Tennents Vital Day 2

Stone Roses, Florence & the Machine, Rodrigo Y Gabriella, Maverick Sabre, Gerard I2

Boucher Playing Fields, Belfast

Wednesday 22nd August 2012

It was always a tough sell. Foo Fighters are the quintessential festival band, well trained and reliable, an absolute banker. Stone Roses - well, we all know that Ian Brown misses more notes than he hits, we're told they don't get on behind the scenes and we know they haven't released a record in almost twenty years. But Vital are up for the cup, determined to make the most of it. The babysitters are booked after all.



It started with Strabane man, Gerard i2 with his blend of hip hop and electro breakdowns. He gives it his all, clearly enjoying every second, and although today sees a slower rush from the crowd he steadily gets people on board. Complemented by his drummer, array of samples and in your face backing tracks, Gerrard's fierce and passionate vocals shine through at all the right moments.

Read the rest of this entry

Tennents Vital Day 1

Foo Fighters, The Black Keys, The Cribs, The Minutes, Trucker Diablo

Boucher Playing Fields, Belfast

Tuesday 21st August 2012

Breathe a sigh of relief as you enter the site for the reborn Vital Festival. The premonitions of a grim, industrial wasteland are well wide of the mark. Mountains! Trees!



Minor traffic gripes aside (nothing compared to most Irish outdoor music events) it’s a great setting for day one of the biggest rock offering in the north this summer. Previous incarnations of Vital have illicited much head scratching over the occasionally confused line-ups, smacking of a ‘who’s-available-right-now?’ approach to booking but this is a serious, solid bill, all geared towards Dave Grohl’s travelling mega-circus.

Read the rest of this entry