Ciaran Breslin gives the lowdown on the best of new talent, unhealthy the highs and the lows of this year’s Electric Picnic.
Ones to Watch:
One of the great things about Electric Picnic is the chance it affords new young talent from both home and abroad the chance to play in Ireland on a stage they normally would not. Rainy Boy Sleep and The Kanyu Tree were sandwiched between Of Monsters and Men on a bright Sunday afternoon, purchase a fantastic marriage of modern Irish talent and more established folk pop of the Icelandic band who have taken the summer by storm. Well received and relaxed sets in the afternoon gave way to a crowd that spilled out the door of the tent as thousands of people sang along to Little Talks, Of Monsters and Men’s most well known song that seems to have been everywhere this summer. The meteoric rise of the catchy Icelanders spelled good things for the likes of Colour//Sound, the Dublin based band who made their Picnic debut in a tiny venue before an adoring crowd containing Glenn Hansard. Adoration seems to hinge on one catchy tune taking off, and judging by their performance this year, we won’t have to wait long before it’s one of these young Irish bands that’s packing out tents on a sleepy Sunday afternoon at Ireland’s most important music festival.
The Highs:
The Glorious Weather: The Laois countryside was basked in sunshine for three days, as we discarded our wellies and, for the most part, got enjoyably sun-burned.
Ben Howard: An absolutely jam packed tent and a chaotic crowd made for a real iconic festival moment in the Electric Arena on Sunday.
Body and Soul: This shaded area of small stages and eccentricities was the perfect place to spend the earlier part of the day, ambling around the various stalls and trees adorned with banners and bells.
The Bacardi Tent: Mojitos and techno into the small hours. Joyous scenes.
I Follow Rivers – Lykke Li/The Magician: The soundtrack of the weekend.
The Lows:
Time Clashes: The Vaccines Vs The XX. The Killers Vs Hot Chip. The hardest decision of my life.
Azealia Banks Pulling Out: All that time spent learning all the words to 212 for nothing.
Early Mornings: It was pretty much impossible to sleep in, and waking up in a tent being rapidly made into an oven by the rising sun made for a subdued couple of hours in the morning.
Regrets: I missed Orbital. Because I was in Body and Soul, talking to a white witch. Which is unlikely to be as good as Orbital.
Expense: A fiver for a breakfast roll seems a bit steep and I’m all for the idea of an off licence on site, but 50 bucks for a slab was a rip off.
