Young Ben gives us his take on this year's festival
By Ben Tyrer
GODIVA is an annual festival in Coventry, which is probably most famous for grabbing up and coming talent like Kasabian and The Fratellis, which is either a very good thing or a very bad thing, depending on your music taste.
However, what it does do, which is just very good for everyone, is give a taste of the music scene for adult and children alike. The fact its free also means that the 3p and pack of crisps in my pocket are safe for another day.
The musical acts really get going with The Displacements.
The singer, who appeared to have been designed to be as cool as possible, has a Noel Gallagher type whine to his vocals; the bass player seems to be winning a fight with his guitar.
In short, the attitude to stardom appears to be there, yet Ill be damned if the songs will have any impact on people and are as middling and PC as anything someone like Duffy could produce.
In short then, a good bet on a future success, even if they are offensively inoffensive in their performance.
Next up are Glasvegas. Last week we mentioned they were hotly-tipped, but really, an NME cover proclaiming them to be the best band in Britain is something else entirely. And thats off three singles, so this was the set that had anyone who wasnt there for The Enemy excited. And
Well, James Allen and co provided an intense musical experience, which only got better as the set went on.
Early problems with the microphone were annoying, but as the set progressed, the quality of the songs did as well.
The last two were the highlight of a good set, with the chant of Go, Square Go! seeing some of the crowd chant it back.
Daddys Gone is the most heart rendering song ever committed to tape, and live - well live, its just 20 times better. Art Brut, no two ways about it, were the best band of the day. Not only were the songs danceable, Eddie Argos injected humour and style into the tight playing and above all, it made the rain unnoticeable.
Argos, the lead singer, certainly knows how to play a crowd, not only in referencing the torrid weather ("Theres not much glam in the Coventry weather") but his views on current events, which I cant publish, but if you were there, they were on Amy Winehouses unsavoury habits.
But, of course, it was The Enemy the crowd had flocked for, and with good reason.
Playing the entire first album, and new song Dont Break The Red Tape, the band have refined their show since the Ricoh gig and not a note is missed by the home crowd.
Its just a shame then that refined, in this case, means nothing most havent seen before, making Dont Break the Red Tape that little bit better, as we wait to hear a larger portion of new material.
Godiva will always be special for many reasons, it brings a fair snapshot of Britain's culture for free, where anyone and everyone will come to enjoy it, but this year felt a tad grander, and an evolution for the annual festival, which hopefully will have more brilliant bands for the future.
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