Ronan O'BrienElectric Picnic is, by far, the most highly anticipated weekend in the calendar each year for music lovers. Rising from the demise of Oxegen to become the biggest festival in Ireland, I experienced it for the very first time this year.
The Picnic
Beginning as a one-day event in 2004, it’s inconceivable to understand how big Electric Picnic has grown in a relatively short timeframe. Advertised as a “boutique” festival, it sought to draw 15,000 middle-class music lovers to Stradbally House in Co. Laois. The offerings of organic food and holistic zones certainly contrasted that of its rivals, Oxegen, which also debuted that summer. While Oxegen managed to draw worldwide names like The Cure, The Strokes & Wu-Tang Clan among numerous others, Electric Picnic pivoted towards an alternative & dance-oriented approach. Their bill of Groove Armada, 2 Many DJs & Super Furry Animals proved it’s not necessarily all about the music.
While Oxegen died an untimely death in 2013, Electric Picnic only managed to grow and in so, attracting bigger and bigger names each year. From Kraftwerk headlining the festival’s second year, to Kendrick Lamar crowning the 2018 bill, the pulling power EP has is evident. While the festival maintains strong connections to it’s electronic roots, the array of stages means there’s something for absolutely everybody. Not only this, the middle-class, boutique elements still remain and unfortunately seem to grow year on year, with yoga classes and wellness aspects available.
In recent years, the lineups seem to have lost some bit of appeal. Whether that is due to artists favouring stadium tours or the promoters simply losing interest, it’s a worrying trend. And for this year, the lineup was pretty lacklustre from the first announcement in December. Nevertheless, the inclusion of Gorillaz, CMAT & Fontaines DC were enough to keep me excited.
Thursday 27th August
The First Omen
Electric Picnic very kindly offers festivalgoers the opportunity to beat the crowds and arrive a day early, for a fee of course. The issue is, the majority of revellers opt for this, making it pointless. Unless you’re a festival organiser who likes money. Getting to the festival grounds is pretty seamless, with clear signage and Garda traffic control measures in place. Unfortunately, the weather was threatening to be terrible, to no surprise. The rain accompanied me the entire way to Laois and was unwavering. Any little hope held for a somewhat dry weekend was quickly dispelled, as the rain drenched all of my belongings before the tent was even unpacked.
Once the already wet tent was up, it was time to unwind and explore. Aside from the weather, the first criticism I had was the size of the campsites. While the pre-booked sites are a fantastic option, the general camps appeared small and already overcrowded. A fire hazard normally… The weekend forecast definitely dispelled any fears of that occurring. A quick stop into the Transmission stage showed the party had already started. While the crowd were evidently enjoying it, I found it a bit underwhelming to listen to remixes I would hear in any nightclub.
As the rain continued to pour, the next stop was The Glow Depot stage, where Mills were in full swing. More dance remixes continued to encourage the crowd, but didn’t do a whole lot for me. Before long, my saviours arrived in the form of King Kong Company. Hyping the crowd in clandestine costumes, their set is always enjoyable. Although the last scheduled act for the evening, the night did not stop there for many. But for me, it was time to return to my drenched tent and hope for some divine intervention tomorrow.
Friday 28th August
A Welcome Start
For the first (and only) time that weekend, the sun was out. After drying off virtually everything I own, it seemed a good idea to take a look around the festival grounds in the daylight. The first stop was on my bucket list for a while: The Salty Dog Saloon. The decadent, shipwreck styled stage was in full swing to the ethereal sounds of Baka Beyond. A fusion group melding the sounds of Celtic folk with West-African influences, I was starstruck from the offset. Previously unknown to me, this is a group I will be following profusely, as the African percussion combined with harmonising vocals was like crack to me.
A wander around Providencia was so enjoyable, with art installations like a mock Ryanair customer service desk and a band playing Let It Be era tracks from the rooftops. The art installations continued all the way to the Hazelwood / An Chollchoill stage, where the Misleór Festival of Nomadic Cultures decided to showcase two MCs pulled from the streets. Following that cringefest came Coscán, whose Irish folk style was easy on the ears. Entering the stage afterwards was the first act on my agenda for the day, Major Feen. As soon as the first note was struck, the rain unleashed from the heavens, like some sick punishment. Forced to seek shelter in Fishtown, GROEV played to their largest audience to date. While they were okay, I was too sickened and drenched to care.
Dampened Spirits
A temporary hiatus to dry myself off meant I missed Gurriers. Further pain ensued when duty called and I had to rejoin the group at the Main Stage for Zara Larsson, instead of seeing Men I Trust. A completely packed ground to see the Swedish popstar made movement away temporarily impossible, but Larsson’s vocals and humble demeanour are to be commended. While this caused me to miss Wunderhorse, I can’t say I was too disappointed from what I heard. Not that the band was bad, the crowd seemed to be the issue.
Doing everything I can to avoid SOMBR, I navigated through the teeming festival grounds to The Lovely Local, where Sorcha Richardson was serenading her audience. The hoards of people around the Smirnoff Stage for Armand Van Helden was beyond dangerous and a crowd surge forced the artist to cancel. Back to the Salty Dog and out came Mik Pyro, who once again displayed how to be a frontman. The same set more or less as his last performance, Mik & co. were flawless as ever and had the place bouncing. Opting to abandon the waterlogged tent, I returned to my car for a dry place to lay my head.
Saturday 29th August
Dry Head, Damp Soul
A late rise combined with a long walk back to the site had me in a sore mood from the offset, but the good news was CMAT confirmed her appearance following rumours about her illness-induced cancellation. Also confirmed was the secret act on the Main Stage, who was Lola Young. I won’t lose sleep over missing her set. My first stop was Electric Arena, where I had to get a second helping of The Undertones. This time, I was free from any clashes and enjoyed Paul McLoone and the lads in full force. Speaking of force, The Stunning were as powerful in Rankins Wood after catching the tail-end of their set.
While a return to Salty Dog was firmly on the cards for SQUAREHEAD, I had to make the difficult decision and opted to see The Mary Wallopers on the Main Stage. The Hendy brothers and band were utterly fantastic as ever, but the crowd was a real disappointment. The rowdy, rambunctious atmosphere was completely absent which further fuelled my animosity. CMAT however was welcomed with open arms to the packed field, and opening with a tribute to the late Dolly Parton, she firmly embodied the people’s princess she has become. Utterly lovable and humorous as ever, CMAT never disappoints. Even when battling gastroenteritis.
Despite an electric performance, my mood remained saturated due to the weather. With Gorillaz yet to come, I made the emotionally-charged decision to call the weekend off and head home for some dry clothes before pneumonia set in. A trudging walk back to the car and after unbeaching it on several occasions, I was on the bittersweet road back home.
Final Thoughts
While my weekend was cut short due to my own circumstances, I still had a fun time. Sort of. The music was beyond brilliant, and that’s exactly what a festival should be about. Unfortunately, Electric Picnic has become so much more than just about the music, and that’s something I can’t quite get my head around.
Naturally, the biggest festival in the country attracts all sorts of people. To me, it’s becoming detached from the music and has turned into an Instagram festival. What I mean is, the place is teeming with influencers and their ilk who will only watch the headline acts and completely ignore everything else. Which is a real shame, because many acts found themselves billed towards the bottom of the lineups at some stage.
The boutique elements of the festival has only grown too. From “Get Ready With Me” stations, to yoga classes, to multiple glamping sites it’s a bit of a disingenuous festival. There’s even a sauna and hair salon on site for fuck’s sake. The organisation of the festival could also be improved, with acts having to be cancelled due to crowd surges and sewage evidently spilling into campsites. The 80,000 people cap definitely isn’t true, it becomes a safety concern at times.
That being said, Electric Picnic is an impressive show. From numerous stages, many of which are internally managed, to magnificent villages that serve as art showcases, I have to admit it is very cool.
Let’s just hope the weather is better for next year, eh?
