Ready for kick-off: The Big Pink at T in the Park 2010 Pic: © Drew Farrell
Well, what a difference a couple of hours makes at T in the Park.
It looked as though The Big Pink were going to face a washout opening the Main Stage, with only diehard fans braving the torrential rain to greet their debut at the festival.
Instead it's sunny enough that (a) I'm reaching for my protective UPV 25000 lotion, (b) a large throng are joyously cheering the first act of the day, and (c) The Big Pink's female drummer is even able to position herself behind her kit in a FREAKING LEOTARD. (Come to think of it I'm actually sporting one too, though she pulls off hers with a considerable amount more class...)
It helps that the four members onstage launch themselves into their set with considerable gusto, more so than you'd expect from a band who - on record at least - seem most adept at a swooning synthesis of shoegaze and electronica.
An early rendition of hook-strewn single Velvet sees plenty of hands thrust euphorically in the air, singer/vocalist Robbie Furze adept enough to confidently command attention as his band's sounds swirl around in the air - the rain may have gone away, but there's still enough wind to remind us that we're still not exactly sweating away in tropical climes.
Not to matter, for The Big Pink deliver the sort of big singalong moments that just wouldn't be possible if you were zonked out on some sizzling Jamaican beach. Delivering a strong set, the best known is (as you'd expect) left until last, as Dominos proves that the magic conferred on a musical outfit by virtue of appearing on a TV advert nowadays overpowers virtually everything in its path.
'Tonight you're a part of my life' sings Furze earlier in the set, and that only seems appropriate given how much of an impression The Big Pink made on the Main Stage's first audience of T in the Park 2010.
