Virgin

When looking at the vast array of festivals the summer offers on these shores alone, the only way to find your own niche is to voyage relentlessly until no stone is left unturned (or at least until the following festival season when another colossal wave of up-and-coming weekend shindigs are destined to battle it out to get hold of any loose change on the credit card). V Festival, lying a stones-throw from the Reading Weekend has, in previous years, been some vague form of weekend of rest but with the draw this year of Muse, Hot Chip, Kings of Leon and The Prodigy, it blows the August bank holiday knees-up’s retro metal fest out of the water both on eclecticism and on sheer fire power (fitting that Liam Howlett’s The Prodigy should headline the 4music stage as it was they who proclaimed themselves to be ‘Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned’- a statement that defines this year’s V fest fittingly).

Carrying the baggage of an 8-hour jet-lag, a hangover following a somewhat debauched night mingling, kissing and cavorting about with the likes of Biffy Clyro, Pussycat Dolls and Duffy (all kissing involving Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil) as well as a mammoth mound of camping equipment that never seems as luxurious once all set up…

Beyond the gates of Hylands Park, all expectations are but blank canvases, awaiting musical strokes. Chelmsford serves up the expected (or at least the images portrayed by The Prodigy) with the addition of a Marks & Spencers. The eccentric beast that is this year’s bill grabs attention from the moment of purchasing a slightly extortionate laminate and doesn’t let go until Richard Ashcroft & co. strum their last; from Siouxsie’s human interpretation of an escaped peacock parading through a scrap yard to Richard Hawley’s versions of love songs that make Valentine’s Day seem 100% respectable back to the Radio 1 A-list of The Pigeon Detectives and Scouting for Girls the mixed sonic sack holds something in store for well, almost anyone.

A feat with around the same probability as 2 days of sunshine at a British festival, a feat only foiled at the final hurdle. The heavens open just as the Chemical Brothers drop their last ‘block rockin’ beat’, Kaiser Chiefs bellow ‘Ruby’ for the 89th time and The Verve’s orchestra of several hundred synthetic violins synchronize, feeding the dying embers of their indisputable reign over this year’s festival circuit. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, whether consciously or subconsciously you’re beating your heart out, word for word.

It was a big old battle of the bands on the scale of Oasis vs Blur, Rolling Stones vs the Beatles, Spice Girls vs All Saints… and the lineup clash tore the UK V Festival crowd in two - who would you be moshing with on Saturday night? Muse or Prodigy? In a debate which raged (a bit) all day (well - until about 9 pm) we took it upon ourselves to grill everyone we came across on site in order to find out who would get the biggest, baddest, bestest crowd at this year’s Chelmsford V Festival. As well asking you - the fine and mighty puntership - we even dragged famous types such as the Guillemots, the Futureheads, Noah & The Whale and Tokyo Police Club in to the debate. Watch the video clip to get the final word on the matter. If you’re interested that is…

If ever there was an event awash with ropey media perceptions, surely it’s the spiffy festival we call V.

Last weekend played host to my first ever V, arriving to Chelmsford expecting to dodge cartoon-sized hampers, happy-go-lucky families, tee-total teenagers, and a sickly plethora of pop, all thanks to an indie rag’s festival guide.

However, within minutes of kicking off a tent-pitching session I discovered the V crowd were a leery, cheery, beery bunch not a million miles away from some of my beloved festival crowds.

From then on it was a sure-footed leap into the arena for a live line-up apropos of today’s top notch music offerings. Next year’s diary will undoubtedly have mid-August marked with a big, red, tick-shaped V.

The weekend’s stories and encounters were appropriately caught on film, but the upcoming Reading Festival throws a proverbial spanner in the editorial works. In the meantime nurse the painful wait with this video postcard, which also delineates my V discoveries.

Do check back soon for more of this sort of thing.

Bang - you’re thrown into the manic world of Muse, beams of light are shone on to the crowd and thousands of V Festival goers are instantly on their tippy-toes wanting to get a good view of the trio. Plenty of bets were thrown for what the opener of the set would be, but ultimately it was a surprise in the form of Map of The Problematique. Giant satellites and breathtaking effects overwhelm the stage and the crowd at Hylands, Chelmsford.

Wallop (excuse my comic book expressions) - with barely time to recover from the opener and certainly no time to rest my feet Supermassive Black Hole is played over the cheers of the many adoring fans. The space age riff sets the tone for the rest of the night. Pulling out a real classic, Muse play Dead Star which tells of a different heavier side of the band. No one expected the song, but no one expected us to be third in the Olympics (yes some British pride - finally!) so we’re getting used to surprises here.

Three more songs - New Born (brilliant), Hysteria (brilliant) and Butterflies and Hurricanes (you guessed it - brilliant) - keep the crowd jumping constantly like there’s no tomorrow. Feeling Good follows while the crowd take a rest to re-stock their energy, even though we still manage to religiously sing along. Then Space Dementia gets the crowd jumping once again.

A touching rendention of Invincible follows with Matt and co unleashing a full frontal guitar solo which showed Muse’s power to build up a song from a slow pace to the exact opposite. Time Is Running Out follows which many feel was the start of their reign in mainstream music but, as is obvious by the appearance of Dead Star, they have not forgotten their die hard fans who were there from the start (gets T-shirt out saying: ‘I found Muse before you’).

Stockholm Syndrome is played to the roaring crowd not yet ready to let Muse leave the stage.  As a fitting set closer Matt and his gang play Take a Bow which makes everyone aware that we are nearly at the end of the show. Muse leave us with an unforgettable, almost mystic, experience. But it also left us with the question: why didn’t they play that certain song we just love to hear? Well…

They come back on stage after the fans cry for more. Starlight gets everyone clapping their hands in sync and the spectacular lights and satellites create a weird but spellbinding backdrop mesmerised fans can’t take their eyes off. Then suddenly the most amazing guitar playing I have ever heard - Plug in Baby. Truly the best live song ever.

A teaser of an unrecognisable harmonica intro (a new sound at a Muse gig!) kicked into Knights of Cydonia which let the crowd have one last dance. Giant white balls full of glitter fall from the sky and land on our heads followed by a giant wall of golden sparks. It was over, but everyone knew they had just witnessed something very special indeed. This performance will be hard to top by any band - a true spectacle. This evening surpassed everyone’ expectations - definitely apparent after I spoke to other hardcore Muse fans there. Could this ever be beaten? We’ll have to wait until next year to see…

check out nataliej’s Flickr photostream for more Muse photos

Matt’s Plug In Baby, Crucified his enemies

Having Irish roots means that to me The Pogues are more than just a band, it’s a soundtrack to my childhood. Fairytale of New York is more of a tradition in my family than burnt turkey and family squabbles. With this in mind, The Pogues were a definite visit in my weekend of musical mayhem. As the rowdy Jamie T crowd deserted I riverdanced my way to the front and planted myself firmly against the barrier. I wasn’t disappointed.

The band came out and immediately the crowd enjoyed a proper irish jig as we waited for Shane to stumble on, arm in a sling and a large vat of some liquid, presumably ridiculous alcoholic. Highlights were Sally Maclennane, Sickbed of Cuchulainn and Dirty Old Town. Shane MacGowan which should rhyme with “mine’s a double” but doesn’t, had the velvety vocal chords that transported the crowd to a dirty old spit and sawdust pub in the mythical heart of Kilkenny. We loved every minute. Pogue Mahone, the original band name means ‘kiss my arse’, and their arses we did kiss. Not literally, that would be weird , and at a festival would probably frowned upon.

After the awe-inspiring Pogues set, there was little that could beat it. And then Muse played the V Stage. Matt Bellamy is the living incarnation of Mozart. True story. As a composer, performer, connoisseur of music and all round genius, there is little comparison… Though Mozart couldn’t even play the guitar. The little idiot.

Supermassive Black Hole prompted eerie projections of the future, dancing fembots marching on civilisation, Deadstar went out to all the hardcore Muse fans - you know who you are (Claire G), New Born encapsulated why Matt Bellamy pisses all over Thom Yorke, Chris Martin, Stevie Wonder and Beethoven. Starlight, as always, inspired the most intricate clap-a-long, Chris on the harmonica crucified Bob Dylan whilst the completely over the top Knights of Cydonia ended the show in a suitably epic, apocalyptic manner…

Muse are the complete package, the dog’s bollox, the holy grail: musical genius + flawless performances, x epic songs = the best band on the planet.

Beam these boys back up to the mothership cos they’ve gone intergalactic.

“Probably the most contrived way to organise a duty free booze run ever” ELEANOR CONWAY

Ok, so V Festival was full of celebs and stars of which I’m sure my fellow VPass peeps will confirm in a global manner. But what about the real stars of the show?

Yep. The dooods paying the cash. To pay the organisers. To pay the stars.

Bring it on crowd stylee.

Please enjoy the first video installment of VPass Ambassador Campaign: ‘Eleanor Conway needs to go global… V Festival Video’. Where topics such as what would you do if provoked by a rampant Wino in it’s natural habitat?

Forget the celebs, we meet Lord Chop A Lot, Barbara Streisand, The Elephant Head Of Doom and many, many more……

If you like my style, PLEASE vote my posts http://music.virgin.com/author/EleanorConway/

Cheers

Elle x

http://www.myspace.com/elleuk/

http://www.elle-online.com/

Music? Bands? Eh? What? Isn’t it all about schmoozing and a-grooving with the celebs in the Virgin Mobile Louder Lounge? No? Oh you can keep your Muse and your Verve and your Kings Of Leon and your Amy Winehouse… For some - the beauty of the V Festival is about blagging your in to the Louder Lounge and then acting all nonchalant like as some supermodel brushes past with a plateful of complementary spicy sausages and a pint of Red Bull. Who’s that troubling the decks with their dirrrrty turntablism? Is it the one and only Coleen Rooney!? Erm, no it isn’t actually (contrary to reports - she didn’t get her fingers on the vinyl at all, shame really - would have loved to have seen that). Sorry non-UK types, Google her, you’ll see… well maybe you won’t but it’s worth a go.

While I took a well-earned break from traversing across the V Festival arena from stage to stage amid you lot, the mighty puntership, I happened upon a few likely suspects of the celebrity variety going about their celebrity business in the Louder Lounge. Did I pounce upon them with camera and microphone - paparazzi style - for that all exclusive soundbite about their lovelife? Nah - couldn’t be arsed. Downing my burger, chips, Bacardi & coke was my main priority… always. Keepin it real, me.

Although I did cozy up to the lovely Bryn Christopher on the hammock, but that’s a whole different story (I have video evidence which I promise to share with you when the mood takes me, so keep checking back for that).

Who else did I try my best to pretend to ignore? Girls Aloud graced the Louder Lounge after their triumphant set on the V Stage, striding past without a care in the world they were. And very pretty too. Jaime Winstone and her delightful beau Alfie Allen were seen to be chillin just to the left of me as I stuffed my face (they both have famous dads you know - spooky). The who came up and air kissed them with much grace and style? Jodie Harsh - that’s who. Ten minutes later (I kid you not - the frequency of these celebs was record breaking) Abigail Clancy and someone who might have been Peter Crouch bounced past all breezy like (yes it’s true, I watched Britain’s Next Model but I don’t watch football much… analyse that) . Then, coincidence of all coincidences, there’s that bonnie Lisa Snowden sat down with her mates across the way. Not too proud to slouch on an inflatable chair that one you know. Then it’s only bloomin Leah Wood posing her best side forward for the cameras while I tried to get past to the toilets.

Have to say though my most favourite of favourite famous types that I turned my back on was John Simm. Now that’s what I call top class variety of celeb. Then there was the fab Mathew Horne and Joanna Paige of Gavin & Stacey fame (she acts and sounds exactly the same as her comedy character on the telly - how funny. Didn’t see James Corden though, shame). Apparently Jamie Oliver was there but I didn’t see him, nor did I see Jodie Kidd, Kelly Osbourne or Lily Allen. Sorry. I could have lied just to get your attention, but would I do that you!?

So did any of you lot out there also make it in to the Virgin Mobile Louder Lounge and do a much better job of celeb spotting than me? Go on, be as smug as me and spill the beans then…

Red is the colour of blood, danger and stopping. Neither of which was on show at this weekend’s V Festival extravaganza. After being touched by death by a certain reality star (the thought of which sends shivers through my puritanical soul) and touched by several boughts of musical genius throughout the two day trip through popular culture, I just wanted to let you know that a video of the first round of my Global VPass political campaign will be up soon. A masseev big up to all the people that promised me their votes and chipped in with insightful nuggets of the weekend. The tabloids maybe full of the Coleens and Hardings of this world but essentially the event was totally made up of you guys and would not have been the same without you…… elle x

Keep voting for me and checking music.virgin.com for my updates, as well as my myspace.com/elleuk. Word.

Here’s a magical moving picture postcard from the UK V Festival 2008 which has just happened at Chelmsford, Essex, England. Muse, Prodigy, Verve, Chemical Brothers, Kaiser Chiefs, Guillemots and Kings Of Leon were among the headline acts and these festival go-ers featured here were among the very appreciative punters. This is just a teaser video so keep coming back as there’s a shed load more of this special stuff on its way to music.virgin.com…

V 2008 is now over and what a weekend! From sunburn to mudfights, pop to punk, V has delivered a weekend that won’t be forgotten!

As is tradition there were a variety of different outfits on display this weekend ranging from the obligatory men dressed as women, superheroes and even a leprechaun complete with beard and pot of gold. However, the outfit that really caught my eye was the man who was dressed as a giant penis. God knows what possessed him, I can’t imagine how anyone could possibly think “ooh what shall I wear…Spiderman? no, army soldier? no, giant penis? Fantastic idea!”

Highlights for me were The Pogues epic performance in the JJB arena with Shane drinking more than the entire crowd whilst still managing to belt out the numbers faultlessly, The Stranglers covering the Kinks ‘All Day and All of the Night” in the sunshine of Sunday morning, Richard Ashcroft bellowing “Bittersweet Symphony” to a rain drenched hysteric crowd, Goldie Lookin Chain insulting people’s mothers in the way they know and as for Muse… unbelievably, indisputably, awesomely brilliant.

Full reports to follow but first I need some sleep…!

The most amazing thing about this year’s UK V Festival? Muse? Prodigy? The Verve? Girls Aloud? Wellies? Kebabs? Nah… the sun shining on Chelmsford! Okay, okay so Stafford hasn’t had as much luck, but let’s be grateful for this mercy. The atmosphere here this weekend has been one of reckless abandon in the glorious summer sun. The punters were storming the stages - from the Kooks, The Kings Of Leon and the Stereophonics on the V Stage, the Reverend And The Makers to Duffy and The Kaiser Chiefs on the 4Music stage, from Siouxsie, Echo & The Bunnymen and Richard Hawley on the Union stage to The Twang , Hot Chip and Ian Brown in the JJB Arena.

Completely mental moments? Going from an absolutely heaving, thumping, raving crowd of glowing lunatics giving it up big time for The Prodigy on the 4Music stage to a dark, brooding, riveted crowd lapping up Matt Bellamy’s classical piano skills while Muse’s satellite dishes beamed out an amazing light show across the field of worshippers at the V Stage. The JJB Arena got so packed to heaving that you just couldn’t get in if you were 1 minute late for their opening numbers - I’m talking about the Chemical Brothers of course, and, er… Goldie Lookin Chain! These guys need to headline next year if crowd demand is anything to go by! Moment of sublime poetry came when the heavens finally opened last night on an unexpectedly sunburned Chelmsford and The Verve took to the stage. Well if it had to happen what better way for it to do so? Nobody minded as we were all mesmerised by Richard Ashcroft’s sublime delivery of History. Fantastic way to end an almighty weekend.

Coming up - gossip from the Louder Lounge and exclusive video clips of my intimate little chats backstage with the likes of the Futureheads, The Courteeners, The Guillemots, Noah & The Whale, The Young Knives, Bryn Christopher and Tokyo Police Club - as well as Road To V winners Matt Trakker. We’ve been getting down and dirty with the punters - in the campsites and the mosh pits. We have so much to share with you this blog is just fit to burst. So check back soon for more post-festival juice from the sunniest, sweatiest, most rock and roll collection of small fields in Essex, England this summer.

Check out DrMoore’s Flickr photostream for more amazing aerial shots of V Festival.

The winners of the Road To V have been announced! Currently unsigned Matt Trakker and The Rebs are now set to open this weekend’s UK V Festival in Chelmsford & Stafford. They beat over 2,500 competition entrants and most impressed the judges - Carl Barat included - at the final heats in London and Liverpool. Matt Trakker (named after a character is M.A.S.K - remember that 80s cartoon, pop culture kids?) is a singer-songwriter from Hackney while The Rebs are from Southampton and love a good bit of synth pop. Hurrah. Curious? You should be. So make sure you catch them this weekend - as well as Muse, The Verve, Kings Of Leon, Prodigy, Kaiser Chiefs, Amy Winehouse, Stereophonics, Pigeon Detectives, The Zutons, Ian Brown, The Chemical Brothers, Guillemots and loads loads more of course…

You can listen to the V Festival as broadcast on Virgin Radio over the weekend via the magical radio pop up thing up in the corner of this very site. And if you miss that then watch the video footage of Matt Trakker and The Rebs on roadtov.com from 21 August.

Be sure to check back here pronto for exclusive video clips, interviews, gossip and more…

“Let’s conspire to re-ignite

All the souls that would die just to feel alive”

So V Festival is on the horizon. Finally. Thursday has been excruciatingly protracted but now after a quick dig through my cobweb ridden cupboard for my wellies I am ready for the weekend. And God I’m looking forward to it.

There have been two ridiculously hard decisions to make, firstly how much beer will get me through the weekend and then the head scratching decision of who reigns over the predictable clashes. In the Muse vs Prodigy clash there is a clear winner in my book, though Flint would probably win in a fight, Matt Bellamy’s vocals are enough to distinguish any fire Keith boasts about starting.

One of my most anticipated moments of the festival is going to be watching The Stranglers perform Golden Brown. Probably quite apt for many of the spectators who will be wearing a golden shade of brown themselves if the Great British Summer delivers the rain, the mud and the inevitable carnage.

British sensibility throws caution to the wind when armed with wellies, beer and fantastic music, and I for one am an addict.

Sitting in the haze somewhere between the blurred boundaries of pulsating jet-lag and the remnants of last night’s toxins comes an equally ambiguous intro blog. So maybe it should be branded a prelude, the gimmick track at the starting line of a record or the trailer that gives away nothing but a solitary date and title as the whirlwind of the last week has had a devastating, excruciating yet completely unforgettable mound of debris inside my skull.

Heroes glimmered and bars ran dry as I tried to comprehend an entirely alien culture that Japan holds within its treasured isles, the only truly recognizable signs of life coming from internet cafes.

British Festivals: 90% Mud, 10% Sun/ Hype/ Alcohol/ Disappointments/ Young Love/ Dreams.

Ahead of the VIP frolics of the coming weekend, the thought’s inescapable; however bizarre these few days have seemed, Muse’s proposed UFO light show may well set them apart as lifetime highlights. Having ditched the traditional family villa holidays in exchange for the outer reaches of the planet, festivals can now be incorporated into this forever-growing, revolutionary list of aspects that define said voyages. The Japanese, not a nation to conform, avoid all the aforementioned ‘qualities’ of what we’ve come to expect from a weekend in a field up to our shins in various unidentifiable gunk.

Summersonic boasted something of an ideal line up, taking in everything from childhood idols Super Furry Animals to current hype monsters MGMT. All comprehensible until put into context. The venue? A 60,000 capacity baseball stadium in the Tokyo outskirts. The entertainment? Karaoke stages comparable to the 4music stage. And the crowds? Silent. Deadly silent. Whether due to lyrics finding themselves lost in translation or out of respect is anyone’s guess but its startling. The Wombats‘ somewhat eccentric British humour is lost on the modest gathering as chart-wrecking singles ‘Let’s Dance to Joy Division’ and ‘Backfire at the Disco’ come across as mere murmurs within the Chiba Marine Stadium as opposed to the anthemic tales of desperation heard being bellowed out for miles from June’s Other Stage Glastonbury slot. A few (re-)discoveries where thrown up in the form of Late of the Pier’s glam-electro stylings and the envy-inducing talent of Miss. Alicia Keys, reflecting the open-minded nature of V Festival’s bookers, falling back on the pop sensibilities of Girls Aloud and Sugababes. Despite Coldplay’s tear-jerking gem of a closing set, Keys’ ‘No One’ remains the soundtrack of a day filled with humidity, humility and The Hoosiers (not that we experienced them- clutching at straws to scrape an alliteration together).

Having spent flight BA09 to Heathrow running through a who’s who of the line up as they walk through passport control, the final count takes in Saturday headliners The Prodigy (terrifying yet equally humble) , cheeky Scouses The Wombats and Watford nippers Hadouken! And so like Tarzan following one Red Bull too many, I can’t swing to the nearest V Fest vine soon enough. UFOs or not, these V plates are ready to be left by the wayside…

check out Straight Lines’ Flickr photostream for more Muse photos

If it was 2009, this post would probably have more of a pizazz about it. I could have done a Top Ten if you will. As it is, we’ll have to make do with the magical number 9 which is much more magical than 3. Can you summon a flashing chariot to whisk you to a place of healing with 3 3’s? No.

So. This year’s Virgin Festival marks the 9th Anniversary of my first every festival which was V99. It is also 9 years since I first saw Muse. They were first on the bill of a Radio One tour consisting of 3 Colours Red and The Donnas. I doubt they will ever be first on a bill anywhere again and if they are then I’ll do something not very nice to myself.

My 8th visit to a V Festival.
It’ll be the 7th time I’ve seen Muse.
The 6th Festival with the same person.
5 Years since I last went to a V Festival at Hylands Park.
The 4th time I’ve seen the Stereophonics, the last time being V99.
My 3rd trip to Hylands Park and the 3rd time I will of seen Travis.
The 2nd time I’ve seen The Kings of Leon.
Coming straight in at number 1, the 1st time I will of seen The Verve - which to be honest, I am rather excited about. After they split I thought I’d never get to see them.

There’s something about bands splitting-up that really annoys me, but I’ll leave that for another post. I fear being stuck at work will get me ranting… and no one likes a ranter.

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again - this year’s UK V Festival is the original and the best (don’t believe those Australian bloggers!). With just under 2 weeks to go I have got to asking myself what songs you might catch me heartily singing along to with much gusto this year. I came up with a list that any self respecting festival goer would be red faced not to know the words to, so here are my top ten festival songs I’ll be singing incessantly for the next 10 days until camping gets underway (or 9 days for those lucky Weston Park festival goers who get to camp an extra day for the first time - this year).

10. Rehab by Amy Winehouse - an anthem for the girlfriend, the wife and a secret favourite of yourself, come on admit it!9. Worried about Ray by The Hoosiers - the signature song from the band who claim to have started the genre ‘Odd Pop’.

8. Sheila by Jamie T - the famous video of the song stars veteran actor Bob Hoskins, it is surely to have the crowd passionately singing along to it.

7. Mercy by Duffy - this song will go down well with everyone, including embarrassing parents from the 60’s, a new classic singalong not to be missed.

6. Fill My Little World by The Feeling - this band have an endless supply of catchy songs, so it would be rude not to include them.

5. Why Does It Always Rain On Me? by Travis - well it won’t if you go to see them as you’ll be shielded from any rain in the JJB arena.

4. Maybe Tomorrow by Stereophonics - this song could go on for hours, experience it live to fully appreciate the crowd interaction which is truly moving.

3. Feeling Good by Muse - a chance for a break from the jumping maybe? This really calms the crowd down before being taken back into a trance of jumping and moshing.

2. I Predict A Riot by Kaiser Chiefs - who in this country doesn’t know the words to this song? This one will see the fat guy in front of you really sing his heart out!

So here we go with my number one singalong and I think you already knew that it would be this…

1. Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve - whether ending your V Festival with them or finishing your first night with them, you are sure to be religiously chanting to this truly classic song worthy of any award.

So have I got my countdown completely correct or terribly wrong!?

Thank you for reading!

You just can’t get their songs out of your head. Scouting For Girls have had an unbelievably successful first year out in the dangerous, dirty world of the music biz and now they’re heading straight for the UK V Festival in a couple of weeks to share the bill with Muse, The Verve, Kings Of Leon, Amy Winehouse, Stereophonics, Kooks, Kaiser Chiefs, Pigeon Detectives, The Feeling, The Hoosiers, Reverend & The Makers and loads more. Is it their chirpy unapologetic upness that keeps Scouting For Girls afloat amid a sea of seeeeerious too-cool-for-skool types? Well - a few thousand gig goers would testify so. For I can humbly offer first hand experience of their recent sell out gigs at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London. Scouting For Girls know how to put on a good show and get you all singing along (good thing really as Chelmsford and Stafford are hoping for one each on the 16 & 17 August). There were girls waiting patiently to get in hours before curtain up - and that was when I snuck backstage to have a polite word in their ears for this very site. These scouting lads have come a long way since working in a phone shop. Watch this little video, you’ll like it.

Fancy VIP tickets to the UK V Festival? Fancy blogging your festival adventures on this very website? Well then - fret no more and enter our frankly astonishing Global VPass competition and all of this and more could be yours…

The lineup for the Sessions Stage at the UK V Festival has been announced. Mick Jones, formerly of The Clash, and his Carbon/Silicon bandmates (including Tony James of Generation X) will now be gracing VFest. Here’s the full list of the Session Stage artists: Carbon/Silicon, Infadels, Sugarush, Beat Company, Bryn Christopher, Attic Lights, Team Waterpolo, One Eskimo, Lost Boys, The Midway State, Julian Velard, The New York Fund, Gary Go, The Dodos, Iglu And Hartley, Das Pop, Sparkadia, The Rushes, Animal Kingdom, The Troubadors, Arno Carstens, The Hazey Janes and Sons Of Albion.

They join the likes of Muse, The Verve, Kings Of Leon, Amy Winehouse, Kaiser Chiefs, Kooks, Lostprophets, Reverend And The Makers, Hot Chip, The Courteeners, Guillemots, Sam Sparro, Gabriella Cilmi and Noah And The Whale who are all gracing the various V Festival stages at Chelmsford and Stafford over the weekend of 16 & 17 August.

So there you have it - the countdown is well and truly on!

Fancy VIP tickets to the UK V Festival? Fancy blogging your festival adventures on this very website? Well then - fret no more and enter our frankly astonishing Global VPass competition and all of this and more could be yours…

For more Carbon/Silicon photos like this, check out aphrodite-in-nyc’s Flickr photostream.

When I first looked at the line up this year I was delighted to see both Muse and Prodigy were attending V Festival as both are absolute legends. But to my horror when I looked at the days the bands were performing I was given the unholy dilemma of having to choose between the two.

So I have decided to add up the pros and cons of seeing each band. The pros for the Prodigy being that they are a local Essex band, so maybe they would be adding a little bit more to their Chelmsford show to treat the loyal locals? And they’re old boys now so how many more chances will I have to see them? (Not that age has stopped the Rolling Stones - happy birthday Mick by the way.)

I then had the easy task of listing some pros for seeing Muse, them being: They are a proven live band winning shed loads of awards for their breathtaking shows; they are only appearing at one festival this year (this one of course - duh) and finally - where else are you going to air guitar to space age riffs?

The cons however… well to be honest I couldn’t think of any for either band apart from that they are on at the same time as each other, and that’s what got me here in the first place. So I guess I’m still stuck as to who I’m going to see!?

But more importantly the question is who you will decide to see - Prodigy or Muse?

See more Muse photos like this one here on fling93’s Flickr photostream

Muse are apparently planning an onstage collaboration for the headline slot at the UK VFestival this year at Chelmsford and Stafford. The VFestival takes place on the weekend of 16 & 17 August and tickets sold out in a matter of minutes. What with rumours abound about onstage collaborations concerning Jay-Z and Coldplay at this weekend’s Glastonbury, it sounds like Muse have a little mashup magic of their own up their sleeves. So who do you think it could be?

In the meantime - if you didn’t manage to nab tickets for this year’s VFestival, fret not - for we have a pair of tickets for both Chelmsford and Stafford to give away, along with a very nice and shiny Sony Ericsson W890i Walkman phone and 100 runner up prizes. Hurrah! Enter the competition now!