It was Stetsons at the ready for an old-fashioned hoedown at the Midlands Music Festival, writes Brian O'Connell
If Macra Na Feirme were ever to curate the Electric Picnic (and let's hope it never happens) then perhaps the results would not be too dissimilar to the second annual Midlands Music Festival. For a spell over the weekend, mud attempted to become the dominant theme at this year's unapologetically rustic event, threatening to turn the Mullingar hoedown into a mini-Glastonbury.
"Thanks for getting rained on for me," announced a sympathetic Aimee Mann on Saturday, before trying out new material on the sizeable afternoon attendees. Freewayhas radio friendly hit stamped all over it, and the new record, due out in January, is one to watch out for. Mann returned to more familiar ground with sounds from the Magnoliasoundtrack, which, as she reminded us, "tragically lost out to Phil Collins for an Oscar". As the rain continued to fall, a new festival chic of galoshes and GAA jerseys temporarily threatened to emerge. The majority of punters seemed well equipped for the elements, and those that weren't found shelter inside the tented arena of stage two, where Richard Thompson was still fighting the good fight. Dad's Gonna Kill Me, a lyrical flashpoint from the album Sweet Warrior, had Thompson rallying against "the current fiasco in Baghdad".
Outside, The Waterboys took to the main stage and reminded us why, almost a quarter of a century later, they haven't gone away. Glastonbury Song preceded the anthemic Whole Of the Moon, with Mike Scott striking rock'n'roll pose after rock'n'roll pose and laying sole claim to the Mick Jagger of Celtic rock title. Introducing a first-time singer "all the way from Courtmacsherry", Scott made way for Gubnet O'Gallagher (aka Steve Wickham), who delivered a hilarious take on Lou Reed's Walk on the Wild Side.
The 1980s raggle-taggle heroes began a trend for the weekend, with more established home-grown pairings, from the Hothouse Flowers to Christy Moore and Declan Sinnott, showing some of the international folk the way to go.
Kris Kristofferson, perhaps owing his longevity more to past associations than any standout musical ability, delivered a humbling performance towards the close of Saturday, full of appreciation for his rapturous reception. "I wish I could take you guys on the road with me," he announced before Me and Bobby McGee, Sunday Morning Coming Downand Help Me Make it Through the Nightsealed an endearing outing.
In contrast to Saturday, Sunday was all about bare chests and choc ices, with the Cosmic Banditos kicking things off on stage two. Featuring RTÉ's head of radio, Ana Leddy, on guitars and vocals, a stellar rendition of Steve Forbert's Something's Got a Hold of Medisplayed a certain vocal dexterity, before songs of cowboys and cowgirls had the early risers dreaming of the old country.
Speaking of vocal dexterity, Liam Ó Maonlaí, that perennial cailínís bit of crumpet, proved he can still work a field with little more than sheer charm and exuberance. Not afraid to mix in the political either, with a self-penned number against the M3 motorway, Ó Maonlaí sounded equally as relevant with older material, with an eclectic and vocally exciting Sí do Mhamoclosing a stellar set.
Yet perhaps the highlight of the weekend, and the act most anoraks were there to see, was the alt-country queen Gillian Welch, who, along with David Rawlings on guitar, stood head and Stetsons above the rest. From Orphan Girlto Miss Ohio, and through to My First Lover, Welch was mesmerising, quietly charming and musically breathtaking.
"I'll fly away to a land where joys will never end," she sang, as the mid-West reconfigured itself in the midlands, reminding us that we are all country boys and girls at heart.
