Some 72,000 fans had arrived at Punchestown Racecourse last night for the three-day event
THE HEAVENS opened over Co Kildare for a period yesterday evening, but the downpour did little to dampen the spirits of those attending the first day of the Oxegen music festival.
Some 72,000 fans had arrived at Punchestown Racecourse last night for the three-day event. But, in spite of the crowds, there were few reports of major traffic delays en route to the venue.
Met Éireann has forecast “very wet” weather for today, with 15-30mm of rain expected to fall, potentially leading to flooding in some areas.
However, the rain is predicted to clear later in the day and temperatures may reach 19°.
The outlook for tomorrow is a little brighter, with a mixture of sunshine and some showers expected, along with fresh southwest winds and temperatures of 21°.
The vagaries of the Irish climate were summarised in a T-shirt worn by one fan paraphrasing the famous Sex Pistols album title “Never mind the weather – this is Ireland” and most fans were more than equipped for the conditions following past experiences.
“I knew well what to pack,” said Sarah Foley (21) from Limerick city.
“I’ve been here twice before and a raincoat, wellies, and spare clothes are as important as the tent and sun cream at these things.”
The Artane Band opened the main stage yesterday, resplendent in their red and blue uniforms, and delighted onlookers with a cover of glam-rock act Europe’s The Final Countdown.
Meanwhile, Lily Allen was reported to have surprised fans by doing an impromptu meet and greet in a campsite before her set in which she name-checked the Allen family in Monaghan and changed the lyrics of her song “F... You” to “Banana You” for the benefit of a young Irish cousin in the audience.
It was a busy night for Irish acts, most notably Northern Irish bands.
The Answer, Therapy? and Duke Special, who played one after the other on the O2 stage, and Snow Patrol, who performed before headliners Blur, were well received by the festival audience.
“It is the most robust it has been ever,” said Snow Patrol lead singer Gary Lightbody, who also name-checked Iain Archer and And So I Watch You From Afar. “There are bands coming out of there every week. It’s an incredible scene.”
Iain Archer’s father, Campbell, a resident of Bangor in Co Down, said he was amazed by the scale of the festival on this, his first visit.
“I’ve been to other festivals but I think this has to be the biggest yet,” he said.
Mr Archer said he was pleased to see an array of talent from the North at the festival, and he said that the Southern crowd seemed to appreciate their music a little bit more.
“Culturally the people of the South seem to be a little more tuned in.
“In the North people will be quite noisy during concerts, particularly in large venues, but in the South they seem to appreciate the music and atmosphere a bit more.”
Supt Pat Mangan of Naas said policing and traffic operations were running smoothly and Oxegen was “going very well”. Twelve arrests were made on Thursday for public order and drug offences, but this was nothing out of the ordinary for a major festival.
Day tickets are still available for today and tomorrow, with The Kings Of Leon, The Killers, Lady Gaga and Bloc Party all still due to perform.