Electric Picnic 2024 **No Ticket Sales / Requests** - Waiting in line, terrible time, over familiar

Bringing the Wolfe Tones back again was indeed a lazy booking, but at least this year I didn't notice as many young lads walking around with IRA stuff written on themselves.

Same things were said about the Thursday opening

Wolfetones not comparable wilth TMW, SD. I consider myself a "music snob" but see artistic merit in SD, particular the lyrics, which document country living in the same way Paddy Kavanagh did in the 50/60s. TMW very comparable to the Pogues in approach, if not quite level of talent/execution.

Wolfetones, while can play their instruments well, have no real merit, musically or lyrically.

It has to be spoken about, otherwise there is acceptance! People are exorcised about line ups and car parks but not the carnage?! We have to keep shouting about it!

Agreed! Hopefully a minority but worrying nonetheless! I challenged 2 lads at one point but then began to regret it as they looked menacing! What happened to peace and love 🙄🙈

Ah lads, didn't anyone notice (joke) in my original post linking the upsurge in folk/trad with right-wing groups? I even put it in 'cos i knew some folk here would take that sentence seriously. I am fully aware of the politics/lyrics/messages of the Wallopers et al. and where they stand.

The point i was trying to make, and clearly failing miserably, was that for so long in Ireland all we had was trad/bland soft-rock or pop/singer-songwriters, with a few exceptions down the years. Currently we are living in a period where Irish acts are producing quality music in a multitude of genres and it just feels like a backwards step that the trad stuff is so prominent. That is all i was saying. Well, that and that the Wolfe Tones have no right been there. Booked purely because of a cause celebre last year and boosted by people not knowing any better. It's cynical and they're rubbish.

Just getting back to some sort of normality now so here's how my weekend went.

Friday

Got to the site shortly after ten. Not too much queuing etc and proceeded to poets as we thought that would be quietest. Not a spot to be had. Walked around asking stewards what we should do. A couple sent us to silver but that wasn't going to be a runner. To be fair a nice English steward told us and a good few others to wait nearby, have a can and she'd let us know what was happening. Thankfully we ended up in the overflow just passed Hendrix although there was a big logjam at one stage to get there from the people leaving Aldi going in the opposite direction. People around us were fairly sound and most of them clean too. Toilets near us were a worry as there looked to be so few but they were grand. Not many queues.

We stared the day with a cookery demonstration by Trisha Lewis who was good craic. A lad spotted my Finn Harps jersey outside Hot Press Tent and said Villagers were in there so heard a couple of songs and an interview. Was really cool! Darnell Cole then in Trailer Park who was excellent. He'd be an act I could picture at Rory Gallagher Fest. Saw the second half of TCM. New singer is excellent but the place was crowded. Saw some Bionic Rats and then went to NewDad. Been looking forward to them and they didn't disappoint. Over to some of Fangclub in Jerry Fish and they were as good as ever. Then Villagers again. Good show but vibe would have been better chilling out in the afternoon sun instead of a dark tent. In for Faithless then. Thought they were alright but not the same without Maxi Jazz.

Saturday

Bit of Circus Ponies and the very impressive John Conneely Inc in Croi to start the day before going off get some cans. Went to Blindboy interviewing Garran Noone which was something a bit different. Mary Wallopers next who were fantastic. Seen them in Derry and the sound wasn't great but no issues here. A highlight of the weekend. Saw Doctors then were superb too. I somehow have always missed their gigs but your man still has a great voice and had everyone in good form. It started to get a bit hectic going from place to place for the next while. Kneecap were brilliant I thought. Cool to see them at this time just as the movie was released. Couldn't make it over to kasabian in time so opted for Loreen. Could hear Euphoria as I was wading in the manky toilets by Rankins Wood but Tattoo was class. Waterboys then. Great to hear the Double Whammy of Fisherman's Blues and Whole of the Moon at the End. After a wander round the Scratch were next. Band of the weekend. So much more energy live and much heavier. Fantastic band. Didn't realise it was the drummer (or whatever that thing he is playing) was the singer. Wife hated it and sat down the back! Finished the music off with Mik Pyro and friends doing Sly and the Family Stone. Was enjoyable. Stayed around FreeTown then. Was good auld fun. Wasn't quite ready for Birdcage though with lads being whipped, women being tied up and people having candlewax poured on them!

Sunday+-*

Kicked off Sunday with Dylan Moran being interviewed in mindfield. Very funny and a good way to start the day. Loved the Stranglers on the Main Stage. Was a nice chill out in the sun. Bambie Thug in Rankins then. They were alright. 3 good songs, the rest a bit samey. Some amount of children there. Bit mad as at one stage Bambie wasn't far off being naked and going some explicit enough things with the dancers! The Wolfe Tones next up. I don't really care what ye say, I loved them! Good auld sing along and particularly impressive for a bunch of auld lads! Caught first half of CMAT. By god she was class! Definitely going out of my way to see her in the future. Over to Post Punk Podge in Trailer Park. As quality as ever! Got to drink a can of Carling through some guttering, have holy communion and get a cert in fag rolling and tea drinking too! It did get very very rowdy and ended up in some lad with what looked like a dislocated knee. He had to pull the pin on the show early. The Love Buzz then in Fish Town. Lively set but the sound wasn't great. Finished up with Kylie. Thought she was great. She hasn't a massive amount of well known songs, think that's why people weren't overly keen.

Pros

The Weather - Perfect! No rain, sun came out every so often but weren't baked trying to sleep in the tent. Perfect temp too.

Irish Music - The amount of quality Irish bands out there at the moment is amazing! A bit of a golden period for popular Irish music. Kinda twigged that when I saw the amount of Irish bands on Transmt lineup

Kinara - Ate there twice. Divine food, quick service

Cans - Easy to sneak cans in. Got 12 in I think. 3 taken off me as I got a bit greedy!

People - Didn't see any trouble and most people were friendly. This wasn't the case when I stated going to festivals nearly twenty years ago

Cubicles - Cleaned often. Din't get a horrible cubicle once. Some people were complaining but they wouldn't have lasted a day at an Oxegen fest with the cubicles there

Cons

Getting Camped and Getting out - Already explained the former, latter was a real problem for most but we got lucky parking beside an exit

Music - I said how good the Irish music was but there was a dearth of international talent - indie in particular

Crowd Numbers - There's 5-10k too many people at the festival. It was uncomfortably busy on many occasions. They can't make it any bigger without sorting problems out first

Toilets/Urinals - Not enough of them anywhere. Too many queues which led to people pissing wherever. Rankins Wood area the worst

Commercialised - It's far too commercialised in the main. All the stages named after big companies flogging their drinks etc annoys me. At least the likes of Freetown, Trailer Park etc keep the soul of the festival alive. No more little tea tent was a big blow too

Recycling - The bins and recycling in general was very confusing.

Would I return. Mmm maybe if the lineup is better but will probably try ATN next. Was a quality weekend though. It's a bit like Oxegen without the good lineups though but with cool areas beyond the beaten track

Only our rivers run free would be a fairly obvious one. The folk revival was full of nationalist supporting type of groups.