T 2008, Episode VIII: Doing Justice to The National

The problem with Sunday's impressive T in the Park line-up was always going to be how to condense a normal six month's worth of gig going into the space of eleven hours. Without the benefit of some real-life Sky+ pause and rewind capability (we're only human), it was inevitable that sacrifices were going to have to be made.

This evening, as the bands got bigger, one such compromise resulted in an hour that played like a musical drama in two acts for this writer.

Act One, Scene One: After 15 minutes of filer techno and a further ten minutes of uncharacteristically mellow pop tunes, the Slam Tent welcomes French dance wizards Justice, the DJs with the rock band image. The twin banks of fake Marshall amps and the illuminated cross all feed into the image: imagine if Daft Punk took off their space helmets and upped the glitch factor.

Act One, Scene Two: "Got any eccies mate?" asks a bug-eyed face in passing. Justice are still banging out highlights from last year's Cross album, meshing Genesis into Phantom Pt I, followed by crowdpleasers DVNO and D.A.N.C.E. The answer to the preceding question was 'no' by the way, and judging by the fact that I seem to be alone in my lack, I decide it's time to move on.

Act Two, Scene One: Stumbling through the masses outside the Slam Tent, I pass a motorbike display show. They're jumping up ramps and then landing on the other side, and people are actually missing bands to watch this. I keep moving, as the sun disappears behind a bank of grey and the Pet Sounds Tent beckons once again, with its promise of some passionate American indie.

Act Two, Scene Two: Up on stage Matt Berninger, in his usual black shirt/black jeans combo, is leading The National through a beguiling set of their world-weary, heart-broken paeans. It takes a good three songs for them to get into gear, but once they let loose with the eerie majesty of Mistaken For Strangers, the set takes a steep trajectory towards the sublime, with Fake Empire and Squalor Victoria the highlights. As he waves goodbye to the T crowd, Berninger looks genuinely moved by the experience.

And that's nowhere near the end of today's drama. Aphex Twin, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, Primal Scream and REM are among the headliners. Time for a four-act play? In any event, stay tuned for an epilogue.