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Re: Leccy Piccy
Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 9:51 pm
by Badger
Rich check your PM's
Re: Leccy Piccy
Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 8:55 am
by legspin
Thank you Sir.
Re: Leccy Piccy
Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:30 pm
by legspin
Well, that was a trip.
The hoops and blockages I had to go through to get to the Picnic were all worth it in the end but jesus it was tough. It was cheaper to fly to Blighty and rent a car to see the Lads than it was to head to Stradbally which is 70 miles away. If I hadn't blagged my way in I wouldn't have been able to afford it... mind you, paying any money to the arsehole who promotes it would stick in my craw.
But anyway, I was there.
I like the Picnic as a festival. The atmosphere is so laid back as to being close to comatose sometimes especially when the sun is shining and the venue is small enough to allow you to see plenty of bands within a comfortable distance of each other. I had a nice relaxing day of wandering between the various tents seeing both the up and coming and the old enough to really know better. All the while though there was the prospect of the Lads at the end of the night to keep the anticipation simmering nicely.
Which is the reason why over 3 hours of The Cure just before the Lads came on was so bloody tedious. It struck me about 40 minutes into their set that this was more than just a bit self-indulgent. At this juncture they stared to play new stuff and the crowd began to melt away. They all seemed to return towards the end when the hits made a re-appearance but the middle 90 minutes or so was just so dull. The gig was being videoed but that was no excuse. It's a festival. Most of the punters aren't there just to see you so having an extened love-in with your core fan-base is, in my opinion anyway, a tad selfish. Running 15 minutes over just compounded the crime as far as I was concerned, the upshot being P+P were 10 minutes late going on. Enough with the griping though. Onwards to important stuff.
For the first time I was at an Orbital gig at a festival in the Rep. of Ire. as a punter. This time I could dance my ass off and not worry about having to go back to work after the gig, which was a relief.
The Cure running over had eaten into the time the Lads' crew had reset the stage so things seamed a little frantic just before with P+P hanging nervously at the side of the stage watching proceedings. Conversations with local stage management were being had at the time and there appeared to be a little tension as to what was going on but I'm only speculating from what I could see out in the field.
I was lucky enough to meet an old work colleague in the afternoon who was also going to Orbital so I at least had some company for the gig. I had every intention of enjoying myself anyway but I have always found it nicer to share these experiences with others.
The Lads started of course with what has become the recent trend with One Big Moment. The newness of the tune is still working against it a little as folk warm to it's mellowness but it's gentle infection is felt right around me. A great start with heads bobbing up and down all around turned into a mosh pit with Halcyon. The RAH was somewhat the same but this was 10 times more intense. By time Halcyon is over the place around me is going mad and I think the crowd would have danced to ring-a-ring-a-roses. Whatever trepedations P+P had seemed to go as well and they seemed to visibly relax. Straight Sun was next and for the first time I seen them playing it live the drop kicked in bang on cue as did the crowd. It was a real hands in the air moment and a highlight of the gig for me. Beezledub showed a few small cracks in the audience as the older folk seemed to not be that into the dubstep side of things but the young 'uns got well into it and by the time we had an Audience with his Satanic Majesty all were back up and dancing. Even my mate, who professes a strong antipathy to dubstep, said now he's heard it live it makes much more sense.
I'm still not sure about Never in the set. Granted, it was yet again a welcome breather from the madness that went before but is still in my opinion too gentle a tune for what the crowd want. The meld into Belfast though was absolutely brilliant and seamless. I thought that it had become a little lost in the gigs I had seen earlier this year but here it was back with a vengance. Cool, ethereal and sublime generally don't go with banging but this version pulled it off with aplomb. The wind down at the end was superbly matched to the start of Impact also.
What can I say about Impact that hasn't already been said. I thought that P+P couldn't possibly top the version from the RAH earlier this year. I got that horribly wrong. Listening back on the recording it clocked in at just about 10 mins but at the time it seemed alot longer (perhaps I'm just getting slow). There seemed about five different versions al amalgamated into the one tune. All around where I was shapes were being thrown with abandon and a good time was being had by all. The intensity was only heightened by the mix into Wonky which just kept everything on a dizzying plateau. I even saw some serious head-banging going on a few of the punters.
Badger nailed it when he mentioned the meld from Wonky into Are We Here. I didn't recognise it until the jungle beat started up. The Orson Welles bit in the middle was kookily brilliant. Funnily enough I thought it was too short and was surprised to hear the Carpenters so early but I think the Lads were beginning to push it a bit at this stage to get in as much as they could. Chime followed with all it's usual bounce but again surprised there was no Crime. Instead Stringy Acid popped into the mix and brought us all along a wonderful ending. Or so we thought. I know curfew had been reached by the end of Stringy Acid but we had one final tune. And what a tune. Where is it Going? This was no 5 minute coda. It just went on and on and on... this is how an Orbital finisher should be. I thought it had finished at least twice but it kept coming back until it finally did end.
To be honest, even two days on much has become a blur and I wasn't able to remember of the top of my head the set list or the aftermath of the gig and had to prompt myself with the recording. The Lads seemed happy with the gig judging by their reaction at the end. They walk off smiling, which was a result if the earlier shennanigans were anything to go by. I'm hoping they will grace our shores again before the end of the year or perhaps early in the new year. Either way my next hope is perhaps a gig in the UK. but I'm not holding my breath at being able to get away again. If that being so I will say it has been a roller-coaster of a year with the Lads and a ride I wouldn't have missed for the world.
Kudos Gentlemen, keep it going.
ps
Badger, when I said they were over time at the end I actually meant the broadcast. It had always been meant to finish at 2 am and that's what they did. I'll talk to a few folk and see if they actually continued to record the gig and I'll let you know.
Re: Leccy Piccy
Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 7:13 pm
by legspin
An interview with the Lads from the Picnic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Kb3Iyl6wcU
Re: Leccy Piccy
Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 11:16 pm
by Badger
Awesome review as always Rich. Pity bout the broadcast ending at 2...would've loved to have heard Chime go into Stringy Acid...nice new reshuffle of the set enders.
If you have any joy with the recording let me know.
Re: Leccy Piccy
Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2012 12:41 pm
by legspin
Have put out a few feelers already. I'll keep you informed as best I can.