On The Record is away
Have gone to form a new political party. Normal service will resume on October 3. Comments will be updated between now and then by the Pope. Time for an aul’ song to send us on our way….
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Guest post - Notes on an Irish disco landscape
Paul Tarpey is a Limerick-based DJ and writer from the Cheebah crew who has begun to sketch out a history of the Irish dance scene and clubland. Here’s what Paul has to say about this project.
“Booking DJs for Cheebah nights in Limerick, I tended to seek out those who DJ-ed around the original spirit of hip-hop that existed in this country since the early 1980s because this breed were morally obliged within themselves to mix all types of beats with active respect to a black history mediated through an Irish experience. As I talked to them about trends coming and going, and particularly the digitalism that is accelerating the scene, the most interesting stories were those where people got the fever before the DJ was taken for granted and gigs happened out of pure enthusiasm.
I realised that the period before 1993 was overshadowed by the rockist history of the Irish music scene and that these early days merit some sort of record before memories fade and we forget about that scene’s pioneering activities.
This piece is my introduction to the idea of collecting information for what is hopefully is a definitive story. I intend to seek out more of the participants as the story is not strictly Dublin based. If anyone would like to take part, I can be contacted at tarpeypaul@eircom.net”
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The weekend in a wrap. Heavy on the guacamole, but no onions
(1) Liverpool 2, Manchester United 1. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall, dodging boots and Scottish spittle, when Ferguson started to rant and roar and rave at full-time. Our deepest sympathies on this occasion to all the Man U fans who gather here daily.
(2) While it’s not quite on the same scale as Toronto’s Nuit Blanche, Ireland’s own Culture Night takes place next Friday night with loads going on in galleries, museums, halls and assorted spaces in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick. In a few years time, it will go all night. Like the Luas.
(3) The best documentary I’ve seen in ages? That would be Man On Wire, James Marsh’s profile of the wide-eyed Philippe Petit, the man who took a high-wire walk between the towers of the World Trade Center in New York in 1974. Before he hit New York, Petit with his team of accomplices, many of whom seemed a little unsure when it came to explaining why they had agreed to be press-ganged into service by the Frenchman, had already scaled Paris’s Notre Dame cathedral and Sydney’s Harbour Bridge.
(4) There are times when even machines fail. At the end of Kraftwerk’s near perfect display of how they invented techno, electronica and minimal house at IMMA on Saturday night, the curtains began to go across the stage to herald the conclusion of the show. Then, the curtains stopped moving and the four Kraftwerk-ers froze on the spot. They then gingerly walked offstage to huge cheers from the audience. Fantastic show, though. No-one else can do subtle, stately melancholic big-tent electronic sounds like Kraftwerk. My own highlights were “Tour de France” (though I was hoping they’d stick a big picture of Sean Kelly into the slide-show), “Neon Lights” (first time in five times seeing Kraftwerk that this tune has stood out a mile for me) and “The Model” (pure electro pop never goes out of fashion). We also hope that Ralf enjoyed the cycle from Roundwood to Dublin, as much as he enjoyed that spin around the Glen of Aherlow.
(5) The scariest newspaper headline of the weekend? “Kilkenny’s All-Ireland Champions of 2013?” from the Tribune yesterday. After Tipperary’s under 21s failed to stop Kilkenny’s gallop yesterday in Croke Park to give the Cats a clean sweep of silverware for 2008, there’s more than a germ of truth in that headline. That said, as Davy Fitz put it after Brian Cody’s men had mauled his over-hyped Waterford the previous Sunday, someone will beat Kilkenny some day. Just hope it won’t be until 2014.
(6) The only question which made the six managers participating in the Hard Working Class Heroes management panel yesterday afternoon squirm was, naturally, the one about money and their percentages. I was chairing the panel and I thought it was a good, robust exchange of views about how the role of the manager has changed in music business 2.0, with interesting points of view coming from all participants. I didn’t get to see as much of the HWCH showcases as I’d planned but you can read what Ian has to say here and I assume the State reviews will be up as soon as they get out bed this afternoon. (And Lauren Murphy and Jenny Mulligan’s reviews of the weekend for Entertainment.ie are here)
(7) Abercrombie & Fitch, Habitat and Lidl may have said no to the sixth most expensive shopping street in the world, but American Apparel are set to set up shop on Grafton Street in the near future. Yep, Dov Charney is coming to town. Liveline researchers, please note.
(8) This week, I will mostly be listening to old-school hip-hop from the early 1990s thanks to The Wackness, a wonderfully witty and quirky flick about a high school graduate spending a summer selling dope in New York. My ’90s rewind will start, naturally, with “Illmatic”.
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Phantom 105.2 playlist, Thursday September 11
As played on The Producers, the new music show on Phantom 105.2, Thursday September 11, 8pm-10pm
My first time in The Producers seat and it was really cool to play just new music for two hours (albeit with one or two wee diversions into the recent past to plug a few things). That TV On The Radio album just gets better and better with every listen - easily one of the three best albums released this year - and I’m also looking forward to playing more from Passion Pit, The Gaslight Anthem (cheers to John for giving me a lend of the album), Marching Band, Telepathe and that buckwild new Yo Majesty album. Also that Robert Wyatt and Bertrand Burgalat tune is just sheer disco bliss (even without the Hot Chip remix).
TV On The Radio “Halfway Home” (4AD)
Bloc Party “Talons” (Wichita)
Abe Vigoda “Animal Ghosts” (Bella Union)
Passion Pit “Sleepyhead” (Neon Gold)
The Aliens “Magic Man” (Pet Rock)
Annuals “Confessor” (Ace Fu)
Frightened Rabbit “I Feel Better” (Fat Cat)
Peter Gabriel “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” (XL)
Glasvegas “It’s My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry” (Sony BMG)
The Ettes “Crown Of Age” (Self-release)
Fiery Furnaces “Single Again (Live)” (Thrill Jockey)
A Place To Bury Strangers “I Know I’ll See You (The Clapp remix)” (Killer Pimp)
Vivian Girls “Blind Spot” (In The Red)
Larsen B “Marilyn” (Try Harder)
The Gaslight Anthem “The ‘59 Sound” (Side One Dummy)
Dengue Fever “Tiger Phone Card” (Real World)
Minotaur Shock “Am Dram” (4AD)
Marching Band “Make No Plans” (U&L)
Telepathe “Chrome’s On It” (No Pain In Pop)
Final Fantasy “Blue Imelda” (Blocks Recording Club)
Mahjongg “Pontiac” (K)
Justice “Dior 1″ (Ed Banger)
Gang Gang Dance “House Jam” (Warp)
Yo Majesty “Grindin’ And Shakin’” (Domino)
Lil Wayne “A Milli” (Mike Waxx/MF Doom remix)” (Doomed)
Roots Manuva “Again & Again” (Big Dada)
Robert Wyatt & Bertrand Burgalat “This Summer Night” (Domino) -
Castlebar’s posh moshpit to bring big gigs to northwest
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Timbo goes to Trinners
Winston Churchill, John McCain, Desmond Tutu, Heather Mills, Sammy Beckett, Bono, Bart Simpson. And now, Timbaland.
The hip-hop producer is set to become an honorary patron of Trinity College Dublin’s Philosophical Society next month.
This news naturally got the college debating society into the headlines as a result.
“Timbaland is a remarkable individual whose contribution to music is simply astonishing,” says Philosophical Society president Barry Devlin, who obviously never got around to listening to Timbaland’s last patchy solo album, Shock Value, before inviting him along.
Whatever about his own releases, Timbaland continues to pull in high-profile production gigs. He has recently been working on forthcoming releases from Beyoncé and Chris Cornell, and is slated to work on the new Jay-Z album. Here’s something he did earlier for Bjork
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Talent trio
There are many reasons to look forward to the Dublin Electronic Arts Festival (DEAF) next month.
One of the fringe events is a special edition of SweetTalk, with presentations from Irish and international creative talents.
Steve “Steinski” Stein, the influential New York-based cut-and-paste pioneer, will talk, along with Dublin graffiti artist Maser and London graphic designer John Gilsenan from the IwantDesign practice.
SweetTalk takes place in the Sugar Club, Dublin on October 23rd.
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Etc
As always every Friday, the floor is yours to plug away to your heart’s content in this spot. Be polite and declare an interest where relevant (ie if you are involved in putting on the show or releasing the record) or it will be declared for you.
Get into the Culture Night spirit with a Roots Freeway concert at RTÉ’s radio studios on Sept 19th, featuring No Crows and The Carter Brothers. Free tickets from the show’s website.
Musical Rooms is 40. Sinead Gleeson’s online series (and occasional Ticket feature), in which musicians talk about where they go to be creative, hits the big 4-0 with Swedish instrumental rockers Immanu El.
Veteran Irish rockers Lir release their first album in 13 years on Oct 3rd. Live will be launched, naturally enough, with a show at Dublin’s Whelan’s the following night.
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Bon Iver, Dublin, December
Yes, Justin Vernon and friends are here in October (for a sold-out show at Tripod on October 7), but they will now also be playing the National Stadium on December 3. That’s three shows in six months. Sure beats selling mobile phones in Eyre Square, Galway.
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When promoters make a hames of things, part 2,356
Stick with me here people, it’s a good one.
Day one, MCD book Glasvegas for their Irish debut headlining show.
Glasvegas are so hot right now. Cracking album an’ all. People raving about them. They’re even getting played on Pet Sounds on Today FM. Now, that’s hot, boyo. People want to see them and go “wow” at their quiffs and doo-wop and thick Scottish accents.
Day two, MCD book the band into Whelan’s in Dublin for the show. Whelan’s is a compact room on the mild side of the town. Many observers go “mmm, that one will sell out sharpish”.
Day three, tickets go on sale. Tickets sell out in less time than it takes a Junior Cert student with drink taken to fall over.
Day three and one hour, MCD move gig to The Academy, the venue they themselves own and operate.
Day four, the Academy gig now also appears to be sold out. Promoters may be looking around for another venue.
While my inner Machiavelli wants to believe that this really was a dastardly plan by the promoters to get even more PR for the show, the side of the head atuned to how promoters works know this is not the case. Why waste all that time booking different venues and all that? The question really is who in their right mind, given how the media and fans have taken to the band, thought that Glasvegas would only be able to fill Whelan’s?
This isn’t the first time such a huge miscalculation has occured. A couple of years ago, the same promoters stuck Manu Chao in Whelan’s on the basis that they didn’t really knew he was. He ended up playing in the Point.
And promoters thinks journalists don’t know what they’re doing? Tsk.
Anyway, here’s a video of the band. Like I said, really liking the album.
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Where to go to make noise
Earlier this week, I wrote - again - about The Smell, the all-ages Los Angeles venue which has produced a raft of great acts like Health, No Age, Mika Miko and Abe Vigoda. Most cities have had their equivalent venue or space - somewhere you’ll find new bands and acts coming together and getting the sounds they’re hearing on their heads down on tape. It could be a rehearsal room or a studio, but usually, it’s a live venue like The Smell, a sleazy dive where all that really matters is what’s happening on the stage and how the audience reacts. A thriving venue equals a thriving scene equals a lot of very interesting bands.
I’ve also written before about the lack of such a venue in the city I currently call home. Yes, there are venues in Dublin city-centre, but these are commercial and more worried about the bar-take than anything else. Any potentially interesting space in the city-centre has been turned into a Spar with an apartment block on top. There are some occasional bright sparks - The Shed on Foley Street comes to mind - but these are few and far between. There simply isn’t a space in the city-centre where bands who may potentially get to make interesting sounds can work it all out in front of an audience of their peers.
And yeah, these bands do exist. Call me an optimist but I refuse to believe that there are not some potentially amazing bands out there. I’m not talking about those bands we already know about who are already playing gigs and recording tracks - believe me, the vast majority of them are not great - but a bunch of kids who are now beginning to throw shapes and believe they can make sounds that they genuinely believe no-one else has made before. They could always rehearse away in a garage or garden-shed, but they need to have an audience in front of them to really get to the heart of what they’re doing.
The problem is that the place for this audience to experience those raw live shows has always been a kip of a venue in the city-centre. That class of venue is just not there any more. Indeed, even the nature of a city-centre has changed. In Dublin, it has become a residental space which throws up issues of its own, as Frank McDonald’s piece in today’s paper, for example, shows.
Some questions to ensure that I’m not just talking to myself here. Are these spaces now in the burbs or exurbs or is it the case that these spaces don’t even exist any more? Have we become so in thrall to the plush, large venues that we’re over the need for crummy spaces where anything could literally happen? Are new bands content to play in pubs where the venue owner or booker wants to hear a ringing cash-till and not a sound never heard before? And is this story repeated in other cities and towns around the country?
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The Kills, Dublin, November
The Kills make their third visit to Ireland in 2008 for a show at Dublin’s Tripod on November 3. Tickets go on sale on Friday.
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Competition - be a Hard Working Class Hero for a weekend!
From next Friday to Sunday, around 100 acts will be taking part in this year’s Hard Working Class Heroes festival in a bunch of Dublin city-centre venues. There are dozens and dozens of new and semi-established Irish acts playing, plus a couple of highly regarded Scottish acts inciuding Frightened Rabbit, Sons & Daughters and We Were Promised Jetpacks.
In a spirit of generosity not seen since Kilkenny allowed Waterford to knock over a few aul’ points last Sunday to take the dirty look off the scoreboard, On The Record has a pair of weekend passes to give away.
To win, simply tell us why you are a hard working class hero. Some of you will have to use your imagination for this. And keep it clean. This is supposed to be a family-friendly blog.
Usual rules apply - yes, even employees of Bud Rising can enter - and the competition stays open until noon tomorow to give those who only get around to reading the blog in the evenings a chance to enter.
While you’re coming up with a suitably witty answer, here’s a video of New Amusement who are playing on Sunday at 7.45pm in Meeting House Square. (By the way, full schedule for the weekend is here)
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New Irish Times blog - On The Fringe
Fiona McCann has kicked off a new blog covering this year’s Dublin Fringe Festival. Enjoy.
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The randomiser is just a click away
Anyone fancy a trip to an alternative utopia next weekend? Behold, it’s Inisfox
New radio station comingatcha in the capital from August 2009 - Radio Nova gets the nod from the BCI for the classic rock licence in the Dublin area. Lets hope there are no expensive trips to the High Court for any applicants after this one.
“Sarah Palin is not a model Alaskan, say Wasilla indie rock native” Bet the would-be US VP is quaking in her moose fur-lined boots as John Baldwin Gourley from indie band Portugal, The Man (nope, me neither) plugs his new record….hold on, that’s wrong….plugs an upcoming tour…..no, sorry, throws a couple of verbal barbs at Palin.
The Russian for “unforseen circumstances”? “непредвиденные обстоятельства”, of course.
Eliot Van Buskirk thinks we’ve all got it wrong about Saint Bono. Well, have we?
What a fantastic idea. In early October, the In The City music confab takes place in Manchester. Now comes Unconvention, a fringe event aimed at the indie sector timed to co-incide with ITC. We’re sure the late, great Tony Wilson would approve (after, of course, initially cursing them from a height for their audacity to jump on his bandwagon).
Here’s an idea for the Hard Working Class Heroes folks. They should take a leaf out of the playbook of South Africa’s music makers and get Dublin taxi drivers to play CDs by bands taking part in the festival. It would certainly beat Q102 and that “back from your holidays, bud?” opening gambit.
More ideas! Hey, we’re, like, the home of good ideas. We need a venue like The Smell. Straight up, we need an all-ages, no-alcohol sleazy venue like the Los Angeles dive where Health, No Age, the fabulous Mika Miko and our current faves Abe Vigoda cut their teeth and sorted their heads out. Of course, we also need bands are spectacular, inventive and inventive as those four, but that’s another day’s work. Louis Pattison checks it out.
The Mercury Music Prize winner will be announced tonight and naturally, there are some pieces (one here and one there) about the event and the prize ahead of this evening’s big gala. We have a hunch that the judges will give it to Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Anything to head off the dreaded Led Zep reunion at the pass.
Bill Fuller RIP. One of the most fascinating - and elusive - Irish music business legends of all. Aside from the venues and enterprises mentioned in the Guardian obit, the Kerryman also used to own McGonagles, the Dublin venue some On The Record readers will remember with great fondness. When people go on about hard-chaw Irish music business lads like Dinny Desmond or Vinny Power, they kind of forget about Fuller.
And, here, did ANYONE go to Cois Fharraige at the weekend in Co Clare? Incredible lack of buzz or comment about this (heavily sponsored and branded) event. Did it actually exist or did we just dream it? Was it full of lads in woolly jumpers trying to recreate the Denny’s Sausages ad from the TV? Do we give it the “meh” fest of the summer award and be done with it?
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On The Road - Josh Ritter at the Electric Picnic
The last word on Electric Picnic 2008 and who better than regular On The Road diarist Josh Ritter to deliver the view from the stage? He’s back in Ireland later this year, playing with a 24 piece orchestra at Vicar Street, Dublin on December 11 (show now sold out) and 12. A special Irish edition of his “Live at the 9.30 Club” album is out now, containing additional tracks and videos from his December 2007 Irish tour.
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Kraftwerk move autobahn from Roundwood to Dublin 8
Change of venue for next Saturday’s Kraftwerk show - the Day In The Life festival will now take place in the grounds of the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, Dublin 8 (where Lenny, Moz and Iggy played back in June).
Per promoters POD Concerts, the change of venue is due to “extreme weather conditions causing the river at Lough Dan to burst its banks on the Luggala Estate”. As a result, production on the site this week was deemed to be “impossible”.
As the ticket price included a bus transfer to and from the venue, concert holders will now be refunded the bus fare of €20 on presentation of their ticket on the day of the show.
Capacity for the show remains at 4,999, doors open at 3pm and the bash finishes at 11.30pm.
Poor old Luggala - this is the second time this year a show which was scheduled for the venue has been yanked (the other, of course, being Moz who was originally slated to play there in June).
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Phantom 105.2 playlist, Saturday September 6
As played on Phantom 105.2, Saturday September 6, 10pm-midnight
And that’s your lot from me on Saturdays. From this week onwards for the next while, you’ll find me presenting The Producers, the station’s new music show every Thursday night from 8pm to 10pm. Tune in and you too will be able to rave about Abe Vigoda, the new TV On The Radio album and a whole lot more besides. Thanks to all those who’ve tuned and texted in to the Saturday night show over the last 22 months - you helped to make a really enjoyable experience all the sweeter.
Shirley Ellis “The Clapping Song” (Congress)
Esau Mwamwaya “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa (XL)
Fugazi “Waiting Room” (Dischord)
Abe Vigoda “Dead City/Waste Wilderness” (Bella Union)
The Ettes “Marathon” (Self-release)
Times New Viking “Call and Respond” (Matador)
Volcano! “Africa Just Wants To Have Fun” (Leaf)
Nelson “People & Thieves” (Ctrl Alt Delete)
Lykke Li “Breaking It Up (Jon Hill remix)” (Warners)
Santogold/Diplo “Guns Of Brookyln (Doc & Jon Hill dub)” (Mad Decent)
Lack Of Afro “Touch My Soul” (Freestyle)
Magic Wands “Black Magic” (Ark)
Locomotive “Rudi’s In Love” (Parlophone)
Onra “The Anthem” (Favorite)
Rodriguez “Sugarman” (Light In The Attic)
Kitty, Daisy & Lewis “Going Up The Country” (Sunday Best)
Octopus “The River” (Rev-Ola)
Kraftwerk “Pocket Calculator” (EMI)
Hot Chip “Ready for the Floor” (Virgin)
Skream “Midnight Request Line” (Tempa)
Boxcutter “Rusty Break” (Planet Mu)
Penguin Café Orchestra “Music for a Found Harmonium” (EG)
Lackthereof “Fake Empire” (City Slang)
Lisa Hannigan “Pistachio” (IHT)
Juana Molina “El Vistado” (Domino)
James Yorkston “Queen Of Spain” (Domino)
Ry Cooder & Ali Farka Toure “Bonde” (World Circuit)
Andrew Oldham Orchestra “The Last Time” (Decca) -
From boutique to bazaar: the Picnic comes of age
This was the year that the Electric Picnic grew up and stopped being a boutique festival.
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Some autumnal Notes
Note Productions may have been quiet since their Analog festival in Dublin’s docklands in July, but that’s set to change with a series of upcoming shows.
The company’s autumn programme includes a world premiere of a new work by composer Gavin Bryars. Anáil Dé - The Breath Of God will be performed by Iarla Ó Lionáird and the Crash Ensemble at Imma, Dublin on November 14th and the Solstice Centre, Navan on November 15th.
November also sees a visit from renowned drummer Manu Katché and his group of ECM all-stars. They play Dublin’s Tripod (2nd), Cork’s Opera House (3rd), Dolan’s Warehouse in Limerick (4th) and Navan’s Solstice Arts Centre (5th).
There’s also new music from Norway in the shape of In The Country and Susanna (video below) playing at Dublin’s Whelan’s on October 25th.
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Festive form continues in the north-west
The festival season isn’t quite over yet. A plethora of extra acts have been added to this year’s Sligo Live festival, taking place in the northwest from October 23rd to 27th.
Sly & Robbie and Cathy Davey are the somewhat eclectic co-headliners at the Radisson SAS Hotel on October 24th. Wonder is there any chance of a collaboration on the night?
Others playing the festival include Orchestra Baobab, Solas, Tom Baxter (the poor man’s David Gray), Le Vent Du Nord, Fred and Jason Byrne (the self-titled “Funny Irish Stand Up Comedian” per his website).
More information at www.sligolive.ie
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Etc
The best triple-header of the season? That would be No Age (video below), Times New Viking and Los Campesinos at Whelan’s, Dublin on October 17th.
Hear songs from the fourth Bell X1 album at Dublin’s Vicar Street; they play on Nov 11th and 12th.
Josh Ritter plays a show with a 24-piece orchestra at Dublin’s Vicar Street on December 11th, a reprise of his Boston Symphony Hall show in June.
The reformed Miami Show Band play Children In Crossfire benefits this month at Dublin’s Vicar Street (16th) and Belfast’s Grand Opera House (17th).
Those suffering post-Electric Picnic withdrawal pangs should check out the Electric Picnic 08 Retro-Special show on Phantom FM between 5 and 7pm tomorrow featuring interviews with Joan as a Policewoman, Franz Ferdinand, Foals, Stephen Malkmus and The Breeders plus plenty of Picnic music.
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Free State
State magazine is to become a free monthly publication from the beginning of October. Press release thingy after the jump.
There’s talk about a “newly strengthened and emboldened website” so it’s a pity there’s nothing there yet about this story.
Oh and that line about “the first Quality National Music Monthly available completely free of charge”? Surely, the lads and lasses at State also read Analogue magazine which happens to be a quality national music monthly available completely free of charge?
UPDATE: It would appear that someone at State HQ has read On The Record and copped that they’re not the first ones to try out this particular business model for size. From the revamped and remastered State website: “Of course we’re not the first to take this approach (props to our colleagues at Mongrel, Analogue and Connected) and the way things are going we’re sure we won’t be the last, but we are genuinely excited by the prospects that await us.” Just a pity they messed it up in the press release sent out yesterday afternoon, lost a load of goodwill and got people fuming in the process.
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Soundcheck
I’m playing some tunes tomorrow night at Soundcheck at the Monkey Bar at Spy (South William Street, Dublin) alongside Quigo, Grand Pocket Orchestra and Bluebirds Are So Natural. Admission is free so please come along if you’re around and say hello. Apparently, there will be cupcakes. Word is Tommy Carcetti will be along too. Dude is everywhere at the moment.
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Josh Ritter, Dublin, December
Even more On The Road diary writers announcing live shows. On the back of a packed show at the Picnic at the weekend, Josh Ritter plays Dublin’s Vicar Street on December 11 with a 24-piece orchestra, a repeat of sorts of his show at Boston’s Symphony Hall in June when he performed with the Boston Pops Orchestra.
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Fume of the year
Behold, the best fuming we have heard in absolutely ages.
RTE Radio One’s News At One yesterday afternoon. Michael Ring TD comes on to talk about why the poor farmers hate the interweb because robbers can now get hold of their addresses thanks to the Department of Agriculture. Truly one of the best radio moments of the year. Kudos to presenter Gavin Jennings for realising what he had on his hands and stoking the fires in just the right way. Enjoy
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Bell X1, Dublin, November
Our favourite On The Road diarists Bell X1 play Dublin’s Vicar Street on November 11 and 12. The next album is nearly ready to go and these shows will be a chance for fans to hear some new tunes before the album’s release in 2009.
According to a six-foot-six source we bumped into at the Picnic, there may also be a load of special acoustic dates from the band to come by the end of the year. Mmmm, maybe it’s time for another On The Road diary…
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Anyone for some more Picnic stuff?
Of course, On The Record was not the only one covering the Picnic like a rash. You can also read what Una, Lauren and MP3 Hugger had to make of the weekend, while one of Team Ticket’s mega snappers Bryan O’Brien has a rocking slideshow for y’all to view here.
The stars were also out in force at the Picnic so, for one post only, it’s the return of Acne - On The Record spots the stars!
Patrick Bergin! Actor and incredibly nice gentleman! Strolling around the Spoken Word area talking to everyone he met! Including On The Record! Topper!
Erin O’Connor! Supermodel! Bloody tall supermodel! Glacial good looks! We’re told! As spotted by boutique chicken farmer Miss O’D!
Tommy Carcetti! Yes, the mayor of Baltimore City. AKA Aidan Gillen! Spotted by our spies (thankin’ you Dave) looking scruffy and shabby wandering around the Body & Soul area! He looked a bit like Bubs, we’re told!
We’re leaving the best one to last! Really! Killeshin Hotel, Portlaoise, Monday lunchtime! Three people sitting at a table in the bar! Looks like a mum, a dad and a son! Son happens to be Kevin Shields from My Bloody Valentine! Yes our Kevin! They’re talking about the weekend and the da is giving the son some advice for his band’s next show. “You should at least have said hello to the crowd or thanked them for coming”! Priceless! Sadly we didn’t hear Kevin’s reply!
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Well….?
You’ve read what we’ve had to say about the last couple of days in a big field in Co Laois - and if you haven’t, it’s all here and below - so now it’s your turn.
How was it for you?
One question to kick it all off: how do people feel about the respositioning of the Picnic as a music and arts festival?
Please speak directly into the microphone.
(I’m closing comments on the other Electric Picnic posts below to ensure that all post-Picnic comments are contained here. Thankin’ you)
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Day three flashback
The Daily Ticket appears as a supplement in today’s paper and you can read it here.
Highlights from the third day of the best Picnic yet?
Walking into the big field as Muscle Shoals veteran Candi Staton was singing “I’m Just A Prisoner” followed by “I’d Rather Be An Old Man’s Sweetheart” in the sunshine. Roy Ayers was right: everyone loves the sunshine
Hearing tales of what an absolute legend Grace Jones was the previous night. The last one to leave the artist area. Respect to the mad wan from Jamaica.
Body & Soul sets from Laura Marling (spooky, ghostly folk) and Yoav (one man and a gee-tar raising a lot of noise)
Hercules & Love Affair turning a Sunday afternoon in the Electric Arena into Body & Soul in downtown NYC circa 2000. Man, they were good.
I caught about four songs from Foals before I had to skedaddle to do something else. Really want to see them again. Best instrumental freakout pre-amble to a show in yonks.
Dengue Fever were very possibly the best act I saw all weekend. Wildly infectious jump-up-and-down pop from the US-Cambodian band.
Watching Panti interviewing Billy Scurry and Troy Maguire in the Thisispopbaby tent. Ah Billy, ’tis far from the Temple Of Sound…..
The sight of 14 tour buses parked right outside the Daily Ticket office. CSS came around to say hello. Well, Lovefoxxx did. No, really.
The mighty Jinx Lennon and the lovely Miss Paula Flynn giving it socks in the Leviathan tent. Nuff respect to the Dundalk crew. Better than the panto show on the main stage.
The Tower of Truth going up in flames to bring the whole bash to a close.
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Ford's focus on performance results in a RS that's in a class of its own