V Festival 2006 - 19/08/2006 Weston Park

"The rain is a message from nature ... and it says ... keep your hands to yourself"

So sayeth Morrissey as he purveys the soaked masses stood before him.

But for once, Steven Patrick is wrong. For nature sends the rain with another, more important, nay vital, message. A message that becomes more and more apparent as the first day of V progresses. A message that is for the good of one and all. For despite the rain, nature is our friend, nature is trying to help and nature's message reads, 'Get inside one of the tents, for there is something more interesting going on'. The evidence is clear for all to see.

On arrival, the rain is well into it's third or fourth hour. The fields of Weston Park are bog like and wishing to avoid The Sugababes, we head straight for the JJB Arena to catch Richard Hawley showing a well packed tent why he's a 2006 Mercury Music Prize nominee. Hair slicked back teddy boy style he croons through wonderful song after wonderful song and is the perfect way to ease yourself into the festival. Show over, we head back outside. Hoods up and feet squelching we make our way around the site, trying to size up a site that is quickly becoming a sight.

Inside again but this time to the Union tent for Jim Noir. A sizeable crowd has gathered. Maybe to shelter from the storm or maybe to just to hear the Adidas soundtracking, 'Eanie Meany'. Either way, Jim and band deliver an entertaining if a little underwhelming set which has their live sound coming on like under experienced Teenage Fanclub lightweights. Fun and fluffy pop, you can't help but feel they'd have been better suited to a summery day outside rather than being couped up in a tent on a gloomy Saturday.

Better suited to this environment are Liam Frost & The Slowdown Family. A band with echoes of The Arcade Fire, they storm through a set of gloomy but uplifting acoustic stompers and run away with the title of first festival highlight. Smiles plastered across faces like mud across wellingtons, we brave the rain and head to the Channel 4 stage in search of James Dean Bradfield.

It's at this point that Nature's message begins to become clear. For as the rain beats down upon us, the Manic Street Preachers' frontman seems to have settled nicely into middle aged MOR. Barking his way through an increasingly dull set of straight rock wannabe anthems, he sounds like someone attempting to write a Manic's song. On a bad day. Briefly strumming 'Raindrops keep Falling On My Head', he launches into yet another blast of power rock and we leave him to it. But from despair, to where?

Well, to Paul Weller. Who today, seems unable to end any of his songs. Dragging each one out into a series of unnecessary and seemingly well rehearsed jams. The crowd are enthusiastic and lap it up but having heard so many of these songs done so much better, we search the listings for something else. Why didn't we just listen to Nature? Why did we try and stick it out in the rain, when Nature was trying to be so clear in it's intentions.

Popping our sodden heads back inside the JJB tent, we're greeted by a heaving throng going wild for Gomez. Unbelievable so many years after their awesome debut, we're only there in time to catch the finale. But 'Whippin' Piccadilly' is delivered with such high octane enthusiasm and energy that we're sure if we'd heeded Nature's call, we'd have caught a wonderful festival show.

Food calls as the the days first dul patch kicks in. With no-one to see we head back to the dry haven of the Union Tent and watch BellX1 deliver a set that seems to have been stamped with the 'Authentic Irish Anthems' seal of approval. Clearly aiming for the U2/Coldplay/Snow Patrol stadium striding market, they're assured in their performance and tick all the appropriate boxes but still fall a little flat in the compelling stakes.

A short wait and an amassing crowd later, The Pipettes storm the stage and run through their retro-Spector girl group schtick with some aplomb. But as fun and entertaining as three attractive girls in polka dots are, having seen them before, you can't help but have thoughts of one trick ponies and honestly, you have to wonder if they can pull a few new shapes to stop it all becoming a little stale.

And then the rain stops. Perfectly timed. Almost as though Morrissey had orchestrated the whole thing. And with the crowd having dispersed after Faithless, we stroll close to the front and await the great man's arrival. And arrive he does. Surrounded by his faithful band, Morrissey is decked out in a dapper brown while the band sparkle in bright white suits. And after the now seemingly obligatory pre-show bow, they take their places and launch into a blistering opening trio of 'Panic', 'First Of The Gang To Die' and 'You Have Killed Me'. Clearly enjoying his postion as headliner, Morrissey milks the crowd for all their applause. Sounding in fine voice and with the band louder and bolder than ever, we're treated to a set drawn mainly from the last two albums, a smattering of Smiths songs and with, 'We'll Let You Know', just a single song from his mid-career. The pace dips around halfway through and the crowds attention seems to wander as album tracks come out to the baffled ears of casual Morrissey fans. But ending on a high note, Morrissey strips and tosses his third shirt into the crowd and sends us home with 'How Soon Is Now' ringing in our ears. If only someone could remind Morrissey that he had a career inbetween The Smiths and 'You Are The Quarry' and that it would be nice to hear some songs from it sometime. But that is a minor grime to what really was a remarkable end to an above average first day.

Richard Hawley - it's over love (acoustic version)

Liam Frost and The Slowdown Family - if tonight we could only sleep

The Pipettes - pull shapes

Morrissey - the youngest was the most loved

mp3 music v festival 2006