Electric Picnic

[jebus]

So who's going tomorrow? I picked up my tickets yesterday, should be good, although the line up is poorer than the last two years I think. Highlights for me hopefully will be

Bjork
LCD Soundsystem
Jesus and Mary Chain
Camera Obscura
Horace Andy
Josh Wink
!!!
The Go Team
Beastie Boys
DJ Yoda

although I'll be leaving on Sunday after DJ Yoda plays due to the missus having work the next morning

[Beavis]

Had the chance to buy a ticket but unfortunately cant do it with the cash needed for the Ireland trip next week. I love Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and was planning to head down to see them on the Sunday.
I've given Aiken Promotions ample custom over the years and have no beef with trying to do a sneaky in. Does anyone have any experience of this and any tips?

[jebus]

I've given Aiken Promotions ample custom over the years and have no beef with trying to do a sneaky in. Does anyone have any experience of this and any tips?

I did it last year, jumping the gate can be tricky, but can be done at night time. If the set ups like last year just head into the woods to the right of the campsite, down near the stream (you will have to cross this too) and bide your time and jump the fence. You'll probably might people of a likewise mind in the woods too, great fun altogether in there.

The easiest option is to get someone you know to bring out a wristband for you to get you in through the main gates. It will mean it will be very hard for you to get into the main stages, but you can still head to a lot of the tents and the campsite, and if there is a big crowd getting in at night to see one of the main acts just go in the middle of them and stick your hand in the air, as the security rarely check your wrist at night anyway. This applies for jumping the gate too.

Otherwise I hear that some of the outside security at Oxygen were charging people 50euro to get them inside the main gate, and might do similar at this event. Don't count on it though.

A festival is a lot more satisfying when you haven't paid to get in as well :)

[anto1208]

I did it last year, jumping the gate can be tricky, but can be done at night time. If the set ups like last year just head into the woods to the right of the campsite, down near the stream (you will have to cross this too) and bide your time and jump the fence. You'll probably might people of a likewise mind in the woods too, great fun altogether in there.

:)


Are you trying to lure people into the woods with you ?;)

Im heading in the morn looking foward to

Modest mouse
the good the bad the queen ( allthough they clash they are beside each other might get half of each )
The go team then are next on the list after that there are a few i want to see but wont be upset if i miss

[Beavis]

Thanks for the advice Jebus

[jebus]

Had a good time at this years one, not half as good as last years mind you, which in turn was only half as good as 2005, so I do feel the standards are slipping each year at EP.

Highlights
Jesus and Mary Chain, Erasure, Erasure playing A Little Respect to the biggest cheer I heard all weekend, DJ Craze, Horace Andy, !!!, The Bacardi Room DJs, those nice people who took care of me during LCD Soundsystem when I was a tad out of it, being able to shower and sleep last night after heading off earyl due to practically everyone having to work this morning

Lowlights
Seeing that guy who died being taken away during Chemical Brothers (at leats I presume it was him, the medics were pumping his heart last I saw), the poor quality sound for a lot of acts (it ruined Camera Obscura), the lead singer from Camera Obscura being a bit annoyed at being recognised in the Mexican queue (seriously how often can this happen to her?), Body and Soul's makeover, having to head off last night as practically everyone had work this morning

[Beavis]

Managed to stroll in free, jumped through a gap in the metal fencing before the security checks and then kept the head down going into the stage areas. Saw Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Unkle.
Unkle were quality, I was completely sober but dancing my head off. The location and atmosphere is so much better than Oxegen, I think I'll pass up Oxegen next year and go EP for the weekend.

[kingdom hoop]

Seeing that guy who died being taken away during Chemical Brothers (at leats I presume it was him, the medics were pumping his heart last I saw),

Yeah, it was at the Chemical Brothers it happened, towards the back in the middle apparently. Some friends of mine were very near to him, saw him convulsing etc and the defibrillators being taken out. Tragic stuff and very bad, and unwarranted, publicity for the festival. Otherwise, reports were excellent, Simian Mobile Disco and DJ Yoda (this guy is unreal, mixes songs and videos at the same time) and of course Kíla got rave reviews. Though one of my friends complained that at one point he really wanted a burger, but could only find Mexican, French, Spanish, Thai, Italian, Chinese and Japanese cuisine, to his utter disdain. I'm disappointed I couldn't go (academic commitments) but am already looking forward to next years offering.

[endabob1]

Lowlights
the poor quality sound for a lot of acts (it ruined Camera Obscura),

The sound was shocking on the main stage for most of the acts, even in the tents it wasn't great.

Highlights, I thought Primal Scream were excellent, the Undertones were nostalgia punk at its best, The good the bad and the queen were very good as were the Stooges. The chill out stage was good on Sunday Morning, Lisa Hannigan & Mick Flanagan eased me gently back in to the day along with some cold bulmers. The Comedy tent was very worthwhile for someone who doesn't see much Irish comedy although my mate had seen all the acts and most of their material before so wandered off and left me to it. The nutter (Andrivy(?)) I think on the pod stage on Sunday with his trip around the world, top class entertainment.


lowlights
As mentioned the sound, the endless queues for everythng, I thought the Beasties were only ok (The Arena show) and I had been really looking forward to them. That old festival bugbear, the amount of clashes, too many bands at the same time and then 3 hours of crap that I'm not interested in, also the scheduling was weird, Beastie Boys in the Arena with the J&M Chain on the main stage, other way around surely? Would have been a much better build up to the Chemical Brothers

[jebus]

Beastie Boys in the Arena with the J&M Chain on the main stage, other way around surely? Would have been a much better build up to the Chemical Brothers

That was a puzzle alright.

Forgot to add that I enjoyed Bjork, but again her voice was lost at times what with the sound quality

[kingdom hoop]

The sound was shocking on the main stage for most of the acts, even in the tents it wasn't great.


Irish sound engineers really need to pull their socks up! Having decent sound is elemental ffs.

[Real ale Madrid]

Managed to stroll in free, jumped through a gap in the metal fencing before the security checks and then kept the head down going into the stage areas. Saw Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Unkle.
Unkle were quality, I was completely sober but dancing my head off. The location and atmosphere is so much better than Oxegen, I think I'll pass up Oxegen next year and go EP for the weekend.

Can someone sum up then difference between EP and Oxygen - which is better, and why? etc? Was thinking of heading to EP next year - went to Oxygen a few years ago and didn't enjoy it at all.

[jebus]

Can someone sum up then difference between EP and Oxygen - which is better, and why? etc? Was thinking of heading to EP next year - went to Oxygen a few years ago and didn't enjoy it at all.

Oxygen is full of hateful people, and people I know have had trouble there from scumbags, there is virtually a zero % of scum allowed into Electric Picnic. The music is more diverse at EP than the standard chart/indie fare that you get at Oxygen. EP is more family friendly as there are craft shops, fairgrounds and other kid orientated things for families, and people are very respectful of kids at EP (there was one 7 year oldish raver in the Bacardi room on Sunday that was fantastic). EP has a more diverse food range, and has more things to do than just go to the music, often you'll barely see any band during a day with the other things on offer. EP has a more diverse group of people going to it too, people who are generally more respectful of everyone just wanting to have a good time there. Oxygen is a dump, run by a hateful company, and populated by people who are what's wrong with the world today. That is all :)

[Real ale Madrid]

Is it expensive in comparison?

[endabob1]

Have to say I really enjoyed the atmosphere at the Picnic, absolutely no hassle at all for 3 days & nights, well apart from a few idiots at the Beastie Boys and people singing Oasis songs before the Chemical Brothers, Oasis... I ask Ye??
Very chilled out, as Jebus says, loads to do apart from the music, the body Mind & Soul area was excellent, the comedy tent was excellent, the quality of food was very good (if a touch pricey) but the queues were a pain, I've not been to oxygen but 2 of the group I was with went last year and swore never again but were all signed up for EP again next year.

A real shame about the lad that died and it's easy to assume (as 99% of people will) that they're may have been a few pills involved but there's enough recent events of young fit professional athletes dropping dead from heart attacks to make you sit up and think. Whether it was drug induced or not is immaterial in my book, I feel for the lads family and friends, 23 is no age to die, RIP.

[shedite]

In responce to jebus' one-sided rant, I feel it only fair to respond on behalf of Oxegen.

Firstly, "95% hateful people"? Grow up - a few bad apples always grab the headlines. Oxegen has about 3 times the attendance of EP, so obviously gonna hear more bad stories.

Oxegen has a far bigger budget, and so has a far more diverse musical lineup. Just beacause EP managed to find a band playing 3 cats and a ladder somehwere in Leitrim doesn't make them any good. Oxegen has the pick of bands that travel to Europe. EP have the pick of bands who aren't busy on the weekend.

EP is for old people who want to rekinlde their youth while still seeming "cooler" than those yobs at Oxegen. They come home talking about "a more diverse food range" and the "craft shops" and all stuff that they would have no interest in during the rest of the year.

EP had 2 good years, and the year of Arcade Fire was amazing, but it just seems to be going downhill now.

[MojoPin]

(there was one 7 year oldish raver in the Bacardi room on Sunday that was fantastic). )



blonde girl in a dress? wat a lil lidgend..

i encountered one scumbag outside the pussy parlour.. he decided to hit my fried twice for no reason well my friend looked at him?????? yer man was off his face on **** and he was utter scum we just walked away.....

but other than that it was the best weekend ever no young drunken yobs ****ing on tents or any other of the carry on that goes on at oxygen

[OneRedArmy]

Oxegen has a far bigger budget, and so has a far more diverse musical lineup. Has the definition of "diverse" changed by 180 degrees recently?:confused:

Unless diverse means more of the acts in the section nearest the door in Virgin/HMW I think most people would agree you couldn't be more wrong.

[fosterdollar]

I liked:
The Bacardi Tent
LCD Soundsystem
Hot Chip
Mr Scruff
The Chemical Brothers
UNKLE
Polyphonic Spree
Beastie Boys (and bumping into mates from Longford hadn't seen in years)
The Field
The Go! Team
Primal Scream
Body and Soul (should have gone there more i think)

I didn't like:
Some bunch of nobs wrecking our gazebo on the last night. Weird.
Bjork
The news on Sunday morning
The resultant heavier searches for drugs on Sunday

I completely missed
Bodytonic Tent
Fight Like Apes
Beasties 'Secret' Gig :o
...every anchor rope on every tent on way back to mine every night. Sweet.:)


<<baileban's posts are really off topic and annoying me right now. I'm not just exhausted, i swear.>>

[jebus]

In responce to jebus' one-sided rant, I feel it only fair to respond on behalf of Oxegen.

Firstly, "95% hateful people"? Grow up - a few bad apples always grab the headlines. Oxegen has about 3 times the attendance of EP, so obviously gonna hear more bad stories.

Not just the bad apples, you'll notice I've already said I have a dislike for most people I meet, so I'm talking about the scummers, the college kids, the 18 year old first timers, and generally the majority of knobs who attend Oxygen of which this comment


EP is for old people who want to rekinlde their youth while still seeming "cooler" than those yobs at Oxegen. They come home talking about "a more diverse food range" and the "craft shops" and all stuff that they would have no interest in during the rest of the year.

puts you squarely among. What about the rest of us old folk who enjoy a diverse food range all year round? Are we to be branded with your phoney label too?


blonde girl in a dress? wat a lil lidgend..

Thats the one, you must have been in there the same time as myself so

[Dr.Nightdub]

That didn't stop security stepping up the level of searches on some entrances into the main arena. Best solution in my book is education and free and legal testing (i.e. check to see what exactly your stash is really made up of, then you're better placed to judge dosage). Anyway, I suggest the mods split the thread - one for pro-/anti-drug discussion, one for the EP.

Personally I loved it though I didn't think the line-up was as good as previous years.

Uppers
Jesus & Mary Chain - the Beach Boys with feedback. Mmmm!
Chemical Brothers - best visuals I've seen since Kraftwerk at the EP the other year
Primal Scream - well, I would say that
LCD Soundsystem - a bit New Orderish I thought, which is no bad thing
Polyphonic Spree - 19 people on stage? You gotta love it
Horace Andy - legend, just a pity the sun wasn't shining too
Dub Pistols & Terry Hall - didn't mind TH only doing three songs with them cos the band were dynamite
Body & Soul area - as a mate said, "The form is gorgeous even if the content is total bo11ocks"
Dancing to banging techno in the woods until all hours on the Friday night (not the at the green campsite, the other one)
"Lucky bags" :)
The Magic Numbers - lovely twee pop music for a sunny Saturday afternoon
The diverse food range - boo hiss to the let-them-eat-burgers brigade
For once, security who WEREN'T graduates of the South Korean Riot Police School of Crowd Control

Downers
Hearing yer man had died
4 hours to get there from Dublin, having left at 1 on Friday lunchtime - traffic management my eye
Missing acts early in the day - possibly related to not getting to bed until 7 that morning
Easy Allstars being on at the same time some mates were doing slam poetry in the Spoken Word tent
The queues for Pieminister (only time a queue bugged me)
Leaving my phone in a mate's tent on the Saturday night / Sunday morning, spending an hour and a half looking for the tent only to discover on the Sunday that it was only two minutes away over the next ridge all along

Meh, got anything better?
Bjork - just wasn't in the humour, maybe some other time
The Good, the Bad & The Queen - ditto

[Magicme]

Having experienced both Oxegen & EP I would have no problem with going to either again. Oxegen has a better selection of the current up to the minute hot bands which can be fun & apart from breaking my ankle there I have never had any problems or annoyances at it. The toilets were cleaner at my last Oxegen than at EP and there was the Holy Grail of having proper toilets in the dance arena.

There is not much difference in the diversity of food at EP & Oxegen.

My fav bit of EP was the Body & Soul area coz it gave an old fogey like me somewhere to rest my weary bones & my kids loved the beanbag area.

I think the whole 1 is better than the other stuff is childish as both are great for different things. If you want a chilled out relaxed weekend EP is the one to go for but if you want a supercharged weekend then oxegen.

[Neish]

In responce to jebus' one-sided rant, I feel it only fair to respond on behalf of Oxegen.

Firstly, "95% hateful people"? Grow up - a few bad apples always grab the headlines. Oxegen has about 3 times the attendance of EP, so obviously gonna hear more bad stories.

Oxegen has a far bigger budget, and so has a far more diverse musical lineup. Just beacause EP managed to find a band playing 3 cats and a ladder somehwere in Leitrim doesn't make them any good. Oxegen has the pick of bands that travel to Europe. EP have the pick of bands who aren't busy on the weekend.

EP is for old people who want to rekinlde their youth while still seeming "cooler" than those yobs at Oxegen. They come home talking about "a more diverse food range" and the "craft shops" and all stuff that they would have no interest in during the rest of the year.

EP had 2 good years, and the year of Arcade Fire was amazing, but it just seems to be going downhill now.


Oxegen is run by MCD who don't seem to give a toss about the people just want to make as much money as they can. When complaints were made to them after 2006 they either ignorred the complaints of denied anything happened. I havn't been at Oxegen since 2005 but had a few mates go in the last 2 years who said it got worse with little scumbags just hanging aroun the campsite all weekend looking for fights and setting fires everywhere.

The food at Oxegen is under cooked & over priced, majority of security are ignorant w*nkers who only want to push anyone and everyone about and not one bit interested in any issues you bring up with them but once someone steps slightly out-of line the are throwing the person about

[sligoman]

Lads, please keep this topic to talking about Electric Picnic itself. This is not for a discussion on drugs or for attacking each other.