| Electric Picnic 2009 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Indie |
| Dates | 4–6 September 2009 |
| Locations | Stradbally Hall,Stradbally,County Laois,Ireland |
| Website | www.electricpicnic.ie |
Electric Picnic 2009 was the sixth edition of theElectric Picnic festival to take place. The three-day event took place on the weekend of Friday 4 September, Saturday 5 September and Sunday 6 September atStradbally Hall inStradbally,County Laois,Ireland. The festival was launched on 15 April 2009 and featured performances from artists such asOrbital,The Flaming Lips,Brian Wilson,Basement Jaxx,Madness,Klaxons,Bell X1,Fleet Foxes andMGMT.
Orbital and The Flaming Lips released albums prior to their appearances.[1]Dan Deacon was replaced in the line-up byThe Jimmy Cake the week before.[2]
Prior to 2009, the festival was jointly organised betweenPod Concerts andAiken Promotions. TheBritish promoterFestival Republic bought out the share of Aiken Promotions in Electric Picnic in March 2009, joining in a partnership with Pod Concerts to organise the 2009 event.Festival Republic is itself 50.1% owned byLive Nation who are the biggest concert and festival promoter in the world so this move is now seen by many as a positive move for the festival.[3][4]
On Friday 10 October 2008, a limited number of ‘Early Bird’ tickets went on sale at the 2008 price of €199, which includes camping. The early bird tickets sold out in days.[5][6] Tickets for the festival then went on sale on 17 April 2009 at 09:00.[7] The Family Ticket, which was introduced forElectric Picnic 2008, returned, allowing two adults and as many as four children to live in the Family Campsite for the weekend.[3][7][8] The festival was declared a sell-out by promoter John Reynolds.[9]
Electric Picnic 2009 was launched on 15 April 2009 in Harcourt Street withAlice in Wonderland andBell X1.[10] The initial announcement included forty-seven acts.[11] Artist booker Declan Forde stated that shower and lavatory conditions will be a top priority for the 2009 festival.[8] Amongst the first acts announced wereOrbital,The Flaming Lips,Basement Jaxx,Madness,Klaxons,Bell X1,Fleet Foxes andMGMT.[12]Bell X1 andRodrigo y Gabriela made their Electric Picnic debuts, whilstChic made their first ever Irish appearance at the festival.[12][13] Also appearing wereSeasick Steve,2 Many DJs,Jape,Lisa Hannigan,Damien Dempsey,Alabama 3,Bat for Lashes,Imelda May,Echo & the Bunnymen,Magazine,Halfset andVillagers.[12][13]The Low Anthem played on 4 September[14] TheIrish Independent described the mix of acts unveiled at the launch as consisting of "reformed supergroups, cult indie acts, and a couple of hot young things".[15] More acts were announced at a later date.[16]
Brian Wilson,Röyksopp,Amadou & Mariam,The Wailers,Fionn Regan,Mundy,James Murphy and Pat Mahoney ofLCD Soundsystem,A Flock of Seagulls,Bell Orchestre,The Field,Jeffrey Lewis,Marina and the Diamonds andRichmond Fontaine were announced on 13 May 2009.[17][18]The Big Pink were added on 29 May.[19]
The Stradbally Laughs line-up was announced on 16 July 2009 and includedSean Hughes,Phil Nichol,Brendon Burns,Gavin Webster,Kevin Bridges,Joe Rooney,Eric Lalor,Andrew Stanley,Damien Clarke,Dead Cat Bounce andSteve Frost's Impro All-Stars featuringAndy Smart,Steve Steen,Richard Vrench andIan Coppinger.[20]Tommy Tiernan will headline the comedy tent.[21]
More acts were added on 22 July 2009. These includedFlorence and the Machine,Baaba Maal,The Duckworth Lewis Method,Mick Flannery,The Big Pink,Nightmares on Wax Soundsystem,Laura Izibor,Two Door Cinema Club,Blitzen Trapper,Wave Machines,Peter Broderick, Cap Pas Cap andStee Downes.[22]
On 30 July, more acts were announced, includingBeach House, Blindfold,The Soundcarriers,Amorphous Androgynous,Golden Animals, theTulla Céilí Band andLamb.[23]Boy 8-Bit was also announced.[24]
On 4 August, it was revealed that there would be a recycling tent which would feature a display of ancient technological equipment such as theWalkman.[25]
On 13 August, it was revealed thatThe xx would be appearing at the festival.[26]
On 18 August, the Poptopia! line-up was announced, featuring acts such asDark Room Notes,Neosupervital andMiss Panti.[27]
On 19 August, several more acts were announced. These includedPassion Pit, Our Fold,David Kitt,David Geraghty,8-Ball,The Hacker,Optomo DJs,Switch,Zombie Nation,Duke Dumont,Aeroplane DJs,Ebony Bones!,Arveene & Misk,The Japanese Popstars andLuciano.[28]
Rodrigo y Gabriela returned fromMexico where they had gone after eight years of working in Dublin.[29] They launched their album11:11 on the Friday night.[29]
The first additions to the line-up for the fifthHot Press Chatroom to occur at Electric Picnic wereBell X1,Damien Dempsey,ABC'sMartin Fry,Dinosaur Jr.,The Duckworth Lewis Method,Richmond Fontaine,The Sugarhill Gang andThe Wailers.[30]
The xx were confirmed on 1 September to participate in the signing session on the Saturday of Electric Picnic.[31] Also added as the festival approached wereAlabama 3 (Sunday) andTommy Tiernan (Saturday),[32]Zero 7 (Friday),[33]Lykke Li (Friday),Billy Bragg andThe Walkmen (both Saturday).[34][35]Seasick Steve was announced for the Friday night as the full timetable was revealed on 3 September.[36]
“Six million? I would have got 10 or 12 million out of that. No fucking problem! Fuck them. Two at a time, they would have gone. Hold hands, get in there! Leave us your teeth and your glasses”.
The controversial comedianTommy Tiernan caused controversy with a series of jokes, which were later perceived asantisemitic, following an interview session withHot Press'sOlaf Tyaransen at the festival. One member of the audience posed the question:
Going by yourNazi joke and your oddIsraeli joke, have you ever been accused of beingantisemitic?[37]
Tiernan responded:
Have I ever been accused of being anti-Semitic? I certainly have, yeah. InAmerica, these two people waited for me after a show. I used to do this joke about… the Jews say they never killedJesus, and the joke was, I would say the line, "Well, it wasn't the fuckingMexicans", was the joke, like. Yeah, Jewish people came up to me afterwards... Have you ever seen people whose eyes are so aflame with righteousness… The whites of their eyes are so pure and fucking white. They're just one-stream people, they're not people that have gaps for more than one train of thought. This one train of thought fucking purifies them. And these people were just that "the Israelis are a hounded people". And God, Olaf might have more to say about that than me, but... You know, whatever, I'm not here to hound anybody, but these people come up to me afterwards…"[37]
The audience, however, appeared to enjoy the jokes and clapped and cheered as Tiernan referred to Jews as "fucking Christ-killing bastards" and said he would have "got 10 or 12 million" of them during theHolocaust.[37]
Fine Gael's JewishTDAlan Shatter said afterwards: "I would regard it as particularly sad that people found that sort of outburst in any way amusing".[37]Hot Press editorNiall Stokes defended Tiernan, saying Tiernan was only "taking thepiss".[38] Tiernan, speaking through theHot Press website in a statement later published in the magazine, said he was "quite bewildered" and "greatly upset by the thought that these comments have caused hurt to others as this was never my intention".[39][40] Tyaransen himself defended the interview in hisEvening Herald column, saying the remarks had been taken "out of context" and that nobody had reported Tiernan's other jokes aboutTaoiseachBrian Cowen—"The man should be sent to prison; we should adopt Chinesegulags"—orRyan Tubridy's debut as host ofThe Late Late Show—"It's like discovering thatKermit the Frog is a serial killer".[41] However, the controversy led to condemnation of the comedian in theIsraeli media.[42] A representative of Tiernan said to Tyaransen: "This quote is being touted around the world as something Tommy told you in an interview. But really it was a public performance".[41]
Tiernan was later dropped from theJust for Laughs festival line-up inCanada as a result of the remarks.[43][44]
Areas to return from previous years include the Body & Soul Arena, Comedy Tent, Spoken Word Area, Greencrafts area and theHot Press Chatroom.[7][16] The Body & Soul arena will be expanded in 2009.[15] The Mindfield Arena was launched on 23 June 2009, with the Leviathan Political Cabaret, due to be MC'ed byDavid McWilliams, returning for a fourth year, the Mindfield All-Star News Quiz being hosted byChannel 4 News presenterJon Snow, an appearance byRyan Tubridy and The Word's house bandThe Aftermath.[45][46]Olaf Tyaransen was also confirmed to be giving a reading on the Saturday at Spoken Word.[47]
The Arts Council Literary Stage featuredJulie Feeney,Mundy,Tommy Tiernan andFlorence Welsh who each read works by writers who inspired them.[2]
Transmission Panti was a live televised show which took place in the Thisispopbaby tent. It featured authorIrvine Welsh, Richie Egan fromJape and Stradbally Hall's owner Thomas Cosby.[2]
In the week leading up to Electric Picnic, gardaí seized over €100,000 of illegal drugs, €5,000 cash and three people following a raid inBoyle,County Roscommon.[48] The drugs, comprising cannabis, cocaine and ecstasy, were thought to have been made ready for distribution at the festival.[48]
Following the festival, gardaí sought assistance from the general public as to the whereabouts of a 19-year-old man fromTramore,County Waterford, who had last been seen in the Electric Picnic campsite.[49][50][51][52][53][54] He was found alive five days later in a field.[55]
Several acts announced further Irish performances after Electric Picnic. These includedDamien Dempsey,Julie Feeney,Mick Flannery,Richmond Fontaine,Mundy andThe Wailers.[56] AndBasement Jaxx.[57]
The day and stage breakdown was revealed on 26 August.[58]
The comedian made highly inflammatory remarks about the Holocaust at the Electric Picnic music festival in Co Laois last month. [...] According to the Just for Laughs spokeswoman Leisa Lee, "both the festival and Tiernan agreed that it was in everyone's best interest that he drop out of the coming national tour." "He deeply regrets any hurt he has caused," she added.
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