Saturday review

Saturday morning again saw the back area of the Festival grounds (closest to the camping zone) open to the public early, with music in the main arena only beginning in the early afternoon. No matter, as there was plenty to do on-site before the music kicked off. A farmers market saw freshly baked bread & pastry for sale, as well as organic fruit & veg and delicious looking cheese (though I don’t know how popular buying this would have made you with the people in the tent next door). With children under 12 welcome, a special play area had been set up & activities such as clay modeling were available, though the kids seemed to be outnumbered by the adults on this one.

Performance artists appeared around the site & the wedding chapel was so popular, all their half hour slots were booked out within an hour of opening, though they did make an exception for one young woman who had brought her mother’s wedding dress to the Festival for the occasion.

The Body & Soul area of the Festival centered on a natural amphitheatre where Folk musicians played to an impressive number of people relaxing in the shade – at times these seemed to be bigger crowds than what some of the main stages were pulling. People in costume prowled through the trees (hung with windows or origami birds) with organic gardening lessons, a knitting circle & Belly dancing classes all set up side by side.

First band of the day for me was the fabulous brother & sister band Angus & Julia Stone on the Foggy Notions Stage. With a short early slot, the extremely talented & attractive siblings quickly worked through a set of their original alternative folk pop as well as a cover of Chumbawamba’s guilty pleasure hit ‘Tubthumping’ while playing a variety of instruments between them.

Most attention was diverted from the main stage until late in the evening with small groups seated & relaxing in front of it’s reggae bands while the Electric Arena saw more energetic performances from MIA, !!!, & Jarvis Cocker. The former Pulp frontman was a big hit with the Irish audience, telling quirky stories between new tracks such as ‘Fat Children’ & ‘Don't Let Him Waste Your Time’ & finishing his performance with a cover of Dublin band Thin Lizzy’s ‘Boys Are Back In Town’ which went down a storm.

Last time I saw The Magic Numbers was at the V Festival in 2006 & rarely have I seen an audience look so bored. Walking back towards the main arena to catch the end of their performance at Electric Picnic, the crowd reaction could not have been more opposite. Everybody within listening distance of the Main Stage was dancing their hearts out. I don’t mean slightly swaying from side to side, but really dancing with wild abandon – legs kicking & arms in the air to tracks like ‘Take a Chance’. If you’re a band in need of an ego boost, this festival is the one for you.

While many people attending the Electric Picnic may not have been familiar with The Polyphonic Spree, again, their Main Stage performance was very positively received (though in my opinion it would take a heart of stone to be able to resist the 24 piece psychedelic choral rock group from Texas). I love this band & seeing them perform on a large stage in full flight was a joy. Frontman Tim DeLaughter may have lost his looks since fronting almost famous 90’s band Tripping Daisy, but he’s lost none of his enthusiasm. Part lead singer & part conductor, he fronts the group which contains the most enthusiastic flute, harp & tubular bells players you’ll ever see. Walking across the field to get something to eat as the group donned their famous robes for their encore; it felt like I was ordering Pad Thai in a Hollywood Musical & who doesn’t want life to feel like that?



After two very ‘up’ bands, it’s hard to fathom how organisers would have thought that putting the newly reformed Jesus & Mary Chain on the Main Stage next was a good idea, especially when soon after they began, The Beastie Boys kicked off in the Electric Arena.

Donning cheap suits, wigs & hats, the Beasties played to an audience much larger than what the tent could contain. While the security on the doors kept numbers to a safe level, for the tonne of people stuck outside, it must have been a big disappointment to miss out on one of the biggest draw bands of the Festival.



Rounding out the night, The Chemical Brothers were supposed to begin their two hour set on the Main Stage at midnight, but a half hour delay left the audience trying to maintain their enthusiasm as the house DJ spun tracks in the dark. Finally the duo began after a slow build up, acknowledging the crowd before stepping behind their retro-futuristic control pod & a backing screen of graphics (scary clowns & swirling spots) behind them. Early tracks included ‘Hey Boy Hey Girl’ & ‘Push The Button’ before settling into some harder instrumental pieces which faded into the night as I headed for bed.

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