Packing Some Punch: Oxegen Preview

It's looking increasingly likely that I'll be heading to Punchestown next weekend for Oxegen. Yes, I'm poorer than a pauper but, the way I see it, the fact that the festival coincides with the deadline for my thesis is fate and, hey, who am I to screw with destiny?

Since its humble beginnings as 'Witnness' nine years ago, the festival has become something of an Irish institution. There are those that will insist that Electric Picnic has 'better vibes' but, even if this is so, Oxegen is unrivalled in terms of the calibre of its line-up and this year is no exception. From Gaga to Glasvegas, Bloc Party to Blur, Nine Inch Nails to Nick Cave, Florence and the Machine to Fun Lovin' Criminals, the 2009 roster is nothing short of stellar.

If you'd like to see the full line-up and stage times for Oxegen '09, the lovely folk at Heineken Music have provided one here. Heineken are running the Green Spheres stage for the first time this year, with some fairly brilliant acts like 2 Many DJ's, Fight Like Apes and TV On The Radio set to perform.

The 5 sets at which your most likely to see me up the front, shaking what God gave me:

Friendly Fires

I was a bit late to the party in terms of discovering English three-piece Friendly Fires and only came across their self-titled debut earlier this year, several months after its release. However, the album has already had enough rotation on my Itunes to make up for any lost time. Combining rock, pop and electro influences, the band have built a reputation as a fantastic live act and are definitely worth pencilling into your schedule.

Skeleton Boy:


Heineken Green Spheres, Sunday, 17:15


Patrick Wolf

Alt-pop singer Patrick Wolf has been a hero of mine for many moons and yet, circumstances have always prevented me from seeing him when he's played here. Wolf's music is hard to describe, not only because he draws on a diverse range of musical influences, but also because he constantly hops from one genre to the next, alternating between pulsing electro, jaunty bubblegum pop and the odd heart-wrenching ballad thrown in for good measure. Wolf's latest album 'Battle' may have divided critics but, from what I gather, his live sets have drawn fairly unanimous positive responses.

To The Lighthouse:


Hot Press New Band Stage, Saturday, 22:00


Foals

Back in the summer of 2007, when Lyndsay announced 'I Love Foals' on her Bebo skin, I genuinely thought the statement was borne out of some sort of equine obsession. Flash forward eight months later to me and Lyndsay in The Academy jumping up and down like our lives depended on it as the Oxford-based band played songs from their excellent debut album, 'Antidotes', to a decidedly receptive crowd. If the band can emulate the quality of that gig next weekend, it's definitely a set you don't want to miss.

Hummer:


Heineken Green Spheres, Sunday, 18:30


Ladyhawke

Ladyhawke's self-titled album was one of my favourites of 2008 and, despite having listened to 'My Delirium' and 'Dusk to Dawn' kabillions of times, I never tire of their electro-infused guitar pop brilliance. I saw Pip and her band play at the launch of Arnotts' Project earlier this year and, as much as I enjoyed the set on that occasion, I have a feeling that it would be even better suited to a festival atmosphere.

Magic:


Red Bull Academy, Friday, 21:00


Regina Spektor

Anti-folk scene queen turned platinum selling chanteuse Spektor returns to Ireland for the first time since 2007 and her sing-a-long piano pop should make for a refreshing alternative to the thrashing guitars and outrageous pop vixens running amok on some of the bigger stages. Spektor will be sure to play a selection of tracks from her recent album 'Far' but I'm hoping her set will be peppered with some older songs like 'Braille', 'Oedipus' and 'Poor Little Rich Boy'.

Oedipus:


Heineken Green Spheres, Saturday, 9:00

Thanks to the recession, there's still a range of tickets for Oxegen available. Tempted at all?

What Time Is It, Mr. Wolf?

Patrick Wolf's new album, 'The Bachelor', can currently be previewed in full on his Myspace.

I've always been a big fan of Wolf and his previous three records are firm favourites of mine. However, lead single 'Vulture', with its grotesque lyrics and equally grotesque video, nearly killed my enthusiasm for this release. After hearing the album right through, I'm pleased to report that it's not as bad as I feared.

Even if 'Battle' comes perilously close, there's nothing else quite as bad as 'Vulture' on the record and my theory that Patrick is slowly morphing into Boy George is most likely unfounded. 'The Bachelor' is unlikely to receive as high rotation on my Itunes as previous efforts but it does have its moments.

My personal favourite of the new tracks is 'Oblivion', one of three tracks to features English actress Tilda Swinton in a spoken word role as 'The Voice of Hope'. As prententious as this might sound, it actually works quite nicely.

Forthcoming single, 'Hard Times', is another highlight although the fact that it sounds like a remnant from 'The Magic Position' makes me hanker for a whole album matching the calibre of that record.

'The Bachelor' has flashes of brilliance but, ultimately, falls short of the standard I've come to expect from Wolf. Let's hope that companion record 'The Conqueror', due next year, doesn't fall victim to the same peaks and troughs.

[Image: Myspace]

Paddy Boom

The first cut off Patrick Wolf's forthcoming album 'Battle' has surfaced. It's called 'Vulture' and, although I thought it was a bit tuneless at first listen, I've since decided that it's fairly amazing.



There seems to have been something of a backlash towards Mr. Wolf recently, perhaps because his last album was markedly more mainstream-angled than its predecessors, but I'm standing by my man. 'The Magic Position' was easily my favourite album of 2007 and, on this evidence, 'Battle' may be a contender for this year's title.

[Image: Andrea Heins]

I Fell Off The Wagon, Into Your Arms...

Image: myspace.com

Now, I realise that very few people share my enthusiasm for Patrick Wolf but, to me, the news of Mr. Wolf's new album getting a February release is Christmas come early. Better yet is word that the album will be a double-disc extravaganza.

Battle, Wolf's fourth album is being released on his independent label 'Bloody Chamber Muisc' and he is using a novel approach to financing the record by 'selling shares' on the Bandstocks.com website. You can hear a preview of the record here.

This video shows Patrick talking about the new album and explaining the whole Bandstocks concept:



(Hi Patrick.)