 |
||||||||||||
  |
The 2007 Festival Awards
> Awards > Awards 2007
Peace and Love's best and worst
In true awards style , thanks to the voters. This happens because of you. Right that's the slushy bit out of the way. What a dodgy year! - rain at just about every festival, floods in the campsites, delays getting to and fro, not much in the way of new acts coming through (compared to recent years), and notable sound problems spoiling some of the biggest shows. On the plus side there were bits of glorious weather too, and some excellent performances from the few bands to really break through this year. Well that's my opinion, let's find out what the overall feelings were as we present the festival year as seen by the Peace and Love public. As ever alongside the usual awards there are a couple of Special Awards and a look ahead to who we are backing for breakthrough in 2008. To see how your choices fared, read on. Disclaimer Please don't sue us big bands and promoters of the festival world, we are all really poor anyway, and in any case all the views on this site are those of the voting public and are not a reflection of the producers of this web site (honest).
The Winner : Glastonbury Winner 2006 : Roskilde Indications were that the voting would be tight between Glastonbury and Leeds this time out, given the weather differences at the 2 festivals. In the end the votes were tied so in true professional Peace and Love style, the title was decided by a game of paper, scissors, stone (making us possibly the only awards to adjudicate in this way). Anyway Glastonbury won this bout and so regains its title won in 2005, but respect to the Leeds Festival. A good line up and nice site secured third place for Wireless. Pity it's not on again this year in Leeds.
The winner : The Arcade Fire Winner 2006 : Pearl Jam All three of the nominees were prominent over the 2007 festival season but biggest of all were the Arcade Fire. The Canadians stole the show at Glastonbury and played well up on the bill at the Carling Weekend shows. Add some high profile shows of their own and it was a no brainer. Iggy almost stole the award largely due to amazing stage invasions at Harewood and Glastonbury where the entire crowd was invited up on stage. Finally Nine Inch Nails proved yet again they are one of the most intense and innovative live bands with a great set and stunning light show at Leeds.
The winner : Noisettes Winner 2006 : The Fratellis Rising acts are very important to this website as we like to promote the best new music around. Following on from the success achieved by previous winner we expect great things from Noisettes. The trio impressed us at Glastonbury, Leeds and Godiva. The Pigeon Detectives were everywhere last summer as they continued their amazing rise - tipped by this very website way back in summer 2006. Sheffield musical poets Reverend and the Makers, one of the few acts to play in sunshine at Glastonbury, complete the impressive set of newcomers.
The winners : The Warlords of Pez Winner 2006 : Beautiful South and the Vines Here's a little secret, our winners didn't poll the most votes in this category, this honour fell to Shirley Bassey. However this break in tradition came about with the revelation that the Warlords of Pez have a Giraffe on bass. Who could reasonably argue with this surprise - everyone knows they are normally drummers. And, hey, if Blue Peter can fiddle competitions, so can we. Dame Shirley was suitably amazing at Glasto but you all know that by now. A mention also to Seasick Steve with his amazing blues, all played on a 3 string guitar. Now its on to the first of the Special Awards this year. You know what its like, you get back to the camp late, tired, drunk, dirty and not really ready to hit the sack. What you really need is a Baileys Hot Chocolate from Jo's Cafe, set up and working almost outside the door of your tent. The same service supplies breakfast pancakes and mochas for little or no charge, and quite often a curry around teatime. A bona fide traditional cafe with classic condiments and checked tablecloths, we salute you. (If this doesn't get me loads of free samples I don't know what will).
The winner : The Killers Winner 2006 : Guns'n'Roses This was a pretty well fought category this year, with lots of nominees, but in the end we had a clear winner and a surprise too. The Killers have got used to picking up awards in the past 3 years but here is one they won't want. In mitigation the reasons are not really their fault. Dodgy sound rendering their much anticipated headline at Glastonbury largely inaudible. For showing us their musical prowess but forgetting to actually play any songs the Chilis get the runners up spot. And finally a reminder that throwing a bottle of piss is guaranteed to win you enemies - and unwanted awards nominations.
The winner : Fire show at Glastonbury Winner 2006 : Piking at Leeds What was going on we had no idea - fire, water, dancers, giant lobsters, nudity and some of the largest explosions of the festival. The fire show went off around midnight every night and was THE triumph of the festival. The dog show went a bit(e) wrong at Godiva this year, with the guard dog chewing on the unprotected arm of a mock robber - car crash viewing par excellence, so it gets its second nomination in a row. No one knows what went on or where we went but wandering Glasto is becoming as traditional as Oasis delivering a disappointing album.
The winner : Leeds inside arena Winner 2006 : The Roskilde Fence Two of the three nominees are veterans in this category and Leeds Festival finally emerges victorious. Gone were the long queues as vast banks of Portaloos dominated the skyline behind the Carling Stage. They were clean, had loo roll, locks, and soap. Glastonbudget's were of the usual high standard and you could almost eat your dinner off the ones at Harewood. Sadly this refers to the ones inside the stately home but the portaloos on site were perfectly acceptable.
The winner : Bacon Sarnies Winner 2006 : Spag Bol at Roskilde Classics ruled this year in this popular category as the humble slice of pig between 2 slices of bread topped the list. Whether rustled up at the stove in the campsite or bought from the wagons on site they proved filling and tasty. You could say they brought home the bacon in this category. Jo's excellent curry came a close second, and the Chinese food, especially the black bean chicken found some loyal devotees at Wireless. Now its on to our second special award. This year it goes to Ade and Vick and Plumby and Anna as they gear up towards bringing some new Peace and Lovers into the world. I'm sure everyone will want to take the opportunity to wish them well as they look forward to a year of nappy changing and lack of sleep, surrounded by whining and grizzling noises. No real change there then.
The winner : Ale at Glastonbury Winner 2006 : Ale at Glastonbudget Real ale won the day for the second year in a row. It was a masterstroke providing barrels at most bars in Glastonbury plus a mini beer festival taking place within reasonable walking distance from our camp. Real cider is always a winner here too, though the crowds outside the Brothers bar prevented any prolonged tastings this year. Get a bigger van guys. Finally camping everywhere was enhanced by hot chocolate with that little added something to help you sleep better.
The winner : Mud Winner 2006 : Peace & Love Wristbands There was very much a theme of practicality this year as the weather dictated it was better to be prepared than flashy. Mud was worn by everyone everywhere either as a full on suit or just splashes and streaks on the back of legs for those favouring a minimalist approach. Patterned wellies were popular as well and get their day in the sun here - or should that be rain? To complete the set the waterproof and breathable fabric miracle that is Gore-text was in demand as opposed to the cheaper, waterproof but certainly not breathable bin liner.
The winner : The Yoga Winner 2006 : Blind Man Brown Arguably the maddest part of the yoga session was getting up at 9.00 to get ready for an hour of mild to severe physical torture. Much of the hardship was alleviated by watching it piss down on the other classes outside of our waterproof classroom. Never mind the Bourne Identity, due to substance intake, some of us suffered our own memory losses and have no recall of events of the Wednesday at Glastonbury. It's funny that 'cause I'm sure I remember you all promising to give me £500. Most people can remember the 'fun' to be had getting away from site on the Monday through the muddy fields. At this point I would like to remind you I was off site by 8.30 and enjoying a full English in the local transport cafe. Finally as is tradition we look forward to 2008 and to the bands we think will make a big impact this year. Last year our tips all did well, especially Klaxons, so let's see who we recommend both new and established to become the stars of the festival scene. We present to you..
Well that's it for last year. Roll on summer 2008. For other categories such as the albums, singles and other gigs of the year, and indeed to vote yourself later in the year, please visit our Forum Enjoy your 2008, we will! |
Nearly Awards
Just Missing Out - The Leeds fence failed to get into the top 3 best toilet listings.
Awards Trivia
NME Mayhem In 2006 Ryan Jarman of the Cribs received an award on behalf of the Kaiser Chiefs. To celebrate he foolishly dived backwards onto a table full of glasses and bottles. During his subsequent trip to the hospital to be stitched back together, doctors revealed he had missed his vital organs by a centimeter or so.
Piking at Leeds
Spotty Wellies - The sensible face of festival fashion.
Awards Trivia
No Thanks Capitalists In 1973 Marlon Brando turned down both a Golden Globe and an Oscar for the best actor for his role in the Godfather, as a protest against US imperialism. He is the only actor in history to turn down 2 major awards.
Festival Newcomer
Pigeon Detectives - One more vote and we would have won
Awards Trivia
Oscars get it wrong The Academy Awards do not always get things right. In 1941 they decided a young hotshot director was too young for their liking, and in danger of becoming too powerful in the movie business. Fearing for their own careers they denied his latest movie any major awards. The director was Orson Welles, and to this day the lack of success for Citizen Kane is the biggest miscarriage of justice in Oscars history. | ||||||||||
|
Home | News | Reviews | Awards | Galleries | Guide | Links | Forum © Waterbob Productions 2005
|
||||||||||||
