T In The Park 2007 - Sunday Radio 1/NME Stage

United Kingdom | | 10 July 2007

Two words describe Glasgow’s We Are The Physics. Loud and screechy. They should come with a warning label with the words “do not mix with a hangover” emblazoned across them. Despite this, the lads did manage to attract a crowd of hardcore fans and you’ve got to give them points for their energy.

As for The Pigeon Detectives, the louder the better. The five-piece rockers adopt their 'fuck-off-we’re-cool' attitude right from the start, grabbing the crowd by the throat and refusing to let go until every last person is on their feet singing and dancing. Frontman Matt Bowman demands the “miserable fuckers” at the back join in his clapping regime, before bounding across the stage, hurdling amps and expertly swinging his mic lead. 'Don’t Know How To Say Goodbye' and closer 'I’m Not Sorry' leave no two feet on the ground as the crowds jump, bounce, tap, do anything to get closer to the music. Bowman narrowly escapes being carried away by his fans after jumping into the crowd at the end of the set. Can’t say the same about his T-shirt though.

Brummie boys The Twang provide a welcome opportunity to take it a bit easier after the madness of their predecessors. Tracks from debut 'Love It When I Feel Like This' go down a treat on this scorching afternoon, especially the band’s first single 'Wide Awake'.

It’s impossible to talk about The Gossip without mentioning singer Beth Dittto’s outrageous outfits and her T appearance provides us with plenty of ammunition. Stripping off her pink tights, the huge Balado crowd get more than they bargain for with a few too many flashes of her underwear throughout the set. Her aggressive taunting of her fans – even encouraging them to chuck bottles onto the stage - does nothing to enhance her image, but that’s probably what she wants. Before launching into the band’s biggest hit 'Standing In The Way Of Control', Ditto needs three security guards to lift her back onto stage after mingling with the front row. Needless to say the crowd goes mad for the song, which closes the set.

Controversial Ditto isn’t content with her 35 mins of fame on the T in the Park stage – she returns once again to join Mika for a rendition of the Eurythmics’ Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This – definitely the highlight of his performance. The London-based singer aptly opened his set with hit 'Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)'.

Rising Scots Biffy Clyro mark their record breaking 7th appearance at T In The Park with an emotional dedication to singer Simon Neil's late mother Eleanor. It was widely thought that the rockers would never play the track 'Folding Strars', penned following her death, because of its meaning. But after belting out with raw emotion the line, "I would do anything for another minute with you, it's not getting easier", Simon thanks the crowd for helping him out with it before launching into a series of hits from their stunning Puzzle album including 'Living Is A Problem Because Everyone Dies', 'Who's Got A Match' and 'Saturday Superhouse'. Closing with the pounding 'Glitter and Trauma', the trio round off a blistering performance and leave fans with fingers crossed for appearance number eight next year!

Geordie boys Maximo Park get straight to the point, bursting in with their new album’s opener 'Girls Who Play Guitars', followed by classic hit 'Graffiti'. The no-nonsense set gets the crowd going wild, as they play anthem after anthem in their casual yet polished way. Singer Paul Smith dedicates a song to Scots band Arab Strap before belting out the fantastic 'Limassol'. A barely recognisable rendition of The Proclaimers’ classic 'I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)' is a blatant attempt to bond with the Scottish audience, but it actually works well. The boys bow out after 'Going Missing', a blinding set that no Maximo Park fan can be disappointed with.

The positioning of American doom rockers Interpol as second to headliners on the Radio 1/NME stage is bizarre to say the least, if not a complete mistake. Despite being well-established, critically acclaimed and no doubt the reason for a number of people getting up in the morning, the slot is wrong for them and it puts a dampener on the buzz that surrounded the stage beforehand. Yes, they’re good at what they do, but they’re slightly depressing wailings are somehow better left for the perfectly suited slot they had in the King Tuts tent two years ago.

Kasabian never fail to disappoint with their all-or-nothing performances, and T is no exception – despite the fact they had to shoot up to Balado after playing at the Live Earth concert at Wembley. Love or hate their uber-confidence and arrogance, there’s no denying they put on a show to remember and singer Tom Meighan can’t hide his delight at being the headline band after four consecutive years playing the festival. 'Processed Beats', 'Club Foot' and set opener 'Shoot The Runner' are amongst the many highlights, as well as Meighan’s declaration that Scotland is “fucking Empire”. Nice touch.