Just the way they're feeling
Feeder have been off the radar a little of late with recent albums (the Singles compilation aside) not faring as well as the massive Echo Park and Comfort In Sound and Radio1 refusing to play any of the singles from this years release (‘Silent Cry‘). They remain however one of the perfect festival bands; with a host of hit singles to dish out they are guaranteed to get a number in any crowd singing along and today is no exception.
Last time they graced this stage two years ago the set focussed heavily on the singles (as the singles compilation was being promoted) and today they mix it up a little with a few album tracks thrown in. For those that have seen them several times it’s good to hear some more obscure material such as ‘My Perfect Day’ from their 1997 debut; for the rest of the crowd it’s all about the hits and of course there are plenty of those on offer, ‘Come Back Around’, ‘Insomnia’, ‘Feeling a Moment’, ‘Pushing the Senses’ and the excellent ‘Lost and Found’ all come in quick succession.
Not all is rosy however, Grant Nicholas seems a little too laid back, there’s not much effort or urgency in his performance and although the material is strong enough to carry them you can’t help but think that the performance is a little lacking today. It’s certainly not bad but they look a little too comfortable up there, not feeling the need to go all out to impress perhaps? Having said that they could be lying down on stage and it wouldn’t matter to the crowd when the opening chords of crowd favourite ‘Buck Rogers’ ring out. There’s still nothing quite like watching a whole festival bounce in unison to the chorus and despite the overall performance it’s a highlight of the day. It’s left to ‘Just a Day’ to round off proceedings before the band leave the stage and it’s a case of job done but they didn’t really light the blue touch paper.