Beth Ditto

Sunday saw the glamorous and flamboyant side of East London. Compared to Saturday, there was a more laid back atmosphere; you could see trannies, drags, gays and lesbians, all dolled up wearing wigs, ultra high heels, fishnet tights and covered with glittery makeup, scattering around and hanging out in the muddy field. The lineup subtly implied why – Scissor Sisters, Robyn, Kelis, Peaches, Horse Meat Disco, Disco Bloodbath and Trailer Trash …

Beth Ditto was among the headliners, and I arrived just in time to catch the end of her set, when she covered Madonna’s Vogue. Despite some slight technical problems (there was no sound coming from the microphone for a few seconds), she handled it very well – calmly continued to sing and dance (as seen on the plasma screen) the sound came back quickly. It’s quite hard to resist her forcefully warm and belting voice; causing quite a stir with the 1990 hit, she attracted crowds of people from all directions to the Main Stage, who bounced to the music, and definitely, as she sang, ‘go with the flow’.