ATP Nightmare Before Xmas 09

As the winter sets in and I get more and more exhausted from work and the mild twinges of SAD, my mind turns to thinking of excuses for why I'm not updating the blog as regularly. Cut a long story short: I am lazy. But I'll make more of an effort now.

So, over the weekend was ATP's Nightmare Before Christmas curated by My Bloody Valentine, which obviously I attended because MBV are the best band in the world. That said, it was one of the least eclectic line-ups for ATP thus far, kinda like when Slint curated and basically brought everyone who lived within a two-mile radius of them and Matmos. MBV's choices ran the gamut from bands they used to play with and bands who flatter them with imitation. And De La Soul and EPMD.

Rather than running through the lengthy list of bands I didn't see (mostly because I wasn't that bothered), here's my highlights:

1. Yo La Tengo & Sonic Youth
Two totally reliable bands that always sound good, and I suppose it's easy to take them for granted. The hits shone particularly brightly, YLT got me very excited with 'Stockholm Syndrome', and Sonic Youth's closing 'Death Valley 69' was all kinds of awesome.

2. The Dirty Three
It's always a pleasure to be in Warren Ellis' company, even when he is describing Minehead as 'the good part of the anus of England'.

3. Sun Ra Arkestra
Less challenging than you would imagine, but the first half of the set at least was pretty impressive celestial jazz that you could dance to. If you weren't such a MBV fan.

4. EPMD
Only half an hour long, which was a disappointment, but it at least meant songs were run through with breakneck speed and I was still left wanting. Sermon obviously has a sense of humour about all this: 'This one's for the ladies in the audience. All six of you…'

5. Lightning Bolt
Playing on a stage! LB were on top form, and I mean TOP form. I felt like I hadn't breathed for the preceeding hour when they finished. If the weekend was just them and MBV I'd be hard pushed to say I'd been ripped off. Just fucking incredible.

And, obviously, MBV themselves. The only thing to add to my estimation of their shows last year ('like having God shout at you') is that 'Sometimes' is now part of their set, which is just goooorgeous. And wobbling back to my chalet after 3 consecutive hurrican/jet engine/bowels of hell noise-filled nights of 'You Made Me Realise' is pretty good value for money.

And so, farewell to ATP. I am enforcing a strict 'no-festivals' policy next year in order to actually go on a holiday or something, so don't have too much fun without me.