Devendra Banhart and his acolytes... oh what joy! From the commune-like stage-sharing to the subtle variations in pace and style make this thorougly enjoyable. There is enough folk-stomp to get our feet tapping but also the requisite acoustic slot midway. However Devendra does not drag on and places his songs in context with brief explanations in his lilting South-American accent. These anecdotes create a narrative that weaves around all the songs. Devendra Banhart's success is not down necessarily to his musical prowess but the way in which he manages to flesh out his songs in his own reality. His appearance at Benicassim heightens the aforementioned reality, furthering the myth and making him an artistic and popular success.
Xiu Xiu were up next in my to-see list. A little too experimental, their show veered from understated melody to overstated harshness for no visible reason. On top of that the pair spent much of their time hidden behind their instruments, this became quickly frustrating.
Kings of Convenience played a polite and polished set which I savoured from the touchlines. Certain sounds and rhythms were surprisingly jazzy verging on funky without ever losing the muted tension from their fingerpicked guitars.
!!! were certainly much more danceable but sadly their set suffered the same fate as Peaches'. Namely, the bass frequencies were turned up ridiculously loud and as a result all of the rapturous cowbells and rhythmic intricacy were drowned out. Thankfully, the frontman's didactic presence saved the day to some extent.
Ladytron were the huge dissappointment of the day. Helen and Mia were dressed in a awful dress and jewellery which seems to eschew any synthpop tension of their early shows. The overall impression was that they were breezing through to go to bed early. Diametrically opposed to Devendra Banhart, this is a band who are quickly losing their mystique. They are no longer "Showroom Dummies".
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