Fatboy Slim: saving the best until last

Norman Cook brought an Ibiza pool party feel to proceedings in Stradbally

Fatboy Slim on the main stage at the Electric Picnic on Friday night. Photograph: Brenda Fitzsimons.
Fatboy Slim on the main stage at the Electric Picnic on Friday night. Photograph: Brenda Fitzsimons.

Stars: ***

How do you follow up an introduction that involves celebrating a decade of the best festival in Ireland, with a 10-tier cake to mark the occasion, and a phalanx of fireworks?

Well, if you’re Fat Boy Slim, the obvious route is to hit up the back catalogue and lash out a full set of the absolute bangers that have spent the past 15 years or so bothering the pop charts.

But Norman Cook still likes to surprise, so after the merest orchestral hint of Right Here, Right Now, and a blowout Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat, he opens up a DJ set of clubby tunes that are more poolside Ibiza party than Friday night in Stradbally. It turns the main stage into a huge old-school rave, and the more obvious hits don't come until the late end of the set.