After headlining the Red Bull Stage at Download last year, We Are The Ocean are now established on the festival circuit. As they take to the stage at Guilfest this weekend, we toured the grounds for a collection of memories from stars from the past four decades of rock music…
What's been your favourite festival moment?
It has to be Download Festival last year, because headlined the Red Bull Stage and we couldn't believe the amount of people that turned up to watch us, it was overwhelming!
– We Are The Ocean
My favourite festival moment was actually as an audience member, seeing Grace Jones perform last summer at Latitude. For her encore, with nothing but a single spotlight on her, she danced with a hula hoop on a rotating round-stage wearing what can only be described as a metal thong, captivating the crowd, gyrating in time to the music, until she finally sauntered off and the stage went black.
– Nell Bryden
Knebworth 1976 going on stage and seeing so many people in front of us, as far as the eye could see.
– Graham Gouldman, 10CC
Playing Download 2010, because the amount of people who came out to see us blew our mind. I'm not sure it actually happened, I think it might have all been a dream…
– Gavin Butler, The Blackout
http://www.myspace.com/theblackout
Playing to our largest ever crowd at Glasto last year.
– Fucked Up
Glastonbury 2007. We were there to play the BBC introducing stage, which was awesome in itself, but we were also lucky enough to catch Pete Doherty do a secret gig on one of the really small stages. It was great because we watch the whole thing from the side of the stage.
– Pint Shot Riot
Which song of yours gets the best reception?
Probably Nothing Good Has Happened Yet. It’s from our debut EP that we released two years ago and it still seems to be everyone's favourite.
– We Are The Ocean
I'm Not In Love' with Dreadlock Holiday a close second.
– Graham Gouldman, 10CC
That's a tough one, the oldies but goodies like It's High Tide Baby usually go down well, but I think Children Of The Night might top it.
– Gavin Butler, The Blackout
Lessons In Love, well it gets the least 'boos' anyway!
– Mark King, Level 42
It's a tie between the uptempo barn-storming roadhouse number Second Time Around and the singalong soul ballad Not Like Loving You.
– Nell Bryden
Probably Not Thinking Straight. Because it featured on the Fifa 10 soundtrack a lot of people have heard it and you usually see people thinking “where have I heard this before?”!
– Pint Shot Riot
In the past it was always That Boy That Girl - but with the release of For The Masses, I feel we've finally outgrown it. Personally, I really enjoy playing 'Lost.' We close a lot of shows with it, and it's euphoric tone really gets people moving.
– Hadouken
Who would you put on the bill at your dream line-up?
The Prodigy, Pitchshifter, Nine Inch Nails, Atari Teenage Riot, Enter Shikari, and I’m gonna say us. People would never be the same again. Ha Ha!
– Subsource
Blink 182, At The Drive-In and Slipknot.
– We Are The Ocean
Us, Daft Punk, Zomby, Deadmau5, Roof Light, Joy Orbison, Sepalcure, Kubus, Hardfloor, The Stone Roses, VVV, Shed, Havsrave, James Blake, Bullion, Face To Face
– Fucked Up
Jimi Hendrix, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Cream and Clodagh Rodgers.
– Mark King, Level 42
I the ones we've been most impressed by in the live scene. Bands like The Prodigy, Pendulum, Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77, Does It Offend You, Yeah? ... people playing music not a million miles from us so that we could sneak in on the bill and be a part of it too!
– Hadouken
Queen, Aerosmith, Metallica, Everytime I Die, Faith No More, Rage Against The Machine, Limp Bizkit and The Blackout so we can say we played with all those bands.
– Gavin Butler, The Blackout
What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen at a festival?
Van Morrison falling into the orchestra pit at The Rainbow Theatre, Finsbury Park, because he didn't want the lights on!
– Mark King, Level 42
Knebworth, a guy jumps on stage and starts masturbating.
– Graham Gouldman, 10CC
Watching two people fight with electricity sparks at Glasto 2010.
– Wobbly Squadron
One that sticks out is from a festival in the Czech Republic. There were a couple of girls dancing right on the barrier in hoodies for most of the show. Then they removed their hoodies to reveal they were topless apart from electrical tape crosses over their nipples. I'm not sure if it was their desired reaction, but I found myself thinking: 'That must have been a weird conversation, arranging to do that.'
– Hadouken!
When we had to break into T In The Park just to play our set because we were so late.
– Fucked Up!
I love some of the weird outfits people wear at festivals. Like people painting themselves blue or wearing bin liners as clothes. Stuff like that you would never ever see unless you're at a festival.
– We Are The Ocean
At Lowlands Festival in Amsterdam, I could have sworn I saw a bunch of über scary-looking clowns doing choreography in the middle of a field... But then again that day I also got a Hardcore tattoo in a tent. i don't even like hardcore music. At all! Maybe it was the mushrooms...
– Adam Boy, The Dirty Disco
One time some drunk guy jumped onstage and pushed up against me to sing into the microphone. I wouldn't have minded so much if we were singing the same song. Finally I elbowed him and he fell off the stage. Oops!
– Nell Bryden
All the strange ones on strange concoctions come out at festivals. Chi, the self-proclaimed “Trainee Festival Vibe Man” was pretty epic. Dressed head to toe in handmade UV bead suit including dreads and teeth. I don’t know about trainee, I’d said he’s pretty ready.
– Subsource
Are festivals better than touring?
I can't choose, it's like choosing a kid.
– Gavin Butler, The Blackout
FESTIVALS EVERY TIME!!
– Wobbly Squadron
You can't really compare them, touring is great because you're on the road, playing shows every single night to different people. But festivals tend to be bigger shows and you get a stronger atmosphere.
– We Are The Ocean
Yes, definitely - the crowds are just so much more energetic and free.
– Adam Boy, The Dirty Disco
I love festivals more now because it's summer and exciting to be around lots of people. Ask me in September, when I’m suffering from Festival Fatigue, and I'll tell you I'm happy to be going on my own headline tour.
- Nell Bryden
Festivals are more fun because of their unpredictability.
– Graham Gouldman, 10CC
Always big fans of the dark sweaty griminess you get playing in clubs, but we love festy season: no soundchecks, no long waits in backrooms before going on, and the after-parties can continue for days rather than hours. Come October we’re never quite as bright that’s for sure.
– Subsource
YES
– Fucked Up!
Catch We Are Ocean and My Passion as they join N Dubz, Human League, The Blockheads and Orbital at GuilFest. For a free taste, you nice lads from The Dirty Disco are offering a free download of Subsource’s remix of their summer anthem White Room.
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