T in the Park: Soundtrack to the weekend

Friday

The whole festival starts in considerable style with The Maccabees and ‘No Kind Words’ before shifting in gloriously mental fashion with ‘Roulette Dares’ by The Mars Volta so sing along now … ‘Exoskeleton, junction at the railroad delayed!’ Come down easy from that with the soporific blues of Edwyn Collins’ ‘Liberteenage Rag’ and follow it up swiftly with the winsome Camera Obscura and ‘French Navy’. Speed back to the NME/Radio 1 Stage in time for ‘When I Argue I See Shapes’ from Idlewild, the heart flutteringly sublime ‘Maps’ by Yeah Yeah Yeahs and see the sun go down to ‘Red Right Hand’ from Nick Cave. Sprint to the Main Stage just in time for Kings of Leon to set hearts racing with a climactic rendition of ‘Sex on Fire’. Woof!

Saturday

Ease those hangovers with some goofy, feelgood vibes with ‘In the City’ by Iglu & Hartly at the King Tut’s Tent. We secretly hope The Noisettes play ‘Scratch Your Name’ but if not, ‘Don’t Upset the Rhythm’ will do. A gentle contrast will come from Foals whose drummer will get really quite wicked for ‘Red Socks Pugie’. White Lies’ ‘Farewell to the Fairground’ provides the requisite afternoon angst and a stumble towards the NME Stage will ensure Katy Perry furnishes us with some early evening sub-Avril cheese with ‘Waking up in Vegas’. ‘Concrete Jungle’ by The Specials keeps the pot boiling as does the mighty ‘Been Caught Stealing’ by Jane’s Addiction, while Futures Stage toppers Florence and the Machine get frisky with ‘Kiss with a Fist’. Something of a Slam Tent staple, ‘Man with the Red Face’ by Laurent Garnier sets things up at high, but leave it to the Yanks to bring us to the brink again with ‘Glamorous Indie Rock’n’Roll’ by The Killers.

Sunday

Today starts in earnest fashion with New Jersey’s The Gaslight Anthem’s ‘The ‘59 Sound’ before VV Brown injects some soul into the Sabbath with ‘Crying Blood’, a sentiment Squeeze appreciate and stick their tongue in cheek with ‘Cool for Cats’. A swift sprint back to the King Tut’s Tent for some supreme sweetness from Regina Spektor with ‘Fidelity’ and stay put for Passion Pit’s ‘Make Light’. The Streets and Doves vie for space mid-Sunday, Catch ‘There Goes the Fear’ by Doves at the NME/Radio 1 Stage before donning your running shoes in time for ‘Fit But You Know It’ at the Slam Tent.
And so the festival builds to a peak once more, TV on the Radio reduce grown men to tears with ‘Wolf Like Me’ and Bloc Party throw down ‘Like Eating Glass’. More drama? Sure, try ‘It’s a Sin’ by Pet Shop Boys and ‘Chocolate’ by Snow Patrol. Sunday reaches its peak with two glorious, diametrically opposed songs: ‘Hunted by a Freak’ by Mogwai and ‘This is a Low’ by Blur. Hear them both and T 2009 will be complete in every way.

T in the Park is at Balado, Kinross-shire, Fri 10–Sun 12 Jul. Some day tickets are still available, see www.tinthepark.com