Cavan acts dish up tasty sets at this year’s Electric Picnic

Seamus Enright at Electric Picnic

If Cavan’s musical talent were to be traded on the ISEQ Index, the value of its shares would be through the roof. Such is the level of esteem in which bands from the county are held, that revellers at this year’s Electric Picnic would talk-up an act’s merits before adding - without any sense of irony - ‘and, they’re from Cavan’.
From Ballyhaise singer-songwriter Lisa O’Neill’s breath-taking set on the Friday night, to the last minute addition of the Cavan Big Band, to the adopted sons of The Raglans and Hot Sprockets, and of course The Strypes on Sunday evening, they played and we followed.
In the leafy amphitheatre of the Body and Soul Main Stage, O’Neill, small in stature but big in both heart and voice, enthralled the crowd with her stories of dog babies and the lack of rail service to Cavan.
She delivered with a confidence matching her thrilling talent, leaving the audience awestruck. Almost as enjoyable as listening to her performance, was watching the realisation dawn upon the faces of those who hadn’t heard Lisa before - that here was a true folk star.
The ending of each of her nine-songs were enveloped in rapturous applause. Lisa’s set provided a teaser of what people can expect in her soon to be released second album, and a mighty entrée for was to come in the Electric Picnic feast.
Friday night also saw The Cavan Big Band bring their own brand of brassery to the festival. With Fossett’s Circus finished for the night, the local troupe took over from the ring master and made a decent stab at putting on the greatest show on earth. Earning their Picnic slot after being spotted at the recent Life of Reilly, Daire O’Reilly and his band were joined by a very special guest in Paddy Cole. It was night-and-day stuff to headliner Fat Boy Slim who ate, slept, raved and repeated his way on the Main Stage, but still the Cavan outfit attracted a sizable crowd for a big top big band treat.

Adopted sons
The Celt caught up with Cavan’s adopted sons - The Raglans and The Hot Sprockets - on a beached pirate ship come stage called the Salty Dog. But The Sprockets were anything but washed up, delivering a set pumped full of gusto, pomp and pure swagger. The sizeable crowd of landlubbers who gathered returned the enthusiasm in spades.
Both acts soaked up the local atmosphere at last month’s Blessfest. However such a hyper-local gig may be a thing of the past for The Raglans, who are on the cusp of great things. Their show at the Electric Arena on Saturday evening almost had as many Cavan faces at it as this next band.
It was a confident prediction when The Celt reported from the 2012 Electric Picnic: ‘Big things are expected and will happen for these four lads’. Signed to Elton John’s Rocket Management, to Mercury Records, sold-out Irish, UK and European shows and a new album due for release - what a difference a year makes. Hoisted from the relative obscurity of some of the smaller stages, The Strypes displayed their precocious talent with cock-sure assertiveness to a packed-out tent on Sunday morning.

Real music
DJ, author, photographer and all round rock ‘n’ roll renaissance man BP Fallon waxed lyrical as he took to the stage to introduce Ross, Josh, Evan and Pete to the baying crowd. “This is new music, this is real music”, he said.
It was statement deafeningly overshadowed moments later with the now customary introduction: “We’re The Strypes and we’re from Cavan”. These words were celebrated with roars by the pockets of Cavan contingent among the several hundred strong fans.
Their setlist teemed with originals, and several from their eagerly anticipated album ‘Snapshot’. The seething ‘Angel Eyes’ was followed by ‘What a Shame’, which the lads duly dedicated to the local faithful who came to see them. They concluded their performance with the rasping, barking ‘Heart of the City’.
A sixth sense is hardly needed to predict that the Main Stage beckons in 2014.