September 5th, 2006
Electric Picnic review: Sunday
Here’s the final Electric Picnic installment in today’s Times (pasted below for those without subscription). I’m sorry to bid farewell for another year, but I have never been so glad of running water, a warm bed and flushing toilets - I would’ve made a very poor Neanderthal. Oh, and will someone please tell those fantastic Pieminister folk to start opening branches over here?
Review
Sinéad Gleeson reviews Electric Picnic
One of the best things about multi-stage festivals is the serendipity of catching acts you didn’t plan to see. One such, the Rapture, turned out to be one of the high points of the whole weekend. The New Yorkers do a fine line in dirty rock and were a direct contrast to the act that preceded them - Hot Chip. Their album The Warning has been touted as one of the year’s finest, but their guitars-meets-electronica fusion seemed lukewarm on the day.
For anyone feeling the effects of the previous two days, Sunday had plenty of languid fare on offer. Acts such as the Blue Nile, Richard Hawley and Rufus Wainwright catered for those taking it easy, but there were plenty of upbeat options too. Grandmaster Melle Mel got a sizeable crowd jumping around with old-school hip-hop classics such as Rappers’ Delight and The Breaks, while Amadou & Mariam’s Afro blues were a breath of fresh air. UK DJ duo Coldcut pounded out everything from breakbeat to the Jungle Book soundtrack, via their distinctive VJamm system that allows them to manipulate their visuals by scratching records.
As the sun went down, the pace began to pick up when Yeah Yeah Yeahs took to the main arena. Any accusations of style over substance were put to bed by a blistering set by Karen O and co. Pet Shop Boys played to a packed Electric Arena, against a distinctive backdrop, energetic dancers and a crowd who knew the words to every song. There was no better way to draw things to a close than Basement Jaxx, who taunted and tamed an ecstatic crowd with their beat-driven funk.
Apart from “where are you?” text messages and “see you at the left of the sound desk”, one of the most uttered phrases of the weekend was about the festival’s similarity to Glastonbury. Much of this is due to the eclectic line-up, but it’s more than that. There’s an overwhelming sense of positivity in the air. People apologise for bumping into you; strangers offer you handwipes in the toilet queues and it’s an altruism that extends past the music.
The organisers have already started lining up acts for next year’s three-day event and we can only hope that it matches the uniqueness of this year.
September 6th, 2006 at 3:23 am
Are you going to respond to Frank McNally? You should have a go. Bloody tent-loving, geriatric hippy!
September 6th, 2006 at 10:01 am
Madam
Frank McNally uses an objection to “dirty rock� describing The Rapture at the Electric Picnic as a starting point for a smug, missed-point piece of writing (Irishman’s Diary, Septemer 6th). Apart from all the massive assumptions made about the festival and the people in attendance, if Mr. McNally had done any research, he might have discovered that very few people availed of, or could afford camper vans or cabins. Even fewer had access to what he dubbed the “powder room�, but of course, we were all too busy quaffing champagne, sushi and tearing up country fields with our SUVs.
As for the necessity of hand-wipes, had Mr. McNally had seen the portaloos and/or hand-washing facilities, he would have begged to differ. If he had based his views on actually being there rather than skimming a press release, he might be more qualified to have an opinion. I couldn’t possibly comment on the good old days of Planxty gigs because I wasn’t there, but I bet, that like last weekend, there were copious amounts of muck, sleeping in tents and suspect toilet conditions.
As Mr. McNally quaffs Ovaltine (not champagne) tonight, perhaps he might ponder the fact that he’s too old and cynical to appreciate a festival like the Electric Picnic.
Yours,
Sinéad Gleeson
September 6th, 2006 at 10:27 am
What a total arse! He wasn’t even at teh feckin thing! Old boring twats not in attendence aren’t allowed to have an opinion.
Oh and wasn’t it a few hundred quid to hire a pod cabin thingy? Does he know that we’re not all D4 tossers with loads of cash?
September 6th, 2006 at 10:38 am
I wouldn’t take McNally too seriously, his job is to poke gentle fun at social trends and events in modern ireland. I also don’t think he is having a go at Sineads article per say, rather the Electric Picnic Culture which he clearly considers to reflect a sanitised and culturally neutral society.
No doubt he would prefer to have a more authentic rock experience like someone gobbing in his face or getting clattered over the head by a hells angel, before being handed a baby wipe.
September 6th, 2006 at 12:01 pm
Brilliant, brillant, and just brilliant! What else can be said, four showers later and still feel like I am humming, but such a happy bunch of campers on site, sore feet, bruised body but over all brilliant!
September 6th, 2006 at 12:49 pm
McNally is just a fly buzzing! bzzzzzzzzz bbbbzzzzzzzzzz
September 6th, 2006 at 12:58 pm
theres a “b” in September, sinead (see letter above). worth remembering in light of your comments elsewhere on what the subs did to your review!!
September 6th, 2006 at 1:28 pm
Dear Editor,
RE: (Irishman’s Diary, September 6th). Frank McNally
Have you ever seen the photograph of the plane that had just gone out of sight? Neither have I.
In an Irishman’s Diary, (September 6th). Frank McNally talked about events he had not seen. Who makes a diary entry is that?
The diary entry of a 12 year old girl writing to Santa about Elvis would have had more substance.
I was at the Electric Picnic, three days in a tent. The focus is on music and the space in which you can enjoy music. All the other stuff that goes with loud music is there in abundance too. The fact that the music in not all main stream tends to keep the day tripping mindless teenagers away and I’m glad.
I’m sure Frank McNally might have seen the spirit of Planxty there in every buzzing skull. If he had taken the time and trouble to show up.
He could have taken a break in the comedy tent, watched a movie in the Cinema tent, see the ‘Warlords of Pez’ invade the planet Earth by opening a time portal in the Spiegel tent.
Maybe Frank would have looked up at the sky and realise it was raining. Massive Attack on the main stage blow dried my wet head with 120000000 watts of base line.
We should be applauding this kind of event. Not by abstractly or tangentially wishing Jimmy Hendrix as still alive.
Stop living in the past Frank and for everybody’s sake go out and have a bit of fun. I strongly recommend the Electric Picnic next year. Maybe you could write about it.
Regards,
Liam Mulkeen
September 6th, 2006 at 1:51 pm
Liam, thanks for that. I think Frank just missed the point. A tad.
Pedant, also thanks for that. I love insightful debut comments! Unless that’s WS aka UI?
(It’s not a real letter by the way or it would’ve been spellchecked rather than slapped up here).
September 6th, 2006 at 2:03 pm
There may be a ‘b’ in September, but there’s only one ‘n’ in pedant.
Until that pedant becomes a weight around a writer’s neck, that is, in which case the second ‘n’ makes perfect sense.
September 6th, 2006 at 2:10 pm
Thought I’d indulged in a some psychoanalytic slip there, but the email address says ‘pedant’ and not ‘pendant’. Odd that.
Markham, how goes Metro?
September 6th, 2006 at 2:12 pm
The reason for the constant Glastonbury references was because a lot of the stalls, shops, eateries, stages are all borrowed from Glastonbury, from the inflatable church, Lost Vagueness and Pussy Parlour are all fixtures at Glasto.
Great festival last weekend, lots of fun
September 6th, 2006 at 2:13 pm
http://www.zippyvideos.com/6840504912228536/hurratorpedo/
September 6th, 2006 at 2:33 pm
to markham and sinead - much love for concern about my name - it refers to the thing around my neck
and sinead, the other email addr was taken
nice blog. will be back. dont know who the hell “WS aka UI” is supposed to be but, as bob dylan once croaked, it aint me babe
September 6th, 2006 at 2:38 pm
Pedant or Pendant, they’re both good. You remind me (as does your IP address) of an old pal; a blogger who has been lying low of late. I was hoping he’d come back, but a new face is just as welcome.
September 6th, 2006 at 2:52 pm
how old is this mcnally guy? 90? i for one am absolutely delighted with his article - i haven’t felt so young in years! i was beginning to worry that i was turning into an ageing moaner myself, but now i realise there’s still a vast chasm between me and the older generation. hurray!
September 6th, 2006 at 3:40 pm
big sister is watching me