Day Three - Paul Weller & chums

Haven
Shed Seven
Joe Strummer And The Mescaleros
Ian Brown
Paul Weller

It's Day 3 in the Move Household and we have fallen well and truly in love with this place. We quite like Haven too. What better way could you have to come out of your hangover than to their blissful melodies? They have had shadows cast over them by slightly bigger profile acts but they play out of their skins today and set the record straight. The songs are great, but it's their live act that has come such a long way.

There was a time, a couple of years ago, when Shed 7 were always a sure-fire festival highlight. They had crafted a well-fitting suit as the perennial underdogs of indie rock, ignored by the masses while their less soulful peers eclipsed them beyond compare. Despite dwindling air-play and being dropped by label after label, they were always there, like a rock, playing their hearts out year after year. It was a refreshing, endearing two fingered salute to the corporate sales-driven music scene. Whilst giants like Oasis would be playing simultaneously on the main stage (Reading 2000), Shed 7 would still pack a tent to busting point, with their euphoric and loyal-to-the-last supporters bellowing back every note to defiant, emotionally-charged classics like "Chasing Rainbows", "High Hopes", "The Ocean", "Going for Gold" and stompers like "Dolphin" and "Disco Down". Beautiful festival moments.

Sadly, the Shed 7 we see today bears the hallmarks of a broken band. There are no grins on any members' faces, not even Alan. Rick Witter's trademark wit is reduced to sullen snipes, like the one that slips out before their cover of a Sex Pistols song, "This is the last time we ever play this again, as Sophie Ellis Bextor is releasing it as her next single. F**king Moon-Face, taking over everything!". Hopefully, this isn't the end of the road, although a tragic end would certainly have more lasting impact than suddenly going multi-platinum.

Ian Brown's new material is still the stuff of legends. The stuff of planets, the newly formed stardust side of the Emperor Of The Apes sparkles and shines despite his total lack of any singing ability. It's always hit or miss, but it's never normally this bad. 'Gravy Train' halts after the first verse, due to, erm, 'technical difficulties' and maybe they should have left it that way. It's always a top laugh too to watch bandmates attempting to harmonise with Brown on stage. Impressively, just when you think he can't get any more out of tune, he does. Can't say he's not full of surprises, although the Fools Gold introduction is wearing a bit thin now.

Paul Weller then, officially the third coolest person in Britain, is the only legend living to still have anything serious to offer MOVE, and though he's clearly brought every drop of ability with him (plus half of Ocean Colour Scene), the modfather could still do with a bit of lightening up. He plays with all the soul of someone shrink-wrappng chickens in a factory. There's no Jam songs, big mistake, and though 'Changing Man', Broken Stones', 'Wild Wood' and 'You Do Something To Me' classically pound like daddy stamping on your head, it ain't quite the same as 'That's Entertainment' or 'Carnation'. There's no Oasis cameo either, despite Liam arriving on-site just before Weller's appearance, but Paul does manage to draw the biggest crowd yet to MOVE. A rock-solid performance, no thrills, no surprises. Standard Weller.