Seasick Steve fans turn out in the rain at T In The Park

Bluesman cherry picks an audience member to join him on Main Stage

Seasick Steve braved the rain to play T In The Park‘s Main Stage this afternoon (July 12).

The star drew an enthusiastic crowd determined not to let the bad weather ruin their festival.

“It’s raining up here too,” the bluesman, real name Steven Wold, said before playing opening track ‘Thunderbird’. “We gonna get wet here”.

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Despite the drizzle, the star got the crowd clapping as he played songs on a range of suitably worn-looking instruments, one of which he informed the audience was made out of an old cigar box.

Backed by a long-haired drummer, the baseball capped-wearing singer stripped down to a wifebeater-style vest at one point, drawing good-natured jeers from the crowd.

“I need me a girl,” he said before playing ‘Walkin’ Man’. He then jumped offstage and picked a female crowd member from the front row of the audience to sit next to him during the track. “I’m just gonna sing a little love song.”

Towards the end of his set, Wold informed the audience that he had been forced to play for less time than scheduled. “We were gonna play 50 minutes but we only got 45 now,” he said to boos from the crowd. He then added: “That’s what I said.”

He then launched into a version of ‘Save Me’, playing the track on a diddley bow.

Before leaving the stage, Wold praised the Scottish crowd, saying: “T In The Park, this is always my favourite place to play. Last year when we played I thought we was going to war!”

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He then played ‘Dog House Boogie’, muting the song halfway through to tell the crowd a tale about his troubled childhood.

Moving into storytelling mode, he explained how he and his brother had been beaten by their stepfather, resulting in Wold being forced to “hit the road”, surviving by playing guitar. The track ended in frenetic style, with Wold playing slide while speeding the track up and finally playing his lines slowed right down and getting the audience to sing along with the track’s refrain.

He ended his set by walking along the front rows of the crowd again, shaking fans’ hands and conducting them as they continued to sing the track’s chorus.

Photo Gallery – all the highlights from T In The Park

Blog – T In The Park: how was it for you?

Seasick Steve played:

‘Thunderbird’
‘Never Ever Go West When You Should Be Headed South’
‘Cut My Wings’
‘Walkin’ Man’
‘Save Me’
‘Dog House Boogie’

NME.COM is coming live from T In The Park this weekend (July 10-12). Stay tuned for the latest news, photo galleries and video interviews.

Plus, make sure you get next week’s issue of NME, on UK newsstands from July 15, for the ultimate T In The Park 2009 review.

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