Live Reviews:
O2 Wireless Festival, Day One
by Emma Swann

Artist: Jay-Z
Date: 3rd July 2008
Venue: Hyde Park, London
Rating:
7/10"


0 comments
Jay-Z
There's a big cloud looming over West London, threatening rain. Not that this seems to bother Cool Kids, who meander on stage, covered in mildly ironic bling, brightly-coloured trainers and accompanied by a laptop, rap lyrics about wanting to be the "black Beastie Boys". We can't make out much else, but it wouldn't have mattered: the beats fall flat, and there's not enough of a hook present to keep us, er, hooked.

On, then, to Magistrates on the Tuborg Stage, who might have a fancy LED thingy joining them on stage, but don't have much in the way of tunes, bar vocals so high-pitched and wailing they'd make Mika stomp his feet in slightly camp jealousy. All the while Wiley's predictably packed out the Sandisk Stage - quite why a chart-topper is on so early is beyond us - and David Jordan's embarrassing attempt to resurrect Eighties Prince by means of animal-print jeans and "taking things down a notch" when they're already snail-paced to begin with proves just too much. We're off to watch the skateboarders.

Roisin Murphy, however, on the Main Stage is every part the show-woman, littering her pop-tastic set with plenty of costume changes and possibly the best shoes we've ever seen. It's now, however, that the cloud's threats are seen through: the rain descends, causing end-of-the-world type scenes, with shrieking Londoners decamping to the tents. Unfortunately there's no Muse to soundtrack this, just a quiet play of The Raconteurs' debut, before rapper Tinie Tempah and his pleas to let London know how big his 'buzz' is. No, us neither.

It's then time for the ultimate festival moment: after false start from Hot Chip, not only do they bring the sunshine, but looking East there's a rainbow. What's more, it's a pretty damn hot set from the band: 'Over And Over' obviously providing the biggest cheers, but newer releases 'Ready For The Floor' and 'One Pure Thought' are well-received, and The Warning's 'No Fit State' is storming.

Mark Ronson predictably drags out a few celebrity mates for his set: Lily Allen for 'Oh My God' and her own 'Littlest Things', dull songstress Candie Payne, and inexplicably The Rumble Strips' Charlie Waller for possibly the worst version of Amy Winehouse's 'Back To Black' we've ever had the misfortune to hear, and also finds time to add strings to Wiley's 'Wearin' My Rolex'. It's just confusing, however, that despite 'Oh My God' being performed in a manner eerily similar to the original at last year's event, the set closes with 'Stop Me'. Morrissey plays tomorrow.

It's then time for the main attraction, Jay-Z. The set's just as his Glastonbury appearance would suggest, making clever use of samples, notably Amy Winehouse's 'Rehab' and Estelle's 'American Boy', imagery - although one's never sure whether to clap or boo when a massive picture of George W Bush is displayed at the end of a track, and there's also the fact he's got two drummers on stage. Even if we're not sure either of them are playing. It's witty, it's varied, and it's never boring. Even if he does appear (to us) to be playing to a field full of middle-aged white men dancing really badly.

Jay-Z Official Site
You must be registered to comment. Why not do so now?