Micky Sutton

So it’s been confirmed, Blink 182 have actually grown up, this saddens me. I loved their old stuff, fart and dick jokes will always be funny, at least to me anyway. I am a huge Blink 182 fan and always have been ever since I heard What’s My Age Again on Kerrang TV when I was 10 years old, but I don’t know what to think of the “new” Blink.  Their latest album, entitled Neighborhoods is the bands first release since they got back together in 2009, it is their sixth studio album but unfortunately I can’t make up my mind, do I love it or hate it?

Its been 8 years since we heard anything from Blink, that’s a pretty long time and a lot of things have changed since then, Tom DeLonge battled and beat cancer and Travis Barker survived a plane crashed that killed one of the bands closest friends.

The album has shown the change in the band from their break up in 2005, the lyrics are dark and serious, reflecting on their past eight unsteady years. Their last album, the self titled Blink 182 was a major mile stone in the band breaking away form their normal immature barrage of pop punk, up beat and fun songs (not that that’s a bad thing), in saying that the album still contained elements of “old” Blink, the three chord punk component was still there, accompanied by fast drums and heavy guitars, only the lyrical style had really changed. This new album, along with “new” Blink is completely different.

Blink 182- Neighborhoods

Neighborhoods is totally different, it is more mature, more musically diverse, riddled with heavy effects and synthesized sounds that are a million miles away from Enema of the State or Take of You’re Pants and Jacket. The first single from the album Up All Night, sounds as if Angels and Airwaves and Blink 182 smashed together and are battling it out to win the rhythmic style of the song. I like it though, it’s different, different can be good? Can’t it?

Some of the songs like Love is Dangerous and Ghost on the Dance Floor start out with a huge amount of electric embellishments whereas songs like Hearts all Gone and MH 4.18.2011 keep the punk core and wouldn’t be out of place on any of the bands earlier albums. They help strike a balance between the “new” and “old” Blink, that I think works really well.

I’m starting to think of this album as an evolutionary step in the bands creativity, they are starting to stray away from what they are used to doing, and what they had been doing for more than 13 years. This album shows that they are capable of creating serious music; they are older and wiser and have more important and passionate matters to write about, their style has changed and this album reflects that. I do like it…I mean I think I do…do I? Ask me later and hopefully I will have a better answer. I’ve got tickets for their gig in Belfast next summer, can’t wait! I should know by then.

Blink 182′s Neighborhoods is available for download and in stores now.

www.blink182.com

I was looking forward to this gig for months, Flogging Molly have been one of my favourite bands since I was a young teenager. This is only the second time in the bands history that they have gigged in good old ‘Norn Ireland’. I have seen them before at Oxegen in 2008 and they were awesome. Three years later the band descended on Belfast city with their mighty mash of Punk rock and Irish traditional music in a fury of intense passion and energy that their live shows have been made famous for.

With the release of their new album The Speed of Darkness, the band had plenty of new material to freshen up their set list. The band walks on stage and the already bouncing crowd erupts into a sea of flailing limbs and complete mayhem as they burst into their set with The Likes of You Again and Swagger, two of my favourite Flogging Molly songs. With the Irish born front man, Dave King, swigging on tins of Guinness in between songs the band proceeded to belt out tune after tune.

In all the hype and excitement of the gig, the band remained very humble. Dave was constantly dedicating songs to people in the crowd that caught his eye, one guy in particular with a foot high mow-hawk, and thanking people for coming out. The set list was full of old and new material, there was even a point in the gig where the band played a few acoustic songs allowing the crowd a well deserved break from all the moshing and dancing.

With such a back catalogue of epic tunes the band was able to keep the crowd engrossed throughout the show, songs like Devils Dance Floor, Drunken Lullabies and What’s Left of the Flag created swirling masses of people within the audience. The whole show was brilliant from start to finish.

I was even lucky enough to get to meet Nathan Maxwell (bass player) after the gig. He came off stage after the show and was delighted to stand and hang out with the remaining crowd, signing autographs and handing out memorabilia from the show. A very cool guy. I had met him after the bands Oxegen appearance in 2008 but I doubt he remembered me.  I got a picture with him back then and he was more than happy to pose for one after the Mandela Hall show, unfortunately my piece of sh*t, cheep ass generic SD card decided to corrupt on my way home and I lost the picture. But here is Nathan and I back in 2008.

Nathan Maxwell and I

Flogging Molly played a gig of epic proportions, their new album is a must listen. The gig had everything that I look for in a concert, brilliant songs, great banter between the band and the audience, and above all down to earth musicians that are genuinely thrilled at the opportunity to perform to any of their fans.

The band are currently touring the UK, get onto their website and check them out if they are playing near you.

www.floggingmolly.com

Dan Deacon is an electronic musician and composer from Baltimore, he is known for his lively and intimate gigs, playing down in the crowd were he invites the people to partake in various collective forms of audience participation.

Having only gotten into Dan Deacon and his style of music a few months prior to his show I had no idea what was in store. I was surprised to see him setting up his equipment right in front of the stage, it was simply a table with an array of effects pedals, a busted looking keyboard and various other pieces of electronic equipment with Dan stood behind it. No barriers or anything separating him from the audience.

Dan's Setup

This was probably the most intense gig I had ever been to, not in a bad way though, more an intense where it is impossible to stop dancing and moving. You can try and take a break from it all, but then something will happen were the music just grabs you and takes control and there is nothing you can do about it. By the end of it all I was completely wrecked and soaked in sweat, probably not all of it my own.

The way Dan engages the crowd was amazing, the first instance of audience participation came in the form of a dance off whereby Dan ordered the crowd to form a circle and picked two people to have a dance off in the middle of it, they could then “tag in” other audience members to take their place, it was pretty cool. People really went all out; throwing amazingly ludicrous shapes left right and centre.

My favourite though was the human tunnel, Dan picked two people and got them to stand face to face and make an arch with their arms, then two more had to pass under the arch and link hands to form another arch, then everyone has to pass under and do the same and continue it throughout the venue. It stretched the whole way around The Button Factory, it was awesome. If you don’t know what I’m talking about then check out the video below.

I find Dan Deacon’s style of music hard to describe, mainly because I am new to the whole electric genre, but for me it’s a mix of amazing electric noise that has the ability to conjure up a feeling of energy and an almost happiness-like wave of excitement. When listening to some of his songs you’ll find they have a point within the first 20 seconds where they just simply explode with energy in the form of crazy rhythms and note progressions that I find it hard to not bop along to, Songs like Crystal Cat and Paddling Ghost. But some of his music, especially his earlier work, I do find hard to listen to, but maybe that’s because I just don’t get it or something, admittedly it does just sound like noise to me.

This was one of my all time favourite gigs I have ever been to; it was epic in every sense of the word. An experience like nothing I’ve ever been part of before. Everyone should go to a Dan Deacon gig at least once in their life. Simply Awesome!
 

www.dandeacon.com

www.facebook.com/dandeacon

Review and highlights from Saturday at the Oxegen Festival 2011

The Weather: Good day, no rain and pretty sunny. Not as hot as Saturday and slightly overcast. Perfect festival weather if you ask me.

Ocean Colour Scene: These guys really know how to play a show, they would need to know by now after being together for so long. They were great, I sat on the sidelines eating some noodles for the most part of the gig, just taking it all in (the music, not the noodles). The set was packed with all of their hits, with The day we Caught the Train being my favourite song that they performed. Nice and relaxed 8/10

Slash: It’s hard not to get lost in the string of hits from Guns ‘n’ Roses to Velvet Revolver and even some of his lesser know solo material. It was hearing the master himself play Sweet Child O Mine and Paradise City that really did it for me. A great performance, a surprise from The Black Eyed Peas’ Fergie who joined Slash on stage for the song Beautiful Dangerous. The last of the great guitarist, true rock and roll, the stuff Oxegen used to be all about. 7/10

Beyonce: Not being a fan of Beyonce I really wasn’t expecting to enjoy myself as much as I did. I even caught myself singing at the top of my voice on a couple of occasions. She put on one amazing show, such a great singer and a great talent. Her all female backing band were equally as amazing as her, not missing a note even in ridiculously sized heels. A lot of crowd interaction throughout her performance, she even walked down along the front of the crowd during one of her songs, closely followed by a burly security guard or two. Fun show 8/10

Coldplay: I do not like Coldplay at all, their dreary music just isn’t my cup of tea, now hear this…they put on an excellent show. Fireworks as the band walked on stage wasn’t the only surprise, there were giant inflatable multi-coloured balls let into the crowd and the band was even joined on stage by the legendary Mr Christie Moore. Not the best band to end the weekend with but still not bad either. 7/10

Review and highlights from Saturday at the Oxegen Festival 2011

The Weather: Best weather of the whole weekend, it was a scorcher! Sun hats and suncream all round. Sun shone all day, no rain at all. Awesome.

The Pretty Reckless: I’m not a huge fan of these guys but they did play a pretty sweet gig, the lead singer (Taylor Monsen) is completely mad. She has just turned 18 and was on stage wearing mainly nothing if I’m honest, not that I’m not complaining though. They played their all their hits from their debut album Light Me Up and had the whole crowd was going mental. I really enjoyed their show. 7/10

Bruno Mars:  I went to see him not expecting too much of a show if I’m honest, I couldn’t have been more wrong. He was brilliant! I really enjoyed his gig. He played through all his hits and even surprised me with his own mash-up of  ”Smells Like Teen Spirist/Billie Jean with Seven Nation Army”, it was pretty cool. Pretty cool show. 8/10

Two Door Cinema Club: The Bangor lads really couldn’t have played better. They were fantastic. I didn’t stick around for their full set sadly but I did get to hear most of their hits. I Can Talk immediately drawing more people into the audience from the surrounding burger vans with them disappearing skipping deep into the crowd.  They played two new unheard songs that they say might make it into the their new album, should be good.  Good show. 7/10

Arctic Monkeys: The Arctic Monkeys were never always ones for great crowd interaction or banter, but then again with a back catalogue filled with hits like theirs why do they need to bother. I loved their show. The pit looked positively mental, each riff from their guitars pounding out of the massive speakers and hitting you like a punch in the chest, it was awesome. They played all the songs you would expect, they also did a lovely stripped down version of Mardy Bum which I really enjoyed. All round brilliant show. 9/10

Foo Fighters:  I cannot describe in words how amazingly, fantastically awesome this show was. It was the best performance I have ever seen from a band. Dave and Foos played such a great show. My ridiculously high expectations for this performance where met and succeeded a thousand times over.  They played for over two hours with their set packed with new and old material, a Queen cover, a guitar solo-off between Dave a Chris, and Taylor Hawkins singing Cold Day in the Sun form behind the drum kit. I was just in total awe throughout the entire show. I loved every second of it. My personal favourite part was when Dave shouts to the crowd “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the f***ing rock show!” and the whole crowd going mental. Seeing them perform songs like  Best of You and Times Like These was something exceptional, Dave singing Wheels with the crowd and without the rest of the band was like nothing else. This was the highlight of the entire weekend for me. 11/10

What a weekend, it was just simply awesome!! Definitely the best one I’ve been to so far. This is a three part post for my weekend, covering the bands I seen on each of the three days at the Oxegen Festival 2011.

Friday

The weather: Friday was the only day it rained, it completely lashed for about 2 hours or more in the afternoon. I was unlucky enough to get get caught in it coming back from Naas. It rained again that afternoon, another huge downpour when I was at the Strokes, I didn’t care though because…..well I was at The Strokes!!

Weezer: Simply amazing. I had never seen them live before and was syked for their show. The crowd started off pretty small but as they started belting out their more catchy and popular hits the crowd soon grew in size and in energy. I was in the pit for Weezer so had an awesome view. Their set list was filled with all their hits including Island in the Sun and Beverly Hills, finishing their show with Buddy Holly and the entire band gathering around the drum kit for a collective drum solo. Their also played a few covers, Wheatus’ Teenage Dirtbag and a superb rendition of RadioHead’s Paranoid Android. Definitely one of my favourite bands of the weekend. Their nerdy look and trademark Power-Pop songs got every person moving, 10/10.

My Chemical Romance: If I’m honest I was pretty disappointed with their show. For some reason they just didn’t seem as good I remembered them to be. I had seen them at Oxegen before in 2007 and thought they were great then, but this year I thought that were lacking something. I’m not really a huge fan of their new material so maybe that’s why I didn’t enjoy it as much. They also played weird “dark” music in between their songs which I didn’t get, that might work at their own gigs but I didn’t think it went with the “festival vibe”. Gerard Way also insisted on referring to the crowd as “Mother Fu*kers!” throughout the show which I thought was just…a bit unnecessary, don’t get me wrong I love a bit of casual swearing as much as the next guy, but not being called a Mother Fu*ker every three minutes would have been nice. They played flawlessly and had all of their big hits included in their set list, the guitar solos were immense and they did put on a good show. 5/10.

The Strokes: Between huge mosh pits and human triangles in the crowd I still couldn’t be distracted for too long with The Strokes firing out their hits on the stage. They put on a brilliant show, even though it lashed for the first half an hour of their gig I don’t think anyone’s spirits were dampened. Their set was full of new material as well as all their old hits, New York City Cops being one of my favourite songs as well as all their big ones from their debut album Is this it, with Last Night and Someday getting the whole crowd dancing.  I loved every minute of it. Their stage lights were pretty awesome too. I had never seen The Strokes live before and I was not disappointed, their show got even the least interested of the crowd jumping and shouting for more. 9/10

 

There were too many clashes of stage times for me on Friday, I would have loved to have seen The Script, Calvin Harris and Noah and the Whale, but unfortunately they clashed with the bands above.

In all a great first day to the festival. Keep an eye out for the another two posts for the Saturday and Sunday bands.

Oxegen is a huge festival, around 80,000 people descend on the Punchestown racecourse each year, and this year will be no different. If it’s your first time it’s never what you expect it to be. There are drunk people everywhere and the campsite is just a mass of tents that all look the same. It’s usually always muddy and everything always ends up soaking. But don’t let this put you off, Oxegen is an awesome experience, you will meet loads of weird and wonderful people and see loads of your favourite bands playing and rocking out for you and thousands of other festival goers. In this post I will give you a taste of what you should expect when you go to Oxegen, I will also try and give you some advice on certain aspects of the weekend, things you should do and things you should avoid.

On Arrival

Your bus will most likely leave at a ridiculous hour of the morning, depending where you are travelling from, this will give you plenty of time to drink on the bus, try not to get too drunk. I’ve tried pitching a tent when I was drunk, it doesn’t really work, the tent ends up a bit crooked or lop-sided as the drunken “that will do” attitude takes over.
When you do finally arrive be prepared for queues…long ones. You have to queue up to gain entrance, have your ticket and ID handy. Then you have to queue to get your bag searched, so if you are planning on bringing any banned items such as glass bottles, aerosols and the like, then I suggest you hide them deep inside your bags where the guards won’t find it.

Oxegen Entrance

Now you are in, the first thing you should do is find a spot to pitch your tent; all the good spots get picked first so try and be quick. Obviously avoid camping anywhere near the bogs, seriously the smell after the first day would knock out a walrus. Try and avoid camping at the edge of the paths that go through the campsite too, drunk people use these paths and often have tendencies to fall over on top of tents. Camp beside one of the several watch towers around the campsite, it’s a good way to find your tent and it also deters thieves. Pitch your tent as soon as your arrive, you will be glad you did when later you are too rote to even consider attempting it. I know the last two years I went you could donate a small amount to the Scouts and they would pitch your tent for you, at the risk of sounding sexist- this might be an option for a group of girls, or equally a bunch of lazy fellas or spice boys.

Camping

The camping part is as much craic as the music part. Plenty of drinking and singing and someone always has a guitar, this year that someone will be me. If you are with a group of people with a number of tents, pitch them all in a circle facing each other, its just better that way. The campsites are equipped with free water taps where you can refill your bottles of water at no cost. There are also hot showers, loads of food stands, including a Dominos Pizza stand this year….awesome, mobile phone recharging facilities and lots more. The blue campsite has lots of attractions including a funfair, silent disco and tribute stage where anyone can get up and sing a few tunes. Sleeping can be difficult enough, although usually not much sleeping is done anyway. Just make sure you know how to find you tent in the dark and take a walk about to see what’s what.

Sea of tents

Rain

The first year I went to Oxegen was 2007, the wettest year to date. Be prepared for it to rain, I can only hope that we get the sunniest weekend of the year but that is unlikely. Don’t let the rain dampen your spirits (lol), just make sure that you try your best to keep your tent and its contents dry. Make sure you have your wellies and a waterproof poncho, and store everything in plastic bags. You will be outside for the entire weekend so try to keep everything dry, bring a towel with you if you can.

Tramps

The people at Oxegen are usually some craic, but occasionally you will come across a few tramps. Tramps are usually a pack animal but they have also been known to travel alone. Be aware of these creatures, they are notoriously attracted to other people’s belongings and are thought to have no morals as they steal without a second thought. They can usually be found in some poor unfortunate person’s tent, rooting through bags and filling their pockets, they have also been spotted sitting on fold up chairs drinking Tesco own brand beer, and if asked where they got said chair they respond with “found it”. Don’t bring anything of value to Oxegen; there really is no need to. Keep all your belongings on your person at all times; a good tip is put everything in the bottom of your sleeping bag at your feet at night, at least that way no-one will try to steal it.
Get to know your neighbours and look out for each other and each others belongings, tramps usually avoid large groups of people.

Toilets

The toilets are just stinking, go as much as you can on the first day because come Saturday the smell will be unbearable. The toilets in the arena are usually in much better condition that the ones in the campsites so hold it in for them if you can. Look out for the Panda Waste Trucks; they “clean” out the toilets every other day which can get a rid of the smell for a bit. Bring toilet roll with you, it’s seriously worth its weight in gold down there. Hand sanitising gel is another good thing to have, there are no sinks to wash your hands. Just think of the hundreds of other people that have used the same loo as you, and who have touched the same door lock and handle as you. Yuk, bring hand cleaner or face wipes or something.

Arena

This is the main reason why anyone comes to Oxegen. There are four stages in the arena all with bands playing on them from around 2pm each day. This is the best part of the weekend. Running round seeing your favourite artists doing their thing all day, it’s awesome.

Like the campsite the arena has lots of other things going on, there is a funfair and loads of food stands. There is a bar that serves pints of Heineken for €1million a pint. There is also the Hotpress Signing tent where you can go get your favourite performer to sign t-shirts and other such things.

Mud

If it rains it will get muddy, very muddy very quickly. Watch out for the mud-man, there is always one and he always wants to give you a hug. He can be sly and sneak up behind you so watch your back. It’s always funny to watch him work though, be advised to keep you distance.

Muddy Boots!

Alcohol

I can’t really say too much about drink really, mainly because I don’t want to be a hypocrite. Don’t get wasted and turn into a dickhead, people won’t appreciate that. And don’t get yourself in such a mess that your friends will have to babysit you the whole day, that’s just selfish and unnecessary. Only drink what you can handle, I’m not saying you shouldn’t get drunk and have a laugh, you should totally get wasted at some stage, everyone does, but just be safe when you do. Watch out for GHB (date-rape drug), there are some bastards out there that wouldn’t think twice about spiking you.
Make sure you do bring enough booze to last you the weekend though

That’s really all I can think off, hope this helps prepare you for one of the best weekends of your summer. Oxegen or any festival is an awesome experience, you will come back with hundreds of stories to tell, just make sure they are all good ones.

See yous there

See you there dudes and dudettes!

Click www.oxegen.ie for more information on the line up and much more.

Micky out

Hello fellow festival-goers and welcome to my Oxegen Survival Guide. I would have loved someone to tell me exactly what I should bring and what I should expect on my first trip to Oxegen, so this guide is for you, the Oxegen/Festival newbies.

This is going to be a two part guide; this part will cover the essential items that you will need, nay depend on at Oxegen. The second part will be a “What to expect” section.

Oxegen 2011!

Ticket

Don’t be stupid and forget your ticket, and don’t be even more stupid and think you can “jump in” for free; it’s harder than you think. Speaking from experience, camping in a random field just isn’t as fun as being in the campsite, it’s also shit scary. The security is tight and very strict, no ticket no admittance. If you are fortunate enough to look under 21 it’s advised to bring I.D, you don’t want to be denied access just because of your baby face.

Tent

Your tent will be your home for the weekend so choose wisely. It needs to be totally water proof, in my experience there is no such thing as a totally water proof tent but try your best to get one. Don’t spend a fortune on a tent either, there is a good chance it won’t be coming home with you anyway. Avoid those silly pop up tents, sure they are great when it’s nice and sunny but if it rains, which it will, it is Ireland after all, then you will seriously regret it, even if they state that they are waterproof they just aren’t. Sleeping in a wet sleeping bag in a puddle is no fun. It’s a good idea to also check that your tent has all the poles, pegs and what ever else is needed to pitch it, it would suck if you got there and found out that there was a pole missing, its hard to make a lop-sided tent water proof.  It’s a good idea to pitch your tent at home before you go, not only will it give you practise (quick tent pitching is essential during a downpour), it will also allow you to see if anything is missing or if your tent is damaged. Don’t forget your sleeping bag, it can get cold at night.

Muddy Tents

Wellie Boots

These will be your best friend at Oxegen, not only will they keep your feet dry but joined with a pair of woolly socks they will also keep your feet toasty warm. If it rains, which it probably will, then there will be mud and lots of it. Wellie boots are the only footwear you should bring; even if it doesn’t rain there is nothing better for plodding around a field in than a pair of Wellie Boots. Beware though, like all things at Oxegen, these are a prized possession and if anyone has forgotten to pack their own they will gladly take yours when your back is turned. Keep them inside your tent at night, preferably in a plastic bag so you don’t get mud and god knows what else all over your tent floor.

Wellies!

Clothes

Oxegen is a music festival, not a fashion festival, only bring clothes that you won’t mind getting dirty and smelly, only pack practical and comfortable clothes. There is quite a hike from the bus drop off to the campsite so be wary of the weight of your bag. A couple of pairs on jeans, a few t-shirts, band t-shirts are a good choice, you can get all your favourite band t-shirts here at tshirtville.com. Bring plenty of clean socks and fresh underwear; your feet will become pretty smelly so fresh socks are a little slice of heaven after a day in the music arena. It’s a good idea to pack all your clothes into a couple of plastic bags; they are ideal for keeping your stuff clean and dry.

One essential piece of clothing is the trusty waterproof poncho; they are dead cheap and easy to carry around with you. You will be glad of them when the heavens open.

Food

There any number of foods stands at Oxegen, but they can be quite expensive, €8 for a burger seems a bit of a rip off, especially when said burger has a tendency to exit you body just as quickly as it entered. I usually bring a few packets of crisps, cereal bars are a good shout, and they are good at any time of the day, especially when the munchies set in. Don’t bring any fresh fruit or perishable foods, tents are usually quite a humid place and food will mould quite quickly. Pot Noodles are another good shout, hot water is available at the Centra tents for a small fee but it is definitely worth it, they can be known to help a hangover so pack 4 or 5. I usually bring those wee boxes of cereal too; milk can also be bought at the Centra tents as well. Don’t totally avoid the food stands, some of them are actually quite nice, this year there are two Dominos Pizza stands, a Subway stand and any other food you can think of, from traditional bowls of Irish stew to Mexican and Chinese style grub. Something for everyone’s tastes.

ALCOHAL!

Although not entirely an essential item for the festival goer, it certainly is one that I would not go without. You should take great consideration in your choice of beverage. Don’t forget that glass is NOT allowed anywhere in Oxegen. Everything must be in plastic bottles or tins. I have been to Oxegen 3 times now and my choice of drink has been different each year, I can’t really tell you what is best to bring but I can give you some advice. Beer tastes horrible when it is warm; bringing huge amounts of beer will mean that after the first day if it is anyway warm out your beer will be too, never a good thing. Bring enough maybe for the first few days, it’s also pretty heavy and unless you are planning on bringing a wheelbarrow (I’ve seen it done before) then you are going to need to be pretty strong to carry 48 or more tins of it form the drop off to the campsite. I usually bring two bottles of Strongbow, cheap and already in a plastic bottle, also a bottle of blackcurrant juice to make it go down a bit easier. Now vodka is great, you don’t need to bring huge amounts, you can mix it with different mixers so you don’t get sick of the same drink all weekend and (depending on how strong you drink it) it can last for quite a while. Many people I know would not go without their trusty bottle of Buckfast, not for everyone but I’ve been told it does the job.

Different spirits are good, WKD and other pre-mixed drinks might be a good idea too.

Essential Miscellaneous Items

Toilet Roll- This is like gold at Oxegen, don’t forget it, people are usually very reluctant to share.

Bin Bags – These can be used for everything, a make-shift waterproof poncho, for storing your sleeping bag and clothes in to keep it dry or even repairing a hole in your tent.

Hand Sanitizer Gel- It’s not essential but I always bring it, the toilets are stinking and have no places for washing your hands. You will be eating with your hands all day so consider bringing some.

Wet Wipes- More for the girls this one, a good substitute for washing your face in the morning.

Toothbrush and Toothpaste- Definitely a must have, chewing gum alone cannot fight off the nasty morning breath

Torch – Its dark at night, bring a torch, going to the toilet in the dark can be difficult never mind hazardous, one slip and god only knows what you could land yourself in.

Sunglasses- Protects you and your hung-over head from the sun, a small bottle of sun cream might not be a bad idea either.

Towel – Dry yourself off after a heavy rain shower, or if you don’t mind creepy pervey people watching you, an actual shower, they are communal so very limited privacy.

Thanks for reading. Check out part 2 coming soon.

www.oxegen.ie for more information

My beer has been a success. I couldn’t have wished for it to turn out any better. I left it conditioning in the bottles for 3 weeks, tasting one each week, and now it is perfect.
It’s quite a light and smooth beer, very refreshing and nicely carbonated. When poured it gives a nice head and is a golden brown colour. It cleared very well and is delicious when served cold.

My HomeBrewed beer poured with a lovely head

Micky's HomeBrew

This is The Strokes fourth album and their first in like 5 years or something, with the band taking time to do whatever bands do when they take a break; spend time with their family and friends, find themselves, or “rediscover their individuality” with an array of side projects. It has been known that the band had been trying to put a new album together over the past few years but for whatever reason it just didn’t work for them. This latest album entitled “Angles” is their attempt at being the Strokes once more.

This album is a bit of a mixed bag, it contains songs that have all the characteristics of an epic Strokes tune written all over them; tidy drum beats, flawless fret work and Casablancas’ lazy and effortless vocals, but there a few tunes that make me think that they may be loosing their touch.
On the one hand you have songs like “Gratisfaction”, that personally I think its just simply awesome, it has a Thin Lizzy-ish sound to it, with an amazing passing chord progression, it sounds really cool against the back drop of the relaxed drum beat and the Phil Lynott-style bass piece. You also have the first single of the album “Under Cover of Darkness” that has had so much air time its hard not to like it, especially with those guitar riffs firing out throughout the song. Then again there are songs like “You’re so Right”, that just seem out of place, making it hard for me to really get into this album.

The Strokes have been trying to record new material for a number of years now, but due to “differences of opinion” between the band members it has taken this long. They don’t seem to be a “band” any more, just a group of musicians that play the same songs at the same time on stage with no interaction between each other. Their recent live performances made it obvious of the tension between the members, not that it hasn’t been apparent before. The entire album seen the band record their separate sections alone, sometimes not even in the same studio. Casablancas totally separated himself altogether; he even recorded all the vocals at his home and sent them to the band electronically.

I wanted this album to be simply awesome, but as of right now I’m not so sure. I’m really hoping it will grow on me more as I listen to it because as of now, it’s just not doing it for me. Its not that it’s a bad album or anything, in fact it’s quite good but I just don’t know, I think after hearing nothing from them for so long I was expecting something better.

Regardless I am sill looking forward to seeing them at Oxegen later this year, more so for their old material, just being there when the opening chord for “Last Night” is shot out of the speakers over the Punchestown air at me and 50,000 odd other festival-goers will be awesome.

The album is available now to buy or download

www.thestrokes.com