Oxegen 09
Oxegen Friday – Blur, Snow Patrol
And so, after the low-key warm ups and the emotion of Glastonbury and London, so comes the third chapter of the rewritten Blur story. Would they manage to maintain the momentum of the past few weeks or, removed from any real degree of drama or connection, would this be the point where a level of…
State’s pick of the weekend
And so Oxegen is nearly upon us. State is busy readying itself for action and will start its coverage as soon as we get there, both through Twitter and on this very site. Also Phil Udell will be co-presenting Front Row on Phantom 105.2 today at 1pm. In the meantime, we’ll leave you with our…
James, The Academy, Dublin
Playing to a sold-out Academy James may open the show with -Johnny Yen’ but the crowd reaction is already one worthy of an encore. The audience are singing along word for word from the second line, ‘Poor old Johnny Yen set himself on fire again’ and James have returned to take their rightful place in…
5 Big Sets you shouldn’t miss
Some sets at this year’s Oxegen have an unmissable quality to them from bands you’d never thought you’d see live again to newer acts you definitely should and to legends you might be seeing for the last time, State looks at five of the biggest and brightest taking place this weekend.
1. PENDULUM – O2, …
5 acts to avoid
It’s not all brilliant music and good times at a festival. There’s always the occasional ear-splitting, vomit-inducing act which comes along at the wrong moment and makes the idea of spending a day in a portaloo a much more appealing prospect. Whatever you do this weekend, please adhere to State’s public health warning and you’ll…
5 Familiar Faces
1. THE KILLERS, Main Stage, Sunday
No strangers to Oxegen, The Killers are guaranteed crowd pleasers, finishing off the last night of Oxegen ’09 with a bevy of hits from their three albums. -Mister Brightside’ alone should be worth the price of admission.
2. KINGS OF LEON, Main Stage, Saturday…
Oxegen just wouldn’t be Oxegen
That Petrol Emotion
In the annals of music, there are countless bands that in their heyday were criminally under-rated. Bands that did everything right who failed to bag the kind of acclaim they really deserved. The reasons for their under-championing are as broad as they are inexplicable: from being innovative or ahead of your time (Devo), falling between…
Best of Heineken Green Spheres Stage
Once upon a time festivals operated with two stages at best, sometimes even one (see our Feile piece for a good example) but these days the amount of choice is often bewildering. Operating in its own tented world, the Heineken Green Spheres stage has a line-up that has could easily grace its own festival, mixing…
The Horrors interview
The Horrors are moored somewhere along the Thames and the band’s sometime bassist, sometime keyboard player and all-round Timotei convert Rhys -Spider’ Webb has wandered up on deck to talk to State…. ‘We’re playing a gig on a boat, there’s no mobile reception below deck,’ he explains before ruining his nautical knowledge façade by
Top 5 Pop
Despite its reputation as a rock / indie festival, Oxegen always has the odd delight on offer for those looking for slightly less weighty thrills. From the Sugababes and Amy Winehouse to Pink and the Scissor Sisters (although sadly not Girls Aloud) there have been plenty of excuses to check out the chart toppers. This…
Nine Inch Nails – Berlin Arena
-It’s fucking hot up here!’ The arena at Treptow is a sea of wringing black t-shirts and Teutonic fever by the time Trent Reznor and band are half way through their set. It doesn’t let up one jot throughout a crisp and streamlined set that cherry picks from the frowning industrialist’s 21-year career. We use…
Best Of IMRO Stage
Yesterday we took a look at the familiar names making a comeback at Oxegen, so now it’s all about the future. As sponsors of the annual Irish showcase tour, IMRO are at the cutting edge of new musical talent in this country. And so it is that their stage at Oxegen is set to feature…
Féile – The Tripp To Tipp
Before Oxegen there was Witnness. Before Witnness, well before Witnness there was the on off story of Féile. If you’re of a certain age, you have most likely consigned band names like Flowered Up, Power Of Dreams, Energy Orchard and The Mock Turtles to the dustiest recesses of the back of your mind, where hair…
State Mix Series Vs Clampdown – Arveene
State in association with Clampdown presents Vol 1 of 8, a series of mixes showcasing the diversity and abilities of the Clampdown crew plus family and friends. First up is Clampdown co-founder Arveene with a selection of remixes and tracks he has done over the last year. The mix also comes with printable, foldable artwork!…
