Saturday, 12/08/06, Day 2 @ La Route du Rock, Saint Malo, France

 You Say Party! We Say Die!'s 'Apocalypse Mieouw' lyrics are "It's the end of the world, let's be together". The concept is 'You say die! We say party!', which is off-message from the band-name. Anyway, YSP!WSD! played a fun set; trashy and disposable. Long live You Say Party! We Say Die!

One of The Pipettes songs has the lyrics "I don't mean to offend you, but you're hurting my ears". Right back at them. The Pipettes seem to go for a timeless feel and they achieve that, in a way: their screetching would have been as unacceptable forty years ago as it is today. With their cute uniforms, The Pipettes belong at Butlins, not a music festival. La Route du Rock badly needed a second stage during their set.

A couple of people in the crowd shouted for Isobel, with Miss Campbell in town tomorrow. The reunion didn't happen, but it didn't matter, with Belle and Sebastian on such good form. "We've not played here before. We'd like to play some old songs" said Stuart, before launching into 'Dylan In The movies'. "Don't look back, like Dylan in the movies" But, um, aren't you doing that, playing these old songs? Guess it's a case of 'do as I say, not as I do'. Them old song's sound great, though; cherry-picked from various albums, we get 'Judy And The Dream Of Horses', 'The boy With The Arab strap', 'I'm A Cuckoo' and 'Funny Little Frog'.

Cat Power sent out the Memphis blues band for a couple of boogie woogie instrumentals, before begining her magical set with 'The Greatest'. That song's 'On the waterfront', "I coulda been a contender" message is punched home with Cat's shadow-boxing moves. Part of the attraction to seeing Cat Power in the past might have been about watching a fragile artiste, who could break down in tears on stage. Tonight, Cat did the chicken-dance a couple of times. With such a tight band behind her, an on-stage breakdown would be impossibly farcical.

France gave New York the statue of liberty and tonight, back across the Atlantic, New York gave France TV On The Radio. TVOTR have a suitably libertine sound; man has wind chimes tied to his guitar up there. It 's a brilliant set and we dance to 'Wolf Like Me', the celebration of lunacy: "Got a curse I cannot lift/ Shines when the sunset shifts" Lunar, see? This guy makes the scummy man in 'When The Sun Goes Down' seem well rounded, like a full moon.