Music history at Hard Rock Calling

 Add your view

End of an era: The Police played their final UK gig

Electric: John Mayer's guitar solos are a treat

Starsailor's James Walsh is about to become a dad

Having fun: Sheryl Crow has all the moves

Look here too

• Glastonbury review
• 46664 Concert review

It's been a big weekend as far as the British music scene is concerned. Despite much criticism, Glastonbury pulled it out of the bag and Nelson Mandela's 90th Birthday celebrations saw Queen and Will Smith take to the stage in Hyde Park on Friday.

So with the festival atmosphere in full swing it was only fitting that it should continue with Hard Rock Calling. Eric Clapton and The Police headlined the event; with The Police playing their final UK date to a crowd of 35,000 last night. What a note on which to end an era.

The band couldn't have picked a better opening number than Message In a Bottle - iconic and with just the right rhythm to set the mood. Songs like Roxanne, Can't Stand Losing You and Every Little Thing She Does is Magic are hard to beat in the live performance stakes; building up an electric atmosphere for a night that will go down in music history. The defining moment came in the encore with Every Breath You Take. Arms in the air, the audience could not have been more transfixed on what must have been an emotional moment for Sting and co. Superb.

As expected, Clapton played well on Saturday but there wasn't the same sense of energy. Layla received a lively reaction from the audience making the second half of his show the better.

Sheryl Crow did a good job of warming things up earlier in the day. 'A lot has happened since I was last here. I got engaged, got un-engaged, had breast cancer and adopted a baby,' she said. Soak Up The Sun and All I Wanna Do were ideal for the occasion.

John Mayer played for the second night in London; following Friday's gig at Brixton. The set list was condensed for the 45 minute Hard Rock slot; meaning songs like Say and Slow Dancing In a Burning Room, two of the best at Brixton, were missing. His stunning guitar solos on songs like Gravity and a blues version of Duffy's Mercy made up for this.

Acts like KT Tunstall and Starsailor were also well-received with Starsailor's Four to the Floor a highlight.

Festival season is officially under way and things look promising. Here's hoping the best is yet to come.

WHAT THE ARTISTS HAD TO SAY:

STARSAILOR
Have you enjoyed the weekend?
James Stelfox: Yes, we have been excited about Hard Rock Calling for a while and it's been great.
Do you get nervous before going on stage?
JS: He should be nervous because he's got a baby due.
James Walsh: Imagine if my child had been born when I was performing.
Would you have finished your set?
Yes, I think it's safe to say I would have. It would be a quick birth if it happened in 45 minutes.
What artists have you been watching?
JS: We were looking forward to watching The Bangles perform. The Police as well.
JW: We have supported The Police quite a lot recently so we must be doing something right. I will watch them play in Valencia when we support them there.
What are your summer plans?
JW: We have got some more festivals lined-up. The album is finished now so we are just waiting to get a release date for that.
Is the new record very different from the last?
JS: I would say it is a bit more like the first album than we did but a bit better. I think the people who liked the first will really like this one. We are happy with it.

CARBON SILICON
(Mick Jones – The Clash
Tony James – Generation X)
What did playing at Hard Rock Calling mean to you?
Tony: We have both come to Hyde Park shows from our childhood. The first big gig I ever went to was Pink Floyd here. Of course, Rolling Stones played as well so doing our own show was quite a big moment.
Mick: The difference is we got in quicker this time. For the Stones I had to wangle my way through and I didn't get to the front till just about the end. Then I saw the Hell's Angels drive through the crowd with their motorbikes.
Tony: It's local for us. We live just down the road and were able to walk here.
A few kids in our family came to watch us perform. They were kind of digging it.
What has been the highlight of your careers so far?
Mick: His was Generation X and mine was The Clash. They are the early defining moments. We always hope that if people like that they would like what we are doing today. You never know though, the highlight could be tomorrow. I always think the best thing is round the corner.
So what's left to achieve?
Tony: Being 90.
Mick: What is really to achieve is to try and be a nicer person and things like that.
Tony: The future is such an unknown territory because rock music changes all the time. You could make better music now than you did when you were 20. Maybe greater ideas will come. Who knows? Ask again in five years time.

THE BANGLES
Have you enjoyed your day at Hyde Park?
Susanna: Yes, so much. Our performance was loads of fun.
Is there a song that you particularly like performing?
Susanna: There is a new song into an old song...Ride The Ride into In Your Room. It's my favourite to perform.
Vicki: It feels like those songs really gel and we always get a good reaction to them. Getting the feedback makes everything seem more worthwhile.
What does the future have in store for The Bangles?
Vicki: We have a European tour then go back to States and do some shows in the summer and the Fall. After that we'll probably settle for a bit. We do things very leisurely. We are mums so we have family to think about.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Susanna: Festival moments are always exciting. To play for such a big crowd is very emotional.
Debbi: There is always the sense of community with the other artists and we love that.
Susanna: To meet someone like KT who does her own version of Walk Like an Egyptian is great.
Debbi: It's lovely to speak to people who grew up listening to our music.
Did you watch any bands?
Vicki: The Police but we don't believe it will be their last ever show. Look at people like Cher. You can never say it's the end.
Have you had a chance to explore London?
Susanna: Yes, we love London. We went to a great restaurant called Giovanni's in St Martin's Lane. Family-run Italians are great. Shopping is excellent too but also very expensive. We visited Topshop and Boots. We get excited over Boots. We could spend a whole day there. But why is it called Boots?

THE CHARLATANS
(Tim Burgess)
Tell us about your Hard Rock Calling experience...
I spent a lot of my day moving around between the stages and waiting for the rest of my band to arrive. I have been excited about the gig for while though. Noel Fielding and the Horrors came to watch the set.
What are your plans for the summer?
We are doing a set with Mark Ronson on Thursday for 02 Wireless. Then we are performing in Paris with him and there's the Mighty Boosh Festival coming up too.
Busy times then?
Yes, I'm not that tired though. I just really enjoy being on stage and living the dream.
What do you do in your spare time in the capital?
I like hanging out in London; especially when I get to go to Marylebone High Street Waitrose.

Click here to see the Hard Rock Calling gallery

 

What's on today   What's on tomorrow

Receive our newsletter