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The Review - MUSIC - grooves with RóISíN GADELRAB
Published: 9 July 2009

THE most bizarre moment of this weekend’s Wireless Festival in Hyde Park was not Kanye West’s hollow finale but the police’s crowd management skills afterwards.
As we were herded towards Marble Arch, one young cop with a megaphone began sucking helium out of a huge balloon, and making his announcements falsetto-style.
When he paid homage to N-Dubz by singing Dappy’s “na, na, na” line, the restless punters cheered for more, and the uniformed officer looked so proud. Moving on to the concourse, a tubbier middle-aged officer had somehow commandeered a DJ and mic and was yelping and dancing to Michael Jackson’s Don’t Stop till You Get Enough (see Mr Devo’s blog for evidence). What happened to the G20 kettling tactics? Are there new rules for crowd control?
Whatever the answer, they disarmed a restless crowd in a way no weapon could have. More, please.

* Reverend and the Makers played The Flowerpot, Kentish Town, on Tuesday. It’s become the venue to watch. Visit www.flowerpotlondon.com

* Folk legend Bob Davenport – he used to be pals with Dylan you know – is playing The Green Note, Camden, with Roger Digby next Wednesday (July 15). Tickets £10.

* I passed by Hyde Park on Friday to check out Blur from the side of the ticketless. The sound was clear, you could see the screens, the sun was shining and the picnics were out. Just shows you don’t have to have a ticket to enjoy the show.

* Bitter Things have undergone a transformation. See their new plugged-in sound at Barfly on Friday.

* Quick mention to my namesake Róisín Murphy, who plays at Proud tonight (Thursday).

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