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?

Good Regina, Bad Regina

Team Spektor appear to have carried out some pretty savvy damage control after the decidedly mixed reception that greeted 'Laughing With', the first single off Regina's upcoming album 'Far'.

A viral video for 'Dance Anthem of the 80's' has surfaced and both the video and the track itself possess some of the charming rawness that made me fall for her older stuff.



'Laughing With' has been given a very different treatment. It's a polished, cutesy video, a lot more likely to be played on MTV than the above clip. The track is a bit too 'safe' for my liking though. It's got the potential to get massive airplay on the likes of Q102 and, in my books, this is not a good thing.

Begin To Hope...

...that Regina has a brilliant album on the way.

After being slightly disappointed with 'Laughing With', I had doubts that Regina Spektor's new album 'Far' wasn't going to live up to her previous efforts. These fears have been assuaged however after hearing new track 'Blue Lips', which premiered on Stereogum today.

The track is a beautiful slow-burner with a poignant message.

Click here to see for yourself.

Regina's Return

Regina Spektor has premiered the first track from her new album, 'Far', on her Myspace.

The track is called 'Laughing With' and, honestly, I'm a little bit disappointed. Her 'Begin To Hope' '11:11' and 'Soviet Kitsch' albums were the soundtrack to my third year in college and this just seems to be lacking the quirkiness that made those records so captivating. That said, when she trills the 'God can be funny' line, I can't help but melt a little.


Here's hoping this isn't the best the album has to offer.

Regina's Return (Kind of)

This new song by Ben Folds and Regina Spektor is most agreeable, don't you think?



It's called 'You Don't Know Me'. Still no word on La SpekTor's new album other than vague assurances of a 2009 release.