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home » festivals » Hi:Fi » Hi:Fi (Ireland) 2006
overviewHi:Fi (Ireland) 2006Thursday 10th August 2006 Things have been brewing in Gods Kitchen and who could have guessed that what they'd dish up would be a cracking festival, served in Ireland! Before I wax lyrical over yet another festival, I must warn you - I'm easily pleased, I'm one of those annoying people who loves absolutely everything and never complains about anything much... you know the type: always happily humming even under dire circumstances, whilst others try and find a blunt object to knock me out with. The gorgeous Irish town of Mullingar was indelibly put on MY global music festival map this week-end with an event graced by my personal music deities such as The Prodigy, Razorlight and Superstar DJs Tiesto, Carl Cox and Armin van Buuren. Me and what seemed like the entire 20,000 strong crowd, was rocked by stellar live performances in the main outdoor arena: as if created by the forces of nature especially for HiFi, the landscape at Belvedere House formed a natural amphitheatre from where the main stage towered, allowing superb views for every spectator and mind blowing acoustics. The tried and tested Godskitchen recipe was spiced with the Irish's inimitable talent for "Ceili" (translated as 'party spirit') and spilled out of the arenas onto the outdoor areas. It was often hard to decide where the most fun was to be had: dancing, smiling people lapping up the fresh country air - or the crowds bouncing and partying inside the heaving arenas. Not many other festivals in the world can boast a campsite on the shores of a magnificent lake like Lough Ennel, and a spectacular golden lightshow laid on by mother nature at each sunset! As if this banquet of festival delights was not enough - the organisers laid on all the trimmings: organic market, outdoor cinema, comedians, hot air balloon rides, laser light shows and a plethora of food stalls and places to buy the fabulous festival tat we all so love to go home with! I had my reservations when told that due to licensing conditions, the music could only kick off again at 5pm on Sunday, instead of the usual 2pm start. However - this was actually a surprisingly pleasant break. In between enjoying a chilled out comedy session, sprawled on the grass in the mild sunshine -- and a leisurely walk along the lake, it was almost as if having a healthy, tranquil outdoor break (that your mum would approve of) and a sweaty, vibrant music fest, all rolled into one weekend! It also had the pleasant side effect of not being completely washed out and bone tired at the end of a marathon Sunday session -- so packing up the tent coherently, without personal injury to yourself and others early Monday morning was much more achievable than usual. Of course there was the usual queues for the toilets and never quite enough loo roll to last the distance, the small number of idiotic drunk people whom you wished had rather stayed home, the usual girls who really shouldn't be wearing what they're wearing and the cold drink sellers who seem to have formed a festival cartel of overblown prices... but if you're getting yourself into a twist over these things, then perhaps you're one of those people who should rather stay home and enjoy their music on an MP3 player, whilst vegging on the sofa. The rest of us will be booking our 99p flights to Dublin for next year and finding an unsuspecting niece or cousin to give this year's bright green leprechaun festival hat as a birthday present -- only to make room for next year's feather boa in green, white and orange. review by Mardi Caulfield 
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