Pure F**king Talent Like

It’s easy to allow oneself get caught up in what’s popular or a growing trend on a global level. It seems these days there are more and more award ceremonies and the likes forcing our attention towards Hollywood’s best and brightest. As a result it’s always a refreshing and humbling experience to discover true talent in your own back yard.

This week saw the return of the Cork Film Festival, which attracts film buffs from all around the world. Despite my best intentions to immerse myself in this cultural feast I managed to make it to just one film, but I am convinced that there couldn’t have been any better on show than the majestic, ‘Steamin and Dreamin’. This low-budget mocumentary depicts the struggle of Cork city rapper ‘Grandmaster Cash’ in his quest to obtain celebrity status and be recognised worldwide as a Hip-Hop genius. Issues such as inspiration, critical reviews and gang rivalry all come to the fore in this comedic gem.

The film itself was created on the back of the success of a series of youtube videos made as a joke among friends. As often happens though, word got around and these hilarious “raps” were getting more and more hits each day as a genuine fan base evolved. With the Film Festival arriving on queue to provide a possible outlet for the film, the lads decided to go for it and made a feature-length production.

The 89 minutes follow Sociology student Seamus Kelly (Joe Kiely) and his investigative research into Cork Hip-Hop for a College project. Clever writing and editing ensure your splitting your sides laughing one minute and wondering if these guys are for real the next. In ‘Grandmaster Cash’ (Con Doyle) and his rival ‘Dr. Feekinstein’ (Conor Stanley) we are presented with two deluded characters whose perception of reality has clearly been warped by a youth spent listening to Biggie, Pac and the rest. With on the street interviews, guest appearances from Dan Boyle and Tommy Tiernan and the youtube raps themselves all interweaving throughout the film, it stays fresh and witty from start to finish.

‘Steamin and Dreamin’ for me, was a little reminder that you don’t need a paramount production with A-list celebrities to be entertained. True talent is all around us dying to be discovered, it’s up to us to go out and find it.

‘Pool Highlight United’s Weaknesses

It was billed as an epic encounter; Rafa under pressure after Liverpool’s worst run for 22 years and in desperate need of a win. United on the back of a midweek victory and looking to maintain top spot by overcoming their bitterest rivals in their own backyard. What transpired was a lacklustre affair devoid of  intensity and quality. Neither team played with the precision or confidence of a side who believe they will be sitting top of the table next May.

Not surprisingly the fitness of Gerrard and Torres dominated the pre-match hype, as everyone knows the merseysiders are a different beast when the deadly duo are in the side. In the end one was enough to turn the match. As the contest looked certain to end a stalemate Torres, as he so often does, popped up with a moment of genius, latching onto Benayoun’s wonderful through ball and beating Ferdinand for pace and strength before pulling off a cracking finish.

United had no option but to chase the match and still managed to create nothing. When Carragher somehow escaped a blatant red card having prevented a guilt-edged chance for Michael Owen it was clear that lady luck had deserted United in Anfield. Insult was duly added to injury when Ngog slotted Liverpool’s second goal in injury time after Vidic had been sent off.

Ferguson needs to learn from this embarrassing display as Liverpool exposed some obvious flaws in the United team. Playing Scholes and Carrick in the centre of midfield simply doesn’t work. Both are holding midfielders and have an inclination to drop deep even when United push forward. On Sunday United constantly knocked long balls up to Berbatov and Rooney. The Bulgarian had the beating of the centre backs for the most part but once in possession he was stranded with only Rooney for support. Time after time the duo were starved of any supporting thrust coming from midfield. Giggs and Valencia did their best to help out on the flanks but without anyone offering themselves in midfield the visitors were repeatedly outnumbered and dispossessed.

The only move really open to Ferguson was to move Nani onto the left and play Giggs behind the front two. This is by no means a title-winning midfield. Nani is far from the finished article and only shows flashes of potential. Giggs is most effective on the left. Scholes, while a master on a good day, doesn’t have the consistency of years past. Carrick….is there really anything good we can say about Carrick? He passes well sometimes, only sometimes. He lacks any kind of passion or desire, he repeatedly fades into the background when backs are against the wall. In many ways he’s the opposite to the previous number 16 at Old Trafford.

So look to the bench, who do see? Park, Anderson, Fletcher, Gibson. There’s no shortage of effort or work ethic but is there any genuine class? Anderson has yet to fulfil the potential he showed in his first season in the Premiership. Park does the defensive work well but is limited when on the ball. Fletcher has really upped his game this season, picking up a few man of the match awards. The Scot has added assisting and scoring to his arsenal proving his more than just a destructive nuisance to opponents. World class? Im afraid not. Fletcher is merely the best of a bad bunch.

It is now painfully clear that Fergie needs an attacking midfielder. A Scholes of old, a Zidane, an Iniesta, a Schneider, this is the type of performer United crave. Even the return of Owen Hargreaves won’t added the necessary attacking flare needed. Unfortunately for Sir Alex there isn’t such a simple solution for the defensive problems. United still boast the same quartet that proved so formidable last season. Why then do the reds look so vulnerable at the back this season? Confidence! Ferdinand and Vidic are woefully lacking in confidence, so much so that Rio is under pressure to keep a place in the national side. Evra and O’ Shea have been impressive for most of the season, but the centre-backs are the heartbeat of any defense and at the moment United’s is too weak to last a long season. Fergie has to hope for some consistently solid outings to boost confidence or his two big centre-backs will be exposed again as they were on Sunday.

I’ll Have a Disappontment, Make it a Double.

Last Saturday evening I rebelled against my own common practise and went out to watch two important matches. Munster were opening their Heineken Cup account away to Northampton, while Ireland looked to cause a shock in their meeting with Italy in a bid to reach the World Cup finals in South Africa. It’s by no means unusual for me to observe ninety minutes of football in the surroundings of a pub, but Munster are the team closest to my heart and such is the emotional turmoil I endure during each game that I tend to confine my vantage point to my living room, Thomond Park or the Millenium Stadium. Past experience has imbedded in me a resentment for the ‘pub rugby fan’. As the rugby bandwagon only really took full swing in Ireland in the past 3/4 years many spectators are still completely ignorant of the rules of the sport and how it should be played, but that doesn’t stop them yelling their expert analysis so loudly at the screen that I can’t even hear Ryle Nugent’s poetic narration of proceedings.

Thankfully for me the Munster match was so entertaining I sank into my usual obsessive mindset and grew immune to the senseless outbursts around me. For eighty minutes Munster and Northampton battled valiantly with the momentum swaying throughout. While the prevailing emotion at the final whistle was disappointment I had to appreciate what both teams had offered up as a spectacle. Unlike most other Heineken Cup matches last weekend this game was played primarily with ball in hand and was ferociously physical.

Munster will rue momentary lapses which cost them dearly, the obvious example being Geraghty’s opportunistic try on the stroke of half time. Lifemi Mafi is known for putting in crunching hits but on Saturday his defensive frailties were all too obvious. In pursuit of a trademark dump tackle he sprang out of the defensive line too quickly exposing a gap which the inspired Geraghty was more than willing to exploit and suddenly Munster were 7 points more in arrears. Despite being totally outplayed in the game’s third quarter Munster rallied showing the resilience and character that has brought them so much success in seasons past. Mcgahan’s men came from 14 points down and reduced the margin to a single point. A Geraghty penalty on 74 minutes pushed the Saints four points ahead. As the clock entered the red Munster laid siege to the Northampton line, it would have been typical for the visitors to cross for the winning score but in the end the Guiness Premiership side held out for a victory that was most definitely hard-earned.

With the bitter taste of defeat still fresh I reluctantly turned my attention to Ireland vs. Italy. Irish football has been so tortuously lacking in quality and entertainment over the past number of years that any time I do watch the team it’s out of a sense of obligation rather than genuine interest. It was a pleasant surprise to see Trapattoni’s boys actually play with some purpose and direction. When Glen Whelan fired a beauty past Buffon eight minutes in I knew I wasn’t in store for the usual borefest. If Ireland’s level of desire was a surprise, their inability to close out the match was anything but. When St. Ledger guided Hunt’s free kick into the net in the 87th minute my initial joy quickly subsided to dread, now we had something to lose and we were inevitably going to lose it. It pains me to think how we could have been caught on the counter attack in injury time when we were leading against the world champions. Gilardino couldn’t believe his luck when the ball fell to him unmarked six yards out and did the needful to break Irish hearts, or at least those who thought we’d actually hang on to win.

So there you have it, two fantastically entertaining matches both ending in utter heartbreak. It nearly makes me want to be neutral and just enjoy watching such thrilling sporting occasions without the emotional invesment…..never going to happen!!

My Kind of Noize!

On Thursday I ventured up the M8 to Dublin to see one of my favourite DJ’s,Boys Noize, performing in UCD. It’s a source of constant frustration that the students union in UCD manage to get gigs such as Boys Noize and other big names while my own university, UCC, can barely manage to dig up decent student bands to perform. Still, it gives me a good reason to visit friends in Dublin and I’m always guaranteed a good night once I’ve escaped the monotony of Cork’s nightlife.

The venue was UCD’s student bar. A relatively huge bar lacking in any thrills, just a dancefloor, stage and bar. As a venue its perfect for this kind of gig although the crowd can be somewhat suspect. Last year I saw Digitalism perform there and it was much the same…enjoyable from a safe distance. Any sort of close proximity to the stage ensures an uncomfortable amount of bashing, punching, falling, jumping etc.

Once onstage the Hamburg native threw down an impressive set consisting almost entirely of tracks from his new album Power. Having only heard one or two new tracks on his MySpace I wasn’t altogether familiar with the set but got well into it all the same. The electro master seems to have again produced an album of hard-hitting electro/tech house which just makes kids want to go crazy.

I was a little disappointed not to hear favourites such as “&Down” or “Oh” but was still relishing the new tunes. The end of the set was suitable frantic, BN hinted at dropping his crowd favourite “My Moon, My Man” but instead blasted streets hit “Blinded by The Lights”.

Here’s a video of “Kontact Me”, a favourite of mine off the new album, performed at ECD earlier this year, check it out.

Premiership Gameweek 8 Round Up

The biggest match of the weekend, as often seems to happen in the Premier League, proved the least entertaining. Liverpool and Chelsea served up a slow-paced, uninspiring encounter at Stamford Bridge which saw the Blues clinch a hardly deserved 2-0 victory. In all truth neither team reached third gear and a draw would probably have been the fairest result. In the end it was two moments of magic from Didier Drogba that separated the sides, setting up Anelka and Malouda for two second half goals. Neither side played with the precision of a side worthy of claiming the title. Chelsea were hopelessly wasteful in possession while Liverpool proved that if Torres isn’t firing, there is no Plan B.

With United having been humbled at home to Sunderland and City rested until tomorrow night, the only performance of real class came from the Emirates. Arsenal hit Blackburn for 6 in a brutal display lead by their captain Fabregas. The little Spaniard gave an exhibition in movement, distribution and decision-making. By the time he was substituted on 75 minutes he had 4 assists and a goal to his name. It mustn’t go unnoticed however, that in an utterly one-sided affair the gunners still leaked two cheap goals.

Sir Alex Ferguson found himself venting his fury at fourth official Mike Dean at Old Trafford yesterday. The Scot was clearly frustrated by his sides underwhelming display which needed anotherinjury-time goal to salvage a solitary point against Bruce’s brave Sunderland. To his credit Bruce deployed a gutsy game plan with Jones and Bent starting up front. His strikers repayed his faith with a goal each. Both were the product of incisive Sunderland passing but also basic United errors. O’Shea afforded Bent far too much space at the edge of the area and the predator supreme duly punished United. Foster made another howler as he flapped ineffectively at Ried’s cross allowing Jones to nod into an empty net. Bruce proved that away teams can go to Old Trafford and take the game to United instead of offering too much respect to the Red Devils as far too many sides do. The United defence is proving how pivotal confidence is to performances. Last season the same personnel were unbreakable but without Van Der Sar between the posts the back four seem to have unravelled. Meanwhile Fergie still struggles to find any sort of midfield balance, matches like yesterdays go a long to proving just how much the reds miss their former hero Ronaldo.

Spurs had to dig deep to pull-off a draw at the Reebok Stadium and Gary Megson’s team had every right to feel disappointed having dominated for large periods. Redknapp’s men will be happy to be sitting in third 8 games in but when City, Arsenal and Villa catch up on games in hand one feels the Londoners will drop out of the top 4. Bolton are well worth their spot 13th in the table and look like they will again be relying on home form to see them through.

Burnley maintained their 100% home record in a comfortable 2-1 win over Birmingham. Turf Moor is becoming an intimidating fortress for any visiting side. Burnely also have some tidy players such as Blake, Elliot, Fletcher and Nugent who can mix it with any premiership opposition. Birmingham by contrast have only 1 win to their name after 8 games and look sure to be battling at the wrong end of the table come April.

Paul Hart couldn’t mask his delight at Pompy’s first points of the season in their triumph over Wolves. Hassan Yebda popped up with the crucial goal on 18 minutes. The visitors endured a Wolves onslaught in the second half but held out to earn some points…and some money!

Chelsea, Fabregas, Pompy and Hull were the weekends main winners. United and Liverpool each took a big step backwards while Everton, West Ham and Spurs will all feel they left points behind them after gameweek 8.

New Season, New Faces

I got my first real look at Munster this season as they took on the Dragons in Musgrave Park yesterday. I must admit the early signs were mixed but overall I think it’s reasonable for Munster fans to approach this season with muted optimism. The match was exactly what I expected, a scrappy, ugly Magners League clash which yielded only six points in the first half. Munster’s class and superior stamina told in the second half as they opened the Welsh side up to ensure a bonus point victory; 27-3.

On the negative side Munster allowed themselves to be dragged into an arm wrestle in the first forty and didn’t manage to convert their dominance into points. O’Gara still looks a shadow of the player he was three and four seasons ago. Repeatedly the fly-half took the ball into contact without the necessary momentum costing the home side possession and territory. Even when called upon to convert routine kick he misfired. He capped a dreadful performance with a mindless sin-binning. Is it finally time to let the former golden boy know that his place isn’t guaranteed? I for one think that Warwick is capable of controlling  a game wonderfully at 10, has fantastic goal-kicking and drop-goal ability and doesn’t crack under pressure. The same cannot be said for ROG over the past two seasons.

A major plus for Munster this season is the depth of the squad. Not only are new recruits bolstering the side but players who were previously peripheral figures are steeping up their game. Nick Williams and Denis Hurley spring to mind immediately. The former crossed the whitewash three times against the Dragons to claim a second-half hatrick. The big Kiwi appears to have seriously worked on his mobility and is finally combing pace with his considerable bulk. Hurley had an impressive Churchill Cup on the wing for Ireland and has taken that form into the early stages of the Magners League, clinching two crucial tries to seal victory over the Scarlets last week.

Add to Munsters already formidable arsenal the experience of veteran Jean de Villiers and the exiting young talent Felix Jones and suddenly you have a backline bursting with match-winners. Tony McGahan now has the welcome torture of selection headaches. Dowling, Earls, Jones, Hurley, Murphy, Mafi, de Villiers, O’Gara, Warwick, Howlett are all fighting for places in the starting team. Meanwhile up front the likes of Leamy, Quinlan and Wallace can no longer take their places fro granted with Ronan, Williams and co. putting in such classy showings. The aging front row is a potential Achilles heel for the reds this year but the scrum decimated the dragons in Musgrave park so no scares just yet.

Munster finally have something integral for a team to keep progressing and that is genuine competition for places. If players are aware that one lazy outing could cost them their place they’ll give 100% week in week out. McGahan also has the luxury of being able to change the dynamic of the team with the strength of the bench. Such strength in depth could prove key in Munsters quest to bring the Heineken Cup back to Thomond Park.

Premiership Gameweek 6 Round Up

An obvious place to start is Old Trafford which hosted one the most gripping and controversial Manchester derbys since the league’s conception. I’m actually not going to delve into too much detail right now because I think the match is worthy of its own piece. What I will say is that both sides, in particular City, showed defensive frailties which will be their downfall against top class opposition. United were almost undone by two unforgivable errors from Foster and Ferdinand while City were hopelessly disorganised at the back and could have been embarrassed were it not for the heroics of Given.

For the second week in a row Spurs failed to show any promise against a top 4 side. Chelsea breezed past their London rivals in a display which cements them as favourites early on. The blues are now the only team boasting a 100% return from 6 matches. Redknapp’s men will have to seriously up their game against the bigger teams if they’re looking to break into the top 4 and now they find themselves missing their 3 best centre-backs, the dream start to the season is fast disintegrating.

Liverpool will be delighted to have come away from Upton Park with all 3 points as Zola’s army are never an easy prospect in front of their home support. The reds will know however that things would have been very different if their superstar Torres hadn’t popped up with 2 moments of inspiration. With Carragher and Skrtel looking anything but comfortable at the back Benitez will have to pull off something special for his side to come near the title this season.

Arsenal eased to a convincing 4-0 win over Wigan in a game which saw Vermaelen earn legendary status amongst the Emirates faithful. The big centre-back smashed in 2 goals to add to those of Eboue and Fabregas. While the gunners were as impressive as ever in possession they were never really tested in defence. Everton finally produced the kind of football their fans have been crying out for as they hammered Blackburn 3-0. Moyes will be particularly happy with the brace of goals from main striker Saha. With quality in every department there’s no reason why Everton can’t kick on from here and push for a place in Europe.

The weekend boasted some fascinating clashes involving the “smaller” teams, which will have been looked on as 6 pointers against relegation rivals. Super-sub David Nugent caught the eye in Burnley’s emphatic 3-1 victory over Sunderland. Struggling Bolton needed a last minute penalty from Matty Taylor to rescue a point at home against Stoke. Hull continued their poor form losing at home to Birmingham while Wolves totally outplayed Fulham and should have won by more than the solitary goal that separated the sides at the final whistle.

While the top of the table begins to take a familiar shape, the weekends fixtures proved that it could well be a tight and tense affair at the other end.

An Inconvenient Truth

Last night I watched High Fidelity, Stephen Frears quirky comedy based loosely on Nick Hornby’s 1995 novel of the same name. The film portrays the ups and downs of lead character Rob Gordon’s (John Cusack) love life flicking constantly between past and present tribulations. The 113 minutes provide great entertainment due in no small part to Cusack’s performance which involves constant interaction with the camera.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the show, I couldn’t help but draw some worrying parallels between myself and the self-destructive Gordon. Fortunately non of these similarities are based in career prospects or love life but rather in Gordon’s sense of elitism in terms of artistic opinion. Gordon, along with Dick (Todd Louiso) and Barry (Jack Black) run a small, alternative record store brimming with rare pieces which the average Joe wouldn’t be familiar with. The three constantly critique each others tastes and go to great lengths to prove why their’s is in fact the best.

Having been branded a “music snob” for years by most of my friends I looked on with interest. While I rested assured I was far from the offensively, in-your-face-snobby Jack Black, I couldn’t say as much about Cusack. It was all too familiar, a Cusack (my own surname) judging all those around him solely by their taste in music and film. At one point he even confesses that personality is not paramount in his criteria for a suitable girlfriend, much more pressing is her taste in music, film, television etc.

Im grateful to have witnessed just how pretentious music snobbery can be and would like to think that the film served as a sort of wake-up call. No longer will I yield to a sense of elitism, or believe that my opinion is better than anyone else’s. After all an opinion is a personal thing which cannot be measured or tested. And yet, here I am documenting this in my blog, why do I have a blog?……’cos my opinion’s better than yours!

Premiership 09/10…Early Signs of What’s to Come

Nothing takes the sting out of the summer’s finale like the dawn of a new Premiership season. A new season always prompts certain questions; will anyone breach the top 4? Which promoted team will hold their own amongst the big boys? Will Liverpool actually mount a threat to the other 3? Will Arsenal learn how to close out a match? Will Villa, Spurs or Everton gain the consistency needed to challenge at the top? How will the new signings fair? It’s always fascinating to see these questions answered over the ensuing 9 months. As much as I love a new Premiership season, I hate missing the opening encounters, which happens more and more regularly as I habitually migrate to sunnier pastures for June, July and August.

As my arrival home from the states coincided with the break for internationals, Gameweek 5 was my first real opportunity to size up the top 20 sides in England. As a fanatical Man Utd. fan their performance was my primary concern. After a shaky opening against Birmingham and a disgraceful defeat to Burnley the boys in red got back on track with a barely deserved win over Arsenal. Saturday saw United put in their first reallyimpressive performance against high-flying Spurs. Inspired showings from Fletcher, Giggs and Rooney helped United dig out a 1-3 victory. It was especially good to see Scholes pulling all the strings in midfield…before being sent off!

Elsewhere it looks like Man City, like Chelsea in 2003, are going to reap instant reward from their sudden influx of finance and household names. The sky-blues have had a flawless opening 4 matches and look like serious contenders this season. Liverpool, by way of contrast have already lost as many games as they did in the entire season last year. One wonders if Benitez made a serious blunder in selling Alonso, a key figure for the scousers over the past few seasons. Unless Torres and Gerrard conjure up some magic every week the outlook is bleak for the reds.

As always Arsenal flatter to deceive. They have played some magnificent football and in Arshavin, Fabregas and VanPersie they possess genuinely world class players but without the necessary leadership at the back they won’t be able to capture the coveted domestic title. Early defeats to both Manchester outfits highlighted glaring deficiencies. Meanwhile Chelsea look like they mean business this season. Their appetite has been growing having been starved of a league title since ‘06. Drogba, Lampard and Ballack have all impressed in early encounters and if they can continue to dig out hard victories like last weekend’s 1-2 triumph over Stoke they have to be among the favourites.

It could be a fairytale season for our newly promoted friends if sides like Bolton and Pomp continue their kamikaze mission. One suspects Everton will pull themselves together sooner or later. Wolves and Birmingham look ready to put up a strong fight while Burnely look by no means out of their depth. My favourites to go down; Pompy, Wolves and Hull. While City, Spurs and Villa look the likely candidates to knock the top 4 off thier perch.

All Signs Point West

Four days into my US holiday I was leaving the quiet surroundings of Newport and heading to New York with three of the lads. The main purpose of the trip was to attend All Points West, a music festival held in Liberty State Park in New Jersey. Another cause for excitement was the fact that this was going to be my first visit to NY. It’s kinda weird going to a festival on your J1, it’s like and experience within an experience. Usually I’ve had to settle for festivals when a trip abroad was not feasible for whatever reason.

The festival was a three day event without camping facilities which suited us, as it enabled us to stay with friends in Queens and so soak up more of New York. We eventually left Queens on Friday with a ridiculous amount of alcohol in our system for roughly 2.30pm(we’d been informed there was a 7 drink limit in the festival and so planned accordingly). I’m not usually one for being drunk at gigs but when on your J1….

 Anyway as it turned out the rain was so torrential that it sobered us all up just as Vampire Weekend took to the main stage. It seems fitting that the only wet and miserable day was by far the best of the weekend. After VW played an enjoyable set (I’m not a huge fan) we made sure we had a prime location for the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, one of the bands I was most excited about. The New York based trio proved to be the highlight of the weekend. A typically frantic performance by lead singer Karen O coupled with excellent sound and crowd-pleasing set-list blew everyone away…it even stopped raining!

We hung a little further back for Jay-Z, who to his credit put on a very entertaining show. It was sickening for me that the Beastie Boyshad to pull out, the had been the main pull factor for me. Jay-Z opened with a tribute to the trio in the form of “No Sleep ‘Till Brooklyn” which ran perfectly into his big hit, “Brooklyn, We Go Hard”. During his show I observed that’ it’s near impossible for a white man to dance to rap without looking like he’s trying to be black, and that’s fine when you’re clubbing in Havana’s, but when your in Jersey City it’s a little disconcerting.

The second best act of the festival also came on the Friday in the form of electro/house duo MSTRKRFT. I’d never listened to them before and had barely heard of them but their performance ranks as my favourite dance gig to date.

The sun came out for Saturday. With less necessities on our “to-see list” we made sure we were in on time to catch Arctic Monkeys. Playing songs off their new Humbug album the indie outfit showed a marked progression in both sound and stage presence from their early days. They also treated the crowd to old favourites like Flourescent Adolescent and View from the Afternoon. Our next priority was Canadian dance act Crystal Castles. The duo fronted by eccentric and downright sexy singer Alice Glass had the crowd fixated with their loud and aggressive sound as well as Alice’s erratic shouting. unfortunately we had to miss the end of CC to catch Tool. The Californian rockers were their usual loud selves and played with precision even if their performance was lacking in imagination.

unforseen delays on Sunday resulted in us missing The Gaslight Anthem and We Are Scientists, the former a band I’d love to see live as I’m just getting into them, the latter I’ve already seen but would have enjoyed another show. Thankfully we were in time for Mogwai,one of my favourite bands. Some onstage disagreement and a more limited set rendered their performance less enjoyable than their show in Dublin earlier this year, but I still savoured the 16 minute classic Mogwai Fear Satan. As with the two previous nights the festivities were played out by a dance act, a great idea for any festival in my opinion. Legendary French DJ Etienne de Crecy drew the festival to a close with an old-school electro set and a dazzling light show.

Each night ended with a ferry back to New York and the most fantastic view of the Manhattan skyline at night, an experience almost as enjoyable as all the music slapped together.