Turning trouble into triumph!
A year ago Bedouin Soundclash opened one of the days on the dance tent, but their 2006 position of headliners on the Carling Stage was far more relevant to their music style and fanbase. The Lock Up Stage would also have been a good home for them.
A large crowd gathered to see the Canadian three-piece bring their mix of reggae, ska, soul, funk and punk to the Saturday night in Leeds, however it wasn't to go to plan.
Initially it seemed as if Jay Malinowski's voice wasn't going to translate as well live as might have been hoped, but the moment he spoke it was obvious there was a real problem with his throat. He croaked through a collection of tracks, all with very different influences, the band seem to have drawn from the likes of Bob Marley, Police and the Clash to create a number of songs that ooze summer charm.
After no more than around fifteen minutes much of the crowd were wondering if he could last out, and sadly the answer was no, for it was becoming as painful an experience for us as him.
Clearly gutted to have to be pulling the show early, Malinowski apologised for the vocal troubles he was having, and with barely half of the set time completed it was all over, but not before one of the moments of the whole weekend.
'When The Night Feels My Song' is the bands most famous track, and was the perfect way to send the fans away happy, all be it earlier than planned. As Malinowski could hardly talk, let alone sing, it was left for the crowd to carry him through, with a response that was nothing short of breath taking. It did the trick as there was a small improvement as the song drew to it's close, but to carry on would have been nuts.
The band left the stage to their big hit single being bellowed back at them for several minutes, before the fans drifted into the night, knowing they'd seen a special moment but wondering what might have been.