Ah Gwen, lovely Gwen. A golden truffle among the meat and potatoes rock that surrounds her on today's bill. Even the most PC festival in the world needs its share of glamour and stars - and Gwen Stefani provides both. Which is just as well when your butch as bacon drummer insists on wearing a baby doll nightie onstage!
No Doubt's mix of ska, rock and reggae is not an easy ride for those unfamiliar with the songs. New single 'Underneath It All' is an exception, but it's not always easy to find the tune or the hooks in a ND wigout. This leads to something of a standoff between Gwen and the crowd early on. We aint getting' it and she's pissed. Hey Glass-tun-berry, she chides. I heard you're the shit, now prove it.
'Ex Girlfriend' at least gives us a chance to have a decent stab at it as Gwen shakes her motorised ass and the big screen cameraman settles into an enjoyable hour's work by anyone's standards. Her abs get a good deal of attention too. And when she's not oozing the old sex appeal, Gwen's sprinting around the stage, jumping down to get closer to the crowd or scaling the PA stack. She and the band know how to entertain.
'Don't Speak' gets a huge cheer of recognition but Gwen and the boys struggle to inject any enthusiasm into a song they must be bored to tears by. But then they go for it. Ass shakes, cameraman falls off his chair and we're into a careering version of 'Just A Girl' - as if. And then straight into the super cool, 'Hey Baby' with its call and response crowd pleasing and a chance for the brass section to come over all Wyclef on us.
Gwen's won even the (no) doubters over - the little charmer, and if the band's bizarre musical hybrid doesn't always hit the spot, they have enough big hits in their arsenal, and enough of a work ethic, to earn them the benefit of the (no) doubt. The weekend's first genuine star in our midst?
