The sixth instalment of Electric Picnic takes place this weekend in Stradbally, County Laois. It began as a one-day fest in 2004 and I attended it in 2005 when it turned into a two-day festival. I saw some great acts that year such as Kraftwerk, the Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev, Nick Cave and Toots & the Maytals. The atmosphere was very relaxed and the crowd was nice and chilled out. It’s been a three-day event since 2006 and is still a big draw. I would have loved to have gone this year, but I’m a bit light of pocket after all my gallivanting this summer. Besides, each person who attends is only allowed 48 x 500ml cans of beer. Sure, they’d be gone by Saturday. I’ve checked out this year’s line-up and I’ve put together a selection of songs from 21 acts that would be worth a few minutes of your time. Here’s hoping that the weather will remain fine for the weekend and that those attending will enjoy it as much as I did a few years ago
Some Songs For Stradbally 2009
“We like to watch you laughing/You pick the insects off plants/No time to think of consequences”
“Always denied entry by the English gentry/Now we’re driving Bentleys/Playing 20/20”
02 The Age of Revolution – Duckworth Lewis Method
“I was following the pack/All swallowed in their coats/With scarves of red tied ’round their throats”
03 White Winter Hymnal – Fleet Foxes
“Words can never make up for what you do/Easy conversations, there’s no such thing”
04 Dance Dance Dance – Lykke Li
“She waits her turn she waits her time/And all her love it sings, it shines”
05 Splishy Splashy – Lisa Hannigan
“She doesn’t think too much about the meaning of her life/She thinks she’s happy and you think you’re right”
06 One More Time – Julie Feeney
“People they laugh when they hear you’re from my town/They say it’s a sour and used-up old place”
07 Thrice All-American – Neko Case
“I said, Hey! Girl with one eye/Get your filthy fingers out of my pie”
08 Girl With One Eye – Florence & the Machine
“Footsteps on the dance floor reminds me baby of you/Teardrops in my eyes/Next time I’ll be true, yeah”
09 Teardrops (Womack & Womack cover) – The xx
“You can checkout any time you like/But you can never leave”
10 Hotel California – (The Eagles cover) – Alabama 3
“It’s been too long since we took the time/No-one’s to blame/I know time flies so quickly”
11 (Just Like) Starting Over (John Lennon cover) – The Flaming Lips
“Daylight whipped me into shape/I must have been asleep for days”
12 Just Like Heaven (The Cure cover) – Dinosaur Jr
“Sometimes when I step outside I see you standing right in front of me”
13 Another One Goes By (Mazarin cover) – The Walkmen
“Youth and truth are makin’ love/Dig it for a starter/Dyin’ young is hard to take/Sellin’ out is harder”
14 Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) – Magazine
“And I’m walkin’ home/The last bus is long gone”
15 Dancing In The Moonlight (Thin Lizzy cover) – David Kitt
“Hey you! Don’t watch that/Watch this!”
“See if I was in your blood/Then you wouldn’t be so ugly”
17 Annie, I’m Not Your Daddy – Kid Creole & the Coconuts
“The laws of gravity are very, very strict/And you’re just bending them for your own benefit”
18 She’s Got A New Spell – Billy Bragg
“Conquering myself/Until I see another hurdle approaching”
19 The Cutter – Echo & the Bunnymen
“She was once mine/That smile that shines/From the glossy magazine that’s stuck inside the Sunday Times”
20 Calling And Not Calling My Ex – Okkervil River
“And I ran, I ran so far away/I just ran, I ran all night and day/I couldn’t get away”
Town Full of Losers 