Review: Rubberbandits, Electric Arena

Atmosphere : A giant digital timer counts down the seconds to Rubberbandits arrival on stage in front of an extraordinarily …

Atmosphere: A giant digital timer counts down the seconds to Rubberbandits arrival on stage in front of an extraordinarily large crowd, followed by an audio montage featuring clips from RTÉ's Liveline.

High: Double Dropping Yokes With Eamon De Valera has brilliantly disturbing visuals and Horse Outside lifts the roof off the tent as giant beachballs bounce throughout the jubilant crowd.

Low: The expressions of parents with children on their shoulders increasingly grimacing as the set went on.

Quote:
"I'd like to thank two members of the IRA for coming out here and being good sports."

Verdict: Any song with the chorus "Liar, liar Danny Dyer, get him in a headlock, who's the big man now" has to be a classic, and any hip hop act that has the neck to sing a love song about "a spastic hawk" deserve props. Ponydance and their synchronized dancing with hurleys are also a brilliant addition to the live show. Rubberbandits aren't just about Horse Outside, they are a genuinely subsersive and brutally smart act who kick dirt in the eye of middle Ireland.

Stars: *****

Una Mullally

Una Mullally

Una Mullally, a contributor to The Irish Times, writes a weekly opinion column