Saturday 05/07/08 Neil Young, Tokyo Police Club, Jose Gonzalez @ Roskilde Festival, Denmark

There might not be quite the same chance of stumbling into the festival otherworlds of Shagri-La or Lost Vagueness at Roskilde, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t more than enough to entertain here aside from the music.  Each camping area is organised around a central agora, with walkways to separate campsites, making the habitual guy-rope obstacle course on the search for your tent a thing of the past.  Each agora is equipped with a shop (essential for the early morning cuppa), toilets, and a huge open gazebo under which an exhausted gathering can always be found, seeking some shade and some shut-eye.  The agoras are also themed and contain everything from a skatepark to an ice rink.  Our particular agora is themed ‘swim’.  An artificial beach has been created by one of the many lakes that stud the camping grounds, while a grounded pirate ship pumps music into the lake through huge underwater speakers, creating aquatic aural chaos.  Gigwise spends a good proportion of Day 3 bikini-clad and beach-bound, cooling off with countless other festival goers in the lake.

Most of the major acts start mid-afternoon, and while the maddeningly relentless pop-trash of British two-piece, The Ting Tings, isn’t enough to lure Gigwise from the beach, Jose Gonzalez’s softly-sung guitar mastery seems the perfect way to start the musical day.  There’s a problem, however, as it seems a large proportion of punters have made the same decision, and his audience spill out of the packed tent, gathering at entrances to catch a glimpse of the acoustic troubadour.  We loiter on the outskirts long enough to hear some favourites from ‘Veneer’, but are eventually beaten by the heat and retreat to less crowded areas.

Oversubscribed tents seem all too common at Roskilde, a rare downside to an otherwise superbly organised event.  The line-up, like the general festival atmosphere, is relaxed, with little rushing between venues necessary to catch favourite artists.  Yet all too often late-comers are relegated to the outdoors, and with a marked lack of big screens flanking stages, squinting is the order of the day for many hoping to see bands in the flesh.

We have better luck with Tokyo Police Club, whose tent only reaches full capacity when an unexpected rain shower boosts numbers under the canvas somewhat.  The young Canadian quartet are humble, chatty and charming, as lead singer Dave Monks jokes, “At least you’re dry, even if you don’t like us!”  But the quality of their punchy, keyboard heavy set quickly belies his modesty.  With tracks that typically last no more than a couple of minutes, the band have a job on their hands to fill an hour long slot.  “This is the longest set of our lives,” Monks grins, “Roskilde were like 'Play for an hour!' and we were like 'Yessir!'”  An hour isn’t enough to satisfy their audience though, with ‘Listen To The Math’ and ‘Cheer It On’ ending a riotously successful set and old fans and the newly converted gathering stage-wards to fight over set-lists as the boys depart the arena. 

As the day draws on, the shoegaze fans gather to see My Bloody Valentine while the more musically minded among us head to the main stage to hear veteran rock legend, Neil Young.  The granddad paunch and thinning hair are indelible reminders that the golden days are long gone, but Young’s musicianship stands the test of time.  Sentimental classics like ‘The Needle And The Damage Done’ are instantly gratifying, whilst ‘Heart Of Gold’ and ‘Cinnamon Girl’ sound just as good live as they do on record.  There are some treats in store for those that last the set, too, as Young pays homage to the greats of his generation.  A mid-set rendition of Dylan’s ‘All Along The Watchtower’ sounds magnificent just as the sun slips below the horizon, while a cover of The Beatles ‘A Day In The Life’ marks the close of a gig that cements Young’s global prestige some thirty years past his heyday.

Saturday night wouldn’t be complete without The Chemical Brothers doing what they do best.  The main stage is transformed into a DJ pedestal as the UK duo ignite an outdoor rave of epic proportions, drawing the majority of Roskilde punters to the epicentre of the festival arena for a glow-stick mash-up that goes on into the small hours.

Check out some photos from Roskilde below.