Sleep

It’s 1am on the last night of the festival, and weaker souls are heading, trembling, back to their chalet’s cheap sheets. But for those who want to go out with a bang, stoner metal legends Sleep play a set that apparently trounces even their superlative performance the previous night. This is sinuous, deep and rich — never mind the performance being billed as a rendition of Holy Mountain, for this is more than a trip down memory lane, or an exploration of past glories. It’s pure, incredibly powerful metal with a terrific groove at its core, offering as good an opportunity for a dance as we’ve had all weekend. What’s more, the three members of Sleep seem to be thoroughly enjoying themselves, and there’s rumour of new material being aired . . . it wouldn’t be surprising if there were more of this stygian sonambulance to come in the future.

LT