Photos: Alessio Michelini
Deirdre Harrisons review…
Day three of any festival is almost an endurance challenge for many, and Sunday at Electric Picnic was no different. Two nights in a cold tent was beginning to take its toll on the crowd. This, combined with the torrential rain, lead to a noticeably emptier main arena.
This was the perfect time to wander around and see some of the other highlights of Electric Picnic. Not only can you catch performances on one of the numerous stages scattered throughout the site, or even hidden in the Body & Soul area, there is also the opportunity to catch intimate performances in stalls such as Love Music, Hate Racism and the Oxfam Tent. Both offer the chance to get up close to some of the best emerging artists or established acts while promoting a good cause. If feeling tired the Body & Soul area is the perfect place to chill out in a swing pod or you can always get a massage from many of the mobile masseurs.
The Crawdaddy stage played host to James Vincent McMorrow and his first performance of the day. The overcrowded tent was so silent you could hear a pin drop while McMorrow’s voice cut through the air. It may well be possible for him to sing the phone book and still captivate his audience.
On the complete opposite end of the music spectrum to the mellow McMorrow was instrumentalists And So I Watch You From Afar. If there is one thing ASIWYFA can do well its play loud. Putting on a lively performance, that was a highlight of the festival, it was amazing how much energy and stage presence the Northern Irish quartet had; particularly as guitarist Tony Wright was restricted to a chair after a run in with some bouncers. If you haven’t seen them live yet then do it right now!
While walking around the site it was impossible not to become transfixed by the visual display given to us by Underworld; lights, lasers, screens and smoke it had everything you could want and more. Even if their music is not your cup of tea it was impossible not to love everything about this performance and show.
As Underworld came to a close, a mass exodus to White Lies and Bob Geldof occurred. While White Lies entertained the younger members of the crowd with their inoffensive brand of generic indie, Geldof entertained the audience with his solo material and to the delight of the assembled masses some Boom Town Rats hits.
Closing the festival was newly reformed Britpop legends Pulp. Were they worth the wait? Most definitely. Pulp alone would have been worth the steep entrance fee to the festival, and it was clear to see why so many availed of day tickets for this alone. Everything about this performance was spectacular, from the visual displays to Jarvis’ dance moves. Ending the set with Common People, Jarvis informed the crowd it could be the last time Pulp ever play it live together. I think I speak for every fan present when I say please don’t let this be the end! The world needs Pulp!
Saranne Murrays review…
On Sunday I awoke to horrible vicious rain pounding down on my tent and thought the last day of my festival experience was going to be a total washout, how wrong I was. As I headed down to see The Minutes the sun began to beam. I arrived a few minutes early and the tent was pretty much empty. But when I turned around just before they started the tent was full to the brim, good news obviously travels fast.
They opened with Black keys and it was impossible not to dance along, they really got the crowd rocking and really should have had a better slot. My favourite act of the Sunday had to be The Drums. I had always liked them but I was blown away by their performance. Everything about it was perfect, my only gripe is that they didn’t play lets go surfing. I finished off my last night with a visit to the silent disco, it has always been one of my favourite aspects of the festival and I always look forward to it every time I go. The music was great and because there is always two stations there’s always something for everyone. As a massive Beatles fan my favourite moment was when they played Hey Jude, there’s nothing like taking off your headphones and hearing a whole tent full of people singing along, really put a smile on my face.
Overall I had a great experience, As always Electric Picnic has a huge variety of music spanning all the genre’s ensuring there was something for everyone. This year however there was just one real negative and that was the influx of some unsavoury people. Electric picnic has always been the nicer, cleaner and more relaxed festival, the anti Oxegen. It’s advertised as a family friendly festival but after the things I saw at this year’s festival like a drunk puking on my tent and later another drunk urinating on my tent, friends were robbed, it was my first negative camping experience at EP. I genuinely hope this is a once off and that Electric Picnic will not become invaded by this type of crowd and maybe next year it will be back to the safe, relaxed vibe everyone loves about the festival.
