Reykjavík Grapevine - 12.09.2008, Qupperneq 24

24 | REYKJAVÍK GRAPEVINE | ISSUE 14—2008
Tilveran Restaurant – tel. (+354) 565-5250 – Linnetstíg 1, Hafnarörður
Tilveran Restaurant in the heart of Hafnarörður
Fresh sh every day in a iendly atmosphere.
Open:
Mondays-Saturdays 11:30-22:30
Sundays 16:00-22:30
Now open
on Sundays!
DESTINATION BY STeInunn JAKoBSDÓTTIR — pHoToS BY STeve RYAn
After a two-hour drive from Dublin, a group of Elec-
tric Picnicers, myself included, arrived at Stradbally
Hall in Laois County on Friday night. The country-
side campsite was already packed but we managed
to squeeze our tents into the tiny patch of grass left
just in time for Sigur Rós. We had just toasted to
our brilliant camping skills when we could hear
‘Hoppípolla’ in the distance, so we hurried along
with the stream of anticipated festival-goers to the
Main Stage where the band headlined the opening
night of Ireland’s Electric Picnic Festival this year
(August 29–31).
A huge group had gathered in front of the
venue for the last act of the night. They played a
mix of old and new tunes, but it was the songs from
their new more upbeat release ‘Með suð í eyrum
við spilum endalaust’ that got the crowd really mov-
ing. “They evoke so many emotions. They are just
amazing!” my friend said to me as they finished
‘Gobbledigook’ and a very proud Icelander nod-
ded agreeing while watching them charm every
single soul in the audience. When listening to ‘Inní
mér syngur vitleysingur’ I just knew this would be
an unforgettable weekend. After enjoying a long
mesmerizing set, a very satisfied group of old and
new Sigur Rós fans danced into the night. None of
us could have prayed for a better beginning of the
festival.
SO MuCH MORE THAN A MuSIC fESTIVAl
In its fifth year, the three-day outdoor music fiesta
has grown in size and popularity and the bill has
at the same time become bigger and better. This
year, the line-up –featuring big names such as My
Bloody Valentine, Wilco, The Roots, Duffy, Franz
Ferdinand, Crystal Castles, Turin Brakes and The
Sex Pistols among countless of intriguing smaller
acts – attracted around 35.000 music-fans, party-
animals and families with small children. A very
diverse group of concertgoers that all shared the
same important mission: to make the most of the
three days and say goodbye to summer in a proper
anything-goes manner.
The organisers’ aim is to cater to everyone’s
taste. Whether you’re looking for good music, hu-
morous theatre performances, poetry readings,
movie screenings or all-night parties, you will find
it at Electric Picnic. I soon realized that it wasn’t the
international big-shots in the music department
that drew the friendly bunch to the field. The major-
ity were there for the whole mix and when such a
diverse group of creative people put their heart and
soul into making something unique for attendants
to enjoy, the cocktail just can’t go wrong.
When we got up on Saturday the campsite
was already well awake. Hungry festival-goers
queued for coffee or falafels at the many appetiz-
ing food stalls, stocked up on beer-supplies or
peeked inside the numerous tiny tents, all featuring
some curious happenings inside. Saying that I was
amazed when walking around the area would be a
huge understatement. I was awestruck! The atmo-
sphere was unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed.
The heart of the festival, the colourfully deco-
rated Body and Soul village, was one giant art piece
in itself, where in between concerts you could get
a massage, view sand-sculptors and installations,
watch fire-eaters and circus performers or just
chill-out in the hammocks and chat about previ-
ous or forthcoming concerts. It was like being in a
magical wonderland and all the costume-dressed
(or non-dressed) people stumbling around added
a good dose of confusion to the whole experience.
The village boasted such a huge charisma that it
was almost impossible to leave.
NOT SuCH A SIlENT DISCO
Picnicers were luckily blessed with good weather
and thanks to environmental activists encouraging
everyone to be concerned about the environment
and use eco-beer cups and bin their empties, the
area was surprisingly clean. The two eco-friendly
days passed fast, and as much as we tried to hurry
between acts, there was always something that
caught our eyes and urged us to stop, even though
we had to sacrifice the music. You can’t really walk
past a sign reading ‘Get high on oxygen’ and not try
it or spot a fun-ride and not have a spin. Can you?
After lazily scouting the area we managed to
see Warlords of Pez perform. The space-creatures,
dressed in some extravagant animal costumes, had
travelled from a galaxy far, far away just to please
the large crowd gathered, and it was a total may-
hem from the first scream, on-stage and off. I still
have troubles wrapping my mind around the whole
show. It was just too much craziness for my brain to
handle.
The night only went uphill from there and
when the last acts finished on Saturday night the
fun was only beginning. Concert-goers aching for
some more partying moved the celebration to the
many indoor and outdoor bars around so there
was nothing left but to join the circus and dance!
Late into the night, I found myself at the Silent Dis-
co, watching a bit shocked as a huge crowd with
wireless yellow headphones jumped around in a
cramped tent while screaming their lungs out, with
no music playing. After putting on my headphones
there was nothing stopping me from behaving just
as lunatic as the others and although the DJ played
some all-too-clichéd club-tunes it really didn’t mat-
ter. Taking off the headphones and watching the
whole scenario was the best part though. Hilarious
to say the least. Something Reykjavík’s bar-owners
should definitely check out.
KNOWING CONOR OBERST
In desperate need of some fast recovery after last
night’s dancing, coffee and a healthy smoothie
proved to be just enough fuel to enjoy Hercules
and Love Affair’s set, early Sunday afternoon. I have
to say that the timing was a bit odd but that didn’t
stop the band from winning the tired souls over nor
the crowd from going wild when party-hit ‘Blind’
blasted from the speakers. The sexy Brazilians in
CSS who played later in the afternoon didn’t fail
to impress either, oozing danceable energy just as
if performing at a sweaty nightclub way past mid-
night.
For me, I have to say the highlight, musically, was
to finally see Conor Oberst live on Sunday night.
While Chromeo played the next tent and Sex Pis-
tols headlined the Main Stage, easy-going Bright
Eyes fans looking for a more relaxed ending to the
weekend filled the Crawdaddy tent and Oberst sure
didn’t betray his many admirers. Where Sigur Rós
had raised the bar high into the sky two nights be-
fore, Oberst followed easily in their footsteps with
his unique fragile voice and incredible charisma.
There was still plenty more partying to go but his
set was such a perfect goodbye to an awesome fes-
tival that I decided to join a tired but happy group
of Picnicers who dragged their tents back to the
buses.
“This was some crazy weekend. I didn’t re-
ally see that many concerts though,” my seatmate
said to me as we drove back to Dublin. “It’s so
much more than about the music, you know,” he
added. That pretty much summed up the weekend,
a line I had heard repeatedly over the past three
days. Electric Picnic is so much more than a music
festival. It’s a weekend where music meets art in a
glorious attempt to celebrate life, love and friend-
ships and all the great bands are an extra bonus.
Describing the whole event would be impossible,
so with nothing left to say I strongly encourage you
all to check out Electric Picnic next year and expe-
rience the madness yourselves.
Waking Up in Wonderland
The Grapevine visits Electric Picnic Music Festival
the Future is trulY ours... ...just hoW Bright it looks is deBateaBle