LEFTFIELD: Boom, boom, shake the entire bloody field. You knew Leftfield were on stage when the bass made everything around you wobble and vibrate.

The return of electronic music's most fervent bottom-end worshippers (albeit without co-founder Paul Daley) was something both old- and new-school fans could relish. For the oldsters, it was a trip down memory lane, while the newbies could finally see and hear what all the fuss was about. Release the Pressurewas an immense groove, but it was the full-throttle alien techno squawk of Phat Planetthat made many realise just how much they'd missed this lot . JC

FOALS

If there was a place to be on Friday night at 9.20pm – and you couldn't catch Tony Blair being interviewed by Ryan Tubridy on The Late Late Show– it was the Crawdaddy tent, where every cool kid gathered to see Foals giving it socks, trousers and T-shirts. Miami was definitely the crowd killer, but with this blend of peppy rock, killer beats and onstage energy, these Oxford boys could do no wrong. Headbanging? Oh no, we were dancing. RMC

HOT CHIP

When Hot Chip play two Irish festivals in one summer, it's either because the public love them or because they need the money. But when the tunes are this good, who cares? The Electric Arena was a full-on rave for the boys' set, starting with Boy From Schooland then racking up the hits, from the classic Over and Overto Hand Me Down Your Love. There wasn't a dry armpit in the house by the end of the raucous and rockin' set. Roll on next year. RMC

JÓNSI

If this voice sounds familiar, it's from Electric Picnics of yore. Jónsi is not a new addition to the Stradbally line-up but, by the reaction of the crowd on Friday night, he's a welcome one. The Icelandic singer – performing songs from his solo album, in welcoming singalong English – works through his repertoire of songs in the soaring falsetto we know so well, leaving no musical stone unturned. Guitar in hand, accompanied by brilliant drumming from, oddly – but ingeniously – the side of stage, Jónsi makes it a night to remember. Epic doesn't quite cover it. RMC

PiL

So, Public Image Limited only have three songs then? Well, judging from this ridiculously bass-heavy set, they have a few more than that. John Lydon looked engaged and as if he was thoroughly enjoying himself in a nearly-full Electric Arena last night. His kaleidoscopic shirt may have been woven in the early 1980s, but the music sounded compellingly 21st-century with its heavy, almost hypnotic dance rhythms. Fingers crossed he makes an appearance tonight on stage with Leftfield – but even if he doesn't, it was a privilege to see him perform at the top of his game. CP

ASIWYFA

And So I Watch You From Afar bounded on to the stage and immediately launched into a blistering 30-minute instrumental set that almost ripped the roof off the Crawdaddy stage. Instrumental? Completely mental, more like it. The bleary-eyed punters who staggered in were treated to some superviolent, hardcore noise that blew away the cobwebs and set them up for day two of the Picnic. Imagine Therapy? on some class of hardcore amphetamines and you're not even close to the levels of energy these guys have. One word: amazing. CP

HURTS

You know you're in for something special when a pop band adds an opera singer to their entourage. Theo Hutchcraft may be a poseur of epic proportions, but boy, are his vocals pitch-perfect live. The Mancunians delivered a soaring set – packed with moody anthems such as Wonderful Lifeand the propulsive Better Than Love– that was sleeker than the singer's slicked-back hair and sharper than his tailored suit. Their 1980s revivalist schtick may have a shelf life, but who cares? We're sold. LM

CATHY DAVEY

She bounded on stage dressed as Little Red Riding Hood, but there was nothing nervy about Cathy Davey's set. Flanked by an impressive band, a string quartet and even her beau Neil Hannon for one song, the Wicklow woman delivered an assured set that spanned her three albums ( Clean Neata particular highlight) that got the sweaty post-Hot Chip crowd swinging and swaying along to her quirky pop radiance. My, Cathy, what big, bold, brilliant songs you have. LM

STORNOWAY

It just didn't quite gel as it should have for the Oxford bird-watching fans and zorbing enthusiasts. While there is much to admire in their light-as-a-breeze, gentle, slender folk songs, it didn't quite transfer to this setting. Yes, they did suffer some technical difficulties, which seemed to put them off their stride a bit, but the performance came across as anaemic, a little dull and, well, quite bland. We know from the record that they have the folk craft down pat but, on the evidence of this gig, they need to bulk up the live renditions much more. JC