All Tomorrow’s Parties 2002
All Tomorrow’s Parties is a music festival held in a holiday camp in the south of England. But not just any music festival, this is the best music festival in the whole world. This is a music festival where you have a little chalet to live in and a shower and a nice pub with rock stars sitting at the next table. Oasis aren’t allowed to play this festival. Trail of Dead phoned up at the last minute and tried to get on the bill and were told no. This is a music festival organised by a different band each year. This year Shellac of North America curated the event and brought over a mass of their favourite bands from all over the world to play over the three days. The entire diskant staff were there, watching the bands, drinking too much whisky and vaguely trying to remember things for you the dear reader. So enjoy our memories of ATP2002. And we’ll see you there next year, right?
Your participants are John Coburn [JohnC, diskant’s newest staff member still awaiting job title], Marceline Smith [mar-c, diskant Overlord], Adrian Errol [Errol, diskant Event Hander], Simon Minter [Smint, diskant Music Master], Greg Kitten [G-Kit, diskant List Kitten], Chris Haikney [chris h, diskant Movie Master], Stu Fowkes [Mega-Stu, diskant News Reporter]. In the absence of comments from David [in Europe with OXES] and Ollie [wedded bliss], we give you Mr Rock himself Ady Foley [Ady, shared the diskant ROCK chalet, drove us there and back and slept in a plastic chair]. You can find out more about us on the Contributors page.
Band of the weekend (& why)
JohnC: OXES. Friday evening excitement + PVC-clad math metal + slightly pissed = real rocking memory for life.
mar-c: SHELLAC. For the two awesome sets I saw, for sitting in the pub with the kids, for picking mostly good bands, for Steve’s onstage speeches and for being one of the best bands ever. And for Steve’s hat and boiler suit ensemble.
Errol: Shipping News.
Smint: SHELLAC, it has to be, they were far more charismatic than I was expecting, and funny. But this didn’t detract from the music being super HEAVY (not noisy, or loud particularly, but HEAVY) and incredibly tight.
G-Kit: OXES. Why? Oh, please.
Ady: Tricky one, but rather than just go for Shellac, I thought Zeni Geva were ace but I’ll go for High Dependency Unit for being so fucking good and the surprise discovery of the weekend.
chris h: Zeni Geva because it made it nearly ok melt-banana weren’t there
Mega-Stu: Shellac on the Sunday was the closest a gig has ever been to being a religious experience for me. Special mentions also to Wire’s ragged, thumping hour of noise and Blonde Redhead’s frozen wastelands of sex and beauty.
Most ROCK rock star of the weekend
JohnC: Each and every member of Zeni Geva.
mar-c: Todd Trainer because he looked like a crazy man dressed in black and he was funny and I didn’t see Brick Layer Cake thus meaning he stayed cool in my eyes.
Errol: Cheap Trick guitarist.
Smint: Todd Trainer, for his fine drumming, including damping his own cymbals in perfect time with his drum patterns, whilst appearing not to be making too much effort at all.
G-Kit: Kim Deal.
Ady: Kim Deal, she’s a fucking star!
chris h: Steve Albini. It’s like he was in 2 places at once, all weekend
Mega-Stu: It can’t be anyone other than Steve Albini. GO! GO NOW! GO NOW, GO! GO! GO! GO NOW GO! CROW! Etc.
Moment of the weekend
JohnC: When Dianogah were spouting off about how happy and honoured they were to play to so many enthusiastic faces. Which made me all happy and honoured.
mar-c: Giving Ian Scanlon freshly cooked pie and the look of fear on his face as he realised he’d have to force it down or face the sight of us crying.
Errol: Selling records on the Sunday afternoon and chatting to Efrim Godspeed about my wares.
Smint: The first note of live music I heard was when we walked into hear OXES in full flow. This set the tone for a superb weekend.
G-Kit: Kat running over to me, all flushed, going ‘Kim Deal’s taking me to the doctor!’ Or when I ate some pie.
Ady: That short space of time between arriving on Friday and leaving the site on Monday…
chris h: “what THIS motherfucker doesn’t appreciate is”
Mega-Stu: During ‘Bipolar’ by Blonde Redhead, everything was all right in the world. I also cherished every moment spent drinking JD and shouting at strangers.
The must try harder award for band that was most disappointing
JohnC: Arcwelder. What a load of pap.
mar-c: Cheap Trick were the worst band but I was expecting that so it wasn’t really a disappointment. So, I’m going to go with Arcwelder. Fantastic for 30 minutes, boredom setting in at 40 minutes, mind wandering, considering taking photo of Steve Albini watching Arcwelder, slumped on floor by 50 minutes unable to work up energy to leave room.
Errol: Silkworm.
Smint: Breeders. Although this may be my own fault for wanting to only really hear ‘Cannonball’ and not really paying attention to the rest of their set.
G-Kit: Well, I liked everyone I saw. So Shellac. Only disappointing because I missed them, though.
Ady: Nobody really disturbed me that much, apart from David Lovering, but I think Flour might have been a bit shit.
chris h: Smog
Mega-Stu: Cheap Trick were awful, but a lot of drunk people seemed to like them. Arcwelder were dull, and I have to say I was expecting greater things from Mission of Burma, too.
Most famous person I met
JohnC: The roadie from Rachel’s.
mar-c: Steve Albini! He was a lovely polite man and let me shake his hand.
Errol: Alan Bearos.
Smint: Mr STEVE ALBINI! Oh yes. None more famous.
G-Kit: Simon Minter.
Ady: Was anyone there famous…?
chris h: soundman from Rachel’s (see above)
Mega-Stu: I was being ill in the chalet while everyone else met Steve Albini…err…Calum from Lapsus Linguae…?
Most stupid thing said to famous person
JohnC: ‘You’re the most famous person I’ve met this weekend, and that’s slightly depressing’.
mar-c: ‘This is my friend Simon’. Not too stupid really, I’m a professional.
Errol: ‘Fuck me, ain’t you tall?’
Smint: To the aforementioned person: ‘burble, blah, dribble, guhhdd weeeekkhend, niccce one!’
G-Kit: ‘You’re wearing a shirt that I didn’t want’.
Ady: OK. I lost my voice then tried apologising to Kim Deal for not being there to hear ‘Cannonball’. Like she gives a shit.
chris h: ‘see Rachel’s, you would have been great if I hadn’t got bored cos you took hours to soundcheck’
Mega-Stu: ‘So, more importantly, did you win the fight?’
Three bands you’d most like to see at ATP next year in an ideal universe
JohnC: Bob Tilton. The Smiths. Sweep The Leg Johnny.
mar-c: The Nation of Ulysses, Merzbow [‘cos reviews of ATP NY make him sound ace] and A Roman Scandal. And Godspeed You Black Emperor!, of course [hoho, only kidding…].
Errol: Mineral, Rumah Sakit, Souvaris.
Smint: Sonic Youth (ignoring what I’ve heard about their previous performance at ATP), Pink Floyd circa 1967 (with full light show), Can.
G-Kit: Nirvana, Hirameka Hi-fi, The Hypotheticals.
Ady: Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, the Pixie s, My Bloody Valentine.
chris h: kid606, detroit cobras, melt-banana
Mega-Stu: The classic Killing Joke lineup (Coleman/Walker/Raven/Ferguson), Flying Saucer Attack, Bikini Kill.
Band you most regret missing
JohnC: Daniellson Famille.
mar-c: Melt-Banana. But that was the wrong weekend so OXES. Why were they on so early? I saw two songs, both of which were great and Marc played guitar in my face but quite frankly it just wasn’t enough.
Errol: Shellac on Saturday through hangover and Sunday through record selling fun.
Smint: The Fall, I think.
G-Kit: Oh, err, Shellac. Duh.
Ady: There were a few, but Melt Banana and the New Year for not playing weekend one, and Versus never played in the end, so probably Mission of Burma.
chris h: Rachel’s
Mega-Stu: Wish I’d seen The Fall, and Versus never played. Also, The Ex playing the second weekend and not the first was a total bastard.
Most ROCK happening
JohnC: the record stalls on the Sunday. Nice weather, lovely people, cheap records. Per-fect.
mar-c: The diskant rock gang getting told off by security for playing Sonic Youth too loud and shouting at everyone to come and listen to them.
Errol: Cheap Trick plectrum tricks.
Smint: Meeting lots of great, great people.
G-Kit: Me eating 12 cheeseburgers.
Ady: I didn’t see any rocks happening, it’s Camber Sands…
chris h: meeting everyone I was supposed to within 10 minutes of stepping off of the bus
Mega-Stu: Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 brand quality Tennessee sour mash whisky.
Unexpectedly good band of the weekend
JohnC: Do Make Say Think. Less jazz, more rock.
mar-c: Blonde Redhead. Was not previously impressed with the little recorded material I heard but was won over by the live experience. I get it now.
Errol: Cheap Trick.
Smint: Wire. Much more noisy and aggro than I was expecting.
G-Kit: Gee, err… pass.
Ady: Possibly Cheap Trick. You got a problem with that?
chris h: PW Long. Who is he anyway?
Mega-Stu: Well, I had no expectations of Zeni Geva, having never heard of them, but they were GIANT RIFF MONSTERS from the planet Flying V.
Band you most want records of now
JohnC: Three Second Kiss.
mar-c: Zeni Geva who were the rockest mentalist band of the weekend. I also want all the Shellac records I don’t own.
Errol: Mission of Burma.
Smint: Shellac – all the albums which I don’t have, I’m in the process of getting now!
G-Kit: OXES.
Ady: High Dependency Unit, but I think I’ve got most of ’em now.
chris h: the band who I went to get their CD and it had sold out. I’ll never get it now cos I can’t remember who that was.
Mega-Stu: Some of the good Wire stuff, and also a statue of Zeni Geva for my lounge.
ATP CD: 1, 2 or 3?
JohnC: 2.
mar-c: 2 ‘cos it’s got Shellac and Melt-Banana and OXES, yay!
Errol: 1.
Smint: I can’t answer that yet.
G-Kit: The one with OXES on [that’s 2 – ed.].
Ady: They’re all good, but 3’s a bit short.
chris h: Yeah.
Mega-Stu: I’m going to take the side of the underdog and go for 3, even though it has the godawful Upper Crust on it.