Opening the first night of the Glastonbury Extravaganza, on a balmy Friday, were The Deadbeats. This Manchester-based five-piece was the overall winner of the Glastonbury Festival Unsigned Bands Competition in 2005, which resulted in them playing three stints on separate stages at last year's Glasto. Tonight, the boys returned to Glastonbury to, according to singer Sam Hammond, play the biggest picnic of their career.  | | The Deadbeats |
I had not seen The Deadbeats before, yet I found myself sitting next to a small contingent of their friends and family. The best and easiest way to describe their music is easy-living, southern-country rock shot through with a dash of blues, which is perhaps vaguely reminiscent of the Black Crowes. I definitely preferred their up-tempo R 'n' B numbers, which had me tapping my toes and nodding my head - their slower tunes tended to be a bit samey. Recent single Backdoor Honey was aired, as well as older fare like Million Dollar Man - they ensured that a few people got up and started dancing early on. They were obviously 'Worthy' winners of the unsigned bands competition. After a short break and a brief onstage appearance by Michael Eavis (who was celebrating his wedding anniversary), as well as a speech by Sue Medlicott from St Margaret's Hospice, it was time for the main event: Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. Now, I've been a long-term admirer of Jools. So for me, this was undoubtedly going to be a highlight of the weekend.  | | Jools Holland |
Jools appeared on stage attired in a crumpled linen suit (which made him look somewhat like antipodean comedian Barry Humphries) and immediately took his seat to launch into the instrumental Double O Boogie, closely followed by Seventh Son. He's a cheeky chappy, with a happy-go-lucky attitude and jaunty smile. Jools handles all of the male singing and though I would say that his voice does not match his keyboard playing, his rumbustious cockney-style is the perfect accompaniment to the music the band plays: an eclectic mixture of big-band blues, jazz, funk-pop and ska.
Throughout the performance, Jools worked the crowd wonderfully with some East-End banter between songs. Quite the showman, he learned to play the piano at the age of eight, and you'd be hard pushed to find a greater exponent of boogie-woogie piano this side of Mississippi. A talented and engaging musician, he didn't just stick to the piano, but also treated us to some harpsichord- and guitar-playing too. There were two female vocalists as well, the first of whom, Louise Marshall, performed Georgia on My Mind. Her deep, syrupy, soulful voice was enthralling and just right for this, despite being vastly different from that of Ray Charles. After Jools' thunderous version of Louis Armstrong's Back O' Town Blues, it was time for Sam Brown (daughter of 60s singer Joe Brown). She put her heart and soul into a trio or so of bluesy numbers, including Juice Head Blues and Something's Going On.  | | Sam Brown |
The band plays infectious music you can't help but dance to. When the boogie-woogie was in full flow, the dance floor was packed with jiving, gyrating bodies. By the end of the night, virtually every one was out of their folding chairs and working off their picnics. All too soon, the evening came to an end with a couple of encores, culminating in a truly inspiring version of the drinking classic Enjoy Yourself It's Later Than You Think, which had everyone singing along. Saturday nightThe second evening was a more sedate affair, headlined by the world class London-based Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO). The evening was celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who is arguably the greatest musician the world has ever known. The opening act was the current conductor of the Frome Symphony Orchestra, pianist Stephen Marquiss, who treated us to Mozart's dramatic Fantasie in C Minor, followed by the Sonata in B Flat. As someone who just about mastered Chopsticks on the piano, I could only marvel with envy at Stephen's ability and agility on the keys.  | | Charles Hazlewood |
I can only guess from this performance that he shall have no trouble passing his Grade 4 piano examination! After a short intermission, the RPO took to the stage with new Extravaganza resident, conductor Charles Hazlewood. Now I am not going to try to bluff my way through this review and pretend I am in any way an expert in classical music - anyone who knows me will testify that my main interest lies in heavy, predominantly underground, rock, metal, punk and industrial music. However, I have always stated that one of the reasons this stuff appeals to me is because I have a love of music that is passionate and played from the heart - there is no denying that Mozart fits this bill perfectly. Without any delay, the orchestra launched into the brief, buzzing, electric overture from the Marriage of Figaro - an upbeat piece of scampering violins and the like, in a mere four minutes or so. Charles Hazlewood then turned to address the audience (the first of many occasions) in a manner that was chatty yet informative, and with a style that appeals to both the relative novice (like me) and to those well-versed on the subject of Mozart. This is the sort of guy I could imagine bumping into in a pub and being entertained by his encyclopedic knowledge and immense love of his subject.  | | Clio Gould and Andrew Williams |
The second piece was the extraordinary final movement from Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante K364, which provided the opportunity for two soloists, Clio Gould on violin and Andrew Williams on Viola, to interact with each other and spar with the orchestra in a truly mesmerising piece. Unfortunately, my enjoyment of this was spoiled somewhat by the piercing sound of a car alarm, which penetrated the movement for five minutes or so. A little later, the celebrated guest pianist, 24-year-old Lang Lang (which translates as Brilliant Brilliant) from China, performed three movements of Piano Concerto No 17 in G, a piece which amply displays Mozart's ability to take a tune for a walk. Lang Lang has played sold-out recitals the world over, played to millions of viewers at the opening of the recent World Cup in Munich, and played at the White House.  | | Fflur Wynn |
After the interval, the orchestra returned to play the violent, powerful, passionate and anguished first movement of Symphony No 40 - a piece that is recognised the world over. It was written at a point of turmoil in Mozart's life when both himself and his wife were ill - they had also just lost their fifth child. This was my favourite piece - played with such intensity and zealousness, it took my breath away. The four sections of Exultate Jubilate, a piece dedicated to God, were next. Soprano Fflur Wynn performed this, and while there is no doubting she had a powerful and exquisite voice, I must admit I found this quite hard going, being of the opinion that soprano singers sound akin to cats being strangled. The second movement of the wonderfully potent Symphony No 40 and the joyous, instantly recognisable Little Night Music were also performed.  | | Lang Lang |
And so to the end of the evening and the finale of the two-hour performance. The traditional Extravaganza firework display echoed around the grounds, choreographed to the last movement of Mozart's Jupiter Symphony, while the water fountains danced merrily along in perfect time to the music. For anyone that has an interest but little real knowledge of classical music, the Extravaganza is the perfect introduction, with its idyllic setting and informal atmosphere, and thus I'd wholeheartedly recommend it. Tonight, I learned much about Mozart and can now also appreciate the differences between an Allegro, a Maestro and... erm... a Metro. Sunday nightAnd so to the third evening, the triumphant return of The Rat Pack: Live from Las Vegas. The weather was on fine form and as Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band took to the stage, we were bathed in some marvellous early evening sunshine. Onstage for an hour, the sextet showed what excellent jazz musicians they are.  | | Acker Bilk |
Between numbers, Acker amused us with some (at times cringeworthy) jokes of the type that my Dad would recount, but which made me laugh out loud. He also played on his bad memory, and on a couple of occasions pretended to forget which song was next. It did seem to me that he was not the leader of the band tonight, but was content to follow his band mates' lead through such slickly played numbers as Memphis Blues, That Da Da Strain, Panama Rag, My Baby Just Cares for Me ("it's a love song, slushy and sentimental, which just stinks a bit," said Acker), Stars and Stripes Forever and My Blue Heaven, before Acker donned his trademark bowler (which was still damp from being under his bed that morning) for the obvious set finale Stranger on the Shore.  | | Sammy Davis Jr in The Rat Pack |
After a short interval, it was time for The Rat Pack. This spectacular musical from the West End, featuring Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Junior and Dean Martin (backed by the 15-piece Sammy Milsom Jazz Band and the trio of female dancers The Berelli Sisters) is set around the Sands Hotel circa 1960, when the ultra-cool trio were an awesome force to be reckoned with. Although I love the songs and charisma of the trio, I did not really know what to expect from the show. I am not the greatest fan of tribute acts, and was hoping this would not be a tacky offering. Thankfully I was not disappointed, as the show provided all the glitz and glamour of the era. While it was an all-singing, all-dancing experience, it did also portray the darker side of the trio - the bickering, the alcohol abuse, the moodiness, the bad-boy behaviour, the tensions, the out-of-control egos etc, all served up with a large helping of humour and some very funny, almost cartoon, moments.  | | Frank Sinatra in The Rat Pack |
Much of this revolved around Dean's alcoholism. Now, I've no idea how much of a drunk Deano really was, but this particular facet of his character was certainly at the forefront tonight and also presented the opportunity for some hammy acting. This did not detract from the music, however, and although only Frank Sinatra, played by Stephen Triffett, really bore any resemblance to his character, there was no denying that vocally they were all triumphant. The actor playing Sammy also managed to carry off his intense energy, and his dancing was scintillating. The atmosphere definitely improved after the interval. Darkness had descended fully over the stage, which meant the lighting and colourful costumes (particularly of The Berelli Sisters in their long, flowing, claret evening-dresses) stood out and made the show all the more magical.  | | Dean Martin in The Rat Pack |
All of the obvious numbers were covered: Shall We Dance, Mack the Knife, I've Got You Under My Skin, Luck Be a Lady, Amore, Me and My Shadow and My Way, as well as When You're Drinking, sung to the tune of When You're Smiling. At the end of the evening, a victorious New York, New York was performed, which saw hundreds of people, both male and female, old and young, kicking up their legs and singing in time with the music. This was all finished off with another fine helping of fireworks. This was another successful trio of events and although each was wildly different, all were pleasurable in their own right, making this a highly enjoyable weekend of entertainment. | 
