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Electric Picnic 2011 - The Rubberbandits

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ATL|20:56 UK time, Saturday, 3 September 2011

Electric Arena, Saturday 3rd September, 4.00pm

Describe in a Tweet: Shock humour, mini raves and love songs.

The Rubberbandits at Electric Picnic 2011 by Carrie Davenport - www.carriedavenport.com

What happened: A countdown and a somewhat tedious audio intro do not prepare us for the Rubberbandits onslaught. With tracks celebrating the advantages of chastity, describing a former Irish president's drug habits and solvent abuse it's clear that the plastic bag adorned musicians are going for shock humour: to be honest, they pull it off pretty well. Mary Whitehouse would be concerned at the number of kids in the tent that know the words to the songs but there's a great atmosphere in the Electric Arena. Once we get past the swearing and the crude humour we begin to see that the Rubberbandits are pretty skilled songwriters: the hooks are there and the melodies are infectious even if the drum machine can get a little repetitive. I Wanna Fight Your Father is a prime example of this, a true sing along that might not be all that tongue in cheek, supported by hurley-swinging dancers. The climax, inevitably, was going to be Horse Outside. The entire tent screaming and singing along, balloons in the air and a great end to one of the most bizarre performances we'll see at this festival. It's an entire experience: the dancers, the psychedelic visuals (Danny Dyer's severed head spinning round at 120 rpm) and the unrepeatable onstage banter makes these Limerick boys unmissable.

Swoon: Double Dropping Yokes With Eamonn De Valera won't be playlisted on many Irish radio stations but it's an insanely catchy number and proves that The Rubberbandits aren't just one-song wonders. Willie O'Dea, filling in behind the decks, deserves an extra special mention.

Funeral: Spastic Hawk is the only real low point in the set. It's funny for 30 seconds but after that, it just drags on.

EP rating: 8/10

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