Happy Mondays turn Guilfest into a Happy Sunday

The Wailers, Lisa Hannigan and more play final day

United Kingdom | by Justin Madgwick | 13 July 2009

Happy Mondays deliver a happy Sunday at Guilfest.

The sun shone down on a crowd as Sean Ryder and Bez closed the main stage while Will Young and The King Blues brought business to a close on the other stages.

The rain that had hit Guilfest since opening on Friday opted to head elsewhere for Sunday afternoon giving the family festival in Stoke Park a celebratory feel to finish another great year for Tony Scott and his team.

Little ones returned in their droves to the Kidszone, while the bars got busy for a day featuring a mixed bag of folk, funk, pop, rock, reggae and ska.

Introduced as the Sly & The Family Stone of Salford, Sean Ryder, with fag in hand, takes to the stage looking like a cross between a modern day rotund Axl Rose and Ray Winstone in Peurto Banus in baggy white shirt and pale blue jeans, with Gaz Whelan assumes position behind the drums whilst maracas wielding dancing monkey Bez whoops up the crowd.

The new Mondays deliver some excellent funky rock – (Sonic Audio in a past life) – and outstanding 'backing' vocals combine with Ryder’s blunt but powerful delivery for ‘Kinky Afro’ and ‘Give Me The Real Thing’ in which Bez sweeps the singer off her feet whilst calling “Mr. Ryder” at every opportunity.

Sonic Audio, resembling Kasabian, deliver on the musical level as Bez swaps maracas for a bottle of red wine before showing his adoration for Sean for ‘Loose Fit’ before chucking his maracas into the crowd – but the wrong person gets them, and he gets them back, throws them again, wrong again!

“Chelmsford, how you doing out there,” oh dear Bez, at least it ends in “ford”. ‘Mad Cyril’ gets cut short to bring ‘Reverends’ Black Grape’ to the crowd which is well received. “We couldn't do one without tribute to Michael Jackson,” says Ryder, “this one’s dedicated to Mickey, here's to the MJ, the king of pop,” as ‘It’s Your Blood’ is belted out. ‘Halleluiah’ is delivered next with a good measure of gospel.

“This is your favourite Bez, it's what put you in rock n roll fame,” calls Sean. ‘Call The Cops’ introduces ‘Step On’ at which point Ryder’s 'kids' are brought on stage, lead by his daughter (it is a family fest after all), Bez has a son, or eager follower as his double, there is a party on stage as melons are twisted. Sean says goodnight. Bez says put down your weapons, Mr. Ryder is beckoned, for an encore, ‘Jellybean’ closes a great evening, smoke filling the stage along with blinding light, 'thank you' and good night.

The Wailers were characteristically twenty minutes late on stage, giving the photographers an impossible task of catching them and Simon Friend on the second stage. Their reggae, however, went perfectly with the now warm and pleasant afternoon, encouraging the consumption of Brothers to go up as people mellowed.

Simon Friend meantime was giving his followers a folk-treat which, given he was on a brand-new guitar and had just flown in from Norway, was really very good.

Earlier in the day Goldie Lookin’ Chain were pelted with 100’s of soft Frisbees as they got the crowd going with their portfolio of carefully crafted hits ‘Mate, Your Missus is a Nutter’ and ‘Your Mother Has a Penis’ – it wouldn’t be a festival without that one.

Lisa Hannigan, who shot to fame on Jools only a few weeks ago, brought her Irish lilt and tracks from her current album, ‘Sea Sew’, including ‘Lille’ and ‘Sea Song’ to the second stage, both of which were almost bewitching in their delivery.

Ska legends The Beat had given the Main Stage a reasonable bashing early doors and got the crowd jumping and moving to ‘Much to Much’ and ‘Mirror in the Bathroom’, getting everyone in on the chorus’s and yearning for a bit more ‘80’s nostalgia.

Check back for our full review of Guilfest 2009.