Fleet Foxes: Glastonbury Festival - Pyramid Stage

Friday 26th June 2009

This is a Crackerjack review of Fleet Foxes. Do you agree? Rate and review this event.

Crackerjack rating: 7 / 10.

There are plenty of hippies at Glastonbury who claim to be able to heal the sick. But up on the main stage on Friday afternoon were five men who were able to work even greater magic; yes, Fleet Foxes made the sun shine.

After some truly horrific weather, an opening pairing of Sun Giant and Sun It Rises had people reaching for the shades and after that they could do no wrong. The Seattle band have been showered with praise since the release of their astonishing debut album but even their biggest fan would have to admit that the huge main stage at Glastonbury is a bit too big for them and their quiet, gentle music. On one of the smaller stages they would have been truly magical; as it was, they were merely very good.

It’s fitting that the day before Crosby, Stills and Nash, those masters of the close harmony, play the festival, the modern equivalent were given their chance to shine. And their four-part vocals were sensational, especially on the a cappella Sun Giant and Mykonos. Blue Ridge Mountains and frontman Robin Pecknold’s solo version of Oliver James were lovely, and there’s unlikely to be a more beautiful song played at the festival than White Winter Hymnal – especially one played by a band who almost certainly get mistaken for tramps on a regular basis.

Pecknold said that they were sticking around to watch Neil Young and Fairport Convention – and perhaps they were planning to take a trip to the healing fields to make some people feel better with their harmonies. Over to you, Mr Crosby, Mr Stills and Mr Nash.

PAUL DALLISON

This is a Crackerjack review of Fleet Foxes. Do you agree? Rate and review this event.