy! That’s fine. And in the studio, it’s good to have an outside perspective on these kinds of things. I think it’s always important to have that objectivity. I’ve not spent 3 hours finely tuning a synth and I’m not involved in that side of things, so I can have that kind of objective view. And say, “look, I appreciate it, it’s a good sound, it’s got a lot of technical merit to it, but does it fit? Is it right? Does it work?” Sometimes it’s yes and sometimes it’s no. It goes both ways, like with the guitars. We’re each other’s critics and friends and compatriots, so it varies…I’ve left them to it, I’ve gotten more into it over time but…
PW: I know in the live setting you play synth, for example during most of “Doubt.”
MC: Yeah, on a couple of things. But it’s a functional thing. I just enjoy, like “Epherema,” that kind of tremolo-ey sound in that song, that was the result of me sitting in a room for 6 hours messing around with guitar effects and getting that right. And that’s what I love doing. And that works in that context. The last line of “Acolyte,” that’s more of a Rick and James kind of area, and that all happens together. Whatever makes the best song, and what sounds good.

PW: What I really love about Delphic is that you have this perfect marriage of good guitar riffs with good synth melodies. Great guitar bands have great guitar riffs, and then some of them try to introduce the synth into the mix and have trouble integrating them into their sound. It ends up becoming a plinky plonky thing in the background that does not belong. Or guitars are added to synth pop bands and the guitars sound out of place. Whereas you guys, you have everything integrated well. For example, “Halcyon” and the guitar solo. I’ve given this a lot of thought this year, I put the question out to people, if you had to be reincarnated as a part of a song, what would you be and why?
MC: If I had to be reincarnated as part of a song?
PW: Yeah, and it couldn’t be a whole song, it had to be one disparate part of a song. And I said your “Halcyon” guitar solo.
MC: Wow! I am very honored!
PW: With the runner-up of the guitar lines in the verse of “What You Know,” played by Sam Halliday of Two Door Cinema Club.
MC: I like Sam.
PW: Both of you are amazing guitarists.
MC: I think he’s better than me.
PW: You think?
MC: He’s good! Really good. [smiles]
PW: Don’t tell him that, because I saw that video of you guys in Australia and the band war. [And as Matt says, watch this video clip with a grain of salt.]
MC: Yeah… [laughs] They made us do that! We were just having a laugh and one of them said, “Delphic and Two Door war!” And it’s like, “oh no…” We’re real mates!
PW: They know you’re messing, surely.
MC: Yeah, but it’s like what we were saying earlier, about band rivalry and stuff like that. You don’t want it to cross over to anything that is actually serious in that way. We admire Two Door very much. We’re such a very different band to Two Door that there can’t be a rivalry, really. Who we appeal to in our kind of market is so different to theirs. There’s no rivalry there. We just think they’re great guys who write good songs. The rest of it is just banter. But yeah…it’s an interesting question, really, I’m going to have to give this some more thought.

PW: Having played guitar for so many years, was there one song that made you think, “yes, I’m definitely going to be a guitarist“?
MC: I don’t think there as a song that generally made me want to be a guitarist, but my favorite guitar solo of all time is what I’d probably want to be reincarnated as, it’s the solo for “Sympathy for the Devil” [Rolling Stones]. The sound is incredible, it just screams, it’s such a real, organic sound. It speaks to you. In terms of the actual line, the guitar solo, I just love the restraint. Is it Keith [Richards] doing that solo, or not?
PW: I would think so. Who else could it be?
MC: Right right, I just wanted to make sure. [smiles]
PW: Don’t worry, I won’t tell my best buds, the Rolling Stones. [laughs] ‘cos me and Mick are like this.
MC: “Sympathy for the Devil” is one of the greatest songs of all time, a 6-minute epic. He’s got x bars to do a solo in, and what does he do? He’s really minimal, like [mimics the guitar solo]. But my absolute favorite part of it, if I can be even more specific, is within the solo. There’s a part of the solo…you know, he does these really great parts that really scream at you, the amp sounds incredible. And there’s a bit where he goes “dum da dum dum” [really simple, bare part of the solo], and that’s it. You’ve got a solo for “Sympathy for the Devil.” And all you do is play a note like a child. Anybody could do it. But it’s just perfect. I think that’s what’s important about playing guitar. For me personally, it’s not an ego thing, it’s not a “look at me” kind of thing, I never ask for the solos, I never want solos in a song. I get all nervous!
PW: Really? I never would have figured you would feel that way.
MC: Yeah, I get really worried about it!
PW: Should I tell people not to look at you when you’re playing the solo in “Halcyon”? [laughs]
MC: We had to do Jools Holland. [You can watch the video below. Matt's amazing guitar solo starts in at 3.05.] Honestly, I was so scared for weeks before. Every night before I went to bed I would be playing it in my head. Honestly, so nervous. So I never ask for the solos. For me personally, playing guitar is adding to the track and just being part of the track, and if the best thing for the song is to play one note, then that’s just as valid as being Slash and having huge guitar solos going up and down the neck doing all the technical shit you want to do. For me, it’s about feeling and emotion and doing something different that fits into the song.
PW: Your guitar is beautiful, I think it’s gorgeous.
MC: Thank you!

PW: When I saw you at Roskilde, the lighting was amazing. Is your lighting guy, Squib Swain, with you on this tour?
MC: Sadly, no. Yeah, he’s brilliant.
PW: I hope when you come back next time he’ll come with you.
MC: So do we. It’ s really weird doing shows without him. He’s become such an integral part of our shows and what we do. We always like to try and do something interesting with the lights and audiovisual experience, it’s always kind of weird when Squib is not along. But we want him back, we miss him. He’s actually out with Two Door [in the UK] at the moment…
PW: [laughs] Really? What are you guys going to do if you tour the same time? Bidding war?
MC: He gets paid double! But if we’re playing together…
PW: Yeah, come back and do a co-headlining tour with them!
MC: That would be great, wouldn’t it? Really nice.
PW: Yes, I have been talking with new friends in Hong Kong, they all want you back.
MC: Oh really? Awww.
PW: They were all saying that it was the best day of their lives when you and Two Door played together back in August. I was thinking, your two bands need to come back together and tour as co-headliners in America so there aren’t any arguments.
MC: Yeah, no, I would happily support Two Door.
PW: No, I need to hear “Submission” and the only way I’d get that is if you headlined. Right?
MC: How’s this, we will support Two Door and still play “Submission.” I am more than happy to do that.
PW: Are you playing “Submission” on this tour?
MC: [looks mysterious] Maybe… [I laugh]. Yes. We were going to play it in Philly but we didn’t have time with all the stress before the gig, we had to cut back.
PW: The reason why that song is so special to me, after your album came out, we had the second largest recorded snowfall ever in Washington in February. At one point the snow had reached my height.
MC: No way.
PW: Yeah. And in order to get my car out, I had to keep shoveling the driveway, and I would measure different distances of snow cleared by how many times I heard “Submission” to finish that line of snow. I must have heard “Submission” 500 times. So it’s very special to me. That’s my little “Submission” story.
MC: Well, I’m glad we could be there for you in your time of need. [laughs]

PW: Well, thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it.
MC: Thank you, cheers.

Thanks very much to Matt for an amazing interview and taking time out of his busy schedule to chat with me, and special thanks to Delphic’s management for arranging the interview.

Tour Dates
Oct 05 – Phoenix / Toronto*
Oct 07 – Newport Music Hall / Columbus*
Oct 08 – DC9 / Washington, DC^
Oct 11 – St. Andrews / Detroit*
Oct 12 – Metro / Chicago*
Oct 13 – Turner Hall / Milwaukee*
Oct 14 – First Avenue / Minneapolis*
Oct 21 – Popscene / San Francisco&
Oct 22 – Fox / Pomona, CA*
Oct 23 – Club Nokia / Los Angeles*
^ Delphic only
* supporting the Temper Trap
& with the Hundred in the Hands

Live photos in this review were from Roskilde Festival, taken by Mary Chang, July 2, 2010

Delphic: website | myspace | American Release Details of Delphic EP | Delphic’s Debut Album Streaming on Their MySpace | @ Trocadero, Philadelphia | Interview with: Matt Cocksedge of Delphic, Part 1

Saturday’s adventures could not begin without doing one vital piece of preparation: I checked weather.com. Sun and humidity was what I had to look forward to for the day. After Friday, that seemed like a good thing. After actually enduring it for a whole day, I almost wished for the rain back…almost.

Being press has a few perks, so I started off at a Playboy party of all things. I dressed up in a cute dress and hoped that I wouldn’t look too out of place with my rather average breast size. Fortunately, I wasn’t the only non-Playboy girl at the party and the Playmates were all super nice. The party was a fantastic way to start the day. I received colored hair extensions from the in-house stylist, Aura Friedman, enjoyed a nice mimosa to start my day and had a delicious breakfast of a fancy brie cheese cracker creation while listening to the DJ stylings of DJ Mom Jeans–aka Danny Masterson, or as many know him: Hyde from “That 70s Show”. The place was all decked out with Twister and make out rooms, but the best feature of all was the great view of Grant Park from the top of the Hilton Hotel. Absolutely breathtaking.

I made it into the park to catch a bit of Miike Snow and as the main singer pointed out, yes Miike Snow is a band and yes it is spelled with two “i”s and that isn’t changing. Miike Snow was a lot better than the last time I saw them, but I did lose interest when a slow number was played that just never seemed to end. They need to keep people dancing and fortunately they figured that out and bumped it up a notch for the final song.

I passed by Ida Maria warming up her husky and bold voice at the Citi Stage. Her powerful vocals followed me as I walked to the other side of the park to see what would be my favorite act of the day at the Budweiser Stage: Los Campesinos.

Los Campesinos just tore it up. The last time I saw them–and this was just a few months ago, mind you–they played to a small crowd of like 20 people in a tiny bar in Omaha. For an early set, they had a huge crowd that could have rivaled many of the later day acts and not only were these people there to watch them, but they actually knew them. I couldn’t believe how a crowd of half drunks managed to keep up with complicated clapping patterns that some of the songs called for. Lollapalooza had been the band’s first show on U.S. soil, so it was a bit of a nostalgic set and this was a bit of a step up from the last time they played. I was glad to hear a new song thrown in the set.

Gareth Campesinos, lead singer, seemed especially surprised with the crowd they drew and the fact that the festival organizers gave them a whole hour for their set and even commented on how the band might have been speeding through their songs faster than they intended. The crowd didn’t mind and just continued dancing.

If I hadn’t already concluded that Gareth’s bright red face as he jumped around the stage, the tribute to Elliott Smith in honor of what would have been his birthday this weekend, and the many talents of Aleksandra Campesinos as she sang and played keys were enough of a reason to conclude this was the best set of the day, “Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks” as their finale cemented that view. As the crowd was participating by raising their hands to show “One blink for yes, two blinks for no,” Gareth decided to come out and join them and sing from the crowd. Now, the drop from the Budweiser Stage to get to the crowd is not a short distance and security looked a bit alarm about what to do, but some how the singer made it to the audience and even later back on stage during the big instrumental build-up. As if that wasn’t insane enough, once he was back on stage, the other guys set down their bass and guitar and they then took their turn dropping down like 15ft off the stage, over the barricade and crowd-surfing for the duration of the song. Completely insane, it has been great to see this band come into their prime. I just hope that Aleksandra’s departure after this tour doesn’t hurt their quality too much.

After Slash came out as a special guest last year at Perry’s Stage, I thought perhaps something amazing like that would happen again. But after standing over at Perry’s Stage forever and watching him perform with Stripper McSlutterson only to bring out the “special guests,” I was kicking myself for giving up a spot where I could actually see Arctic Monkeys just to see him perform with DJs from earlier in the day on the last number. Lame.

Arctic Monkeys brought out all their hits, but with the size of their crowd and not being able to even really see them, I figured I stood a better chance just watching their new live DVD.

I tried to catch buzz act No Age on Citi Stage, but thought it too messy. I know the one guy is recently injured, but even being lenient for that, these blog darlings are no longer darlings of mine. I did not get their hype.

Coheed and Cambria is a band that everyone should see whether that is their type of music or not. Anybody who can keep up that falsetto when bogged down by that much hair is simply a site to witness. I came across their set as they were digging into their Rockband-popular hit, “Wake Up”.

Exhausted from my trek around so many stages, I chilled in the grass for a few Glasvegas songs. They sounded fine, but their performance was ho hum. I find a wee bit more energy to check out Santigold‘s circus-like set. Shiny stage outfits dazzled in the sun and despite the heat and exhaustion that was settling in by this point in the day, it was hard not to dance to this set.

I watched a little TV on the Radio, but they didn’t have anything new to add from the bajillion times I’ve already seen them this year. So I again trotted down to the other end of the venue to watch punk rockers Rise Against. I got distracted by Lykke Li on my way and actually found her entertaining despite the hideous black bag of an outfit she was flailing around in. Her gentle voice and sturdy beats made her a good pairing to hang with the likes of Santigold and other dance acts that had impressed throughout the festival. Rise Against surprised me with how many of their songs that I knew. I really thought I only knew “Swing Life Away”, which isn’t even a fair example of what they actually sound like. They weren’t my thing, but they weren’t bad.

Animal Collective got the crowd jumping with their ethereal and trippy beats paired with colorful video imagery and lots of lights. I loved them, but I think the Tool fans hated them as their set started to go over their allotted time and into Tool’s. Tool finally said fuck it and took to the stage anyway. Industrial metal kept me surprisingly entertained for a few songs, especially with the bass lines. However, I soon decided to move on to see how the late addition headliners, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, were holding up.

Considering that a majority of the people at the festival already had their tickets before they knew the YYYs would be there, Karen O and company drew one of the largest crowds yet. The tiny front woman with a big voice and even bigger stage presence did a good job feeling the shoes of the Beastie Boys. Even her lyrical flub during an acoustic version of “Maps” was forgivable and it kind of made the band all that more loveable. I think many would have said Saturday was a weaker day for the sets, but sticking around for YYYs was worth it.

We tried to get into an after party with Santigold and Passion Pit, but apparently being told you’d be fine with an RSVP/VIP pass meant nothing when they still had a guest list. I suppose one night of sleep wasn’t too bad and at least waiting in line for the party I got to watch a cellphone video of Bassnectar, whom I had never really heard of, but people just could not stop talking about after Saturday’s line up.  Based off the poor quality video that still made Bassnectar look bad ass, I’m kind of kicking myself for not being on this bandwagon already. Alas.

Lollapalooza: Saturday in summary:
Best set of the day: Los Campesinos / Yeah Yeah Yeahs tie (and I hear Bassnectar killed it, but can’t personally attest that)
Best surprises of the day: Los Campesinos crowd-surfing, despite the long drop from the Budweiser Stage to get to the crowd; Yeah Yeahs Yeahs performing “Maps” acoustic (great even with a lyric flub)
Breakthrough of the day: Delta Spirit; Los Campesinos
Biggest let downs of the day: No Age; Perry’s special guest–I guess you can’t top Slash
Crazy crowd moment: Drunk guy came up to me, took a picture with me and then ran off. So odd.

Lollapalooza: website | schedule | set lists | friday

Despite some rain late Thursday night, the weather in Chicago’s Grant Park was perfect for this year’s 2008 Lollapalooza festival. A nice breeze off the lake made this the perfect weekend to host the excellent and diverse lineup of music. The park was kept in pristine conditions as crews constantly walked around encouraging recycling and a cleaner environment. This festival knows what it’s doing and is one of the best organized and most considerate (they even had lots vegetarian options at the food booths!) shows in the business.

Lollapalooza by Jeff Gentner

The whole weekend was sold out for the first time in the history of the festival. Friday had a record-breaking turnout as headliners Radiohead drew a sold out crowd of 75,000. Although, the earlier portion of the day wasn’t quite as packed, a solid crowd showed up to see the fine bands performing at the different stages leading up to Radiohead.

Starting off my day was Butch Walker on the PlayStation 3 Stage. Walker started his set solo with some fun loops on two new songs off his highly anticipated new album Sycamore Meadows before his band joined him on “State Line.” Walker performed a solid set showing that he is just as good an artist as he is a producer. If the new songs from his set are any indication of his new album, it is going to be phenomenal.

Butch Walker by Adam Bielawski

Any act following up the strong set by Walker would have a hard time not falling a little flat. Sure enough, the next act on the Bud Light Stage The Go! Team did just that. Maybe it is all that jumping around, but just because you want to be energetic in your presence doesn’t mean you should let the vocals suffer. Instrumental tracks like “Junior Kickstart” were just fine, but anytime Ninja would open her mouth I kind of wanted to go ninja and karate chop her throat.

Ninja of the Go! Team by Alberto Trevino

After the poor pitches of the Go! Team, Welsh singer Duffy‘s soulful vocals were a welcome refreshment at the PlayStation 3 Stage. The young singer definitely has some pipes, but her stage presence could use a little work. Her hand motions quickly got repetitive, but maybe with a little experience, her set will get a little fresher.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pmk_DTKpAw]

Following Duffy, I caught a few songs by rockers Louis XIV over on the Citi Stage. Despite a few technical difficulties, the crowd went wild over radio single “Finding Out True Love Is Blind.” I didn’t stick around too long for Louis XIV because I didn’t want to miss a second of gypsy punk group Gogol Bordello over on the AT&T Stage and this was definitely not the set to miss. This raucous set was exactly what the crowd needed as an energy boost to get through the rest of the day. After walking around all morning in the sun, Gogol Bordello brought the crowd back to their feet for a big dance party as the band played through their accordion rock set.

Gogol Bordello by Chase Agnello-Dean

Next up was Lawrence, Kansas indie rockers Mates of State. Their gentler set on the MySpace Stage was beautiful and it was a nice touch when the couple was joined by some strings. The crowd loved them, but it was hard to settle into their set after jumping around with Gogol Bordello.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-3xCSSSkHA]

Playing at the same time as Mates of State across the venue at the PlayStation 3 Stage was songstress Cat Power. Cat’s voice was just as great live as it is recorded. It is a shame that her set had to be the same time as Mates of State because they attract the same crowd.

Cat Power by Alberto Trevino

Toward the end of Cat Power, the crowd quickly scrambled for a place to see The Raconteurs perform on the Bud Light Stage. Jack White and crew sounded great, but there was something a little off about their set. It could have been that they weren’t in their usual uniform, but street clothes or it could have been the technical difficulties causing Brendan Benson to drop out during the vocals of “Level,” but it just wasn’t as tight as their club performances.

Jack White of the Raconteurs by Stephanie Janisch

I stopped at the Citi Stage for a few songs from Brazilian electro group CSS. Lovefoxxx must be tired of looking sexy because she sported a bright red spandex outfit with ruffles wrapping around it. CSS sounded a lot better live than their recording, surprisingly, and the crowd loved dancing around to their beats.

CSS by Abbey Braden

Radiohead closed out Friday on the AT&T stage. Thom Yorke and the rest of the guys thrilled the crowd by combining their tight instrumental skills with an amazing light show and fireworks as they performed songs like “Airbag,” “Fake Plastic Trees” and “There, There.” Friday’s crowd went home pleased after Radiohead’s double encore.

The crowd during Radiohead by Alberto Trevino

Radiohead by Alberto Trevino

Radiohead wasn’t the only reason to attend this festival and Saturday looked just as packed. British group The Ting Tings was the perfect start to the day. Katie White (Interview at Diesel U Music Lounge at the Hard Rock Hotel) easily draws the eyes of the crowd as she energetically moves around singing their hits, but Jules de Martino should not be overlooked as he plays and sings with precision.

The Ting Tings by Alberto Trevino

There was a little lag after the Ting Tings. Dr. Dog took to the MySpace stage, but was unmemorable. Foals played some fun dance songs over at the Citi Stage, but didn’t stand up to the high standard for other electro dance groups set by the Ting Tings. MGMT sounded phenomenal live, but their disinterest in a majority of their own set detracted from the performance. They finally loosened up and started bantering by the end of their set.

MGMT by Abbey Braden

Brand New was the band to beat for best performance of the day, although Jesse Lacey‘s attitude may have detracted from the musical experience causing many to quickly forget just how good this performance was in actuality. Joined by Kevin Devine for their first song, they took to the AT&T Stage and put on the most powerful performance of the day. Jesse Lacey’s performance is better than ever, but he appears just as moody.
He seemed to be in a good mood at first as he seemingly jokingly told the crowd, “You should all be at Explosions in the Sky. You’re all fools.” But as the set progressed through “Sowing Season,” “Sic Transit Gloria,” “Jesus Christ” and a new song (tentatively called “Bride”), Lacey grew more and more frustrated with a pocket of disinterested crowd members before finally climaxing and throwing his guitar into the drum set and leaving the stage a full fifteen minutes before the set was meant to end. Despite this mishap, this was still one of the best performances of the day and the part of the crowd that was interested was left confused and chanting for an encore.

After Brand New, I caught some of Okkervil River‘s set across the venue at the PlayStation 3 Stage and their sweet indie rock was a nice respite. They were followed by Broken Social Scene over on the Bud Light Stage, but BSS is more suited for a smaller setting where their fun instrumentations can completely engulf the listener. As great as Okkervil and Broken were, they just couldn’t match the amphitheatric power of Brand New’s set.

Okkervil River by Amrit Singh

To be quite honest, the crowd gathering for Saturday’s headliners Rage Against the Machine didn’t really appeal to us and we headed out early to get a head start home, which is lucky we did because the Chicago Transit system got backed up by three hours from the large crowd leaving Lollapalooza.

Lollapalooza continued on to Sunday and featured the usual buzz acts like Black Kids, but the real buzz swarming the venue all weekend was the suspected appearance of democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Unfortunately, Obama didn’t put in an appearance, but there were still plenty of special guests present at the festival. While Stars member Amy Millan joined the boys in Broken Social Scene on the Bud Light Stage, guitarist Slash joined festival co-founder Perry Farrell for a few songs. Plus, there were plenty of celebrities to spot like Lindsay Lohan and the Wentzes if you just kept your eyes open. This festival was filled with fun surprises and definitely not a weekend to miss.

Lollapalooza: website | schedule | setlists

Written by: Bethany