Roger Miller -- the face that launched a thousand international flights. High Dependency Unit screams about...well, something. Shannon Wright arrives on stage by jumping out of a gigantic papier mache model of Robyn Hitchcock's head. Cheap Trick (note the five-headed guitar). Danielson Famile catering to the Christian nurse fetishists in the audience.

The ATP festival is a unique opportunity for fans and bands to come together for the sole purpose of hearing some great music. The somewhat isolated location (about two hours southeast of London, on the coast) provided little distraction from the music, as all festival goers stayed on site at the Pontins Holiday Camp in "chalets". We had heard varying reports beforehand as to the quality of the accommodations but expected something like an army barrack or college dorm room. Upon arrival, we passed through a guarded security checkpoint and gate before checking in to pick up our wristbands and room keys. I heard the word concentration used more than once in reference to the "camp", for reasons that became apparent as we walked by the very institutional-looking cinderblock/concrete buildings (think prison). It turned out to be not so bad after all, like a dorm room with a kitchenette, but for four people was a bit cramped. We really couldn't complain, though, because it was so damn cheap (about $150 each for the entire weekend).

The venue building looked like a large Chuck-E-Cheese, complete with a mini-golf course out front and a game room inside. There was also a convenience store, cafeteria-style restaurant and a bar/lounge separate from the show venue that was open until 7:00 a.m. The festival even had its own TV station, ATPTV, showing movies of the curator's choice round the clock. Strangely, each chalet had to buy electricity from the convenience store and it wasn't at all clear exactly how this worked, as the electricity was never off in the first place, but we bought £8 worth anyway.

This year's event was curated by Shellac, and it showed. There was definitely a propensity towards Chicago bands and the heavy/noisy end of the spectrum. Thirty-four bands played on two stages (indoors thankfully, as the weather was very English that weekend) over three days. Shellac played the first set every afternoon, around 3:00 or 4:00 p.m. Having handpicked all of the bands, Albini asked for some feedback at the start of Shellac's third set on Sunday -- "So, have you all heard a lot of great bands this weekend that you've never heard of before?" I had to say, "Well no, not really," but maybe I've just been around too long, as a resounding, "yeah!" came back the audience. However, it didn't seem that the point of this festival was to showcase the hottest new bands, or to catch the set by "the next big thing" a la CMJ or SXSW. There was nary an industry type to be found here. This was all about the fans and the music. Surely there was lots of new music to be heard, but the event seemed more like an indie rock history lesson, where influential late seventies/early eighties pioneers of post-punk and experimental rock (Wire, Mission of Burma, The Fall, The Ex) met their early/mid '90s counterparts -- the ones who are still standing, anyway (Low, Silkworm, Zeni Geva, Arcwelder, Shellac, Brick Layer Cake, Breeders, etc.) -- and the next generation, dominated by indie rock supergroups/ex-members of bands (Rachel's, Shipping News, The New Year, Consonant, Threnody Ensemble, Shannon Wright, PW Long). There were actually very few truly new artists here. Also, it turned out there were about 1,000 fewer people attending the second weekend of ATP than the completely sold out first weekend. I never heard a good explanation for this, but I for one didn't mind that not every show was packed; it made the whole event more relaxed.

The event seemed very well organized and executed. One of my complaints or suggestions would be to stagger the sets more. While some sets were staggered, other bands played at the exact same time, yet there were several times when there weren't any bands playing for a good 45 minutes. Overall though, a good time and lots of great music was had by all. Bands who played that are not included here I either didn't see at all (for various reasons), or saw too little of to warrant comment.

Friday:

4:15 - Shellac
The first set of the first day/weekend, and not up against any other bands. However it wasn't completely packed, probably because many people were still arriving. My chalet mates (Justin, John and Bob, for future reference) and I traveled together from London and made sure to arrive in time. Shellac came out and pummeled the audience with a blistering and extremely tight set. Todd Trainer is simply an amazing drummer! They played several songs from At Action Park, including "My Black Ass" and "The Admiral", which I was psyched to hear as I don't remember them playing much of it (or sounding this great) the last time I saw them. In between songs Bob Weston joked about his daily changing facial hair, which at that point was large muttonchops. However, his wife had arrived that day and simply said, "unacceptable!" So the next day it was down to a moustache, and the third day he was clean-shaven. Towards the end of the set, Albini announced that these would be the last two songs, warning us, "They're not the best two, just the last two." I would disagree, though, as they closed with "Dog And Pony Show" and "Il Porno Star", which were easily among the best of the set. By the end of the last song, Albini had pulled his guitar strings out one by one in dramatic fashion. I remember seeing him do this before, but it was still entertaining.

5:45 - Ex-Orkestra
The Ex is from Holland and have been around since the early '80s. I would describe their sound as similar to political punks Crass and the experimental noise of Chrome. This was actually was a 20-piece group doing orchestral versions of Ex songs, complete with a conductor. The arrangement had a circus feel. It was an amazing show simply for its sheer spectacle, though not necessarily outdone by the musicality. The most remarkable part of the production was that the musicians were able to play together and form coherent songs through the din. Instruments included strings, horns and no less than three vocalists, who were doing what I guess I'd call throat singing, adding to the overall cacophony.

8:30 - Zeni Geva
(Incidentally, all set times were given in military time, which was kind of annoying, and I still hadn't gotten used to it after three days.) Zeni Geva is Japanese noise-metal at its finest. These guys have always rocked, and tonight was no exception. They are very tight and fast, more metal than noise, and the delivery is serious and intense. There's none of the lightheartedness of their contemporaries Melt Banana, but if you're looking for a straight up, all out rock assault look no further than KK Null and company.

9:30 - Mission of Burma
The band that was the impetus for me to attend the festival in the first place. I have to admit that up front, as too many people already know it. This was the eighth Burma show I've seen since they reunited in January, including the show at the Garage in London the previous night. The only drawback was that they didn't have time to play two sets, as they had at all of their other shows. Otherwise this set was among the best that I've seen, very tight and energetic. Because of the time restraint, though, they crammed as much as they could into the one-hour set, playing "Max Ernst" into "Academy Fight Song", "Ballad of Johnny Burma" and "That's How I Escaped My Certain Fate", making for an anthemic-packed block. The only one of the four newer songs that made it to this show was Roger Miller's "Wounded World", for which the cellist and violinist from the Rachel's sat in. It was a nice idea, but they could hardly be heard over the rock (at the London show they introduced their friend Graham to guest on "Fame and Fortune". Justin and I asked each other, "who?" Found out later that Graham is in Blur, and Roger was teaching him the song backstage). Other highlights included "Playland", "Secrets", "Mica" and "Peking Spring". No pit erupted at this show as it had the night before, but still, the energy level was high and it was a fantastic set. I think the rumors of West Coast Burma dates are now nearly confirmed, so if they come to your town you must see them!

11:15 - Cheap Trick
I only saw a little bit of The Shipping News (who sounded great), ducking out in favor of checking out Cheap Trick. I had heard reports that they were not very well received by the crowd the first weekend (apparently not indie enough), and wanted to witness what could possibly be a trainwreck. My fears were unfounded, as the band sounded great. The reception was lukewarm at best though, only heating up a bit when they played "I Want You to Want Me" and "Surrender," for which Rick Nielsen brought out the five-necked guitar. They even resorted to testimonials from the crowd, giving a woman the mic to chide us, "These guys rock so hard! If you're not having a good time then you're a fucking pussy." Uh, okay... They also felt the need to prove their cred on one of the new songs, saying, "this one is in 5/4 time for you musicians out there." The song wasn't half-bad, though. While they definitely rock the house, they just didn't rock the house that indie rock built.

Saturday:

3:00 - Shellac
We showed up late for this one as Justin, John and I had taken a cab into Rye to do some sightseeing. One of the main attractions was the view of Rye from the top of the Church of the Virgin St. Mary. It was so impressive we even went back the next day for pictures (or perhaps there just wasn't much to do in Rye). This show was much more packed than the day before and I only caught the tail end, but it was another great set, including "Prayer to God" and "Ghosts" from 1000 Hurts. Albini announced the impeding last two songs and oddly, "Dog and Pony Show" was second to last again, followed by a searing version of "The Crow".

4:45 - Silkworm
Silkworm had the bum slot of being up against Low, so their performance wasn't very crowded, but they sounded as good as ever (but more like Pavement than I remembered). Matt Kadane (Consonant, The New Year) was sitting in on keyboards here. I'm not sure if he was replacing someone or if they usually go without, but it helped flesh out the sound on certain songs. They played several songs from their last album, Lifestyle, including "Treat the New Guy Right", for which they invited their friend Heather (I think that was her name) on stage to sing. Again, nice idea, but she couldn't be heard most of the time. They ended the set with drummer Mike singing a song while the versatile Kadane filled in on drums. I've never seen Mike sing before, for reasons that were readily apparent, but his prancing around the stage sans shirt sure was entertaining.

6:30 - Consonant
This supergroup is Clint Conley from Mission of Burma's new band. He's back, having given up music entirely for almost twenty years. Here, Conley is on guitar, joined by the ubiquitous Chris Brokaw, the aforementioned Matt Kadane and Winston Braman (Fuzzy). Conley warned us up front that this was only their fourth show, but he needn't have. You'd never know that they're such a young band, probably because as such seasoned musicians it's easy for them to sound tight without too much effort. Their debut album just came out, and I imagine most of the songs they played are on it (tried to buy it at the ATP cantina but they were sold out). Having seen them a few times, I'd have to say they're just getting better with every show. The sound is obviously very Burma-esque in song structure and style, but a bit mellower sonically. Standouts included "Buckets of Flowers" and "John Coltrane's My Favorite Things", which is an instant sing-along. I've had it running through my head for days even though I haven't heard the song in weeks.

6:45 - Danielson Famile
I was a little torn here, as Consonant and Danielson's sets were at the same time, and I usually enjoy the Danielson Famile. I opted to see most of Consonant, but did run upstairs just in time to hear the rousing "I Love My Lord" chorus of "Ah No No". This show was definitely more energetic than the last Danielson show I saw. Maybe the crowd's enthusiasm was a factor (one of the largest so far at the festival). They had brand spanking new nurse's uniforms, and if I'm not mistaken, the family seems to be growing. I know they tour in different configurations, so maybe this was just one of the larger versions, as there were four women singing back-up (one also played violin and xylophone). If you haven't heard Danielson, it's a little like Frank Black singing Free To Be You and Me, with Christian-themed lyrics. The singers are choreographed and all smiles, all the time. While the songs haven't changed much, Daniel's voice gets squeakier and higher-pitched every time I see them. Pretty soon only dogs will be able to hear him! Went back to see more of Consonant after hearing "Deviled Egg".

8:15 - David Lovering
I wasn't planning to see this until I read about it in the festival guide, which described him as "a unique stage performer of...science magic." David Lovering was the drummer for the Pixies and apparently this is what he's up to now, but I'm not sure if it's a regular gig. The very middle-aged-looking Lovering came out in a white lab coat, looking for all the world like your eighth grade science teacher. He played the part well, telling corny jokes before getting down to the business of his "experiments", mostly involving conducting electricity through various objects, including an old TV antenna and a meteorite. When he brought out the special box containing the meteorite, to build the suspense he asked, "Guess what's in this box?" (and he might as well have added, "...boys and girls"). Various suggestions came from the audience, including, "Frank Black?" There really wasn't any magic involved in his act but it was entertaining, if only as a little break from the rock.

9:30 - Melt Banana
Another great Japanese noise band. More noise than metal, their songs come mostly in very short bursts. The room was jam packed for their set but I still managed to get a fairly good view of singer Yasuko O's performance. She's really the centerpiece and puts on a great show, but her screaming vocal style greatly contrasted with her polite softly-spoken between-song banter. At one point she announced that they'd be playing nine songs in a row. The nine songs took them about three minutes to play, as each one was between ten and 30 seconds long. Then came a punk/noise version of "Surfing USA" that really got the crowd going. They said the next song would be their last, but I didn't stick around to see if they did an encore, not wanting to get caught in the crush of the crowd.

10:15 - Robbie Fulks
Managed to see a little bit of his set and found it to be solidly in the Alt-Country camp, and not nearly as diverse as the program guide suggested. While Fulks and the band were good, the highlight was a countrified, mid-tempo cover of "Billie Jean". Afterwards he said, "That was off my new album, coming out soon. It's a tribute to Michael Jackson." He continued, "its called Dear Michael, Love Robbie." I laughed. No one else did. I can't help thinking there are some serious Robbie Fulks fans out there anxiously awaiting the release of this CD (or I'm wrong, check your local stores).

11:00 - Arcwelder
I must admit, when I first saw their name in the festival lineup I said, "They're still around?" Arcwelder has been together since the early '90s and has put out several albums on Touch & Go, but never seemed to gain much popularity. I always liked them, though. They are heavy and melodic in a Hüsker Dü sort of way. They also brought up the cellist and violinist from the Rachel's (popular crew!) for a few songs, but again, they really couldn't be heard and seemed to be there mostly for show. I stayed just long enough to hear them play my favorite song, "Raleigh", and then went upstairs to make sure I wouldn't miss any of Wire.

11:45 - Wire
Ah, the highly anticipated Wire show! I'd never seen them before and it was definitely all it was cracked up to be, and more. I was asked several times and still am not entirely sure whether they are still together in some form, or if they were reuniting for the festival (A little of both, actually -- Ed.). While they came onto the stage looking rather old (the guitarist looked like a grandfather), they immediately dispelled any notions of decrepitude by rocking very hard. Wire's songs are punk and minimalist experimental rock assaults that chug along like a locomotive, giving them an industrial feel at the same time. Their influence on post-punk has been monumental and can be heard almost immediately (I can clearly hear Hüsker Dü and Killing Joke, among others). Highlights of this power-packed set included "In the Art of Stopping", "Lowdown" and "12XU"; the latter two were encores if I remember correctly (please forgive me, I really wasn't taking notes at all during the festival).

Sunday:

3:30 - The New Year
This was at the same time as Shellac's final set, so I jumped back and forth a bit, but saw much of The New Year. This indie rock supergroup, with Chris Brokaw (Consonant, Come, Codeine), and Matt and Bubba Kadane (Bedhead), doesn't play in Boston very often, so I hadn't had a chance to see them. Their m.o. is melodic, slow to mid-tempo indie rock that sounded a lot like Codeine at times, which is not a bad thing. Only a few songs rocked at all, and while they had four people playing guitar, rarely did I see them all playing at the same time.

5:00 - Dead Moon
Dead Moon, comprised of husband and wife team Fred and Toody Cole, has been a staple of the Oregon/Seattle scene for many years. After all this time, they definitely looked more than a little hardened and road weary (the drummer actually had a beer can holder built into the hi-hat stand -- now that's rock n roll!). The entire trio still has long hair, despite the fact that long hair was long ago abandoned by the rest of the Northwest music scene. While their brand of punk/garage rock is still relevant, many of the songs sounded like early Nirvana in vocal style and chord changes. The direction of influence flow seems obvious, though, as Cole has been making music for 30 years. There was also a slight Goth feel to the band, clad in all black, and with a single candle rising up from the kick drum. At one point, for effect I guess, the drummer poured beer into the floor tom and then created dramatic sprays playing it. I'm not familiar with their material, but they did play "Play With Fire" by the Stones. Their rock sounded good and was well played, but got boring after a while so I went downstairs.

6:45 - High Dependency Unit
This band is from New Zealand but has a Brit-influenced space rock (shall I just say Spacemen 3?) sound. Throw in a pinch of emo vocals and a dash of Sonic Youth and you get the idea. That might not sound earth shattering, but it was a thoroughly enjoyable set and they even had some stage presence, something lacking in many indie rock bands.

8:15 - PW Long's Reelfoot
I didn't realize PW Long would be playing solo acoustic so I was a bit surprised, but not disappointed. He kept breaking strings (probably because he was playing much harder than an acoustic guitar is meant to be played) but apparently forgot to bring a second guitar, so for half the set his friend Steve killed time telling bad jokes while he changed and tuned. Example: "Did you hear the one about the bass player who locked the keys in the van? They had to break the window to get the drummer out." Har, har. PW also berated the crowd for being wimpy indie rockers who didn't follow sports enough to give him the status of the playoff games (uh, he's talking about basketball, right?), and lamented the state of London's whores. Entertaining stuff -- oh, and he played a few songs, too. It basically sounded like an acoustic version of the bluesy, southern fried rock that Mule was known for, but much heavier than most acoustic artists. He also played "I'm Hell" and "Now I Truly Understand" from Mule's first album, both of which sounded great!

9:45 - Shannon Wright
Although it seems I've heard a lot about Wright lately, I still didn't know what to expect. She and her band were a lot noisier than I would have thought, and she's a very powerful singer with a commanding stage presence, reminding me of an angrier and more intense PJ Harvey (if that's possible). She switched from guitar to organ halfway through the set; adding to the effect was a large keyboard on the wall behind her that lit up corresponding to the keys she was playing. It was a great show, but I had to cut out early again to get in position for The Fall.

10:15 - The Fall
Another anxiously-awaited set by legendary forefathers of post-punk, who are known almost as much for the antics of singer Mark E Smith as for their music. Smith made his entrance in grand fashion, taking the stage halfway through the first song. He then spent the rest of the show singing unintelligibly and staggering around the stage with abandon, almost stumbling off the stage more than once. At one point, he was even reading the lyrics to a song from a piece of paper -- but that's all to be expected as part of the Mark E. Smith experience, and I imagine this was tame by his standards. The band sounded great, though, and very tight, ripping through an hour-plus set that somehow seemed very short.

This was basically the end of the festival for me. Upper Crust (AC/DC with 18th Century costumes and powdered wigs) and the Breeders played afterwards, but I didn't really catch much of either (saw the Breeders recently and while they were good, it sounded exactly like the records, so didn't think I'd be missing much).

Almost every band spent ample time thanking Albini and Shellac for having them at the festival and I'll just tack my gratitude on here as well.

Article and photos by Margot Edwards