August 29th, 2006
Electric Picnic countdown #1: Non-music stuff
The wellies have been bought, rain macks have been sourced and the house has been combed for last year’s spine-saving inflatable mattress. Oh yes, the Electric Picnic is so near you can almost smell the burger vans and spilt beer. If you live under rock, or outside of Ireland, you might not be aware that the biggest (and best) of the year’s music festivals happens this weekend in several fields in county Laois. Last year was amazing so hopefully this year lives up to expectation.
Most people probably know about some of the non-music activity going on: art collective Madagascar, Pussy Parlure, Lost Vagueness, Cirque Idyllic’s Crimson Cabaret but there’s lots of stuff you might miss. There’s a poetry slam from 12.30-1.45pm (Sat/Sun), Abie Philbin-Bowman’s play Jesus of Guatanemo, ‘Mars Bars and Baby Sharks’ (2.45-4pm - not sure which day) which sees a panel of writers and musicians discuss famous rock ‘n’ roll rumours and legends. Speaker’s Corner will feature Kila founder Rossa Ó Snodaigh, Australian anti-war campaigner Ciaron O’Reilly and journalist Robbie Sinnot soap-boxing and grinding axes on everything and anything. The website states: “Hecklers, orators and ranters welcome to join in.”
When the downpour gets too much for me I’ll be heading over to Leviathan to see David McWilliams chair debates on whether all drugs should be legalised (Saturday 6-9pm) and if the music industry is an empire in decline (Sunday 6-9pm). And when my legs start to give out and I can’t face sitting in the muck, I’ll probably check out The Blue Room, a specially constructed dome with seats (hurrah!) and 1 cent smoothies. It opens from 2pm - 1am and the Lucent Dossier Vaudeville Cirque will perform there, as well as some as-yet-unannounced DJs.
Finally, at 10pm on the Main Stage on Sunday night, Amnesty International are running ‘The Big Toast’, an attempt to enter the Guinness Book of Records for the biggest toast in the world. They’re hoping to get 15,000 people to raise a glass.
August 29th, 2006 at 4:01 pm
If you see one performance this year, make sure it’s Richard Hawley. Saw him in Barcelona at Primavera Sound and he was superb.
August 29th, 2006 at 4:11 pm
Hi Sinead, any idea where to purchase the inflatable mattress — sounds like a v.good idea!
August 29th, 2006 at 4:26 pm
John, I’m definitely checking out Richie Hawley. Cheers.
Nadine, Argos is your only man for a blow-up mattress. They do a pretty reasonably priced one that’s as comfy as your own bed - but be warned, unless you have the lungs of an Olympic swimmer, you’ll have to buy a footpump to inflate it.
August 29th, 2006 at 7:24 pm
I’m slightly upset about a few clashes: Tapes n Tapes/SFA/DJ Shadow; Groove Armada/2 Many DJs etc. Oh well at least B&S don’t clash with anyone
Nadine, they also sell them in Great Outdoors on Chatham Street (tho prob more expensive).
August 30th, 2006 at 11:08 pm
My good buddies, White Cholera, are playing the Leviathan I believe. Say hello from me.
September 5th, 2006 at 12:24 pm
Amnesty’s toast was brilliant! Des Bishop was the MC. Apparently they broke the world record - I heard there were about 22,000 people there after the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s.