Bluedot / Saturday

Many years ago, in 1991, I worked with a Canadian chap called Wayne. He was an excellent character and one of those colleagues that can elevate the working day to something of a joy. He was acerbic and sarcastic but, crucially, very funny. He had a number of gripes about living in the UK and, as I remember it, his main complaint was the weather.

The precise nature of his irritation was not so much to do with the lack of sunshine in the north of England but more to do with the fact that there were no distinct seasons. And over the last thirty years, I have come to appreciate just how astute that insight was.

Thus, today, in the middle of July, we enjoyed an absolute deluge at Bluedot. The ground was was wet, muddy, and unpredictable. It was only by adhering to my friend Chris's advice - always look at your feet - that I avoided slipping over. 

Still, the rain held off long enough for us to see Jim Al-Khalili talking on the Lovell Stage ('Time Travel In Einstein's Universe') and, once the downpour recommenced, we took refuge in the Contact Stage to see Rob Newman's excellent 'Total Eclipse Of Descartes'.

The main event for me today, though, was Kraftwerk's performance. After seeing them in Liverpool and at the Royal Albert Hall on their last tour, I had decided I wouldn't see them again but not to the point where I'd ignore then at a festival I was already attending.

To a degree I must agree with former Kraftwerker Florian Scheider's assertion that, these days, Kraftwerk is just a museum piece. Indeed, there has been no new music since 2003, just Ralf Hütter's careful curation of the group's canonical catalogue/Katalog. 

That said, there is still something creative in what they do, with interesting sonic tweaks and improvisations, and I did enjoy it very much, particularly 'Numbers/Computerworld', 'Trans Europe Express', 'The Man Machine', and, always, 'Music Non Stop'.

****
No scales
Reading: 'Case Histories' by Kate Atkinson