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In-Tents Questioning: O2 Wireless, London, Sunday - Gemma Cartwright

scenesters.gifGemma (that's her on the right of this photo), Shiny Media's fashion editor-in-chief, tore herself away from her beloved lolcats and went to the O2 Wireless festival on Sunday. Here she talks about coulottes, Ray-Bans and orange boiler suits. And music.

1. Kindly tell us your name, age and where you’re from. Now.

Gemma Cartwright, 23, London.

2. Which festival have you recently attended?

O2 Wireless, Sunday 17th at Hyde Park (‘Indie Day’).

3. Have you attended this festival before? If yes, how does this year compare?

Never been before. I was an O2 virgin. How’s that for a phone network pun?

4. Which act gave the best performance, and why?

Pigeon Detectives were absolutely awesome. I was completely blown away by the whole set.
And quite wet (from beer, not rain).

5. If you could have promoted one act on the bill to headline status, who would you choose? Why?

I would have moved the best stuff from the XFM tent (Pigeon Detectives, The Rakes, Good Shoes) to the main stage so people weren’t stood outside unable to get in.

6. Did your opinion of any acts change radically as a result of their performance?

My faith in the Kaiser Chiefs has been restored. I was saying all day that I wasn’t that bothered about them, but the moment the opening of ‘Everyday I Love You Less And Less’ came on, I was dancing around the field with the best of ‘em.

7. Nicest surprise / biggest disappointment (music-related or otherwise)?

The Twang were a bit of a disappointment. The sound levels were a complete mess so you could barely hear the vocals, and they were a bit too much like the Brummie Happy Mondays for my liking.

8. What was the best heckle you heard?

Not so much a heckle, but there was a lot of nervous laughter followed by a mass exodus when Polysics came onstage. Half four was way too early in the day for mad Japanese synthpop / punk.

9. Any high-quality onstage banter you feel deserves highlighting?

Kate Nash took delight in telling us her dress was ‘like coulottes at the bottom’, then advising us that the buttons were likely to pop open during the set. Only one did, apparently.

10. What was the funniest moment (music-related or otherwise)?

During the Polysics set, my mate turned to me and said “I was planning on wearing MY orange boiler suit. Lucky I didn’t.”

11. Weirdest moment (if different)?

Going into the XFM tent to see Charlotte Hatherley and getting The Crimea instead. It was a pleasant surprise though, they do a wicked cover of ‘Je T’aime’.

12. Any moments of sheer terror you’d like to share?

Not really, I was almost kicked in the head by a crowd surfer, but that was my fault for getting too close.

13. Anything you wish you’d brought with you?

A straw cowboy hat, a pair of really unflattering skinny jeans and some white Raybans. I felt very left out with them.

14. Anything you wish you’d left behind?

Nope. I packed light. There is a first time for everything.

15. Please mark the following elements out of 10, with any comments:

General facilities:

6/10. Toilets were awful and the XFM and Tuborg tents weren’t big enough for the crowds the bands pulled in. There should have been a second outdoor stage.

Crowd / audience:

9/10. Ricky Wilson shouted at people for fighting (before breaking into ‘I Predict A Riot’ – coincidence?) but I noticed none of that. There was a lot of pushing in the tents, but we also had two very nice gents let us go in front of them to get a better view, thus restoring my faith in humanity.

Food and drink value for money:

6/10. £9 for a Pimms? I’ll be drinking Strongbow, then…

16. Finally – anything else you’d like to mention?

Yeah, Wireless – when you say gates open at 12, open them at 12, not at twenty past one.

Thanks for taking part in our humble questionnaire. Your place in heaven is assured (assuming you haven’t previously murdered anyone).

I_want_you-in-tents.small.gifHave you attended a festival? Would you like to undergo some In-Tents Questioning? Get in touch at stuart(at)shinymedia.com! You too could see yourself all up in the internet! "Woot"!

Came straight to this page? Visit www.mychemicaltoilet.com for all the latest news.

Posted by StuartW on June 22, 2025 in In-Tents Questioning, Wireless Festival | StumbleUpon ToolbarPermalink

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