Gig review: T in the Park, Balado

FOR many of the core crowd who have been coming to T in the Park for years, there was the feeling that Friday night was something less than the main event.

T IN THE PARK

BALADO

****

With the Stone Roses coming on the Saturday, there was never any chance of Snow Patrol or even fellow Mancunian old-stagers New Order stealing their thunder.

The Radio 1/NME stage boasted a particularly pop line-up, with the boisterous, commercial grime and dubstep of Professor Green hammered in between Tinie Tempah and Olly Murs.

The more indie King Tut’s tent, meanwhile, boasted the Cribs and an urgent, club-ready set from revived legends New Order. On the main stage, meanwhile, a less hipster-friendly revival opened things courtesy of the Darkness, but it was Florence and the Machine who offered a taste of the unexpected.

Wearing a fantastic black-and-gold ball gown and appearing amidst a stage set that looked like an Art Deco cinema, she performed a set packed with hits, such as Rabbit Heart, Shake It Out and Dog Days Are Over, with the fearless lack of self-consciousness that the truly gifted possess. “Try not to get too wet,” she signed off, “but try and get very drunk.”

Headliners Snow Patrol were somewhat predictable, but only boring if you should ever grow tired of the sight and sound of thousands of Scots yelling the words of Run right back at them.