BrownI started listening to Ian Brown outside the White Lodge, your fujirock.com hq, just up from the White Stage. It sent a shiver down my spine. That’s some milk curdling voice he has going on here. I went inside, and things didn’t get any better… Eventually I bit the bullet and down I went, to get in amongst.

I was regretting the decision to choose this over Air at the Red. But once in situ, the cacophony of sound works with Brown to, err, drown out, err, tone down his voice. Things become much more listenable once here.

There isn’t much of a crowd due to stiff competition from Atoms for Peace on Green and the aforementioned Air gig. But now AFP are out, we have a few more. Brown uses the whole stage, and makes connections with the audience, pointing out some he likes the look of, and mixing in amongst the band.

The songs are solid and at times a little cinematic. Best when the band is wailing in, err, accompaniment to Brown’s voice. I don’t wish to harp on the same thing that everybody does, but I do feel that if The Stone Roses had pulled their finger out and produced, with some voice coaching Ian Brown could have gone on to become a great frontman. Fifth time at FujiRock and second to headlining the White Stage isn’t too bad though. As if he read my thoughts, the closing track is Fool’s Gold. What else could it be?