Wellies, sweat and beer - oh and some good music. There was so much going on at Oxegen 2008 that it was hard to know where to look, so here are some snapshots from a long, long weekend
RUMOUR OF THE WEEKEND
On Saturday afternoon, there were two main topics of conversation. 1) The "bloody weather." 2) "Amy Winehouse has cancelled/fled/keeled over."
Of the huge crowd that had gathered to see her, a good proportion admitted being there just to see a tabloid fixture in the flesh. The whereabouts of the "troubled" singer had kept the crowd busy as her early evening show approached. The bones of the Chinese whispers claimed that her husband Blake had been released from jail early and she had withdrawn from Oxegen to be with him. That rumour remained pretty strong, even when the giant "Amy Winehouse" banner was hung on the Main Stage at the appointed time.
BONG . . . BONG . . . BONG
Those parents concerned that their offspring were not getting spiritual nourishment will be delighted to know that the Angelus was played on the big screen by the Main Stage at 6pm.
This, though, was a home-made version - in which punters were filmed taking a moment's break from such concert-related activities as texting, snogging and mucking around. The crowd, obviously, loved it. There may be a message for the Catholic Church in there somewhere. Or maybe not.
THE STYLE
The major trend in female fashion this weekend was very definitely that most practical of combos: hot pants and wellies.
It was ubiquitous, and actually suited the weekend's weather pretty well given that Saturday, especially, provided a definitive display of sunshine and showers. While at least one man spent the weekend in a tutu, many others took the opportunity to show off their county colours. There was also a rare breed of women who combined this look in its entirety - GAA shirt, hot pants and wellies - to create a whole new style for the modern cailín.
A great deal of concert-goers went to the trouble of wearing fancy dress for the weekend. Full marks went to any groups who co-ordinated their costumes. Three sisters from Sallins, Co Kildare, went with 70s-style dresses, afros and flowers in their hair. They were, they said, "bootylicious" and then admitted that they were also a little bit itchy under those big wigs.
There were plenty of superhero costumes on show, including several Supermen, some Supergirls, aWonder Woman, and a Batman and Robin duo. Less predictable was the single Bananaman spotted in the Pet Sounds tent waiting for Richard Hawley to start.
Headgear came in all shapes and sizes, with a great deal of cowboy hats and ski hats, but there were also some with more imagination. One man had headgear shaped like a plucked chicken, with his face peering through the bit were the stuffing would normally be.
But for audacity - and the fact that it looked very hot and sweaty under there - the "Headgear of the Weekend" prize surely goes to the chap who wore a scarily realistic pig's head. It was hard not to stare.
GREEN FIELDS
Stop Climate Chaos was stamped on the cheeks of a lot of people over the weekend, although the state of the site each night - more cans than grass - suggested that not everybody was putting it into practice.
Minister for the Environment John Gormley was one of the attendees to the festival on Saturday afternoon. The Green Party man, who confessed to being an REM fan, said he was "very impressed" by the eco-friendly measures put in place. The Green Party's other minister, Eamon Ryan, also toured the green campsite area. Ostensibly, he was at Oxegen to support the festival's bid to become carbon-neutral, but he is also a fan of American singersongwriter Ben Folds. "I don't have enough time anymore and I suppose I'm kind of getting a bit older. I look at the list of acts and I say, 'I haven't heard of this one or that one'."
HOW MUCH FOR A €3 PINT GLASS?
Shelling out on festival tickets may be seen as the final act of decadence in these purse-tightening recession times but this weekend saw some ingenious money making antics from festival goers. There were dollar signs in some punters eyes as they carefully scoured the ground for discarded beer cups.
The Oxegen Eco-Cup, recyclable plastic cups, were an initiative overseen by Dylan Townsend, brother of actor Stuart. The re-usable cups required a €3 deposit when the first pint of the weekend was purchased and could then be refilled for further pints. By Sunday bar staff were turning away punters who had collected up to 80 cups. Solak Bars, who were looking after the bar facilities for the weekend, decided to accept a maximum of 10 returned cups per person. The forward thinking entrepreneurs could try different bars, gradually getting rid of their cup stash and pocketing a nice return for their hard
work in the process.
WHAT THE LIGGERS DID
The VIP area, as always, contained more than a few people who probably didn't leave its comforts in order to actually go and see a few bands. They were, instead, "entertained" by a karaoke stage on which amateur performers murdered classics by Led Zeppelin and the Buzzcocks.
Also in the VIP area was a champagne bar, which proved slightly less busy than the one which just served beer, and the incredibly unusual sight of a VIP Abrakebabra. What was "VIP" about it? Well, it was in a marquee, allowing for a sit-down meal, and it also came with a premium: burgers were €1 more than at the Abrakebabra stalls outside.
CREATURE COMFORTS
On Sunday morning, a woman emerged from the showers in the green campsite. "It's freezing," she said, "does anybody want to use it?" Not one of the 50 or so people who had queued patiently for a wash took up her offer.
Though Oxegen revellers are known to be a hardy bunch, there is a growing coterie who like their creature comforts. It was a bumper year for those offering more upmarket accommodation. Tangerine
Fields sold more than 300 tents, ranging in size from a two man tent to a tepee which can sleep up to 10. The tents ranged in price from €120 to €1,000 for the tepees.
The Podpads, which resembled dolls houses, were a sell-out, as were the eye-catching Myhabs. So successful was the green campsite that there are plans to more than double it in size next year from its
present capacity of 2,000 to 5,000.
GETTING YOUR SKIS ON
As ever, people found novel ways of making their own fun. There was a giant rollerskate ramp set up on site, but late on Saturday night one brave soul decided he didn't need a skateboard when taking a run at it. The resulting pratfalls entertained onlookers, until security emerged in force to chase him away.
Some unintended sport took place on the walk back to the Blue campsite, where the surface put down over the grass became so slippy in the rain that it looked, and acted, like an artificial ski slope. Some deliberately skated on it; others came a cropper despite their best efforts to remain upright.
HELLO SPRINGFIELD!
Note to promoter: next year include some geography lessons for the artists. We should let our overseas friends know that Oxegen is not in Dublin.
