I can't bring myself to detail Electic Picnic as it deserves to be detailed...suffice to say, it is the yardstick by which other 'festivals' should measure themselves. Despite a lack of cushions in the cinema tent, the constant rain showers, and the arrival of tent crushing idiots who shall remain nameless - THOUGH YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!! - despite all of these setbacks, I managed to have a bloody brilliant time, and saw some excellent music!!!
Highlights? OK then! Musically, the highlight was most definitely MC Mellie Mel - some old-school (literally) hip-hop, and general laughter to be had - danced like a wild thing, and enjoyed every slide-to-the-left-everybody-say-HEY moment! Cut Chemist then WOWED me with his skills (intense...), and I was also thrilled with the old stalwarts - Damo Rice and Lisa Hannigan. The acoustic Super Furry's also put a little shiver through the tuning fork. Eh, there was way more music to be had, but it is so hard to remember! I went to see a bit of everything, though. I'll have to have a twinkle about it and try to remember details...look at the old music map!
Saw some deadly comedy acts - not least the Ballyers Eric Lawlor and Willa White, with the superb Des Bishop being the highlight on Sunday night.
Food-wise I had a great steak burger, a bloody lovely indian, an alright chinese, an overrated pie, and a gorgeous crepe...all in all a well eaten weekend, and I would definitely partake in future! Anyone who gives you your chinese noodle curry in a deadly fold-over cardboard box (like the New York ones) with chopsticks is A-OK in my book!
I didn't buy anything at the market. I was on a strict budget (those who saw the messy will-it-won't-it-give-us-food-poisoning barbeque can bear testimony), so the old moneyed fare had to take a back seat.
I spent time in the Body & Soul area, but mostly just to chill out and relax. Not for massage or anything - I find all that stuff a bit creepy, if I'm honest, and bow to the Jerry Seinfeld school of feeling uncomfortable to be receiving that much pleasure! The Chill Out stage, in a natural amphitheatre, was pretty amazing, and I had some good times there...rain or no rain!
The art work was uniformly mediocre, with flashes of inspiration. So there.
I didn't get to go to the silent disco! The queues were so long every night, that it just felt like when I got to the top they'd say 'sorry love, no wellies tonight', and I'd just have to stumble back to my campsite!
Didn't do paintball. Didn't have the co-ordination!
The Cinema was slightly less than amazing. Dirty and not very comfy, it kinda went against what I thought the cinema would be! It needed more cushions, beanbags, and a 'don't put your wellies on the seats' sign...but I watched a bit of 'Waking Life', which I enjoyed, but everyone else thought was up it's own hole, and saw bits and pieces of other things. Didn't stay for a whole movie - the screen was too small! Although I am a self-confessed movie snob, so you should probably assume it was alright....
Damien Rice's 'Big Tree' thing was a bit of a flop. The sound was aggressively shite throughout, and he was the only one I bothered staying around for. The rest of the music was of the whiney variety which, even if the sound had have been perfect, would probably still have sounded pretty pants! Damien, I admire the sentiment, but try to keep those wily feet planted on the ground, so that you can actually think of the technicalities of it all in future!!
Didn't get into a Poetry Slam, or any of the debates. The tent was very small, and always full. Saw a bit of the 'Jesus of Guantanamo' thing, but the guy doing it was just too D4 for words, and wasn't that funny.
Had a good chat with some Amnesty people buzzing around the festival, and I hope they got some new people signed up to this essential cause. Although the whole 'toast to peace' thing was piss.....they did it at 9.50, instead of 10 (like they'd been telling everyone for hours), so loadsa people missed out. And it was over too quickly, without ceremony, after the awful Yeah Yeah Yeahs (no no no). Bit of a flop!
But, yeah, all in all the festival was fantastic, and if I wasn't planning to be in my favourite place this time next year (anywhere but here), I'd be at it again with bells on!!!
Woo hooo for Electric Picnic - an adult festival at last (although I made a bit of a boo-boo, and bought coke-sized cans of Bulmers. Looked like I was training to drink - they were STABALISER cans....felt like a twat....)
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