Oxegen: Punchestown Racecourse 10/11 Jul 2004

Saturday: Kings of Leon, The Strokes, Orbital, The Cure

Sunday: Michael Franti, Keane, Tom Middleton, Wu Tang Clan, Faithless, Republic of Loose, Jimmy Cliff, Delays, Basement Jaxx

Saturday: Kings of Leon, The Strokes, Orbital, The Cure

For the second year in a row this festival has been shorn of its headliner. Last year The White Stripes cancelled and this year David Bowie has pulled out and to paraphrase my favourite chubby queen, losing one headliner is unfortunate but to lose two smacks of carelessness.

Ireland’s largest music festival has undergone a re-branding exercise this summer, Witnness has become Oxegen which explains why everyone seems to be referring to it as Woxegen for the past few weeks.

If I were a professional music journalist I would have a nicely itemised itinerary for the weekend taking in the current hot bands on the indie scene and a smattering of old favourites, which would be slavishly adhered to. Thankfully this being Eyeballkid I can just stagger around aimlessly and check out whatever takes my fancy, so be warned if you want professional unbiased coverage of this years Oxegen you’re in the wrong place.

The Kings of Leon take to the main stage shorn of their trademark locks but any fears of a Samsonesque loss of musical powers is assuaged by a predictably rocking set. Although favourites from former Eyeballkid Album of the Year ‘Youth and Young Manhood’ go down best with a boisterous crowd a number of new songs are debuted and as far as it’s capable to judge from one hearing their new album is one to look forward to.

The Strokes have had a bad time of it recently their second album failed to live up to the unreasonably high standards of their debut. The success of ‘Is This It’ is in no small part a factor behind the recent revival in quality rock music and for that we should be thankful. As they take the stage it’s clear that they have something to prove. ‘Last Night’, ‘Reptillia’ and ‘Hard to Explain’ all sound amazing and their set is a timely reminder of what a great band they are. Elegantly wasted Julian Casablancas sounds as cool as ever and despite taking an opportunity to castigate the aesthetic qualities of Irish women had the crowd whipped into quite a frenzy. It’s at this point I run into the biggest scheduling problem of the weekend.

EenymeeneymineymofuckthisimofftoOrbital.

Orbital are playing their last ever gig on these shores and the Green Room is packed to the rafters with a legion of partygoers eager to say their goodbyes. True to their word the Hartnoll brothers have decided not to use these gigs to showcase their final album instead turning to their back catalogue for the majority of tonight’s set.
’The Box’, ‘Chime’, ‘Impact’ and ‘Halcyon’ are all dusted down and received with deafening approval. ‘Lush’ has been tweaked to include a sample of the ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’ and frankly the Darkness have never sounded better. They finish with a rollicking version of the ‘Doctor Who’ theme which has become such a crowd favourite over the years. As the assembled masses give Orbital the triumphant sending off they so richly deserve it occurs to me that of all of the dance acts that dominated the musical landscape in the over the past few years none have given me as much pleasure as the Hartnoll’s. Thanks for the memories guys.

Orbital’s exit prompts the kind of exodus normally associated with biblical times. Unfortunately for the assembled ravers they wonder directly into a ponderous set from eighties miserablists The Cure. As is the case with many people of my generation I have a real fondness for The Cure but there is a time and a place for everything. The perfect place for The Cure was a bedsit in Rathmines in 1992, however I’m currently standing in a field and about as far from miserable as I’m likely to get. So as the music draws to a close I’m left to ponder, why after twenty years of trying Robert Smith is still incapable of putting on his lippy properly.

Sunday: Michael Franti, Keane, Tom Middleton, Wu Tang Clan, Faithless, Republic of Loose, Jimmy Cliff, Delays, Basement Jaxx

Sunday morning starts badly. Things are wet, very wet. This in itself is bad enough but when it rains it pours so to compound my misery the Saw Doctors are the first noise I hear in the morning. Now I’m not a morning person at the best of times and this bunch of tuneless fuckers are as welcome as cancer of the head. Still the upside of this unwelcome shock is that the vigorous fist shaking which follows is the best workout I’ve had in months.

Michael Franti is not in the mood to let a little rain spoil his party and his funk and reggae infused sound is a perfect antidote to the grey clouds overhead and sets the tone for the rest of the days’ revelling, even the appearance of Pink onstage isn’t enough to spoil the mood.

Keane are next up and I find myself standing in front of them for the second time this festival season and for the second time I conclude that an hour spent watching their sub-Coldplay warbling is an hour of my life I will never get back. Time to go and have a boogie.

Tom Middleton is playing to around two hundred shuffling souls in what resembles a school gym. The whole affair has a worrying resemblance to an outtake from ‘Shaun of the Dead’. It’s a testimony to Middleton that within half an hour the place is jammed and rocking to set of rocking house music. Middleton is a crowd pleaser and dusts down Orbital’s ‘Chime’ and nearly brings the roof down with a turbocharged remix of Groove Armada’s ‘Superstylin’.

Much to the surprise of everyone the Wu Tang Clan actually show up and we catch the final few minutes of their set. While the sight of the Irish posse giving it up in their best homeboy stylee never ceases to amuse they were a welcome afternoon tonic.

Faithless are playing the main stage. I will happily admit to having avoided their brand of stadium-friendly dance lite like a David Beckham penalty avoids the net. However the reports I hear back are uniformly good. They even manage to bring the sun with them.

The Republic of Loose fresh from the release of their debut album waste no time in organising an increasingly raucous crowd in a mass kneel down/sing along. Standout tracks include the excellent ‘Girl I’m Gonna Fuck You Up’ and ‘Sweet Cola of Mercy’.
The Loose have sharpened up their act considerably but there lingers a feeling that the theatrics of their live show mask the fact that their set contains more than one lacklustre number. But there is little doubt they have that something special that marks them out from their peers, melding blues, gospel, funk and rock into one irredeemably sleazy whole. You’re going to be hearing a lot more of them so do yourself a favour and check them out.

As we enter the ticket stage, Jimmy Cliff is just launching into ‘Wide World’ and there’s little doubt that this is the sunniest place onsite. The veteran reggae star is in surprisingly sprightly form and even manages to bust a few grooves for us. ‘The Harder they Come’ is greeted by the crowd like a long lost friend. Cliff encores with an ace version of ‘The Rivers of Babylon’

The Delay’s recently brought out an album entitled ‘Faded Seaside Glamour’ which our resident England football hooligan reviewer was moved to describe as the best debut since the Stone Roses. On the basis of this recommendation I staggered wilfully through the muck to catch a bit of their set which is very enjoyable. Their pristine summery melodies have been given an electronic twist and this is a very welcome development. I’m not normally the kind of person prone to hyperbole but it was easily the best ten minutes of a gig I’d seen since Jimmy Cliff.

Basement Jaxx are the final act on The Ticket stage tonight and mercifully so because the only alternative to them are The Arseness. On a more personal note I’ve had a particular fondness for them since I spotted my four year old son waking his grandparents at 7am with an impromptu version of ‘Where’s Your Head At?’.

Walking the tightrope between commercial success and artistic credibility with ease Basement Jaxx are unusual for a group from a “dance” background as they really know how to put on a show. The more organic feel to their recent album means they are in full band mode, despite the lack of flamenco dancers. They open with ‘Good Luck’ from ‘Kish Kash’ and that sets the tone for the rest of their set. ‘Rendevous’, ‘Red Alert’ and ‘Romeo’ follow in quick succession. They even managed to sneak in a number that includes the riff from ‘Seven Nation Army’ and a snippet of 50 Cent’s ‘In The Club’. As I wander off grinning from ear to ear at the end of there set I can conclude that the Jaxx are one of the very best live acts on the planet.

As I move towards the main stage The Arseness come within earshot, I’m left to rue the non appearance of David Bowie and the fact that I don’t possess a rocket launcher. And so my festival draws to a close and despite the weather, the setbacks and the Saw Doctors I’ve no doubt I’ll be back.

words: Shane Herraghty

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