Electric Picnic Music and Arts Festival
Stradbally Hall, Co.Laois
Saturday 30th August
At Electric Picnic, one becomes engulfed. Music surrounds you, every nook and cranny of the festival seemingly home to a stage, some of which you can’t find on the map. On day two ATL makes a pact to get some exercise - properly exploring this magical site, digging up and checking out as many bands as humanly possible (bonus points if they're Irish), taking in what the inevitable festival clashes allow.
Our first stop is The Little Big Tent and
Spies. This alarmingly young Dublin five piece should probably have scowls and indifference to match their wonderfully dark and brooding brand of epic indie-rock, but an increasingly busy and grateful tent means they’re all smiles and gushing appreciation. It’s a similar story for We Cut Corners next door in the Electric Arena, the local duo clearly blown away by a noisy response from one of the biggest gatherings of the day.
We Cut Corners remain a confusing prospect, however - aren’t guitar and drum duos not usually raw and nasty? Not that there’s anything wrong with an arsenal of singable, noisy anthems - especially early evening at a festival like this. Even a spontaneous Kanye West cover doesn’t overshadow the likes of ‘Blue’ or ‘Best Friend’ as the mass adulation becomes increasingly more deserved. Oh, and drummer Conall O’Breachain’s voice is nothing shy of jaw dropping.
Similarly, you’ve the wonderful howl of Sorcha Brennan, who fronts the
Sleep Thieves, two tents up. Draping the stage with sparkling gold feels apt - Sleep Thieves make shiny and glamorous electronic pop. It’s like the soundtrack to Drive in band form - no bad thing.
At the main stage Andrew Hozier-Byrne looks every bit the troubled troubadour. On occasion it feels like Hozier make music for blues purists (of which a few are in attendence) as Andrew channels the spirit of Van Morrison and… dare we say it, Andrew Strong. When there’s enough of a hook, though - his music soars. Pop fans (of which even more are in attendence) can easily lap this up. ‘Be Alone’ and ‘Someone New’ prove the debut album, when we eventually get it, will be more than simple padding for the incredible ‘Take Me To Church’. Nordie cellist Alana Henderson adds a great deal as well - front and near centre on this huge stage - only right. And glorious set closer ‘From Eden’ is a suitable crescendo and one of the finest songs we’ll hear all weekend.
Meanwhile, it’s all kicking off at The Electric Arena as Clean Bandit belt out a turbocharged cover of Robin S - ‘Show Me Love’ to a notably youthful gathering. However, the reaction to the opening bars of ‘Rather Be’, a number one hit to be fair, is the loudest noise we’ll hear all weekend. Yes, louder than Girl Band last night.
By now
Bombay Bicycle Club have taken over, back at the main stage. Their sound is warm, joyous and perfectly executed. 'Lights Out, Words Gone' is stunning, as is 'Whenever, Wherever'. It's impossible not to move, though we're helped in part by a band who seem to be genuinely enjoying being here. Liz Lawrence's vocal additions are perfect and during 'Feel' we're reminded, again, just how many wonderful pieces of music this band have. Glorius.
It’s proving a tad early for
Meltybrains?, however. Their almost folky spin on Pink Floyd-esuqe pyscadelic rock feels a little lost in the festival-within-a-festival Body & Soul, though their creepy masks, some of which have made it into the crowd, help set the mood.
Making even more of an effort are
Metronomy, playing among a bespoke stage set and dressed in a uniform of white. Such notable presentation only adds to a wonderful set built for a festivals like Electric Picnic, with the likes of ‘Everything Goes My Way’ and the endlessly joyous ‘The Look’ helping make Metronomy’s set incredibly fun.
Exploring Body & Soul brings us to Upstage, a new addition to Electric Picnic and the start of an entire evening dedicated to showcasing Belfast based collective Champion Sound. Derry~Londonderry’s
Ryan Vail is first up, his material now so well known with ATL it feels like he’s touring the greatest hits. The gentle, itching strains of ‘Sunlight’ helps draw folk in. Champion Sound will represent beautifully throughout the night, with recent ATL session guests
Contour, Ghosts and then, rounding off the night,
UNKNWN. It's a proud moment to see a Belfast based label at such an important event. The people moving in and out of the Upstage over the course of a couple of hours are lucky enough to catch a new UNKNWN live set and the duo's first anniversary, having played their first show at this festival one year previous.
Over at the small but perfectly formed Oxjam stage and Derry’s Wonder Villains are, predictably, having the time of their lives. The extremely enthusiastic gathering are properly up for this. Egged on by Eimear’s wit and Cheylene’s keytar they’re bouncing off and into each other by the time the band play ‘Blonde’.
Nothing today will overshadow Portishead, however. It’s been an odd twenty years for the Bristol trip hop pioneers since the release of debut album ‘Dummy’, a genuine one-in-a-million stone cold classic. They’ve given us just two records since and a mere handful of nearby shows. Tonight, however, they make up for everything. Drawing mostly from the aforementioned debut and the equally incredible third album ‘3’, it’s jaw dropping, rib shuddering stuff from start to finish. Opener ‘Silence’ sets the tone, with it’s incredible drums and hypnotic strings. This is going to be LOUD. ‘The Rip’ is absolutely gorgeous as Beth Gibbon’s voice, even more delicate than before, silences us. Given it’s essentially a raw bass solo from start to finish, it’s incredible the reaction ‘Wandering Star’ gets, while ‘Sour Times’ and ‘Glory Box’ become the weirdest singsongs imaginable. ‘Machine Gun’ is just that - utterly relentless, worryingly intense. It’s a genuinely incredible selection of songs we hear tonight from a band who somehow seem to have hit their peak over six years since they last released a record. Even Beth herself seems taken aback by the reaction tonight though she does, of course, keep the chatter to the bare minimum. We wouldn’t have it any other way.
Day two of Electric Picnic has been near perfect and that’s before Chic take us home. Given a now legendary stint here in 2009 seemed to act as catalyst for the relaunch of his career, it’s understandable how grateful Nile Rodgers seems throughout. When you’ve an opening gambit that includes ‘Dance Dance Dance (Yowsah Yowsah Yowsah)’ and ‘I Want Your Love’ you’re never going to struggle when it comes to getting a reaction. ‘The largest crowd of Electric Picnic’s history’ Nile proudly tweeted. Everyone goes home happy.
