The eighties were big. Big hair, big jewelery, big neon colour, big amounts of spandex, big bold makeup, big everything. While most decades tend to be easily defined, the noughties seem to be preoccupied with throwbacks to the all those fabulous decades gone before them. However, the 80's often get overlooked for their gaudiness. They could easily be defined as the era of tacky... but they were a time to be unapologetically bold and fabulous too. Madonna was like a virgin, Spandau Ballet were gold, Olivia Newton-John was getting physical and Cyndi Lauper just wanted to have fun.


Photo by Kekka.

Whether or not you experienced it first hand, the 80's were a decade not likely to be forgotten. Let us celebrate them in all their colourful, gaudy exuberance!

How To Pay Tribute To The 80's:

Crimp your hair and tease it up nice and big.

Throw on some leg warmers and a headband and dance along with Jennifer Beals in Flashdance.

Jump on Youtube and revisit the Care Bears.

Hunt ebay for a vintage scratch & sniff tshirt.

Do it like Madonna: layers of pears, lacy stockings and big blonde teased hair.

Work it in spandex leggings for some ultra 80's glam.

Channel Boy George with bold makeup. Bright eyeshadow! Red Lips! Blush! Extra points: grab yourself some sequinned tails and find somewhere fabulous to party.

Dust off the Spandau Ballet records & get lip-synching to Gold & True.

Shoulder pads belong to the 80's, but the noughties brought a resurgence in this trend

Do the Nutbush.

Aerobics it up in a hi-cut leotard over neon bike shorts

Have Molly Ringwald movie marathon: Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985) and Pretty In Pink (1985).

Grab your friends for an 80's slumber party or if you're feeling brave, rock out 80's style and go public with your throw back love affair.


Now this list is just getting started on how you could pay tribute to the 1980's, that's where you come in - whats your favourite part of 80's style? What 80's music gets you going? How would you celebrate the 80's?

It's summer festival time in the southern hemisphere and amongst all of the excitement of choosing which bands make your must-see list, it's easy to forget the essentials when it comes to pre-festival packing. This is especially so when you're planning to be camping on-site for a multi-day festival. Despite best intentions, we inevitably find ourselves throwing things into our rucksacks at the very last minute and forgetting those bits and bobs that we really hope not to forget, like loo roll & a toothbrush! To make your festival experience a little more care-free & assist in ensuring you're truly and utterly prepared for your next summer festival, why not follow this easy to use festival preparation guide?


Photos by Ian Wilson and Bérenger ZYLA.
1 week out

• Make sure your ticket has arrived in the post, or is available to pick up upon arrival. Chase up if necessary!
  
• Have you booked transport? If not, get organising: car pool, bus, train - book it now.
  
• If it's been a while since you last pitched your tent, give it a trial run in the yard. This will ensure your festival home still has all of it's poles and pegs.
  
• Check you own both gumboots and thongs. You won't know which you need until you arrive. It could quite possibly be that both are required.

2-3 days out

• Do a load of laundry, most importantly, be sure to include enough sets of knickers to see you through each day of the festival. Also include in your load, a towel, swimmers (these double as underwear or a top depending on need and weather!), jeans, socks and singlets.
  
• Check the state of your sleeping bag. Air out or put in the washing machine if necessary.

The Day Before

• Pack your clothing, towel and shoes you won't be wearing on the day you leave.
  
• Pack loo roll (this is important), wet wipes, hand sanitizer and a bunch of plastic bags.
  
• Get together all of your camping gear: torch, tent, sleeping bag, mozzie spray, sunscreen, plates, cutlery, mug & food if doing your own cooking.
  
• Do a supermarket run. Pick up extra batteries for your torch as well as snacks like chips, rice crackers, muesli & nuts. Save your dosh for the over-priced beer in plastic cups.
  
• If you don't own a watch, pick one up from the chemist or local servo. Depending on how long the festival lasts, chances are come mid to end, your phone battery will have died and a watch will make finding the right stage at the right time a much simpler task.

The Morning of

• Pack your bathroom bits and pieces: any makeup you use, shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothbrush and toothpaste.
  
• Double check you have your ticket (for both the festival & your transport). Have fun!!

For more tips on preparing for the summer festivals, see the Girls Guide to Festival Fashion.


What is your must-have festival item?

A belief in climate justice...

Photos by neil365, Devina Pereira, Anirudh Koul.

October 1 marked the international release of an all-star remix of Beds Are Burning. Originally written and performed by Midnight Oil, and now rewritten for the 2009 release; the song is as pertinent in rallying global support and creating passion for political justice today as it was in 1987.


"Music is the universal language, capable of transcending cultures, generations, religions and races. A song or an artist truly has the power to translate a message or a movement more than any politician or world leader can on a global scale.

"This will create a voice for all of us who deserve to have a say leading up to Copenhagen in December. The goal is to draw enough attention to an event that will affect everyone's lives on the planet."

Alexandre Sap, CEO of The:Hours (who assembled the artists and produced the soundtrack, source: media release)


The rerelease of Beds Are Burning saw over 60 celebrities and musicians from across the globe have come together to collaborate, for a game of spot-the-celebrity on a scale not seen since the release of Jimmy Kimmels parody clip, "I'm f*cking Ben Affleck". They did it because they care: about something bigger, something global, something that requires all of us, from wherever we are in the world, to band together, to learn about and act upon. Climate change is inevitable and it is now our responsibility to move towards climate justice. The release of Beds Are Burning is a demonstration of the reach of passion for climate justice, "...the greatest humanitarian crisis facing humankind today", from Fergie to Duran Duran, they're doing it because they care.

TckTckTck, a global alliance of non-government organisations, trade unions and faith groups, are the organisation behind this epic release. They are urging the global community to become climate allies by stepping up and saying "I am ready for our leaders to sign a global deal in Copenhagen that is ambitious, fair and binding". The climate talks to be held in Copenhagen this December offer leaders from across the world an opportunity to join together and make a binding and viable commitment to actively working towards combating climate change.

As well as being a killer track with an impressive video and inspired by a most worthwhile cause, the song is free to download. View the video embedded below or at Time for Climate Justice and if you want to load the song onto your ipod you can download the song here. Be sure to stop by tcktcktck for more information on climate justice and Copenhagen.




What do you think about Beds Are Burning? Has it peaked your interest in Climate Justice?

Photos by Michael Spencer.

Sat in the centre of the stage at London's The Borderline, a harmonica slung about his neck, it's hard to imagine Pete Murray anywhere but here, however, Murray tried his hand at music only after an injury halted his rugby career. Perhaps it is this that endears him to his legion of loyal fans, never having dreamt of super stardom, Murray exudes a comfortable and genuine energy as he converses and interacts with his audience. There is no rehearsed dialogue; there is not even a set list, with the show taking form from crowd prompts, of which there are plenty. Murray introduces Saving Grace, explaining it's "...all about being in a great place in your life, which is right here, right now".

The biggest applause of the night comes after Opportunity, his faux-finale, invoking a sing-along on a magnitude usually reserved for nights around a campfire, even the lads raising their beer filled plastic cups to join in on the chorus. In what was the evening's only show of popstar behaviour, Murray exits the stage at the end of the song. The crowd stays put and continue cheering, having yet to perform his first hit single So Beautiful, they know he'll be back.

A few minutes pass before Murray again takes to the stage to play his encore. As the crowd draws silent, a request from the dark is heard, gently mocking the fangirls that have dictated the evenings set list, the male voice suggests Summer of '69. Murray thanks his audience for their support of him as an independent artist in these parts and tells them he'll be sticking around to sign autographs before closing his set with Please and So Beautiful.


Article originally written for and published by Australian Times.

Image by ceedub13
It's a blustery London evening, but upon stepping into The Borderline in Soho, it could just as likely be a balmy summer evening in the Antipodes. After a seemingly ill-fitting hip hop support act, Blue King Brown, an Australian urban roots outfit, fronted by Natalia Pa'apa'a, took to the stage to rapturous cheers from the crowd, an unpretentious melting pot of straight-from-work types alongside girls and boys in wife-beaters and dreadlocks.

The bands flag, reading 'Positive Movement', flanked the microphone stand, the group filling every corner of the small stage, dressed understatedly with Pa'apa'a's trademark Blade Runner style eye makeup the only notable flourish. What followed was an undeniably captivating blend of reggae, blues and roots fuelled by an outfit equally as passionate for music as they are for social justice.

The anecdotes Pa'apa'a shared in between tracks attested to the groups genuine enthusiasm for the issues that are the backbone of their lyrics. Speaking with the crowd about the groups time spent connecting with indigenous Australian's rural communities and sharing the tribulations faced by traditional land-owners in attaining the right to access their land. Socially conscious and politically driven, Blue King Brown prove able to walk their talk and live their message.

An indisputable highlight of the set came when Pa'apa'a introduced the rest of the crowd and Kiwi bred backing vocalist, Jess, led the women of Blue King Brown in a powerful rendition of Māori Haka chant.

Pa'apa'a closed the set by thanking the crowd for coming together and "celebrating life and music peacefully", a sentiment wholly encapsulating the seamless blend of social awareness and art that Blue King Brown so ardently deliver.


Originally published in the Australian Times, August 11 edition.

• For more info on Blue King Brown, see official Blue King Brown website.
  
  
• Watch Blue King Brown's Stand Up on Youtube.

What do you think of Blue King Brown?

Florence Welch grew up in South London and attended Camberwell Arts College before finding epic success and being thrust into the spotlight as vocalist, leading lady and band name sake of Florence + the Machine. Florence has been compared to Kate Bush as well as having been hyped as one of the biggest acts of 2009, winning the Critics Choice award at the Brits; and with such stratospheric success in the first half of '09, one can hardly argue with the fact that Florence Welch is a force to be reckoned with in the UK pop scene.


Photo by florenceandthemachine

Lungs is the hotly anticipated debut album from Florence + the Machine and includes singles Kiss With A Fist, Dog Days Are Over and Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) as well as a cover of Candi Staton's You've Got The Love.

When taking to the stage what you get from Florence (+ the Machine) is a theatrical experience characterised with exhilarating manic energy that brings their album, Lungs, to life in all of it's enchanted glory. Perfectly encapsulating the dark intensity of the lyrics, Florence captivates her audience, transporting them on a journey of twisted angst and euphoric highs typified in her impressive vocals; building up to epic frenzied crescendos before mellowing, all the time seducing her audience with her blissful intensity. Not one to miss, find out when Florence is performing near you here.

Watch Florence + the Machine - Drumming Song



For more information on Florence + the Machine including tour dates, media store and Biography stop by the official Florence + the Machine website.


What do you think of Florence?

Image by Souder Photography (more Jay & Mark by Souder)

You know that feeling when you know about something super amazing and you have an insatiable desire to shout about it from the roof tops, to share it with the world? Knowing about O'Shea gives you that feeling. If you've been watching Can You Duet, you will already be well aware of O'Shea, the engagingly adorable and undeniably talented husband and wife team that is Mark and Jay O'Shea. Together they form a country duet that has seen them so far reach the final 6 in Can You Duet.

"With Jay's country-soul voice blending perfectly with Mark's country-rock sensibilities, it's a match made in heaven." The Real O'Shea

Originally from Australia and both successful performers in their own right, Mark and Jay have called Nashville home for the last 2 years. If you are in the Nashville area, you can catch their regular gig playing The Blue Bar each Wednesday. If not, tracks such as Alone and Empty (listen out for an impressive example of Jay's powerhouse vocals at the end of this one) are available to listen to streaming from their myspace and available to download for just $0.99 (USD) each. Their album is also available to download and at just $5 USD), it's an absolute steal. And a heads up: if you subscribe to their mailing list (you can do this at their myspace), not only be kept in the loop on all things O'Shea, you'll score a free mp3 too!

For those of you in the United States - O'Shea have a great competition running at the moment where you can text into 66937 to get an O'Shea ringtone as well as going into the running to win an iPod shuffle! Check out the details:

Be sure to tune into CMT's Can You Duet to cheer on O'Shea, Saturdays at 8/7c! Have you seen O'Shea on Can You Duet? What do you think?

It was the sunshine beating down on the tent that woke us up this sunny Glasto Sunday. Having discovered the joys of a Greenfields start to the day, we trundled across Worthy Farm, to fuel up with a big vegetarian breakfast and get gossiping over the super exciting Sunday line up.

Enter Shikari
Originally uploaded by wonker

First stop of the day was the Other Stage for Enter Shikari. Their set was high energy and their lyrics politically motivated, delivering a powerful anti-war message to their crowd. Before playing 'Fanfare Of The Conscious Man', front man Roughton Reynolds urging the crowd to join in the chorus, "We'll be together against this / We'll be forever against this". A glitch with one of the guitars meant the set was cut slightly short but this did nothing to dampen the mood of the crowd as they went into their final song and recent single 'Juggernaughts'.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Originally uploaded by wonker

Next up on the Other Stage were the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and their colourful front woman, Karen O, dressed in a cape with tights and a large feathered headdress. Their set included a mixture of tracks from their most recent album (It's Blitz) as well as older fan favourites. Karen O's impressive gleeful enthusiasm made for an exciting set, she ran about the stage, swallowing the microphone and shouting out to her crowd in between songs. Following the Yeah Yeah Yeahs came Bat for Lashes with another quality woman of music in way of Natasha Khan who took to the stage in a rainbow coloured sequined leotard, black feathered sleeves black fingerless lace gloves and some fabulous eye shadow. Khan's vocals were compellingly haunting and made for a mellow yet intense folk-pop set.

nick cave at the pyramid
Originally uploaded by digitaura

Next up it was off to the Pyramid Stage for Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. After finding a neat little spot to lay the picnic blanket (which so happened to be the Sainsbury's bag that had been carrying our, now mostly consumed, liquid lunch) we were all set for the perfect evening of music and eye candy. Seeing Nick Cave felt like one of those experiences you had to keep pinching yourself to believe was real (Whoa! It's Nick Cave! Am I really here? It's NICK CAVE!), it was Nick Cave and we were really there. After dedicating the set to the late great.... Farrah Fawcet, Nick Cave, looking dapper in pinstripes, delivered a set of 14 songs as the sun set over Worthy Farm. Come the end of the set it was time to evacuate the Pyramid stage before the crush of Blur fans descended for the much hyped Sunday headlining performance. For me, however, the Dance Village was where it was at as I geared up for what I expected to be the highlight performance of my Glastonbury: Peaches.

By the time I had made it to Glastonbury's Dance Village, night had fallen and the atmosphere was one of hot, sticky anticipation for the feisty glam-shock queen of electronica, Peaches. She arrived in style: her face hidden behind a (soon to be removed) gimp mask, rocking a leotard and big hair. The high energy set included tracks from her new album, I Feel Cream. Peaches embraced the sweaty masses and dove into her crowd, surfing her way to the tents centre rig where she scaled it to dizzying heights. Returning to the stage, Peaches whipped her audience into a crazed frenzy as she demanded all tops come off; something has to be said for a woman with the power to undress her audience. Peaches truly delivered.

Our next and final destination for Glastonbury 2009 was the night life of Trash City and Shangri-La. The highlight was undoubtedly Empress Stah who performed an acrobatic trapeze set, writhing about while suspended above the crowd. Twirling her body around a hula hoop, leaving the crowd gasping 'Did she just..!?' as she channelled her inner vampire, taking blood from her arm, proceeded to inject it into a cup and drink it before continuing her awe-inspiring set. Nothing that followed could come close to being as insanely and shockingly brilliant as Empress Stah and so we moved along for a final wander through the night time wonderland that was Trash City, popping into a tent to have a gander at three brass players accompanying a man on piano before heading for a chai and retiring for the evening. Walking back to our tent through the mostly empty fields, only Michael Jackson tunes could be heard blasting from a random kebab stall. Glasto 2009 was done, all that was left was to pack up, do the epic stalled journey back to London and look forward to next year.


What was your favourite memory from Glasto's Sunday line up? Not there? Who do you wish you could have seen?

Britney Spears, O2 Arena, London
Originally uploaded by twinkleboi

Not letting London's unfortunately timed tube strike, and subsequent transport chaos, be a deterrent, excited Britney fans filtered into the forecourt of the O2 Arena: a space that had been transformed into a fair ground carnival; complete with carousel, giant slides, a ferris wheel and stilt walking feathered-up showgirls.

In order to accurately set the scene, one can not go past the fashion adorning the Britney fans as they mulled about the O2. An aesthetic perhaps best described as what would result if the high street chain stores threw up at a carnival: girls in tiny minis and giant heels, latex-esque black tights and loose fit vests, ugg boots over skinny jeans teamed with an open flanno, a ton of leopard print and a sprinkling of fabulously androgynous looking ladies.. or gents? The pre-show entertainment was as much about observing the style of those clambering about the carnival rides as it was about enjoying those rides.

Britney Spears - Circus Tour
Originally uploaded by samlavi

Inside of the arena the capacity crowd took their seats. The show was in-the-round, with a large round stage, draped in deep purple and red curtains, in the centre of the arena and two smaller adjoining round stages to the left and right.

Support act, Ciara, performed a disappointingly underwhelming set, largely compromised of writhing and gyrating her fishnet and leotard clad body about the stage. She used the time between her songs for haughty self-promotion, ("...follow me on twitter! ... Did you know my album, Fantasy Ride, is out now?!") rather than attempting to properly engage with the crowd. For whatever reason and despite impressively strong vocals throughout the set, Ciara chose to lip-synch over a backing track for crowd favourite: Love, Sex & Magic - sporadically singing bursts of lyrics throughout the track. Undoubtedly a talented vocalist and strong dancer, Ciara failed to genuinely connect with an audience that she could quite easily have had eating out of the palm of her hand.

Britney Spears - Circus Tour
Originally uploaded by samlavi

Following (and making up for) Ciara was The Big Apple Circus who brought with them a high energy circus ambiance for what was a tantalising set of juggling, hooping, punked-up skating clowns, ribbon twirling and acrobatics. Impressive and exciting, the Big Apple Circus proved the perfect way to energise the crowd for the imminent arrival of reigning Queen of Pop, Britney... and who better to introduce Ms Spears to her eager and excited audience than the Queen of All Media himself, Perez Hilton? Appearing as a cherub and acting as ringmaster in this circus, a video introduction was projected onto the stage.

Britney Spears - Circus Tour
Originally uploaded by samlavi

Bursting onto the stage with her albums title track 'Circus', Britney reaffirmed her status as the premiere darling of pop and cemented her status as a show-girl comparable to no other. Her show every bit the spectacle fans hoped an expected it to be, performing a selection of songs from both her most recent album as well as a smattering of hits from her back catalogue. A highlight of the show saw Britney slow the pace as she was suspended above her stage to perform moving rendition of Everytime. Hits including Boys, Gimme More, I'm a Slave 4 U and Toxic followed; as did costumes changes from pretty bollywood inspired harem pants to sequinned bloomers to leotards.

She closed her set dressed as a police woman, compete with cuffs and a baton, for an encore performance of Womanizer. Thanking her crowd, Britney's voice was young, girly and playful, reminiscent of the girl that first wowed international audiences with Hit Me Baby One More time all those years ago. She may have fallen from grace - but it was undeniable - she's bold, brilliant and absolutely back.

Have you seen Britney's Circus Tour? What did you think? What's your favourite Britney song of all time??

After an overwhelmingly wonderful start to the Glasto experience, my first day ended with some exploration of the after-dark wonderland that is Shangri-La. I retired to my tent around 2am, not due to any particular debauchery (unless you believe dancing to Michael Jackon in the reggae tent to be such an activity) but more down to the fact that our tent site was parked up on possibly the furthest spot from Shangri-La. At 6am I woke up to an impromptu guitar acoustic session by our, apparently rather talented songstress, tent neighbour Lois Winstone. Feeling surprisingly chipper it was off to the water basins for a make-shift open-air cold water splash down before grabbing my glasto buddy, Petra, and heading for the Greenfields to indulge in some hippy love and a big veggie breakfast (where we were asked by the most adorable young hippie lad how it was we liked our eggs). We fast discovered Greenfields is where it's at for decent brekkie tucker and vowed to make this a daily occurrence for the remainder of the festival.

Having eaten enough to keep us going well into the early evening it was off to explore some more of the camp site before stopping into the Other Stage for Jason Mraz. The sun was well and truly shining over Worthy Farm and throwing cups of water over the now sweaty crowd awaiting Jason Mraz seemed the only way to keep cool. When Mraz took to the stage his look was laid back and somewhat reminiscent of John Butler, minus the dreads. He worked his crowd with his smooth vocals and charisma, a favourite for so many and it's not difficult to see why: the saying that lads want to be him and ladies want to do him is particularly pertinent when referring to Jason Mraz. His set culminated with a performance of his recent single "I'm Yours" cleverly extended with the inclusion of a cover of Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds" worked into the end. Telling the crowd to sing along to the lyrics 'Every little thing, is gunna be alright' so that even London could hear, saw the congregated masses comply with shouty enthusiasm, leaving one to conclude that we must've got close to achieving just that.



After Jason Mraz it was back to the place we had dubbed 'bliss face hippy central', otherwise known as Greenfields. Some chill time was needed to cool down after Mraz's sun drenched Other Stage set. Solace was found in a tent that saw indie artists including an Irish folk singer and quirky English guitar playing songstress. We made a quick stop in at Climate Camp for a chat, signing of a well wishes poster for the Drax 29 folk and to check out their campaign exhibition before heading back to our tent to change & refresh for the evenings line up of Passion Pit, Florence and the Machine and Bruce 'The Boss' Springsteen. On our trip across the festival site, we inadvertently ran into Dizzee Rascall playing to a ridiculously packed Pyramid Stage crowd and as we snaked our way through the masses we were treated to his tribute medley of Michael Jackson tunes. We were at our camp site by the time he played Bonkers but it was audible, as was the outrageously huge roar of his crowd. Dizzee is one of 2009's hottest pop acts and judging by his crowd pulling power at Glasto, he's here to stay.

Our Saturday evening begun with Passion Pit over at the John Peel stage. Passion Pit seemed to be one of those acts that were quite hyped but not remarkably well heard of otherwise. Quirky electronica style pop seems to be the way for Passion Pit, and it worked. Following Passion Pit in the John Peel tent was the also much hyped, and rightly so, Florence and the Machine. From the moment Florence took to the stage, right through until she gracefully said her goodbyes, she captivated her audience with her intoxicatingly angsty lyrics and euphoric vocals. She impressed too, as she climbed the stage rig in her heels. Flame red hair, black hotpants and a cape - Florence was not only insanely tantalising to hear live but a vision too. A true treat!

We couldn't help repeating the words 'AMAZING' as we made our way from the John Peel stage over to the Pyramid stage to secure our position for the act that seemed to be on everyones 'must see' list: Bruce 'The Boss' Springsteen. The crowd was already huge and it was nothing if not a challenge worming our way through to our mates who had holed up by the sound stage. Bruce Springsteen lived up to all that everyone had hoped him to be and won the crowd over with a mammoth set list of 26 songs. Charming the pants off what seemed like the entire crowd (ladies and gents alike) - Springsteen reaffirmed what his screaming crowd already knew to be true: that he still is a truly world class performer!

What a way to draw Saturday to a close - after realising our attempt to reach Shangri-La and Trash City was set to be ill-fated, we grabbed some refreshments at Solidarity bar and had a dance in backstage before calling it a night.


Where you at Glastonbury? Who was your stand-out performer on Saturday? If you weren't at Glasto, who would you have most wanted to see?

Emotions on the morning of Friday 26 June were mixed, having switched onto BBC Radio 1 for a Glasto weather update, the mood was unusually sombre on the Chris Moyles show and there was a lot of discussion around Michael Jackson. When the words 'rest in peace' were uttered before playing Man in the Mirror it took a moment to sink in - Michael Jackson had died - and it was raining at Worthy Farm - not that these two facts were comparable by way of scale, but neither of which were things I had hoped to hear.

Glastonbury Festival 2009 - Tent City
Originally uploaded by Glasto_2009

My pre-Glasto excitement has been dampened but with absolutely no disrespect to the solemn and sad day this was, last minute errands meant my mind was soon back on the task at hand - I was on the way to my first ever festival experience: Glastonbury 2009. I arrive at Paddington with 30 minutes until my train departs and I still need to get cash, phone credit, caffeine, wet wipes and to find Petra, a fellow festival virgin and my glasto buddy... Cue mad rush. Miraculously, I managed not to miss my train.

A train, shuttle bus and several hours later we found ourselves at Worthy Farm. Within 20 minutes of setting foot on the muddied site we had picked up our press wrist bands, pitched our tent and were down at the Pyramid stage to catch Regina Spektor's set. Charmingly gracious, Regina Spektor, sat at her piano with her lips stained a seriously sexy shade of red. She won the crowd over with her undeniably stirring vocals together with some impressive multi-tasking: one song saw her beating a drum while playing piano and singing. Regina closed her set with a playful rendition of Fidelity that had even the cider-lubricated lads singing along throughout the choruses. Regina's brand of quirky mellow pop proved a fitting start to my festival experience, next stop was to the press pen to pick up our passes.

lily
Originally uploaded by sshingler

After a somewhat irksome exchange with Glasto security (Us: is the press area this way? Him: Yes, but you need your passes. Us: we have our press wrist bands but we need to go pick up our passes, we've just arrived. Him: You can't come in without your pass. Us: ...but don't we need to pick up our passes from the press tent? Him: Oh... off you go then *ushers us in and points in general direction* Us: Thanks *stifled giggles*). Once we had our passes it was off to discover a bit more of the site before heading back to the Pyramid Stage for Lily Allen. A definite crowd puller: for the ladies it was all about the stream of pop hits and for the lads it was the sexy purple jumpsuit. The highlight of the set had to be Lily's dedicating Fuck You to the BNP, and presumably, those who voted them in; not a BNP supporter in sight, or so it seemed as the crowd went wild and sang along to the tune. Lily's set was nothing mind-blowing and presented nothing unexpected but she did was she does well and it made for the perfect afternoon sing-a-long session as the glasto crowd warmed up for an evening of difficult choices (Neil Young, The Specials, Lady Gaga, Bloc Party, The Streets, Jamie T?!).

Glastonbury Festival 2009 - Sky with flags
Originally uploaded by Glasto_2009

Petra and I opted for Lady Gaga and Neil Young to round out our first day of Glasto. Lady Gaga made the Other Stage her theatre: warming up her crowd with a clip entitled 'Candy Warhol' before taking to the stage in what was the first of 5 bizarrely extravagant costumes, proving Glasto is absolutely as much about the fashion as the music. Opening with Paparazzi, she had her crowd captive from the moment she took to the stage. The highlight of Lady Gaga's set has to have been her extended rendition of Poker Face that begun with a stripped back version of the song, Lady Gaga on piano, proving she was more than just a pretty young thing in wacky outfits but at the same time leaving the crowd slightly anxious (Is this it? Isn't she going to do the version we know & love?!). Not one to disappoint, Lady Gaga burst into the radio release version of Poker Face that we all know and love before bidding the crowd farewell. This high-energy set was pop at it's most excessively fabulous and on this poptastic note it was onto another brand of music entirely: Neil Young was topping the Friday bill over on the Pyramid stage.

Originally uploaded by russelljsmith

Neil Young took to the stage in a black tshirt adorned with the Aboriginal flag and proved he still packs a punch and pulls a massive adoring crowd. An undeniable highlight of this years festival for so many, this music veteran and Glasto first-timer had the crowd rocking along with a stellar set list. As Friday drew to a close, Neil Young suitably had the crowd shouting along to Rocking In The Free World, proving his stamina and leaving the crowd cheering for more even after all those additional choruses. An encore cover of the Beatles A Day in the Life and it was time for Young to go, having managed to break most every string on his guitar. Legendary.

That's it for the round up of Friday at Glastonbury 2009, check back for Saturday and Sunday reviews, coming soon to Tres Lola.

Were you at Glastonbury this year? What was your highlight from Friday?

It was not too long ago that Rocky Horror was considered a shocking & explicit dark fantasy, tiptoeing it's fishnet clad legs along that line between reality and... the rest; a transgressive piece of musical theatre exploring sexuality and the loss of innocence. These themes remain, but, if it were rewritten today, the shows transsexual's would no longer hide under the guise of an alien existence- the contemporary audience (if ticket sales and standing ovations are anything to go by) are all too willing too accept Frank and his cohorts- just. as. they. are. And, come the finale, there was more then one audience member with a glint in their eye that just screamed "Beam me on back to your planet, Riff Raff!". But they were not hiding to begin with, they were simply satirising the culture of B grade science fiction flicks, right? Script aside, this latest offering of the cult classic, directed by Gale Edwards, uses a formula of a simple set plus a brilliant, attractive (and-waxed-to-within-an-inch-of-their-lives) local cast to add a dash of glam and a whole lot of fun. The result is a two and a half hour party; sexy and exciting: a spectacle in every sense.

As the story goes, Frank n Furter, the sweet transvestite, and his delightful minions; Riff Raff, Magenta and Columbia, have left their dark, sexually outrageous and oh so glamorous existence on the the planet Transsexual, to come to Earth. Introduce the very epitome of purity; the all American sweethearts, Brad & Janet. What follows is several hours of titillating, sexual awakening. The ultimate tale about the loss of innocence, if you like.

iOTA is a much hyped local talent and he certainly proves his worth in this role. As this productions answer to Tim Curry, he steps into those glittery stilettos oozing a sexy charisma and confident charm. Commanding his audience with equal measures of bold passion and raw energy- his audience and fellow Transylvanian's alike observe an excited, yet slightly fearful subservience to their bold leader.

A nod of acknowledgment must go out to Simon Farrow and Kellie Rode for their rendition of Toucha Toucha Touch Me. The two make a most attractive and sizzling pairing, so much so that one would be forgiven for wondering where to look - has there ever been such a remarkably well built Rocky and, for that matter, Janet (hows about those abs Ms Rode?!)? This scene is enough to give the audience their very own sexual awaking as it confronts one with the question of just who is more of a picture of perfection: the once innocent, yet now perfectly vampy young Janet, or the adorably daft tanned Adonis that is Rocky?

As for the rest of the cast; As Magenta, Tamsin Carrol is suitably strong in her annunciation and bold in her characterisation. Her rendition of Science Fiction Double Feature is compelling. Sharon Millerchip complements Carrol with her energetic depiction of the zany Columbia. She is simply adorable. Michael Cormick is much acclaimed and as he rocks out as Eddie, it's not difficult to see why. He proves impressive versatility in his other role, Dr Frank. Paul Capsis's Riff Raff
is spot on; creepy with disloyal intentions. Brad Walters, a character apparently difficult to cast for this production, is played Andrew Bevis who is suitably naive and straight laced.

John Waters puts in a solid performance as the narrator, as expected. His dialogue haunting, during the final scene. Catching a glimpse of Waters in red satin knickers and heels for the Time Warp at curtain also deserves an honourable mention. He has legs that would make most women envious! And finally the phantom chorus: prowling the theatre, even before the curtain is drawn, they set a mood of excitement and naughtiness. Risque, glamorous and utterly delightful!

Worth every cent of the ticket price. This production is an absolute thrill a second. Sensational from cast to costuming! A must see for seasoned fans and Rocky virgins, alike.

Related Video

Interview on Mornings (Australian talk show) with the cast.

There's a buzz word in the Australian musical theatre scene right now, it's iOTA. If that name doesn't mean anything to you yet, it will soon & you'll be wondering why someone hadn't whispered it in your ear sooner. An accomplished singer songwriter with several ARIA nominations, iOTA's most recent offering is "Beauty Queen Of The Sea". His sound is rather undefinable but a few words that come to mind are haunting and dramatic. He has a raw energy and soul that is captured even in his studio albums. He oozes authenticity that is rarely seen, or heard.

iOTA begun his foray into musical theatre with his acclaimed role in the cult musical, "Hedwig and The Angry Inch". A performance that saw him awarded the Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor In A Musical beating the likes of Hugh Jackman. This proved a valuable stepping stone to his next two roles, Berlin, a Sydney Dance Company production and his current role as Frank N Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The Rocky Horror Picture Show, currently showing at Sydney's Star City Casino, is introducing iOTA to a much wider audience. With eight shows a week and a predicted run of 14 months, the show is transforming iOTA from talented, industry known musician to superstar of the stage. Perhaps in due time, he will be a star of the screen also, iOTA states that he hopes the next step in his career will be film.

Related

To purchase Beauty Queen of the Sea or any of iOTA's back catalogue check out Waterfront Records.

Head over to iOTA's Myspace to have a listen to "Come Back To Me", a particularly delightful offering, showcasing his incomparably impressive vocals.

For tickets to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, stop by Ticketmaster.

Check out You Tube for his film clip to "Friends". There are also a bunch of acoustic gigging clips, well worth a watch!