Sunday at Electric Picnic

Started Sunday with heavy heavy rain. Oh well. This had been what we were expecting. Wellies on.
But then later? Sunshine.
Started again with the Dublin Gospel Choir - lovely Queen song (I think) and a cover of Like a Prayer/Madonna. Then to Mindfield, the hot Italian guys at the coffee van and the Word Tent. The Galwegians were out in force, and they were really stunning. I was blown away. I have to get to Cuirt festival in Galway next year. Laurie Leech and the terrific Sarah Clancy stood out for me.I didn't get the name of the shock-haired bloke.

Irvine Welsh took us through some photos in Ignite (not so exciting really)

and the poets in the Arts Council tent were IMHO, awfully worthy mostly. Mildly, unchallengingly navel-gazing (and incestuous) Of course, they didn't ask me or pay me to read so maybe I'm just being picky.
Iggy McGovern was much better, touching, witty and with lovely rhymes in The Word Tent.

Missed most of the lovely brownbreadmixtape to sit in the sunshine

(Photo: Maeve O'Sullivan) and watch the Unthanks, a Northumberland folky/ambient/clog dancing band.

They were lovely but probably would suit a smaller tent. Apparently they were on later in Body and Sould which would have been good.
Joan as a Policewoman was only OK

The Family Stone were so delightfully, over the top Cheesey.

I had some lovely chowder from the Rathmullen Hotel stand. We visited the Salty Dog stage, a boat in the forest.

A super band called, I think, Dark Jokes? From Edinburgh. Very good. Aarrrr.

Caught a bit of Tonguebox on The Word Stage. Fabulously strange Kit Fryatt there.

Then the return of the Poetry Divas. This time at Caca Milis Cabaret.

 

We had an entourage of small Divas who kept us on our toes but we shone again.  

with visual aids!

The lovely Triona Walsh.
We finished off the picnic in the Word Tent again, catching Arrow in the Sky, a great band I've seen before at the Glor Sessions. Followed by the amazing Kate Tempest with her band The Sound Of Rum. I was completely blown away by her spoken word performance. I have to listen again to pick up some of the adventurous wordplay and passionate takes on life and love and poetry.

All in all a wonderful picnic. I didn't get to the Comedy tent this year and missed the gramaphone disco, which sounded like a holw, but otherwise, pretty packed. I just hope that with the recession level ticket sales, it carries on next year. Because if it does, we'll be there.