Oxegen 2008 has been and gone and most of us have come away from it having learned a few more lessons about achieving the ultimate festival experience. Like every other year, we thought we were hardcore facing into the weekend and, upon leaving Punchestown, we found ourselves mulling over the highs and lows and realising that there are always tips to pick up, no matter how festival fit you think you are.
Lesson one, sunscreen and raincoats can be packed in the same rucksack. This does not amount to a contradiction. (There was rain water pouring off the end of my nose during Scouting for Girls set on Saturday. I was sizzling during The Feeling's energetic performance on Sunday). Lesson two, you just can't see every band that you want to see, no matter how fast you can run in wellies in the muck or how massive a desire you have to get from one stage to the next in record time. You should concede this fact at the beginning of the weekend. Failing to do so will result in you getting repetitive strain injury from checking your festival programme excessively throughout the weekend. It will probably also result in you hearing only 30 seconds of everyone's performances. Nobody wins here.
Lesson three, don't go to a festival just to see one band. If you've built something up in your mind that much, chances are you'll be disappointed (we'll not name names!). Lesson four, drinking tea at the end of the night at a music festival is OK, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. It makes you warm and fixes most of the ills of the day - what's not to like? Lesson five, you don't have to camp to enjoy the full festival experience. Being dirty and tired is over-rated. Shuttle buses are where it's at, people.
Lesson six, there are still kind people in the world - so maybe you forgot your sunscreen after telling everybody else to bring theirs! The kindness of strangers with fair skin is always welcome here. Nobody wants to look like a lobster on the trek home... which brings me on to Lesson seven, instant fake tan is not a runner when there's even a small possibility of rain. Streaky legs with white welly lines across them will never be a look that catches on.
And finally, Lesson eight, you're never too old to dress up at a music festival. It makes your photos much more colourful. This year Batman, Robin, Superman, The Power Rangers and Tinkerbell were all in attendance. Now that's what the festival spirit is all about.
And so Oxegen 2008 lived up to its predecessors, weather side (not as rainy and mucky as the last two years but also not as scorching as the first few years). Highlights, as usual, were many but for me the Irish acts stole the show this year. As crowd-pleasers go, Bell X1, The Saw Doctors, The Coronas, Republic of Loose, The Blizzards, The Swell Season, Mundy and Roisín Murphy were all at the top of their game and had the revellers rockin' at the various stages over the weekend. Best of rest for me included legends REM, the Stereophonics, Miss Winehouse, the ever-enthusiastic Scouting for Girls, The Wombats, flavour-of-the-month The Ting Tings and The Kooks, with their never-tiring brand of summer fun.
Will we be back next year?... Only if I can get me a Wonderwoman outfit!
Linda McGee
What were your Oxegen highlights? Drop us an email at: entertainmentonline@rte.ie
Your Comments:
Festival highlights would have to be the Editors, Groove Armada, The Prodigy, Kaiser Chiefs and The Chemical Brothers. So many more great bands, but the aforementioned would be my highlights. Niall
What a fantastic festival! The good weather and lack of mud made for such a welcome change to last year. I actually got away with wearing my runners all weekend! Besides the music, the festival seemed better run this year. Bad points about the festival next so - there seemed to be a lack of choice for food this year in Red. Also the 4 days I'm still not too sure about, the extra day of getting little sleep on uneven ground wasn't the nicest thing ever. Roll on OXEGEN '09. Oasis, Muse, Arctic Monkeys, Coldplay, Radiohead,
The Verve, The Coral and The Stone Roses reformed... too much to ask for?! Anon
Wow, what a festival, highlights included the sunshine, bands-wise The Prodigy stole the show, also Aslan, Republic of Loose - David Guetta was phenomonal, tune after tune - Groove Armada were great. The Power Rangers on Saturday were hilarious, very impressed, they pulled off those skin tight catsuits very well! Good on you blazing squad!! ;) Blue campsite seemed well better, I was in red :( silent disco was packed the whole time, Xbox area was great - somewhere you could go and listen to some music. Security was great and layout of everything was good. Ciara
