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A prepared festival goer is a happy festival goer and doesn’t Lee Worrell of DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS know it. Listen up to the voice of experience.
m I excited about T in the Park? Yeah, man. it‘s gonna be brilliant. Last year we did the T Break stage and our profile wasn‘t too big so we printed about 5000 flyers and spent the whole time handing them out promoting our gig. The whole bloody ground of the festival was covered in Dogs Die flyers. We got a good crowd in that tent and this year we’re on the NME stage so that’s gonna be amazing. When we were 14. myself. Laurence [Davey. drums] and Craig [Macintosh, vocals] went down to Reading 94 to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It was fantastic. We waited till the gates opened. ran across the field and held onto the barrier for 12 hours or something and then there they were — our heroes in front of us. We didn’t go for a piss or eat anything all day. and we had this massive guy next to us with Satan 666 tattooed on his arm who kept trying to squeeze us out. but it was worth it. My main tip for surviving at a festival is to bring spare tent poles in case someone decides to trash your tent. That's happened to me a couple
They Won the -' Shortlist Prize (the US equivalent of the Mercury Prize) beating Bjork, Aphex Twin and Flaming Lips.
of times: we had to go around trying to find sticks to make it into some kind of teepee thing.
: Also. definitely bring your own food and drink.
I don't want to slag off festivals but the prices
3 are sky high. so stock up on as much food and
booze of your own as possible. Cigarettes too. Last year when we did that flyer stuff I got
' bloody sunstroke. so you should also take lots 3 of sun cream and some kind of headwear but i not the stupid festival headwear that you see . people wearing. Anything but a jester hat. basically.
And personally I avoid all rides and
f rollercoasters. cos after a day of festival
indulgences [just wouldn’t recommend it. If
you’re getting on a rollercoaster get on it early in the day. Finally. you should definitely go and
see Dogs Die in Hot Cars. and watch the Zutons
straight after us cos they‘re fantastic.‘
(Interview by Doug Johnstone)
WHO Can you name our mystery T in the Park Band?
Dogs Die in Hot Cars play the NME Stage, Sat 10 Jul.
They were invited back to Judge the competition the { Iii a following year with ' " They Mos Def. Chris produced the Martin, the Chemical biggest selling Brothers and Perry album of the year in Farrell joining them the US: Usher’s on the panel. Confessions.
Everyone likes a laugh. But why are there so many JOKEY BANDS displaying their witty wares in Balado? Brian Donaldson delves.
I Joe Dolce. Bill Bailey. Hinge & Brackett. All fine exponents of the sub- genre we call musical comedy. And judging by the line-up of this year's T in the Park. the organisers are hoping to capitalise on gales of laughter as much as walls of sound.
The Darkness (Main Stage, Saturday) may well be the most successful players of rock parody in history. All Queen operatics, Dark Star video histrionics and NME-hating, Take a Break-endorsing mayhem. they've
tapped into the Spinal aesthetic like no other. The bass player is Phil Kay‘s cousin. Goldie Lookin’ Chain (Main Stage. Sunday), have been dubbed the rap Darkness and the wonky Welsh troupe are even rumoured to be set for a collaboration with their rock kinsmen for a no doubt spectacular take on ‘Walk This Way.‘ Scissor Sisters (Main Stage, Sunday) comprise Jake Shears. Babydaddy. Ana Matronic. Del Marquis and Paddy Boom. None of which inherently suggests
spoofery but taking your mum to strip bars (Shears). and
a Bee Gees stylee surely is. ‘Tits on the Radio'? I'll say. Electric Six (King Tut’s Tent, Sunday) have given us some of the campest. lewdest. damn cheekiest videos of recent years: hamsters scuttling round the White House and a gay troupe of Abe Lincoln workout freaks are the tips of their icebergs. Although l'm sure you'd have your own candidates for Finest Tribute Act at T (Keane/Coldplay. Muse/Radiohead. Katie Melua/your best pal's drunk gran at Christmas. etc). the straight down the line winners on the bill are Complete Stone Roses (King Tut's Tent. Sunday). They
do Stone Roses songs. Who says dance music can't be a barrel of giggles? DJ Yoda (Slam Tent. Sunday) certainly doesn't subscribe to that. being unafraid to chuck The Avengers. Emmerda/e and Mister Men theme tunes into the mix. Spoof maybe; special it certainly is.
They helped write and produce over half of Justin 'l'lrnberlake's debut Justified (all the good bits, that is).
24 Jun-8 Jul 2004 THE LIST 17