Electric Picnic - you had to be there?

I Heart Internet

The Electric Picnic - I've never been.

Tell me, is it as good as people claim? People have told that me that "its different to all other music festivals" - it's more "grown-up", it's more "chill" (someone actually said that to me), it's got such a unique vibe, etc, etc.

Outside looking in - it just appears to be another music festival selling overpriced tickets to wannabe cool kids and ageing professional types desperate for one last swig of "yoof-culture". Oooooo - I have wellingtons, a tent and a unique floral hat.........

anncoates

I Heart Internet wrote: »

Outside looking in - it just appears to be another music festival selling overpriced tickets to wannabe cool kids and ageing professional types desperate for one last swig of "yoof-culture". Oooooo - I have wellingtons, a tent and a unique floral hat.........

You seem to have already made up your mind - at splenetically bitter length.

I Heart Internet

anncoates wrote: »

You seem to have already made up your mind - at splenetically bitter length.

I want to be convinced otherwise....ish

My main question is - does it deserve the hype it gets?

(Also, we're supposed to give out own view when starting a thread)

anncoates

I've never been either to be fair but I've always meant to go. It sounds like a laugh according to friends.

LiveIsLife

I wouldn't say its unique, but it does have a good vibe. Not going this year but I've been before and its fairly laidback, everybody thats there is there for a good time and there's not many scumbags.

smash

I Heart Internet wrote: »

Oooooo - I have wellingtons, a tent and a unique floral hat.........

Cool, where's you get them?

The Backwards Man

I can get everything I could get at EP by going to the big with a transistor radio.

Except maybe a STD.

It used to be the way you described at the start of your post. Now it's just as you described at the end of your post.

Yes, I will still be going :P

The Purveyor of Truth

I was gonna go, but I've put my hip out.

I thought 40 was the new 30.

Lying bastards.

frozenfrozen

ugh i hate it when other people enjoy themselves

I Heart Internet

frozenfrozen wrote: »

ugh i hate it when other people enjoy themselves

Perhaps you should go to EP and use the "Tabogan of Chill" in the Heineken Friend Forest.

Karl Stein

Back in nineteen dickety two it was just called 'The Picnic'. That was before Franklin D Roosevelt invented electricity by extracting it from a twitching dead frog and storing it in a hollowed out turnip.

Holsten

I've been a few times, it's nothing special. End of the day it's just another music festival.

3 days of drink, drugs, and sleeping in a tent doesn't really appeal to me. Most people I know are going for that and don't give a toss about the music.

You'd spent a fortune down there aswell, not missing much.

I Heart Internet

I don't know if it's "just another music festival" because it's the only music festival I've ever been to. But I've been there for the past four years and loved every single year of it. The Mindfield and Body & Soul sections do add something that you probably wouldn't see in other festivals. Ireland's pretty small, it's not like we can stage a Glastonbury sized event.

This is the first year since 2010 that I won't be there (due to unemployment and the resulting lack of money) and I'm rather devastated. Spent the whole week furiously entering competitions for tickets but to no avail.

I Heart Internet wrote: »

I want to be convinced otherwise....ish

Then go there next year and experience it for yourself. If you don't like the hippie-ish/"chill" elements of the festival it's very easy to ignore them and just focus on the music. I'm sure you won't regret it, unless you go in there with the sole intention of reinforcing the negative opinions you seem to have already.

Captain Flaps

I've been to most of the major festivals and EP usually has the lineup that interests me the most and a great crowd/atmosphere. At Oxegen you're shunted out of the arena at 1am and as a result all the skobes get wrecked on the campsite and go around looking for trouble. At EP everyone gravitates towards one of the many after ours stages or chill out zones and stays up until the wee hours chatting and having a laugh. I don't do drugs but I have to say there's something genuinely magical about wandering around the forest at 5am following trails of fairy lights to a silent disco... sold my tickets last week due to the missus losing her job

rubadub

Never been there but always heard that "scumbags" did not go there. Google electric picnic scumbags and you will see lots of discussion about it, some saying there was an increase in recent years.

and this could be the relaxed "chill" you heard about, not worrying about stuff being robbed or getting in fights etc.

rubadub

rubadub wrote: »

Never been there but always heard that "scumbags" did not go there. Google electric picnic scumbags and you will see lots of discussion about it, some saying there was an increase in recent years.

and this could be the relaxed "chill" you heard about, not worrying about stuff being robbed or getting in fights etc.

Bingo.

longshanks

I've been a few times and always enjoyed it. As said it does have a laid back vibe, has an older crowd, and the Body & Soul area is a thing of beauty. I've never seen any trouble at it, unlike some of the other festivals.
It's great to wander and get lost and end up in a mini rave in a teepee, or lads break dancing in the woods. Drugs help this.
I remember David McWilliams hosting a debate and fellas in the crowd getting well worked up over the whole thing. Myself and my mate were pretty baked and getting a good buzz but decided to stroll on, we lit up a jimmy skinner and turned around to leave the tent and a guard was stood in front of us. Gave us a nod, smiled and told us to take it easy. That kind of vibe.

I Heart Internet

A druggie-vibe? Radical man!

Last year was the first year I started to see EP a bit differently, few more eejits around, between the very young spoilt girls who were off the reservation drunk and hurling abuse at people and trying to skip toilet queues etc. To the lads who were taking these newfandangled drugs that make them a bit tetchy and pricky and a bit more scumbaggy than usual.

"Back in my day", it was full of normal people, perhaps they were stoned, perhaps they were full of love pills, but there was zero aggro and there was zero reason to be worried about your tent not being there when you go back. In fact, it was more likely that your tent would have been put back up if it had fallen down.

I expect this year to be a bit worse than last, but sure here's hoping

Rough Sleeper

I Heart Internet wrote: »

A druggie-vibe? Radical man!

My God, someone smoking a joint at a music festival? Pics or it didn't happen.

You would not like to see how things go once the sun goes down.

Rough Sleeper

Rough Sleeper wrote: »

You would not like to see how things go once the sun goes down.

They said it changes when the sun goes down.

I Heart Internet

Rough Sleeper wrote: »

My God, someone smoking a joint at a music festival? Pics or it didn't happen.

You would not like to see how things go once the sun goes down.

People injecting heroin into their eyeballs? :cool:

Rough Sleeper

Deleted User wrote: »

Last year was the first year I started to see EP a bit differently, few more eejits around, between the very young spoilt girls who were off the reservation drunk and hurling abuse at people and trying to skip toilet queues etc. To the lads who were taking these newfandangled drugs that make them a bit tetchy and pricky and a bit more scumbaggy than usual.

"Back in my day", it was full of normal people, perhaps they were stoned, perhaps they were full of love pills, but there was zero aggro and there was zero reason to be worried about your tent not being there when you go back. In fact, it was more likely that your tent would have been put back up if it had fallen down.

I expect this year to be a bit worse than last, but sure here's hoping

There really isn't a major scumbag element, just a greater influx of casual punters who don't really know how to behave at a music festival and sort of treat it like an extended session in Coppers. Still a decent enough crowd, all things considered.

SEPT 23 1989

Is this the year the scumbags finally attack?

sebcity

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

Is this the year the scumbags finally attack?

I'll tell you on Tuesday!

Dolbert

Give some of the smaller festivals a try. The likes of Groove and Knockanstockan are brilliant and there's rarely an ounce of trouble with them. Westport is a favourite of mine as it's in the town and you can just walk out and stay in a B&B!

mickydoomsux

A bunch of hipsters and crusties stoned/pissed out of their minds listening to a mostly crap line up of bands.

Rough Sleeper

mickydoomsux wrote: »

A bunch of hipsters and crusties stoned/pissed out of their minds listening to a mostly crap line up of bands.

I think I've seen about three crusties in my five years at Electric Picnic. Crusties go to squat parties and illegal psytrance raves in forests, not festivals advertised on Today FM. And at this stage Electric Picnic is about as hip as a bankers' Christmas party in Cafe en Seine.

Billy86

mickydoomsux wrote: »

A bunch of hipsters and crusties stoned/pissed out of their minds listening to a mostly crap line up of bands.

Which year were you that made you come to this conclusion? Or are you just making unfounded generalisations on something you don't know much about? You know, like saying "the food and women on Morocco are crap. Never been there, but I know the food is crap and the women are ugly."

Fizzlesque

I Heart Internet wrote: »

The Electric Picnic - I've never been.

Tell me, is it as good as people claim? People have told that me that "its different to all other music festivals" - it's more "grown-up", it's more "chill" (someone actually said that to me), it's got such a unique vibe, etc, etc.

Outside looking in - it just appears to be another music festival selling overpriced tickets to wannabe cool kids and ageing professional types desperate for one last swig of "yoof-culture". Oooooo - I have wellingtons, a tent and a unique floral hat.........

I haven't been to many other music festivals, a few much smaller ones here and there, but I've been to the Picnic a few times - twice in the earlier years and the last time was the year it lashed raining. I didn't enjoy the last one as much as I enjoyed the previous two but I put a lot of that down to the rain and the mud so deep your welly could stay in it as you walked, and you'd have to hop back to get it.

I had decided I wouldn't go again but last year, when the end of August rolled around, I was really jealous and wished I was going . I received an email in April offering cheaper tickets for early purchase and I had a bit of spare cash at the time, so I bought one. If I hadn't bought it at that time, I wouldn't have bought one at all - and probably spent Friday in the depths of jealousy when I see all the welly wearers and tent carriers heading off for their lifts/buses around town.

I'm going on my own this year. I always drift off after the first night and do my own thing, barely seeing my friends until it's time to go home again on Monday, so this is the logical next step. I like the feeling of freedom, to follow my nose and see where I end up and I think the Picnic is great for facilitating people like me who like to drift about connecting with random other people or groups.

I also like the small music tents you find along the way, once you drift away from the main stages. One year I danced myself silly at a fantastic little corner that played lots of jazzy music.

I've splashed out and paid for camping in one of the pre-pitched tent zones. Extra security, nicer toilets, showers, and no tent carrying and no tent pitching to be done. I started packing my supplies today - tested the air bed and it still works - bought a bottle of my favourite red wine to bring - still deliberating over whether or not to bring wellies, but the weather forecast is looking good, so that argument may well last till I head off for the bus on Saturday morning. Three nights is too much for me, two is perfect, and (this theory of mine may be horsesh!t) I think a lot of the madness is expunged on the first night, and a still-vibrant, but more settled energy emerges. Hopefully the crowd will be more parts loveliness and chilled out than it is parts menacingly unpleasant, at least by Saturday night, if not as a matter of course.

I'd started to look forward to going, for the first time since April, yesterday evening, and this thread (and Whoopsadaisydoodle's posts in particular) has brought butterflies excitement into my belly. I'm so glad April Me made the decision to send August Me to dance herself silly at the Electric Picnic this year. :-)

Duck's hoop

Rough Sleeper wrote: »

I think I've seen about three crusties in my five years at Electric Picnic. Crusties go to squat parties and illegal psytrance raves in forests, not festivals advertised on Today FM.

Ah no. There will be a sizeable crusty contingent. Mostly way too cool to pay and involved in the show side of things somehow, gigging, rigging or selling. referring to everybody else (ever so snootily) as punters.


But they'll definitely be there. And of course there'll be hipsters a gogo. And hipster-crusties.

Still be a laugh. But since year 3 and the Irish Times counting it down it has lost some of the flair.

Macavity.

I'd loved to have been able to go just to see Slowdive.

porsche959

Ronelagh will be, loke, totals ghost town over w/e.

cloud493

I had fun once. It was awful.

recylingbin

I was there, maaaan.
Overpriced food. A few great bands, the rest mediocre to poor.
Good craic though.
Everyone a fan of this band called Hollister, who I've never heard of and didn't play to my knowledge.

thebaz

used to be wonderful up to a couple of years ago - gone downhill since in my mind - the lineup has been getting steadily worse.

had a great vibe to it, gone a little corporate for my liking , i like underground

Yeah it's alright. I volunteered there (minding kids in the kiddies area) for 4 years. Haven't been in a few years now. I much prefer smaller festivals really tbh. Body and Soul is great. And Life.

jonnny68

It's good but realistically festivals in Ireland pale in comparison to festivals in Europe where it's cheaper, almost guaranteed good weather and of course a great line up.

Shakespeare's Sister

I just go for the Sunday (not able for the whole thing - did two nights last year and definitely established I can only do one these days :pac:) - up there as early as possible each year. Absolutely love it. Such a friendly vibe (any trouble is minimal - great security anyway); so, so much to see. Lots of bars. Great food. Yeh pricey but that's the cost of overheads to having a vendor's space at one of these events for ya.
The person who went on about "hipsters" and "crusties" probably doesn't really know what they mean - and definitely hasn't been to Electric Picnic.

rustopher

i agee with positive comments above but I have to add that irish weather makes a difference, unless your off ur head on something or in your 20's ...I did not enjoy sleeping in my car surrounded by singing drunks shaking with the cold as a result of been wet for a night.. not worth 250 big ones that night! Btw the tent was flooded which was reason for trying to sleep in car, rained all night!

Remmy

I have been to electric picnic and oxygen a few times and found the picnic a good bit more chilled out. I'm more into Heavy Metal/Rock so found the music a bit samey after a while but it was never designed to be a Wacken or whatever so that's not exactly a fault.

Aidric

Like everything else, it was good in the aul days. Went to the first few picnics and they were a great laugh. The minimal scum involvement being the highlight.

The last few years have seen the lineups getting progressively worse, they seem to have completely neglected the dance music element. Your money would be better spent on one of the European festivals.

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

It's my idea of hell. I'd hate it. I will never go!

Shakespeare's Sister

Still loads of dance acts - just not on the main stages.

rustopher wrote: »

i agee with positive comments above but I have to add that irish weather makes a difference, unless your off ur head on something or in your 20's ...I did not enjoy sleeping in my car surrounded by singing drunks shaking with the cold as a result of been wet for a night.. not worth 250 big ones that night! Btw the tent was flooded which was reason for trying to sleep in car, rained all night!

Yeh I only do one night - and stay in a B&B.

wiseoldelf34

nothing you can't do at home with a box of Stella and a bag of 'pills'
without the hipster bell ends

Shakespeare's Sister

wiseoldelf34 wrote: »

nothing you can't do at home with a box of Stella and a bag of 'pills'
without the hipster bell ends

True. I can get any band or singer to perform in my living room/garden. We all can!

:rolleyes:

(I know I'm feeding but stupid trolling is way more annoying than intelligent trolling - at least the latter actually involves thought/effort).

wiseoldelf34

how is that trolling?just giving my opinion

Shakespeare's Sister

wiseoldelf34 wrote: »

how is that trolling?just giving my opinion

The statement staying at home with beer and pills would be the same, despite the lack of musicians element.
You don't know what hipster means either no doubt. Few people who throw it around do.

Billy86

wiseoldelf34 wrote: »

how is that trolling?just giving my opinion

So in your opinion you can get loads of high profile bands to perform live in your back garden? :pac:

wiseoldelf34

hipsters are people who listen to or watch obscure bands and films just to be different?