Saturday was one of those days that any radiohead fan would have had trouble sleeping the night before. I can’t include myself in that list, primarily due to a healthy concoction of pints baby guiness’ (guini?) and silver bullets (Thanks Paddy!) the night before, and so it was with a heavy lids and even heavier head that i was roused by a scorching sun blasting though my so-called curtains.

So as we all know now, it was the perfect day for an outdoor gig! In our case, a fairly complex plan of action was called for to ensure that all guilty parties were assembled in or around the right time and place for some pre-gig fun. There was a theoretical group of 8 of us who were to head up to a mate Roisin’s not-so humble abode in Malahide for a BBQ and drinks. Kudos goes out to Roisin at this point, who very graciously permitted myself and Dan to show up with 6 of our smelly friends without so much as asking what area code they resided in or whether they would be bringing anything to the table other than their hungry, thirsty selves.

Eventually a troupe consisting of myself, Dan, Wigs, Clem and Amel was assembled and we piled onto a dart at about 1pm. Along the way we picked up Fi and Ignazio-a friend of mine from work. Mike, the supposed 8th member of the group was, as usual, not to be heard from. I still amaze myself that I find this surprising even after 6 or 7 years…

Malahide was a hive of activity, choc full of sullen shoe-gazing kiddies, mental foreigners who’d travelled half way round the world in that morning alone probably, sweaty hippies and even sweatier Gardai (although, the Gards were noticeably less euphoric than the hippies..). We cracked open a few tinnies for the walk to Roisins, no doubt to the shock of the well-spoken residents of Malahide, who probably haven’t seen a tin can since rationing was around.

After about 15 minutes and due in no small part to my superior navigational skills (Grum, take heed) we

arrived at Roisins. We were some of the first to arrive (apparently I wasn’t the only one hungover). The next few hours were spent basking in the rare but hot Irish sun, eating barbecued chicken, sausages, burgers,

pasta salads, fresh rolls, topped off nicely with fresh strawberries and mini meringues, all prepared by Roisins very obliging mother - nice one! All this was nicely washed down with some tuborgasms and general banter. To top it off, we could hear the sound check from her garden too which only added to the anticipation of what was to come!

Eventually we collected out things and meandered over to Malahide castle. I have to say the whole thing was very well organised. They even had the foresight to cater for those people who just couldn’t neck a whole can 30 seconds before the entrance; after entering the main gates, we could hear someone announcing over a megaphone “If you’re drinking, please stay to the right” - needless to say, most people were heading right but we kept going to the main area. Overpriced pints in hand, we met Mike and his brother who drove in (I’m gonna be telling Thom Yorke about that!). We wandered down to the stage where the support act Bat for Lashes was playing. She sounded very Bjork-y and was entertaining for a time, but all the songs started to sound very similar after a while.

All this time the sun was blazing overhead, and we were convinced that Radiohead were waiting until it went down before coming on stage, which would have suited them really…all this time we spent cheering at the riggers who deftly scaled the rope ladders to the top of the stage, and the techies who just couldn’t seem to tune those guitars enough. However, just before the sun dipped below the tree line they came out to a roar of applause.

Now, perhaps I’m not the most qualified Radiohead critic, mainly as I am fairly unfamiliar with Kid A, Amnesiac and Hail to the Thief, but most of their set was clearly taken from their later and/or more experimental array of songs. That’s not to say they didn’t play some oldies (The names elude me now, please understand we had been drinking for most of the day..) but either way, they put on a brilliant show, Thom living up to his image as someone so out of place that he’s come a full 360 and belonged so much that he didn’t really seem aware of it.. that sounds kinda bullshitty, but you get my drift.

Its funny that Radiohead made a point of telling their fans to try and reduce their carbon footprint when coming to the gig, ie, by cycling or taking public transport. Funny for two reasons, one because their light show alone probably opened up a hole in the ozone layer the size of a small African nation, and two, because some dude in front of us had a sign that said “Is your light show solar powered?” - A fair question you might say, but we saw him throttled and punched before the gig was over by people, who, clearly upset by this snide remark (perhaps their fathers work for Esso..), took it upon themselves to deliver their own personal form of justice. Either way, the sign didn’t last too long..

The show over, a few thousand people about turn and start walking ( I say walking, but it was mostly staggering) to find an exit in the warren of trees and hedges. Most punters had come by dart, which ensured a mass pile up at the station, resembling something from a farmers market on a Saturday morning. The trains too were even a seasoned rush-hour commuters nightmare, and I had some

idea as to what it must have felt like to be packed into a freight train on its way to Auschwitz…only we all had the relative luxury of thick booze jackets and spent the time encouraging the petty theft of advertisements, making the whole journey that bit more bearable.

After this it was on to Doyles where the night continued to the wee hours, as every Saturday night should…

Many Thanks to Ignazio for the photos (more in the gallery)

Here’s their setlist from the night

1. 15 Step
2. Bodysnatchers
3. Airbag
4. Bangers and Mash
5. Nude
6. Pyramid Song
7. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
8. The Gloaming
9. National Anthem
10. Faust Arp
11. Videotape
12. Optimistic
13. Where I End and You Begin
14. Reckoner
15. Everything In Its Right Place
16. All I Need
17. There There
18. Exit Music (for a film)
19. Jigsaw Falling Into Place
20. Climbing Up The Walls
21. Planet Telex
22. How To Disappear Completely
23. Supercollider
24. You And Whose Army?
25. Idioteque

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