The Plan

Gaz Coombes,
Supergrass

"I suppose we'll arrive about nine in the morning. I'll be asleep on the bus, probably. Or I might drive up from my house in Brighton and arrive independently. One of those two. Then, no doubt, we'll wander round, grab some food, have a smoke, have a drink, and watch some bands.
The first thing I'll do, though, will be to have a shower - especially if I've slept on the bus. Festival showers are alright - not as bad as the toilets, obviously. But they don't give you nice fluffy white towels or anything. You usually have to wipe yourself with tracing paper toilet roll or something! Then I shall probably have a bit of food, and maybe a little reefer after lunch to help my digestion. Sometimes it's quite nice to get out of the backstage bit and into the crowds - if there's a really good band I want to see, I'll probably go out front and check 'em out. I generally don't really like it backstage at festivals - they're always a bit wanky, full of people who think they're really cool.
Sometimes I wonder why the fairground rides are there - it's a bit weird when so many bands are playing. But maybe it's for the kids. I do try and get into the swing of things at festivals, though. It's probably a bit harder when you're in a band, 'cos the day tends to lead up to your gig and that's what it's all about. But they're always smart and it's good to see other bands, see what's going on in the world, you know?
I'm looking forward to seeing Frank Black. I've never met him, but I was a big Pixies fan, and I'm a huge fan of his solo stuff, too. I'll proabbly go and seek him out. that'd be smart. If I met him, I'd probably say: 'Hi Frank. I'm Gaz. I really, really like the way you move! And I like your eyes.' And I'd say he kicks arse. Why? Oh, just because he does."

NME - 25 August 2001