Electric Picnic 2021 - Cancelled :( **No Ticket Sales / Requests **

The showers beside Hendrix have always been good. Busy but the queues move swiftly, particularly the mens’.

Thanks Mr. Dude!

Obviously I didn't see message this at the festival 😉

Some fest Green Man (GM) is, seriously. Wanted to go for years and bloody glad I did. I didn't take too many pictures, or videos, I tend to just take a picture of the artiste from where I am so that I can kind of recall what I was doing in the circumstances where my other senses, or lack of them take over. So, I'm a bit light on them to be fair.

This was a 4 day festival, so we took a flight to Birmingham (luvlay), picked up a car, and started to drive. Picked up a click 'n' collect couple of airbeds in Bromsgrove, and 24 bottles of wine between the 4 of us, to get started in Worcester. Picked up some bottles to decant into when we got to the festival. What a waste of time decanting them! Could have brought them all in, in the luggage. It wasn't checked but our double vacc. was! We camped in Tangerine Fields in a great tent. What I loved first was that there was no greed on part of the organisers--there were no checks for going into the main arena. I actually believe that there was no explicit demarcation.

First band just happened to be PVA--tears to my eyes just smelling the grass and listening to live music again. We did try to see Working Men's Club, but imo, they were not as good as at EP in 2019--they've turned all "swirly" with little definition to the individual players.

The backdrop for GM is fabulous, and for the nature lovers, a fabulous estate with a river (the Usk) and a fantastic collection of oak trees. Managed to get into the river for a swim instead of a shower on the final two days (did you say nekkid). Main stage is brilliant, an amphitheatre, never crushed. If I had to say what the crowd was like, it was akin to All Together Now, average age of 30 ish. No crowds of langers, no one off their faces on lager or other bits 'n' bobs--seriously wonderful crowd.

There was not one, not even a half negative comment from anyone all weekend, just peace, love and understanding maaan.

We had a packed agenda--the problem we had was trying to get an hour or two away from the music to sample the atmosphere, place and people. So we did drop some.

As for the Friday, saw Hanya, nice shoegazey pop; Fenne Lily, serious attitude but lovely, Big Joanie, three black ladies doing punk, great attitude for blacks and the sisters; Katy J. Pearson, just fabulous Americana (highlight), Tina, decent fun campness abound; Sarathy Korwar, abstruse to say the least, but builds on many different genres (highly recommended); Vanishing Twin, good pop again; and Caribou, great but was getting forgetful here 😁

Saturday was similar, started with Studio Electrophonique, great guy with humour from Sheffield, on guitar or keyboards; Catrin Finch and Seckou Keita, brilliant choice for main stage early afternoon, harp and unusual sitars; Emma-Jean Thackray, could be the highlight of the festival, amazing, again seriously talented--a bloody joy; newDad, from Galway, excellent, really excellent they were; Sinead O'Brien, again fabulous, saw her at EP while sick in 2019, this girl has seriously come of age in attitude, performance and skill; the Goa Express, young jangle, very decent; took a major break here to drink and get ready for Mogwai, who by all accounts were great, but I'd seen them before and thankfully so, 'cos again, other senses took over.

Sunday was great too, started with their rising star Teddy Hunter, decent performance, but less than I hoped; LYR, these guys have spoken word from poet laureate Simon Armitage, but, but, but they have an amazing band--kicked it, highly recommended live; King Hannah, good but not my true style; Crack Cloud, seven lads unshirted from Canada, again abstruse, but really really great; Erland Cooper, fabulous easy sounds for the Walled Garden; Deep Throat Choir, talking a lot here we were, but good; Squid were the next artiste up as a special unknown guest, very good indeed; another major break here again, followed by some Thundercat, a little underwhelming for me; finally Fontaines D.C., saw them at ATN in 2019 and they were wojous, mainly due to sound, saw them many times and felt they were getting stale, but mother, did they come back! Place was rocking, perfect ending, like finding that t-shirt still to be a fit! Did go to Deptford Northern Soul in the Walled Garden too--what a thing, always felt that EP should have soul disco. And there it ended.

For those that like to adventure, this should be on the list--seriously well run, imo great artistes, lovely crowd (25k or so), beautiful place, easy going on rules...you couldn't but like it if the lineup suits you.

P.S. Did find a bottle bank, eventually.

P.P.S. Not a mask in sight for 4 full days.

Big tree! sideways...

Main stage...

Socks...sideways

Emma-Jean Thackray with cool keyboard player...

NewDad...

Green Man before being burnt, sideways...

LYR...

The sensational Walled Garden...

Night stage...with Jasper and Ned...

Jasper and Ned...from left to right, or bottom to top...

Fontaines D.C...

...and back to the tree...

Bohrandude, will that do? 😐️

And here it is, like clockwork. Laois CC blame the government (probably fairly) while the government do nothing but let the days tick by making the festival impossible. https://twitter.com/gavreilly/status/1430530907694305283?s=20

That's nice, but the public health guidance hasn't changed.

The legislation still exists on outdoor gatherings.

And there's also the fact that the legislation for doesn't provide for outdoor events to be restricted to fully vaccinated people either:

Literally nothing has changed since last time.

Tony H saying "ah it'd probably be grand" doesn't change the facts.

I get your point, but these guidelines are literally due to be changed after the meeting on Monday, and Tony's comments yesterday do change things for sure. With all that being said, I can see some easing to allow larger events but I don't think they'll change that drastically to allow an event as big as EP to happen.

And we all know how little this legislation means if the rules for outdoor gatherings can literally change in the space of a day for TDs to save face.

As per fourmation's post below yours, even if the legislation was changed today, Laois CC's own laws wouldn't have time to process the application:

"The council added that even if a new application for a licence was to be made, statutory timelines to process the application would not allow the event to take place in September as proposed."

Rushing through new legislation just to allow EP to happen is absurd.

This is all i can see...

About as absurd as changing the rules so politicians don't get into trouble?

"I felt a great disturbance on the Boards, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in exasperation and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened."

Well that didn't happen, so.....

Well alright then!

MCD playing media games? Sure the whole idea of EP going ahead this year was effectively dead until the CMO made his comments yesterday.

Maybe it's the CMO playing games.

I honestly think that FR and MCD were stupid to push for the licence just yet, maybe they're doing that on the strength of the Irish Daily Mail article from yesterday but they should wait till the 31st until Dail Eireann actually fecking change the law, Laois CC can do feck all until the law is actually changed, we're still stuck at 200 people for outdoor events.

Still, at a thousand out of 40,000 its a very good result and that was with people unvaccinated and testing onsite, partially vaccinated and fully vaccinated. If it happens with EP it will be fully vaccinated event so there should be a smaller result of cases.

Thanks a million fish_fingers, bloody enjoyed that. It’ll be the nearest I get to a festival until 2022 (hopefully!)