Normality is a hard thing to grasp after such an ecstatic weekend at Electric Picnic. The last festival of the summer came and went over the weekend (way too fast) with some amazing music and great memories. My body is sore, my throat is raw, I’m bloody tired but I wouldn’t swap it for anything. Almost all of the acts I planned to see, didn’t disappoint.
Highs
Spank Rock – Even without MC Amanda Blank, these boys rocked the Bodytonic tent and were the perfect start to the weekend. According to MC Spank Rock they’ll be back in November so keep an eye out.
Mogwai – Finally got to see them live. Mogwai fear Satan was great. Not as loud as I expected them to be.
Massive Attack – Infinitely better than Oxegen a few years ago. The sound at the Main stage was excellent and visually they were arresting. Unfortunately I had to leave early because I had some passing out to do 🙁
Messiah J and the Expert – Only caught the last 2 songs of the set but fair play to the lads for getting such a big crowd at 1pm on Saturday.
Broken Social Scene – Third time seeing them this year and still great. They were short of a few members but I thought they were brilliant. Ibi Dreams of Pavement live is transcendental and Anthem for a 17 Year Old Girl gets me every time.
DJ Shadow – Although I didn’t hear it directly from any one person, seemingly there was a lot of people who were very disappointed with his performance. I thought it was a fantastic upbeat set and I enjoyed it much more than his Ambassador gig a few years back. Hearing those UNKLE songs live, the presence of Lateef, Mashin on the Motorway and even those two new tunes that he played made it one to remember. The David Banner track Seeing Thangs was a high point and the visuals were also superb (See video below).
Super Furries Acoustic Bingo Set – Being the band I’ve seen more live more than any other , I gave their Main stage slot a miss but caught their entertaining Bingo set. Hearing B-side Foxy Music and If you Don’t want me to Destroy you again was first-rate.
Soulwax / 2 Many DJs – There was a great atmosphere in the tent for this. Nite Versions was great but the ultimate crowd pleaser is the DJ set. The Arcade Fire remix was a definite highlight!
Saul Williams – This man never disappoints. Such energy and inspiration.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s been said before but it’s worth repeating Karen O is a legend. One handed drumming for the whole show as well!
Modeselektor – Without a doubt, my favourite act of the weekend. Finishing up the Foggy Notions stage on Sunday with a banging banging set, the atmosphere in the tent was electric. When they dropped Kill Bill no. 4 the place blew up. Amazing.
Lows
Nathan Fake’s no show.
Missing Jape AND the Rednecks.
Pendulum playing Voodoo People remix 3 or 4 times.
Passing out in my tent before Massive Attack was over.
That head-wrecking Jet thing outside the Bodytonic tent.
Videos
Broken Social Scene – Ibi Dreams of Pavement
Spank Rock – Backyard Betty
DJ Shadow breaks it Down
DJ Shadow – Celestial Annihilation
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Short clip of Maps
Modeselektor – Kill Bill 4
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Electric Picnic
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005 . He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Cara Magazine, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, founder of Lumo Club, club promoter, event curator and producer of gigs, listening parties & events in Dublin.
Fine review, good enough for me to regret my absence, but, er…
“Saul Williams – This man never fails to disappoint”
So he can be relied upon always to be disappointing? Whatever you were on, they worked!
Keep it up.
Whoops!
Thanks for that. It’s late and I missed that one.
Thats a strange comment to make
Some fine highlights there. I feel your pain on the passing out front. I did the same at Oxegen and missed the Go! Team. Good times indeed.
i was a bit disappointed my chemical romance didn’t show up but at least i got to see dj regret and the memory loss,good times.
any doob?
MODESELEKTOR where the highlight. The whole performance was truely banging but when they let loose with Kill Bill I was almost nailed to the rough. Im surprised you had the where with all to get a quick clip Niall…good work.
I only got the last 20 or so minutes of Pendulum but i really enjoyed it especially the voodoo people remix. i thought tapes n tapes were excellent. they have way more potential than block party! other highlights for me were mogwai, pj harveys encore, 2 many djs (but only in places), weatherall and the rapture.
i checked out Saul Williams but i just couldnt dig it at the time. i wasn’t expecting him to be so intense.
did you not think sound at spank rock was bit poor and that they were definitely lacking without MC amanada blank. would love to see em live in a grotty venue in the city sometime.
overall a fantastic weekend…could easily have done another day!!!!!!
I missed PJ harvey, Tapes ‘n’ Tapes, and the Rapture.
Spank Rocks sound was poor but he said he’ll be back in November like I said.
Let’s hope they bring Amanda Blank with them..
I though I could have done another day until I got home and couldn’t do anything… ah well!
Top stuff getting the videos… You can see some of our crew right in front of you at Spank Rock (note Declan in the cap giving it socks!). I was calved out over to the left of the stage for most of their set but I couldn’t help getting up towards the end.
As for the rest of your highlights: bang on, and I definitely agree with you on Modeselektor. Remember the champagne?! A great weekend, all in all, and a fitting end to the summer.
man, tuggers, that just depressed the fuck out of me, the summer is over isn’t it… NNNOOOOOOOOO….
Good reviews nialler,
you are right to be dissapointed about missing Jape, especially as he played twice, it was superb, as was David Kitts performance in Crawdaddy tent on Sat night, another highlight for me was Dj Donal Dineen in the Body and soul arena on Sunday night, the atmosphere there was electric. For me that is the best place to lose all sense of reality.
Unbelievable weekend, will be at electric picnic every year forever….
any doob man?
HAS ANYONE GOT ANY DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOB?
pity about the electric picnic man. here, lads are yiz goin to the festival? should be class, can’t fuckin wait. have ye any doob?
Jape was a real highlight, and the Rapture were the biggest surprise. They rocked!
Did you miss Halfset? The new stuff is very post-rock but with lots of quiet, melodic bits.
MAJOR fucking flashback, i can’t belive i forgot to about this until about an hour ago. At about 10 olock on Friday I met the main guy from SpankRock at the main bar, he couldn’t get over the fact that they had stopped serving. Either could I for that matter. Anyway as you mentioned Niall he told us he’d be coming back and as for Amanda he said “shes back in Philly dude” He was pretty slick from what I can remember.
I wish I was back there now 🙁
Sinead, I saw Halfset alright they were perfect for the Body and Soul area for the time they were on. I was looking around for you and I (embarassingly) asked someone were they you, but obviously not.
Padraig, I know how you feel. Saturday is still a bit of a blur. Someone said I was dancing like a madman at Soulwax but I don’t remember being anything out of the ordinary.
What am I going to do this weekend?
Not sure about this weekend, but I’ve got the thoughts of sold out Mogwai at the Royal Albert Hall and then Fabric where Richie Hawtin is playing on the weekend of the 22nd/23rd to sustain me through the bleakness! 😉
Might piss you off Niall but I thought PJ and Tapes ‘N Tapes were the highlight of the weekend. I’m so glad that the Super Furry Animals did the bingo set in cause T’NT were clashing with their first set and the SFA were not only musically great but they were also very funny. I’d never heard Jape before and they really impressed me. I have some photos on my site from EP
http://www.pygment.com/blog/2006/09/07/electric-picnic-06-pj-harvey/
Cahony,
You’re lucky ….boy.
Dave,
That doesn’t piss me off at all because I was bound to miss some great music at it. Although I could of actually went to PJ ( I think I was in the campsite at the time) but I didn’t not sure why. I’ll have to get my hands on a copy of Tapes ‘n’ Tapes and give it a proper listen. I like yer site by the way and I’m not just saying that – I’ve checked into it a good few times before. nice one on the photos – wish I could get a clear shot at a gig myself!
Cheers Niall I can’t recommend TNT enough the album is great.
Nice Reviews.
Coldcut and Cut Chemist were my personal highlights. Crazy P also…. Gilles Peterson, Mark Greene and Norman Jay(all in BacardiBar), Krafty Kuts was pretty nice, Liked both Soulwax and 2ManyDJs a lot too… whew! Only regret was missing Saul Williams, man I was running around with three different program listings for him and not able to find him at any of them! Ach Well!.. Yes the summer is well and truly over, but shit that was a great going away party we gave it.
Much Love,
Keep It Surreal.
monkey,
Saul was cancelled on the Big Tree stage which may not have helped matters.
Cut Chemist is the absolute DON !
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