Ben & Jerry Sundae on the Common
Yet another fine display of ice cream, sunshine and pop music. Clapham Common hosts the annual Ben & Jerry Summer Sundae on the Common, and this year we have new flavours, new attractions and old men, yes, Jerry graced us with his presence as it was Ben & Jerry�s 30th birthday this year.
I had got backstage VIP tickets to meet Jerry, and it was over in a flash as he was Personally Assisted from one person to meet and greet, and on to the next meet and greet. A lovely chap, and genuinely seemed happy to be there.
Saturday�s entertainment was highlighted by Florence and the Machines, a funky punky spiky energetic and colourful lot that oozed sunshine, just in case we didn�t have enough!
The egalitarian ideals of Ben & Jerry even apply to the rock stars��Jerry I missed my free pie as I was on stage� says the girl from Florence and the Machines. Let�s hope she didn�t go without. Delays suffered with poor sound, or just the wind blowing the wrong way, or at least from where we were sitting we couldn�t hear much at all, which is a shame as I do quite like their jangly guitar keyboard rock, another fine band to listen to on a sunny day, that�s if you can hear them of course.
Headliners were The Charlatans, which I haven�t listened to since the dying days of Britpop. A band that started in the late 80s included their baggy classics such as The Only One I Know and Weirdo through to Britpop stomper One to Another. Finishing on Sproston Green is a good choice, it always reminds me of The Who in its structure and organ drive.
Back home for a shower, to clean off the melted ice cream stains, and ready for more on the Sunday. We sat closer to the stage, and to the ice cream, I was never sure which was longer; the queue for the beer or the Baked Alaska ice cream!
Entertainment wise we liked Parka, they had a good way of getting across to an audience who have no idea as to who you are, finishing with a pumping cover version, recently used on a TV advert, you know the one with the girl rushing about doing many things, it might have been for a car, but the French pop tune they used was top, and went down a treat Sunday lunchtime.
Unfortunately Caged the Elephant had to cancel due to �an accident� I hope Nellie hadn�t escaped. So we had Fight like Apes, who I really didn�t pay any attention to, nor the following lot Slow Club ... but Get Cape Wear Cape Fly woke me up out of my sticky milky creamy haze with their trumpets and melody and sense of fun.
The Lemonheads were well received, but he took a lot of time to get going, my attention was stolen by the Air Guitar stage behind me thumping out Paranoid and Ace of Spades, they even played Twisted Sister!
The headliners Ash fall in to the same category as yesterday�s closers...bands that I stopped listening to ten years ago. I remember stomping around to Charlatans and Ash tunes in The Factory in Worthing or the Underground in Brighton, but as Britpop faded, they newer work passed me by, but hearing Burn Baby Burn, Life Less Ordinary and Kung Fu brought back pleasant hazy memories of riotous nights out swaggering on the dance floor, rocking out back to back and jumping around!
It�s a small and intimate festival where variety of ice cream is matched by variety of activity; Vauxhall City Farm, egg & spoon races, steel drum bands in the Jamaica Me Crazy sorbet tent, and of course the Air Guitar stage! But I do think they would benefit from some screens on the side of the stage, or booking some headliners with some real presence.
Looking forward to next year�s event already.
I had got backstage VIP tickets to meet Jerry, and it was over in a flash as he was Personally Assisted from one person to meet and greet, and on to the next meet and greet. A lovely chap, and genuinely seemed happy to be there.
Saturday�s entertainment was highlighted by Florence and the Machines, a funky punky spiky energetic and colourful lot that oozed sunshine, just in case we didn�t have enough!
The egalitarian ideals of Ben & Jerry even apply to the rock stars��Jerry I missed my free pie as I was on stage� says the girl from Florence and the Machines. Let�s hope she didn�t go without. Delays suffered with poor sound, or just the wind blowing the wrong way, or at least from where we were sitting we couldn�t hear much at all, which is a shame as I do quite like their jangly guitar keyboard rock, another fine band to listen to on a sunny day, that�s if you can hear them of course.
Headliners were The Charlatans, which I haven�t listened to since the dying days of Britpop. A band that started in the late 80s included their baggy classics such as The Only One I Know and Weirdo through to Britpop stomper One to Another. Finishing on Sproston Green is a good choice, it always reminds me of The Who in its structure and organ drive.
Back home for a shower, to clean off the melted ice cream stains, and ready for more on the Sunday. We sat closer to the stage, and to the ice cream, I was never sure which was longer; the queue for the beer or the Baked Alaska ice cream!
Entertainment wise we liked Parka, they had a good way of getting across to an audience who have no idea as to who you are, finishing with a pumping cover version, recently used on a TV advert, you know the one with the girl rushing about doing many things, it might have been for a car, but the French pop tune they used was top, and went down a treat Sunday lunchtime.
Unfortunately Caged the Elephant had to cancel due to �an accident� I hope Nellie hadn�t escaped. So we had Fight like Apes, who I really didn�t pay any attention to, nor the following lot Slow Club ... but Get Cape Wear Cape Fly woke me up out of my sticky milky creamy haze with their trumpets and melody and sense of fun.
The Lemonheads were well received, but he took a lot of time to get going, my attention was stolen by the Air Guitar stage behind me thumping out Paranoid and Ace of Spades, they even played Twisted Sister!
The headliners Ash fall in to the same category as yesterday�s closers...bands that I stopped listening to ten years ago. I remember stomping around to Charlatans and Ash tunes in The Factory in Worthing or the Underground in Brighton, but as Britpop faded, they newer work passed me by, but hearing Burn Baby Burn, Life Less Ordinary and Kung Fu brought back pleasant hazy memories of riotous nights out swaggering on the dance floor, rocking out back to back and jumping around!
It�s a small and intimate festival where variety of ice cream is matched by variety of activity; Vauxhall City Farm, egg & spoon races, steel drum bands in the Jamaica Me Crazy sorbet tent, and of course the Air Guitar stage! But I do think they would benefit from some screens on the side of the stage, or booking some headliners with some real presence.
Looking forward to next year�s event already.