The Hartnoll brothers, for a while at least, seemed to have the world in their hands thanks to their sunny mix of techno and something a little heartfelt. The mass euphoria of their live sets (essentially just two bald men twiddling knobs trying to look like anything but, via stage lighting and head torches) had to be seen to be believed.
It sat very well at Glastonbury. A field of muddy revellers high on life and anything else made sure the duo returned year after year. Across a CD and DVD we hear classics such as Chime, Funny Break, Satan and more from five return dates. The music is as good as ever but, of course, it loses something in translation to a fiveinch silver disc. The DVD compounds the problem.
Lost Vagueness, a new-ish area of the Glastonbury map wherein anything goes, from casinos to ballrooms and more, tidily hidden away after the main acts have returned to their hired cottages, translates less well still. While it’s pleasing to hear Lou Reed and Clarence Frogman Henry, such eclecticism works best in the fields. Here, it just looks like another ‘possible buy’ for anyone who’s worn out their Mika CD (he also appears).
