Electric Picnic : The Aftermath (Part II : Saturday)
Saturday was my day of broken dreams. So many bands to see and so much fun to be had. Bat For Lashes cancelled and I somehow managed to miss Jazzanova, Julie Feeney, The Low Anthem, 2 Many DJs, Chic, Explosions in the Sky and more. In truth Saturday was Clash City but what I did made it all worthwhile…
Adela Meally
Playing the Tree Stage in the Body and Soul area newcomer Adela with her newly formed band The Meanits, began my day with fun, smiles, great music and bloody great songs. Children bopped their heads. Giant adoring Whoopee Cushions divulged their love (do not ask). Most importantly, Adela and The Meanits went down a storm. Big things await.
Magnolia Electric Co.
A fan of Jason Molina myself I was slightly apprehensive about how the sound would hold up and, in the end, my fears were well warranted. The band played a decent enough set but, like Jeffrey Lewis on the Friday, you really need to hear every word Molina is singing to get the most out of Magnolia Electric Co. Glad I went but will go see them again in a small venue.
Brian Wilson
A festival just would not feel right without seeing a living legend. Not many come much bigger than Mr. Beach Boy himself. A slow start, more due to an incredibly low volume than poor sound in itself, was quickly corrected and then came the hits. “I Get Around”, “Good Vibrations”, and one of the most gloriously written songs ever to grace my ears… “God Only Knows”. A weekend that will not go down in history for its beautiful weather but you could not leave the Main Stage after this performance without a little drop of sunshine in your heart.
Madness
How do you follow a living legend on the Main Stage at a festival? You stick on another group of legends straight away. Suggs and family swaggered onstage to one of the loudest welcomes of the weekend, soaked it all in and then burst into “One Step Beyond”. “My Girl”, “Night Boat To Cairo”, “It Must Be Love”, and “Our House” had everybody dancing from start to finish with the band joined on stage by the Lucent Dossier dancers for the latter. There is nothing as disappointing as legends failing to live up to their name. In Stradbally on Saturday night this was certainly not an issue.
