They’ve been away for seven years but Grandaddy’s set in the Electric Arena was definitely worth the wait. 5pm was something of an odd time for the band to take to the stage, especially when you consider exactly how critically acclaimed Jason Lytle and his band are, but even at this early stage their set was a contender for one of the best sets of Electric Picnic 2012. The anthemic ‘A.M. 180’ is a classic, hummable song and one of the standout moments from their set. Seven years is too long for such a great band to be away from our shores.
After a quick detour to check out the soul stylings of Alabama Shakes at the main stage (another excellent band, by the way) it was over to the Body & Soul stage at 6pm to check out the absurdly talented The Strypes. The foursome from Cavan, who have a combined age of just over 60 years, played a set of authentic sounding 60’s soul and blues and completely won over those in attendance. The musicianship of these tykes is astonishing, trading instruments throughout, each taking solos at some point and outshining other bands twice their age. While their set was mostly covers, their original song ‘You Can’t Judge A Book By Its Cover’ proves that these guys have the chops to hang with the many big-name bands who’ll be on show this weekend.
Sigur Ros and Roots Manuva (an eclectic mix, huh?!) are both on the agenda for later on this evening but first – dinner! There are numerous culinary treats on offer this year, so choosing where to spend our sheckles is about as big a decision as which band to go see next. Pie Minister is always an option but, hmm, that Tapas place looks pretty amazing too.
We’ll report back later.
Oh, and by the way, the toilets are still in (mostly) pristine condition. Let’s hope that lasts all weekend!
