Cois Fharraige, Day 2 (Kilkee, Co. Clare)

Cois Fharraige, Day 2 (Kilkee, Co. Clare)

Review Snapshot: Improved weather but fewer highlights.

The Cluas Verdict? 6 out of 10

Full Review:
Having waited two hours from the original gate time yesterday before seeing a band, today we decided to soak up the sun and atmosphere prior to the gig. However, on arriving 50 minutes after gates opening, we found that the second act had just begun their set. The inconsistent start times meant we had missed an anticipated gig by UK band 28 Costumes.

So, the first act of our day became The Broken Family Band. Playing to a handful of people in a near-empty marquee, their lively set may have gone down better in front of a larger audience later in the night. They managed to win over the minor crowd, not with their music, but with chocolates they cast from the stage, claiming they belonged to Travis.

The trad-jam session that was Kila drew the crowds in from the sunshine and treated them to a string of indistinguishable songs. This was punctuated only by brief banter and annoying, gratuitous bongo solos. Nevertheless, their live shows enjoy a baffling popularity with the Irish public, and this was no exception.

Seasick Steve riled up the crowd initially with his novel country-flavoured act, but the novelty soon wore off, and after an hour the whole thing felt a bit over-stretched. The stop/ start pace and generic blues sound did little for an act that was, essentially, warming up for Supergrass. While he wasn’t bad, this weathered character, drinking Jack Daniels straight from the bottle and sporting a grey beard and denim overalls, seemed a little out of place, and a slightly mis-judged attempt at being hip by the organisers.

Despite a series of successful hits to choose from, headliners Supergrass launched into the beginning of their set drawing mainly from their latest album “Diamond Hoo Ha”. Although enjoyable, the tracks by no means match the instant catchiness of early singles “Alright” and “Caught by the Fuzz”, and an unfamiliar two-song encore proved the point.

The best time of all, however, was had by the staff. The on-stage camera-men enjoyed picking out fans and security staff from the crowd to be displayed on the giant screens, turning the cameras on themselves at one point. The video editor had a great time utilising cheesy effects throughout the night, and one of the members of security even managed to perform a rudimentary jig on stage with Kila!

Although the weather improved, this second day did little to outshine the first, in musical terms, at least.

Christine Cooke

• Check out the CLUAS reviews of Day 1 and Day 3 of Cois Fharraige 2008.

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