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Main stage (11pm) 2nd June
Tweet: Arguably the bravest and most vital set of the day!
What happened:
Bold, ambitious, unpredictable and huge! Fresh from a UK tour, Mojo Fury storm the stage determined not to waste a single second. From the get-go, things are different and urgent. The drums are set up to the extreme left of the stage to make way for their brand new drummer (ex-Brigade skins man) Andrew Kearton. The first half of their set is almost entirely made up of new tracks, some of which are being aired in public for the first time. Opener 鈥淪afe in the Arms鈥 starts off with confident Mojo angularity before James鈥 shimmering guitar line joins the dots and colours it in to reveal one of the most stunning tracks they鈥檝e penned so far. 鈥淕rounds鈥 (formerly 鈥淚 Ain鈥檛 Sharin鈥欌) is greeted like an old favourite. We get a handful of tracks from 鈥淰isiting Hours of a Travelling Circus鈥 of which 鈥淭he Colour of the Bear鈥 and 鈥淲e Should Just Run Away鈥 are the standouts 鈥 the latter now a bona fide Northern Irish anthem, before finishing on new song 鈥淭o Comprehend鈥. For the encore, they took on 鈥淢arch of the Pigs鈥 by Nine Inch Nails. It was a perfect end to a truly remarkable set.
Yes: Ciaran鈥檚 bass detonations on 鈥淕rounds鈥 and the spirit of joyous adventure from start to finish!
No: One of the new songs had a slightly worrying funk element but we鈥檒l keep the jury out until we hear the album version.
Rating: 9/10
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Main Stage (10pm) Sat 2nd June
Tweet: Short but sweet.
What happened: Mmoths (AKA Kildare producer Jack Colleran) was one of the most anticipated acts on tonights bill and with good reason. His prodigious talent was introduced on his breathtaking eponymous debut EP (my vinyl copy is already a treasured possession!) and, on the strength of the new tracks played tonight, it looks as if the next EP will be even more beautiful and more imaginative than the first. So why is it that his set doesn鈥檛 completely work for me? For starters, it鈥檚 too short 鈥 30 minutes doesn鈥檛 really cut it for the penultimate act on the main stage at a festival. The music was stunning from the word go and sounded incredible through the huge festival speakers but the performance lacked something. Maybe it鈥檚 the nature of the beast for electronic producers but, in spite of the fact that I watched him firing samples live, it felt like 90% of the set could鈥檝e been simply played out on record. The most interesting live embellishment came half way through 鈥淭HNX鈥 when he added a cavernous bass kick, offering a tantalising glimpse of where the live set could go in the future.
Yes: The new tracks sounded sensational!
No: Disappointingly short set.
Rating: 7/10
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Engine Room, 7pm Sat 2nd June
Tweet:
Full Tilt
What happened: It was at Pigstock last year that it was announced that bassist Herb Magee would leave the band. Since then, they鈥檝e released the mesmeric 鈥淓asy Meat鈥 album and hired new bassist, Oisin O鈥橠oherty. Tonight, he looks at his most comfortable on stage since he joined, casually singing along one minute, thrashing the bass to within an inch of its life the next. Which is exactly how the band are tonight 鈥 they effortlessly deliver what other rock bands strive throughout their entire careers to achieve and never do. White hot, sheet-metal riffs and music that could only come from here but could go anywhere! 鈥淭upenny Nudger鈥 is magnificent, as usual, but no longer feels like the 鈥榖ig鈥 song simply because it鈥檚 a set of 鈥榖ig鈥 songs. The tense build-up in 鈥淢r Heskey鈥 goes on too long for my liking but when it releases, it unleashes a frantic circle pit! 鈥淭he Ballad of Burnt Dave鈥 is beset by blister burns from the PA but still packs a huge emotional punch and 鈥淐hopper鈥 threatens to completely wreck the place. Yet another awe-inspiring set!
Pro: Dave鈥檚 delight at the circle pit - 鈥淚t was as if someone from above was stirring a big bowl of people...but you couldn鈥檛 see the spoon鈥 and, of course, 11 slabs of life-affirming, death-defying rock n roll!
Con: The snap, crackle and pop of the PA throughout the last 3 songs and the extended build up in Mr Heskey.
Rating: 9/10
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