ALL TOMORROW’S PARTIES: CURATED BY JEFF MANGUM (Minehead Butlins, 09/03/12-11/03/12)



HIGHLIGHTS:

Jeff Mangum (the only man who could compel a thousand Guardian-reading halloumi munchers to sing “I LOVE YOU JESUS CHRIST”)
BOREDOMS (standing next to the speakers for the climax of ‘Acid Police’ was both the best and worst thing I’ve ever done.)
Joanna Newsom (as ever, ‘Sawdust and Diamonds’ nearly made me blub like a 5-year old girl)
Sun Ra Arkestra (I too want to be a cartwheeling, jazz-playing space wizard)
Electric 6 Holiday Special (which ended with half the band singing or sousaphoning Sun Ra covers out by the chalets)
Apples In Stereo (The perfect joy-pop salve for what remained of my eardrums post-Boredoms)
Mike Watt and George Hurley Play The Songs of The Minutemen (Simply bad-ass, even 30 years on).
Yann Tiersen (no accordion, but violin wig-outs and vintage synths galore. No complaints here.)
Group Doueh (Saharawi grooves and awkward hipster dancing. Even spotted Jeff Mangum throwing a few shapes.)
Magnetic Fields (Stephen Merritt and I nearly walked into each other outside the artist’s catering area. He did not look impressed.)
The impromptu Elephant 6/Sun Ra/Magic Band/Boredoms/ACME jam session in Reds at 1:30 Monday morning.

LOWLIGHTS

The atrocious sound for Olivia Tremor Control.
The ill-thought-out setup for the A Hawk And A Hacksaw-scored film screening, which meant you could neither see the film nor band.
Too...much...Finnegans.

Overall: Up there with the Ten Years and Matt Groening weekends, and a return to form after the dreary GY!BE event. Roll on December!

(Photo: John Gleeson)