Glastonbury 2004: Main Stages, Saturday

Andrew Future - 25 June 2004

Despite many years at Glasto, we never learn that camping near a stage means getting woken up early by some band or other.

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22-20's (Other Stage, 1.20pm) are 'some band' who got lucky in last year's blind bidding A&R scramble and they're a bit out of depth if truth be told. New single 'Shoot Your Gun' is the closest thing they have to a good song, and despite the rain we can't help be bored by the identikit garage slop that this lot indulge in, with their new found stylists on cue. Where are the Coopers when you need em, eh?

By the time Scissor Sisters (Pyramid Stage, 2.45) turn up, we've given up complaining about the clouds and dance in the mud. The party is well and truly here, and it's wearing knitted dungarees. Scissor Sisters bound onstage, promising sunshine, flowers and disco tunes camper than Barrymore's tailor, and delivering rain, sludge, and, errr, disco tunes camper than Noddy. But while the indie 'elite' flounder in the dirt, Scissor Sisters' glorious cover of 'Comfortably Numb', and the funked-up 'Laura' truly make the day a little warmer. They leave the Pyramid stage sweaty, exhausted, and well and truly violated... as well as several parents with some very interesting questions to face from their children.

But not until after Keane (Other Stage, 3.30pm) have finished, because this is the day's OTHER token sing-along set. It's a time to lay down your criticisms of Keane lacking any individuality, blatantly stealing tunes and beats and looking like they're on the Starsailor diet of chubba chubbism and whine-gums. It's a time to smile, dance and marvel at what is the best set of the weekend. Just 'cos we expected Keane to 'do a Coldplay' doesn't make it any the less great.

Opening with 'Can't Stop Now' (it's sooo Coldplay!) they quickly skit through the highlights from the triple-platinum debut, and not long after 'Sunshine', half-way through 'This Is The Last Time', the rain finally gives way. It's glorious, and despite being truly overawed by the crowd ('There's so many of you', observes singer, Tom Chaplain) the boy is in fine voice throughout. We're reliably informed he used an auto-tuner on his voice, but if it makes 'Everybody's Changing' and the monumental 'Bedshaped' sound that good, then that's all fine and dandy with us. See you on the Pyramid Stage next year then.

Having gorged ourselves on indie-lurve for a day, it's time for a bit of Just 17 raawk. action along with a Wall of Death, which, for the uninitiated, is where fans divide down the middle, create an empty space between them, then run headfirst straight into each other

Perma-tanned and immaculately-dressed; Lostprophets (Pyramid Stage, 4.10pm) are the token metal band of the festival (Stop that sniggering in the back, Slayer fans!), and they knows it. Their floor pounding riots claims a proper moshpit - as well as probably the only 'wall of death'ever seen at a festival of love. "This is your last chance to use up all that energy. 'Cause let's face it - you won't need it for the rest of the festival," quips frontman Ian Watkins. Catty? A little. Truthful? Most definitely, yes.