It's that time again folks, when we unleash our Rigsy (on whatever online chat thingy-majig he can get to work) and let him do his worst with a local band ATL are currently digging.

This time around it's the turn of poor Stephen McGurk from local alt-country, folk-ish (just listen to their tunes already!) seven-piece Captain Kennedy. Or at least that's who Rigsy THOUGHT he was talking to...

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On tonight's ATL, Rigsy has a wee chin-wag with Gary Lightbody (Snow Patrol) about his new side project, Tired Pony. Lightbody's new band is a collaboration between himself, Peter Buck (REM), Iain Archer, Richard Colburn (Belle & Sebastian), Jacknife Lee and more. So in honour of our guest, we've been thinking about our favourite collaborations through the years.

See Team ATL's picks below. Let us know your pick by shouting us here, on our facebook or on our twitter and we will give y'all a shout on the show tonight...

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Twenty things we learned from this year's Glasgowbury...

1. Decent weather really does make all the difference. EVERYTHING'S BETTER WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE A COAT.

2. Glasgowbury is single-handedly bringing back the holding up of large signs during gigs. Some of the slogans were vaguely obscene, some referenced bands on the bill, some were just plain bizarre. Our favourite? 'WE PUT THE BRICK ON THE ACCELERATOR.'

3. Celeb-spotting at Glasgowbury is the new celeb-spotting at Oxegen. Aiden Gillen (stuart from Queer as Folk or Tommy from the Wire) was watching Pocket Billiards. And unlike other festivals, the bands actually get out and about to check out the competition. E.G. - Peter Wilson enjoying a Mojito during Cashier No.9.

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Spurs of Rock, 9pm

What Happened:

A bunch of bayou bluesmen must have been re-incarnated here and decided to have some fun. The eccentric fashion sense is just a bonus - Hawaiian shirts, cowboy threads, feathered hats and a Derry City shirt topped off with A Clockwork Orange style bowler for our harmonica-player.

On Top Of The Mountain:'Leadbelly' stripped down to a chant-along before being dragged back for an encore. Before that, 'Dinosaur Blues' and 'Let It Bleed' get a crowd full of people randomly hoe-downing with strangers. Somewhere the devil's Mississippi steam-boat is missing its house band.

Slip, Sliding Down The Slope:

Why do these guys not pack out Belfast venues? Come on people.

Small But Massive, 7:15

Tweet: Can I get a price check on this quality item?

What happened:

Band makes some class songs. Builds reputation. Grows. Gets rewarded with big stage. Band then proceeds to prove it wasn't a mistake. We know and love the old songs, and we're already starting to love the new ones.

On Top Of The Mountain:

Songs like '42 West Avenue' have grown as the band have - from lovely little raw ideas in small venues into gorgeously formed multi-layered outdoor experiences with immensely struttable Manc-shuffle-funk.'When Jackie Shone' is a blatant electric hoe-down.

Slip, Sliding Down The Slope:

Why are the band being given the extra-strong beverages and we're not? Equality of booze now!

Small But Massive, 12:45

Tweet: Warning: world will soon tilt on this Axis

What happened:The loud noisy trio get the main stage off to a rollicking start and set out stall for this as a defiantly loud and noisy festival. And it's not for the faint-hearted as the first mosh pit of the day breaks out. Several sheep on the opposite side of the valley appear to running away to hide.

On Top Of The Mountain: 'Port Na Spaniagh' just keeps getting better every time we hear it.  Even the threateningly dark clouds above don't dare do anything during it.They say it's their biggest stage to date and that they are delighted with the early morning turnout for a birthday present for one of them.

Slip, Sliding Down The Slope: The crowd was smaller than it could have been due to presumably, too many people having too good a time the night before.Still, that's our fault not the band's.

G Sesisons, 4:50

Slip, Sliding Down The Slopes:

While they made an effort to get the crowd involved, the stage presence wasn't quite there- that will undoubtedly come in time though.

Spurs of Rock, 2:30pm

What Happened:

As the band are scheduled to play, there are exactly zero people in the crowd, aside from yours truly: I'm literally the only soul in the tent, so it's a touch awkward. After one or two push backs a crowd finally begins to assemble, and the Dublin based band finally manage to get started, playing a blend of blues, country and even a smattering of gospel organ thrown in for good measure. They earn themselves a healthy applause from the now-ample audience.

On Top of the Mountain:

In the face of adversity, they can grin and bear it. That's the hallmark of a true band.

Slip, Sliding Down the Slope:

Despite the band's merits as a unit, the music itself is more on the forgettable side of things.

Tweet: Spurs of Rock tent goes hardcore...

What happened:

With an awfully quiet crowd greeting them, Stand Up Guy promise to blow the cobwebs off of the timid bunch. And that they did! From the first bloodcurdling note, the cobwebs disintegrate and the crowd loosen up rightly. Hellacious throat growling and seismic riffage are delivered with a menacing furrow. It just reminds us why this band are such an enduring force on the Northern Ireland metal scene.

Things often delve into terrifying doom metal territory, which is perfect when you're a metal head like myself. Stand Up Guy proves metal still has so much life in it yet.

Slip, Sliding Down the Slopes:

When the guitars start howling, synths immediately run for cover, thus rendering the keyboards a bit irrelevant.

Tweet: Steerage class kicks off Glasgowbury 2010

Because of a temperamental vehicle, I find myself slightly tardy to the Captain Kennedy party. Thankfully things are just getting started when I arrive. The band are all smiles, and are clearly humbled at the opportunity to open up this year's Glasgowbury, and to see the crowd that's turned out for them.

On Top of the Mountain: The singer's vocals have a stunning, weather beaten maturity to them, like crushed velvet with the tones of 20 cigarettes a day. The bands, recent single, 'Stretch That Penny', goes down a treat, and is the real show stopper in a rather enjoyable set.

Slip, sliding on the slope: They finish with a barnstorming rock and roll number, handpicked out of Ike & Tina territory. But it drags on a little, and the wheels start to slow before the end of the set.

This reviewer's first hour at Glasgowbury will be spent in the company of Key of Atlas and The Wonder Villians, two new, cherubic bands, whose collectives have an average age of about 18. Forget your headliners today - this new, NEW wave of talent is where it's really at.

Technical blips do their best to sabotage their set, with a couple of restarts and the odd collapsing mic stand, but Key of Atlas won't have anything get in their way.

So unless you're living under a huge rock, you'll know one of the biggest days of the Northern Irish music calender is this Saturday. One of the best things about Glasgowbury is the fact that so many great bands play in one place, over one day. In turn, you get a chance to catch those bands you just keep missing. You can see the festival stage times here to start planning your day now!

Team ATL picked one band each, who they're going to see for the first time ever at this year's Glasgowbury. Let us know your pick by shouting us here, on our facebook or on our twitter and we will give y'all a shout on the show tonight...

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For the latest in our (almost) weekly series of online chats, Rigsy caught up with Phil from John, Shelly and The Creatures, one of the most heavily featured bands on ATL the last couple of years. They'd plenty to chat about - the band recently made their debut on RTE's legendary 'The Late Late' show and somehow ended up supporting Jedward, all ahead of a new single release...

(Please note: terrible grammar and lousy spelling are entirely Rigsy's doing - the conversation is simply copied and pasted, presented exactly as it happened!)

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Red Bull Tent, Saturday 10th July, 9.50pm

Describe in a tweet: Breath of fresh air

What happened: New York act The Drums are one of the buzz bands of the moment after releasing a short seven track EP last year as well as earning themselves a place on the prestigious BBC Sound of 2010 poll. On top of this they released their debut album proper a few weeks ago. So, quite rightly, the tent was rammed for their performance.



Going on slightly later than billed, probably due to the fact that the set was being played out live on the Red Bull Music Academy website, the band finally came on and wasted no time in giving the crowd what they came for. Melancholic, sardonic, catchy indie belters!

Channelling the energy of early Smiths-period Morrisey in both vocal style and content ("you're my best friend, and then you die"), the concert achieves that rare goal of making this reviewer want to rush home after the set and listen to the album over and over again.

Crazy in Love: Every so often the guitar player would put down his main instrument in favour of a tamborine and prance around the stage tapping it. You couldn't help but smile. 

99 Problems: The tent was absolutely jam-packed - they could easily have played to a larger audience. 

Oxegen Rating: 8/10

Main Stage, Sunday 11th July, 7pm

Describe in a tweet: Sunshine radiated with a raw Scottish charm that you can't help but like

What happened: Accompanied by the music from The Godfather, a motley crew of three men on brass, two guitarists and one drummer made their way onstage, with Paolo hot on their heels. Armed with maracas, bongos and a saxophone they instantly made rainy Oxegen feel like a tropical bar on the beach.

Uplifting trumpets ablaze, they kicked off with latest single '10/10' and, being a total natural on stage, Paolo smiled from ear to ear, epitomising the vibe of his 2009 album 'Sunny Side Up'. The beautiful 'Alloway Grove' saw him sing in soulful bluesy tones before having a go on the drums. Then, taking the mic in his hands and talking in a broad Paisley accent that you could just about make out, he called Ireland one of the seven wonders of the world, which was music to the ears of fans.

The super catchy 'Candy', with its brilliant electric guitar riffs, got the crowd dancing along and this was chased up by 'New Shoes' and 'Jenny Don't Be Hasty' from the more guitar-focused first album, 'These Streets'. Finishing off with a slow acoustic version of 'Last Request' Paolo didn't even need to use his voice, as the crowd sang it back to him in volumes.

Crazy in Love: Paolo covered MGMT's 'Time to Pretend' with such passion and depth that it sounded almost autobiographical.

99 Problems: With vuvuzelas being honked in the background, you could not forget that Paolo's set clashed with the World Cup final. BOO!

Oxegen Rating: 8.5/10

Vodaphone Stage, Sunday 11th July, 8.20pm

Describe in a Tweet: Buck Rodgers acts out the rock star

What happened: Hitting the stage with a massive bleached mohawk, a blue leather jacket and bright red gloves, ATL was gobsmacked to see that Jared Leto's new look left him looking like a cross between Buck Rodgers and Johnny Rotten.

After the initial shock, we tried to embrace the four-piece that are 30 Seconds to Mars, but found it hard not to be grated down by Leto's obvious theatrics. As well as ordering the crowd to "go crazy!" "scream as hard as you can!" and "jump Ireland, jump!". With banalities being thrown left, right and centre for effect, it felt like the actor was just doing his rock star act, leaving little room for musical authenticity. In spite of such apprehension, the fans certainly lapped up Leto's rhetoric and 'Night of the Hunter' got plenty of revellers jumping and up down wildly.

Singing into the face of a crowd surfer who had reached the stage, and wearing a pair of heart sunglasses, Leto sang 'Closer to the Edge' accompanied by his brother - replete with studs and eyeliner, and banging furiously on the drums. Conducting cheers from the fans from different areas of the crowd and getting two mosh pits to merge into one, Leto definitely knows how to work the crowd. However, he was constantly stopping songs midway to shout "lose your minds!", "you ****ing psychos!" and the like, as well as stretching eight songs over a one-hour set, making us question how much material the band actually has.

Crazy in Love: Getting members of the crowd onstage for the final song 'Kings and Queens' was a really special, unifying experience and showed the importance of the fans to the band.

99 Problems: Leto's rock star theatrics were topped off by him saying "we'll never forget this day for as long as we live!" Maybe best not, eh Jared?

Oxegen Rating: 5/10

The bad weather brings out the worst out in us...

There's always a few punters at Oxegen who have little interest in the well being, cleanliness or general happiness of their fellow punters and are happy enough to bump into everyone, push their way to the front and generally get on like it's their first time out of the front garden. Give them rivers of mud and it's something to kick into people's faces. Lovely. Also, extra kudos to the folks running about shouting "you're too clean", before rubbing dirt in stranger's faces.

The good weather brings out the best in us...

Everyone was so much happier on Sunday. It wasn't particularly sunny, but you could consider moving a few feet outside without ending up wetter than a fish's wet bits. The type of punters mentioned above chilled out a little and everyone started to enjoy themselves a lot more. Seems the best you can hope for at Oxegen is one dry day. Which just feels incredibly unfair and, at this stage, very frustrating.

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Red Bull Music Academy, Sunday 11th July, 8.00pm



Describe in a Tweet: Doesn't "intimate" normally mean "better"?



What Happened: The tent is alarmingly empty at the beginning of the set, with ATL having expected literally billions of people to be rushing down to catch this. The sound is not perfect, perhaps as a direct result of the four guitars fighting for space, and the collection of voices and other sounds crowding the mix. Either way, there's something sort of breathtaking about seeing this most revered collection of Canadian indie-rock titans in such a small - and, given the conditions of the festival site at this point, comfortable - location.



However, by the third or fourth song, the expected sense of euphoria hasn't really kicked in, and it all starts to feel rather ordinary. What should have been a transcendent moment now begins to feel like a slightly dreary indie gig, the kind of which can be found happening at nightclubs across the country, every single night. There's a small but devoted crew up front, who have clearly come to Oxegen just for this moment, and one gets the impression as they get to hear songs like 'KC Accidental' and 'Anthems for a Seventeen year old Girl', that they won't be disappointed. But there's a lingering sense that this should be something more, something greater.



Crazy in Love: During 'Anthems for a Seventeen Year old Girl', we are treated to perhaps the most unexpected - and lyricallydemanding - crowd singalong of the weekend. After a weekend that has produced some of the most hamfisted rhythmic interaction (ie. clapping) this correspondent has ever seen, it's nice to see Oxegen redeeming itself a little at this late stage.



99 Problems: This just didn't feel right. The emotion and the passion was there, but it didn't really seem to have anywhere to go.

Oxegen Rating: 6/10

Main Stage, Sunday 11th July, 5.30pm



Describe in a Tweet: Way to kill the buzz, dudes!



What Happened: The mood of the crowd is especially buoyant, having been exposed to sunlight, good tunes, and a respite from the harrowing conditions of yesterday. Indeed, it almost feels as if we've scored a victory in the face of adversity, having stuck it out when others called us crazy. Yes, it was rough....but we're made of sterner stuff, and I think we've proved our point, eh?



Then Bell X1 slink on to stage, and decide to 'treat' us to a subdued set of slow burning songs, heavy on atmosphere, dark of mood, and low on crowd pleasing choruses. At one point, frontman David Geraghty gives a speech about how Oxegen 10 years ago was the first festival they'd ever played, so you'd think they'd have learned a thing or two in that time. Instead, they seem oblivious to the indifference of the huge crowd assembled, focusing on being "intense" and "emotional". When  they play 'The Great Defector', the crowd go crazy, lapping up every infectious note, jumping up and down and singing along like their lives depend upon it. This is what the crowd want, and from here on in it gets a little more lively. But ultimately it's a real wasted opportunity.



Crazy in Love: "The Great Defector" sounds like the great lost Talking Heads song, and it's treated like an unstoppable summer anthem by the assembled revellers.



99 Problems: For the first time today, ATL actually becomes slightly bored, spending more time gazing at the sun through a haze of cloud, rather than looking at the band. A vast majority of the revellers apparently feel the same way too.



Oxegen Rating: 4/10

Red Bull Academy, Sunday 11th July, 5:30pm



Describe in a Tweet:  One great album makes for one great set!



What Happened: The tent is probably about half full when ATL arrives in time for opener, 'World News', and it's clear this gig is going to sound very close to the album. Most of the punters here know these tunes inside out, as their entire set is made up from the band's debut album, 'Gorilla Manor'. And they don't mess around with 'new tunes', going straight for the festival sing along.

The signature double percussion and combined reverby vocals swell time and time again for the likes of 'Wide Eyes', 'Shape Shifter' and their absolutely sublime version of Talking Heads 'Warning Sign'. The mustached/poncho wearing guitarist, Taylor Rice, is amazing to watch and the enthusiasm and energy spreads from the stage into the audience, who react especially to single 'Aeroplane'.

A great set by a great band. I guess we just have to wait and see what's up their sleeves next. New tunes?

Crazy in Love:  Their version of Talking Heads 'Warning Sign' makes everybody smile.

99 Problems: Would loved to have heard some new material, but don't they say patience is a virtue?!

Oxegen rating: 9/10

Heineken Green Spheres, Sunday 11th July, 4pm



Describe in a Tweet: Keith Murray makes sure we're all paying attention!



What Happened: It's still early enough, but ATL are quickly woken up by the extreme energy that We Are Scientists blast on stage with. The tent fills up nicely as they launch into old favorites like 'This Scene is Dead' and 'Inaction', and the audience have no problem chanting back the lines. They almost warn the crowd that the next song is a new one and bass player, Chris Cain, encourages the punters to "moan along" as they won't know the lyrics. But it's not long until the tent is belting back the chorus line, "I Don't Bite but You Can't Believe It". Catchy as ever, the new song equally matches the quality of their older tunes.

But We Are Scientists are well toured on the festival circuit and know how to work the crowd. The energy never dips as they blast into their 'hit' song, 'Nobody Move, Nobody Gets Hurt', and it's clear why this band have stuck about. We Are Scientists are an exciting band to watch, with hooks that you'll find yourself singing aloud once you're trudging yourself back out into the arena.

Crazy in Love: New Song "I Don't Bite" being rather damn good. And now wanting to check out their new album.

99 Problems: Having to run across site before the end of the set.

Oxegen rating: 7/10

Main Stage, Sunday, 4.25pm



Describe in a Tweet: Surprisingly engaging hippy dude has meteorological good fortune.



What Happened: Let's face it. If it had been chucking it down like yesterday, Newton Faulkner's happy campfire hippy schtick may have led to crowd/artist violence. Today, with the reappearance of that strange warmth and light emitting sphere has mellowed Oxegen to such an extent that it's more than appropriate festival soundtrack for a sunny Sunday.

Onstage, Faulkner is charming without succumbing to try-hard territory and the genuine good-blokery is infectious. Gone are the previous day's menacing undertones. Let's watch Paolo Nutini overturn this good time vibe shortly with his uncompromisingly agrressive, dark rock stylings..

Sorry, where were we? Oh yes. 'Dream Catch Me' and 'Gone in the Morning', the singer's own songs sound better live than recorded and stand out among the self-penned numbers. With quirky cover versions something of a house speciality, expectations are high. 'Teardrop', an obvious crowd favourite, is good, but an off the cuff reworking of 'No Diggity' steals the win before the big gun is brought out for the finale (see below).

Crazy in Love: 'Bohemian Rhapsody' is a total gimme, but Faulkner is note perfect both vocally and on guitar. Daft, jolly singalongs are always a good idea, but especially at festivals.

99 Problems: There really was no need for the two minute story about Barbarian hordes kissing our mums. There are limits to our tolerance of sandal wearers..



Oxegen Rating: 7/10

Heineken Green Spheres, Sunday 11th July, 4pm



Describe in a Tweet:  Out of control songstress extraordinaire climbs onto a bra mountain.



What Happened:  With a real lovely stage presence and a new auburn retro hair-do, Nash took center stage on her piano with her latest single 'Do-wah-doo', followed by 'Mouthwash' and 'Kiss that Grrrl'. Adorned with a long beaded waistcoat, similar to something found in a doorway, Nash performed in a really endearing and authentic way, showing off her Irish roots when she revealed she used to play the tin whistle. Next Nash vehemently sung out 'Stitching Leggings' in an almost punk rock riot style, showing a dark, furious side.



Then, strangely but bravely speaking about her work with self-harmers, she urged people who needed help to get it. And later on in the set she stated that she had three things to say: 1) Homophobia is (expletive deleted), 2) Sexism is (expletive deleted) and 3) Told the females in the audience to start composing and forming bands.



After a bra was thrown onstage, Nash gained entry into the pit, quickly pursued by two worried looking security men as the artist took a real time-out to hug and talk to her fans. 'Paris' then gave way to her massive hit single 'Foundations', which got the crowd pumped up and dancing, as well as causing other revelers to start mud fighting.

Crazy in Love: To top off her set, songstress extraordinaire Nash became a whirling dervish as she climbed onto her piano and feet-stomped the keys whilst waving a bra in the air. Now you can't get more rock 'n roll than that!



99 Problems: The hooded guitarist and bassist looked so forlorn at times that I couldn't help but think that they both wanted to escape to a nearby metal band.



Oxegen rating: 9/10

Vodaphone Stage, Sunday 11th July, 3.00pm



Describe in a Tweet: Short but sweet. Ish.

What Happened: Blink and you'd miss Professor Green - unless he went on ridiculously early, we're pretty sure he barely did half an hour.



Crazy in Love: As is the fashion with hip hop acts at the moment, there's a decent live set up, with three extra vocalists and proper percussion. It works best for a darker, grimey moments like 'In this Jungle', which sounds like a slightly less full on cousin of Eminem's 'Lose Yourself'. And of course we're all waiting for 'Need You Tonight', which comes quicker than expected. And works, big time.

99 Problems: Seriously, does he only have a couple of tunes written or what?



Oxegen Rating: 6/10  

Green Spheres Tent, Sunday 11th July, 2.00pm

Describe in a Tweet: The General has arrived on the festival battlefield.

What Happened: General Fiasco eat shows like this for breakfast now. Belying their youth, the three-piece are now experienced veterans, a tightly honed pop riff machine. And now they finally have the crowd they deserve. The tent, while not packed, is mostly full of young people who are living these songs, the lyrics playing out in their own lives on a nightly basis. They sing along with every word, treating songs like 'We Are The Foolish' and 'I'm Not Made Of Eyes' as anthems for their generation.

Mid-set, Owen steps out on his own to play 'Sinking Ships', and the crowd clap along, displaying a peculiarly Irish rhythm, ie. none at all. 'Rebel Get By' closes the set on a triumphant note, and day three of Oxegen gets off to the best possible start.

Crazy in Love: Behind the kit, Leaky is an absolute powerhouse, displaying some serious fringe shaking, the likes of which haven't been seen since the glory days of The Minutemen's George Hurley. Leaky - we salute you.

99 Problems: ATL is happy to give its "Oxegen Reveller of the Year, 2010" award to the punter who decided to chuck a yoghurt over the crowd, leaving ATL to watch General Fiasco with a chunk of youghurt slowly running down its back.

Oxegen Rating: 8/10

Red Bull Academy Tent, Sunday 11th July, 2.00pm



Describe in a Tweet: The wild card paid off! Pleasant surprise.



What Happened: We've got to be honest... as ATL approached the tent, the radio friendly indie pop we could hear didn't fill us with excitement - surely we've heard this sort of thing a millions times before? They're a tight band, sure, but a band writing "catchy" tunes indistinctive among the wash of similar musical troupes.

But then something happened. They expertly worked the small but enthusiastic crowd with a reggae type jam, created soley to get the audience to shout "hey" on demand. And then, the turning point. All of a sudden the Futureheads and The Police influences began to take hold and things got a little more interesting. The bass lines are funky and the drums tight, providing the lead singer an incredibly reliable backbone to do his thing.

'Electrical' seems to further show their The Police influences and they end on a song that chants "Oi, Oi Oi", which is never a bad thing for a festival.

All in all, this band were a pleasant surprise for the Sunday afternoon and maybe, if they're in luck, we'll be hearing alot more from these three Kildare lads.



Crazy in Love: The lead singer's failure to make a sound out of a Vuvuzela handed to him on stage. 



99 Problems: The punter with the Vuvuzela who decided to make up for the lead singers failure... again...and again... 



Oxegen Rating: 7/10

Heineken Green Spheres, Saturday 10th July, 7.00pm



Describe in a Tweet: Get working on some new tunes La Roux



What Happened: La Roux came on stage and immediately lowered any expectations that the audience had by stating that she was "unwell with a sore throat" and would not be very good today. Not a good start to the set and not entirely true as it turns out.

For an artist with only one album with a couple of, albeit massive, hit singles this arena was far too big for the star at this stage of her career. The lesser known album tracks were too downtempo and were not received well by the audience. However, when 'In For The Kill' was dropped near the end of the set the audience were reminded of why they where there in the first place.

Crazy in Love: An extended version of hit single 'Bulletproof' sounded amazing live and really united the crowd.

99 Problems: La Roux is a star in the making and has a good live persona but was held back by her lack of hit singles. Roll on Album Number 2.

Oxegen Rating: 6/10

Heineken Green Spheres, Saturday 10th July, 10.10pm



Describe in a Tweet: Put some effort in, lads.



What Happened: Other than a load of random looking blokes playing their (occasionally excellent) tunes, not much, really. 24 hours previous on this stage we witnessed Empire of the Sun compliment themselves with dancers, simple visuals and props. Later that night David Guetta brought further glitz and a proper visual experience. Any dance act worth their salt (or with enough record sales and thus money to spend) adds some kind of visual aspect and reaps the benefits. But Hot Chip are just about this music. Which, we guess, is admirable. Except in a more real sense it makes the experience of watching them very, very boring.

Crazy in Love: 'One Life Stand' is wonderful, everything that is great about this band wrapped up in a four minute pop nugget.

99 Problems: Seems lousy to go on about the massive technical issues the band had at the start (it's a festival - these things happen) so we won't. However, there was no excuse for those dodgy backing vocals ruining 'Over and Over'.

Oxegen Rating: 5/10

The Vodaphone Stage, Saturday 10th July, 8:00pm



Describe in a Tweet: Hooded Phantom of the Opera meets snarling wolf.



What Happened: Tom Smith in a black hoodie took hold of the mic and absolutely refused to let it go. With wild eyes and a madly cotorting face, he sang into the skies as well as bringing his face to ground zero on the stage floor. With Phantom of the Opera vocals, 'The Racing Rats' and the heart-renching 'Munich' were sung, with Tom growling huskily into the mic. Next 'Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors' saw Tom gliding effortlessly between guitar and piano, with drummer Ed Lay going bananas on the drums. Dragging his mic stand around the floor for 'Bullets' and manically nodding as he pressed the keys of the keyboard, Tom showed himself to be quite the theatrical showman. Lastly, 'Papillon' had the fans soaring to a creschendo ending.

Crazy in Love:  'Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors' was sung with such steely cold conviction, it sent a shiver went down the spine.

Red Bull Academy Stage, Saturday 10th July, 20.25pm



Describe in a Tweet: Infectiously fun and complex at once. Oh my head!



What Happened: In true festival style, we land mid-set for Dirty Projectors. 'Remade Horizon' is the arrival tune, as the band play their intricate stylings to a decent sized crowd. This band LOVE playing together, clearly showing their enthusiasm on stage. And it's infectious.

The vocals of lead singer, Dave Longstreth, combine perfectly with the three part harmonies of the girls in the band to make a joyous racket. Then Amber Coffman and Longstreth duet on a soulful laid back version of 'Rise Above', adding hints of r'n'b and giving this song yet another life.

Everything about this band is complex and exact, but they perform it with such ease and enjoyment that it feels like one entity as opposed to six proficient musicans playing their parts. Once again, Dirty Projectors deliver.  

Crazy in Love: Watching the joyous interaction between the musicians on stage. 

99 Problems: Missing the start of the set :(



Oxegen Rating: 8/10

Heineken Green Spheres, Saturday 10th July, 5:35pm



Describe in a Tweet:  Eloquent folk songstress gets caught up in an electronic haze.



What Happened: Adorned in a sparkly festive red and green shirt, the eloquent Ellie came on stage accompanied by a keyboard player, guitarist and drummer. Singing soulfully from her new 2010 album the crowd really got revved up for 'Guns And Horses' before singing along to 'Your Biggest Mistake' while the main lady played the acoustic guitar. Ellie shared that she was really enjoying being in Dublin, and remarked that the crowd had an "amazing attitude". Then 'Under The Sheets' saw Ellie go crazy on drums and enter into a sort of possessed trance. Moreover, there was one point where every single person on stage was wildly banging on one drum or another to their own carnal rhythm. Climaxing on 'Starry Eyed' and giving it her all, Ms. Goulding got the whole crowd into full swing. And at the end of the set, the miniature songstress gave an almighty backwards bow to the audience.

Crazy in Love:  Ellie's mimed star signs with her hands to 'Starry Eyed' brought dance moves to a whole new level.

Main Stage, Saturday 10th July, 19.40pm



Describe in a Tweet: Need a holiday? YES PLEASE MR. RASCAL. Good show, mind.



What Happened: In short, Dizzee's upped his game. Most likely inspired by Jay Z's live set up and obliged to put more of an effort in given his sudden rise to mega-fame, he's now got a dozen or so musicians onstage, extra MCs and a decent backdrop. Given that last summer at Belsonic it was just him, his DJ and an MC, this is quite an improvement.

Crazy in Love: The fact we're standing in this mud getting soaked and aren't completely miserable is credit to just how good Dizzee Rascal live is these days. The Strokes, Nirvana and DJ Kool all sneak into the reworked backing tracks and Dizzee's bounding about the stage having even more fun than we've seen in the past. 'Holiday', with it's ludicrous (and, on a day like this, vaguely offensive) lyrics is a bit of a highlight. Then he's back on to do a karaoke version of 'Bonkers' which, naturally enough, totally smashes it.

99 Problems: He's a completely different artiste these days and there's not much point living in the past, but we still kinda miss the Dizzee of old. Even a couple more early tracks would have sufficed, sir.



Oxegen Rating: 8/10

Red Bull Academy Stage, Saturday 10th July, 19.10pm



Describe in a Tweet: Beats and falsettos draw the hypnotise the crowd in...



What Happened: Wild Beasts really are a stange phenomenom. Their quirky duel vocals wouldn't be the immediate idea of a crowd pleasing band, but it's the beats that Chris Talbot thumps out that makes this tent move with dancing feet. What was somewhat strange but wonderful on record becomes further infused with the idea of dance music live - the guys know how to work the crowd and the songs build up to moments of bass explosions.

They mix in some news tunes, including one which is delving into a Prince-esque funk dance world and, looking at these guys, I can imagine them on a much much bigger stage if they were ever granted heavy airplay on the mainstream stations - being both simultaneously instantly accessible but still rather odd. 'We Still Got The Taste Dancing On Our Tongues' falls a little flat but overall this set is full of energy, proving that Wild Beasts could easily move from hipster indie lovers to more mass appeal if they wanted. Watch this space.

Crazy in Love: Hearing all the men in the tent attempt the falsetto of "watch me" on 'All The King's Men'. And actually not sounding half bad!



99 Problems: The crowd's general disinterest until the drums kick in so they can have a wee dance... 



Oxegen Rating: 7/10

Vodaphone Stage, Saturday 10th July, 5.20pm



Describe in a Tweet: Punk's not dead, it's just wet.



What Happened: By now the trek across the main festival site has become quite treacherous, with pools of mud coagulating everywhere. But as if heeding some kind of ethereal rallying call, a sizeable number of people can be found screaming the words, "RISE AGAINST!" whist charging towards the second stage. Despite the harsh conditions, this is clearly a band that can inspire superhuman feats of endurance.



With the rain starting to resemble a waterfall, a thunderous "1-2" hardcore beat announces Rise Against's arrival on the stage, and things don't settle down from there on in. Punk, in the classic old school American mould, it's high energy stuff, with guitarist and bassist constantly running from side to side of the stage, rarely settling in one place for too long. Vocalist, Tim McIlrath, acts as chief rabble-rouser, imploring the crowd to greater heights of exhuberance. The rain hasn't gotten him down, and he seems to have made it his mission to not let it get us down either.



And for the most part, it works. Outbreaks of moshing break out in the crowd, we all move as one, and at one point he has the entire crowd chanting "RISE ABOVE!" in unison. If they keep up this level of excitement, it won't be long before the amount of people chanting these words starts to multiply.



Crazy in Love: The sheer energy coming off the audience seems to feed directly into the band, causing them to take it up a notch.



99 Problems: The scattershot, quickfire delivery of the lyrics is completely lost in this setting, and unless you're intimately aquainted with the songs, it's all just a lot of passion without any meaning.



Oxegen Rating: 7/10

Red Bull Music Academy, Saturday 10th July, 4.30pm



Describe in a Tweet: 2010: A Funk Odyssey.



What Happened: As the rain picked up again, crowds began to find themselves drawn towards the space-funk soundscapes of Mr Jack Tiraquon, AKA The Space Dimension Controller. Laying down a solid beat, washes of synth soothed the assorted revellers, provoking a mid-afternoon outbreak of dance fury.



On record, Space Dimension Controller is able to expand upon his music, layering sound upon sound, and exploring the subtle nuances of the analogue synths. But in a live setting, it's geared squarely towards the feet, aimed at getting your body moving in a cosmic fashion. While it would be nice to be able to explore the sonic landscapes that he's quickly making a name for himself with, it's a diverting journey into the stratosphere, offering plenty for the discerning reveller to get their head around.



Crazy in Love: As the festival site begins to resemble a battlefield, what better course of action is there than taking a quick detour into the Love Quadrant?



99 Problems: One suspects that there are some cracking visuals just waiting to accompany this music, but for the moment we have to live with the exciting sight of Jack Tiraquon putting his sunglasses on.



Oxegen Rating: 7/10 

Main Stage, Saturday 10th July, 4:20pm



Describe in a Tweet:  Bare chested Scottish rock heroes.



What Happened:  Wind, wet and rain made the perfect conditions for Ayrshire rockers Biffy Clyro to storm onto the stage. Launching into 'Golden Rule' and taking no prisoners, lead singer Simon and bassist James threw themselves into being the true rock gods that they are. Playing 'Born On A Horse' from their latest 'Only Revolutions' album, the crowd joined in to clap, and with bikini / mud clad women on shoulders in the crowd, Simon remarked that they made the rain look sexy. 'God and Satan' followed, with the cameras simultaneously focusing in on the God tattoo verse on Simon's chest. After Simon did a solo acoustic performance on stage, the band went into the much anticipated rock anthem 'Mountains', and 'Many Of Horror' got the whole crowd singing along in unison with their arms up in the air. Simon gave kudos to the crowd for being hard by enduring the next to torrential conditions, and the trio hit their finale with 'The Captain' which got the revellers madly jumping, moshing and mud sliding.

Crazy in Love: When the crowd sang 'Many Of Horror' word for word alongside the band, it was a uniting experience for everyone involved, with front man Simon remarking that the singing was amazing.

99 Problems: Teenage girls at close proximity to my ears shouting at the top of their voices "We love you Simon!" may leave me with a hearing impairment, if the speakers don't get me first.



Oxegen rating: 8/10

Main Stage, Saturday 10th July, 3:15pm



Describe in a Tweet:  Holy guacamole! Did that just happen?!



What Happened: Something we didn't expect. Much as Two Door are awesome and everything, the fact they gathered way more people than Arcade Fire and most of yesterday's main stage acts (apart from Jay Z, natch) came as a wonderful shock.

Crazy in Love: Everyone's loving it. Singing along not just to the singles, but pretty much every track on the album, which is played almost in it's entirety. We knew they'd got serious daytime airplay in the south and are generally a big deal these days, but this is crazy. The relentless touring has paid off - they're doing the songs great justice and Alex is finally coming across as a bit of a superstar, albeit a subtle, very polite one. 

''It's nice to be back in Ireland, where people actually know what we're saying", he says, before supping back a beer and unleashing 'Come Back Home'. Great reaction after great reaction - the lads are either too cool or clueless to realize quite how big a deal it is to get a crowd like this, on a day like this. God bless their youthful naivety.

99 Problems:  Nothing about the show, but have you seen their tour schedule? Festivals all across Europe, Japan, Hong Kong and Australia, then a massive UK tour, coast to coast in the states and more shows across Europe. Pretty much relentless until December. We're crossing everything that they don't burn out by Christmas.



Oxegen rating: 9/10

Red Bull Music Academy, Saturday 10th July, 2.45pm



Describe in a tweet:  Dublin rock and roll band meet Meatloaf.



What happened: With no hesitation the tight jean wearing guitarists and side burned drummer of The Minutes assaulted the stage in proper rock riot fashion. With powerful vocals and a cheeky smile the lead singer M.A. performed with an energy that left him sweating profusely by song two and alarmingly showing symptoms of heart palpitations. Calling themselves a rock and roll band they had good banter with the crowd and M.A. strutted around like Mick Jagger. Jets of smoke and military drum beats set the scene for 'Highway 51' before they went into catchy 'Fleetwood' their next single to be released. The brilliant chorus of 'Harmonies' was followed by a swapsy on the guitars between the two front men for 'Black Keys'. M.A. vehemently sung into the mic with bluesy soul-focused vocals and there was a lot of 1:1 action between him and the bassist T.C. before they stood at the edge of the stage taking on the audience face on.

Crazy In Love: The Meatloafesque passion that lead singer M.A. possessed on stage was amazing and with every fleck of sweat received by ATL in the audience, we loved him the more.  



99 Problems:  The track 'Ukraine' was sadly missed from their set list. In addition, the crowd acted pretty meekly in the face of the rock assault blasted out to them.

Oxegen Rating: 8.5/10

Green Spheres Tent, Saturday 10th July, 2.00pm

Describe in a Tweet: Hail to the Kings, baby.



What Happened: Coming on like they owned the place, the streamlined three-peice Panama Kings kicked into a set of stadium sized indie-rock, and didn't let the breaks off at any point. Careering around the stage, Niall Kennedy howled like a man possessed, whilst a whirlwind of scratchy, funky noise rose up behind him. Slashing guitars, dance beats, gothic organ; the Panama Kings have the lot.



By way of comparison, if Two Door Cinema Club are the polite, acceptable face of Northern Irish indie, all sophisticated charm and elan, Panama Kings are the unsavory older brothers - the kind of band you wouldn't neccessarily want to take home to meet your mother. The choruses are anthemic, the melodies direct, but everything has a rough edge and hint of danger that just sets them apart.



The slightly partisan crowd lap it up, and accompanied by Cara Cowan on guest vocals, a statuesque ballad shows the band in full control of what they can do. A closing cover of the Pixies' Where Is My Mind? seals the deal - these guys can have the keys to the kingdom.



After all, what more reward can we give to a man who rocked out like his life depended on it, despite having ruptured the undercarriage of his absurdly skinny jeans?



Evidently nothing can stop him.



Crazy in Love: 'Children' sounds IMMENSE, easily filling out the venue. If several hundred people aren't humming that for the rest of the day, something has gone disasterously wrong.



99 Problems: Niall's on-stage story of his first sight upon arriving at the festival was something nobody really wanted to hear. Thanks for a thought that can't be unthunk...



Oxegen Rating: 8/10

Main Stage, Friday 9th July, 7.05pm



Describe in a tweet:  Leather clad men do relaxed rock n' roll, with well up for it Welsh banter.



What happened: Donned in leather jackets, Kelly Jones and his band took centre stage with a red banner embossed backdrop, featuring the title of their 2009 album - 'Keep Calm And Carry On'. With a real sense of self-assurance Kelly sang 'Pick A Part That's New' which fans chirpily joined in with, before singing the edgy 'Uppercuts' , which echoed sounds from their 'Performance And Cocktails' album. Seeing gleeful and mud covered crowd surfers Kelly remarked that "only in Ireland would you see a crowd surfer with a bottle of Smirnoff in their hand - fair play to ya!". And this led him to give respect to the fans who were reveling in the rain, and to introduce 'Innocent', saying it was a song about "youth, drinking, making mistakes and SWEAR WORDed it up." Dedicating 'Just Looking' to the late Stuart Cable; the band's former drummer, Kelly endearingly called him "a crazy SWEAR WORD who would be missed for a long time". Last song and cherry on the cake 'Dakota' got everyone in sight dancing and singing along, finishing the set on a real high.

Crazy In Love: Epic songs 'Traffic', 'Local boy in the photograph' and 'Just looking' were all performed as touchingly and felt as relevant as when they were first released.

99 Problems: A little too civilized onstage it felt like a teenage party had been gatecrashed by four dads.

Oxegen Rating: 8/10

Green Spheres Tent, Friday 9th July, 11:15pm



Describe in a Tweet:  David Guetta gets the masses moving...



What Happened: David Guetta's set for many of the Oxegen revellers this year is expected to be one of the highlights. His fame is growing at an exponential rate and his knack for producing floor-fillers in clubs has become legendary. As both a producer and a popstar in his own right, his songs are hits all around the globe.

It is no surprise then that his set is full of back-to-back crowd pleasers that keep the dance fan masses entertained non-stop for the 90 minute set. He opens up with the proclamation that "Ireland has the worst weather" and has a laugh before re-assuring us that regardless of this "we are going to have the best night of the year".

The crowd are ready for him and, in fact, have already warmed up their vocal chords with the string of hit singles that have been playing out through the PA in the gap between the previous act (Goldfrapp) and him. David though was up to the challenge and kicked proceedings off with his '**** Me I'm Famous' remix of his own track 'Memories' featuring Kid Cudi. The sound system has no problems coping with the level that he is pumping out the tunes at. 

The whole show is a tightly knit production. The large screen behind the stage for instance is synced up with the music and whenever he plays 'Sexy Chick' the text on the screen flashes with the words 'Sexy B****'. It really was a full on multi-media production and one which the crowd absolutely lapped up. At one point there where dancing robots on stage covered in what can only be described as LED light suits shooting out smoke from their wrists. It really was a sight to behold and one which this reviewer will not forget in a hurry.

Crazy in Love: Towards the end of the performance David asked everyone to take out their mobile phones and hold them in the air so he could take a picture and show his friends in Ibiza this moment which he will never forget. He did seem to be genuinely blown away by the reaction.

Hot Press Stage, Friday 9th July, 22:20pm



Describe in a Tweet: Local boy hero done good!



What Happened: After watching the Villagers play the IMRO tent last year, the sharp rise and rise of Conor J. O'Brien's troupe is no surprise to me. Now with the album out on Domino, his appearance on the likes of Jools Holland and Other Voices, people have taken this charming and slightly odd fella to their hearts - as displayed by today's loving and decent sized crowd.



Conor declares, "we're all drunk" before launching into 'Becoming A Jackal'. Drunk or not, this sounds great with the crowd singing back in unison. The tom drums pound the song into another sphere and Conors intense facial expressions become hypnotic, drawing the audience into this powerful and intense performance.

'Pieces' ends with a dueling crescendo and Conor literally howling like a wolf. It feels like a show stopper as he crashes to his knees - but it's just the middle of the set. There's a lull with church like 'The Pact - I'll Be Your Fever', but after Conor asks, "are ye ready for a song about death?". And yes, yes they are. 'I Saw The Dead' turns out to be the highlight of the set, with an even further intense and impassioned performance.

Conor waves bye to the crowd like a small child before launching into their "happy song", 'Ship of Promises' to end the set. And promises this band give. Let's hope they continue their rise, for this is a great, slightly dark and twisted, songwriter with an amazing band that show no signs of stopping. 

Crazy in Love: 'I Saw The Dead' gives me spin tingly goodness...And Conors haphazard presence.

Green Spheres Tent, Friday 9th July, 9.40pm

Describe in a Tweet: Electro-glam ups the revelling levels.



What Happened: Keytars are an instrument so profoundly uncool that they've come full circle and become cool again. And always ahead of the pack, Ms Alison Goldfrapp has two of them. With a set that dips in and out of her extensive back catalogue, we are treated to a slick, but oddly unmoving show. It's all very slick, and the band are in impressive form, but there's a chill at the heart of it all that is never far from the surface.



Ms Goldfrapp herself has an incredible vocal presence, which largely makes up for the lack of involvement the band have with the crowd. But the set only really takes off when they deviate from the sweeping, cinematic material, and get stuck into their electro take on glam rock. As the synths switch from the "swoosh" setting to the "bleuurgghh" setting, it all starts to make much more sense, and the set really starts to connect.



Crazy in Love: The band are impressively attired, resembling a disco-funk space pop band from the future. If such a thing were possible.



99 Problems: During some of the slower numbers, the set really begins to drag, and one starts to notice that Goldfrapp's main on-stage movement is to perpetyally sway her arms back and forward, like a child pretending to be an aeroplane.



Oxegen Rating: 6/10

Hot Press Stage, Friday 9th July, 21:10pm



Describe in a Tweet: Songs for a lock-in!



What Happened: It's been three years since the Scottish lads were at Oxegen last, and tonight they're determined to make an impression. Thanking those for being there instead of going to Jay Z, there's a roar from the decent but slightly disappointing crowd. But once again Frightened Rabbit's absolute passion for what they do, wins over the tent with songs like 'Nothing Like You', 'Swim Until You Can't See Land' and 'Good Arms vs Bad Arms'.

The crowd starts to fill out as Grant Hutchinson pounds the drums for dear life. It's all matched by his brother Scott's intense vocals, and you can't help but believe every word this man sings. And that's it. These songs are anthems, to be sung back by the crowd, and then replicated in house parties across the land. The vocal hooks and harmonies are infectious and the band clearly enjoy every moment. It all means that if it's your thing or not, they're still a great live band. It ends with Scott urging people to forget about the rain; get wet, drink and have fun. And then they aptly finish the set with 'Keep Yourself Warm'. A mission many in the campsite will attempt and probably fail tonight.

Crazy in Love: The bit of Irish lovin'... They really do seem to love it here, citing the fact that their first ever tour was of this fair isle four years ago.



99 Problems: Definitely expected a bigger crowd. Decent, but worthy of more. 



Oxegen Rating: 7/10

Green Spheres Tent, Friday 9th July, 8.10pm

Describe in a Tweet: Prog-funk space-age spectacular.

What Happened: It's an audiacious move, and it pays off with incredible results. As if descending from another planet, Luke Steel and his band of merry men appear on stage amidst 80s inspired visuals and a quartet of dancers, all clad in exotic headwear. Over the course of the next hour, we are taken on a space funk odyssey, unlike anything else on the planet.



It's pure showbiz, and it takes considerable style to pull it off. Steel prowls the stage, saying little, dressed as some sort of futuristic despot, complete with silver armour and LED shoulderpads. It's a slick perfromance, which threatens to become derailed when Steel's guitar breaks. Amidst an onslaught of electronic noise and pounding drums, he struggles with the equipment failures before taking the offending instrument and smashing it into peices. Before the set is over, another guitar meets a similar fate. All the while, through a variety of costume changes, the dancers continue to put on a dazzling display and keep the show going.



It's one of the greatest shows this correspondent has seen in recent years, and it seems like The Flaming Lips have finally found a rival to their stage show.



Crazy in Love: The dancers were incredible, a constant blur of movement and colour.



99 Problems: To be honest, aside from the equipment failure mid-set, it was pretty darn faultless.



Oxegen Rating: 9/10 

Red Bull Music Academy, Friday 9th July, 6.40pm



Describe in a tweet:  Darwin Deez meets MC Hammer in an eighties exercise video.



What happened: In a bright green jumper adorned with friendly sheep, Darwin Deez came on stage and was instantly welcomed by fans. Setting off the Ironside alarm, his fellow band mates; a guitarist in a bright pink cap, a chilled out bassist, a drummer who looked suspiciously french in black and white stripes - all individually came onto the stage with their backs turned to the audience. Then suddenly turning around, they went into a rap dance collective, instantly bringing good time vibes into the arena.

Using some electronic distortion to accompany the mellow vocals, Darwin launched into his soon to be next release 'Up In The Clouds' before the crowd heard 'Constellations'. After that, the audience watched on as the band performed body pumping floor presses in unison, much as would be observed in an MC Hammer exercise video. 'DNA' was where the crowd's clapping became integral to the rhythm, before the band launched into another dance move bonanza, this time in true Beyonce stylee - dedicated to all the single ladies, followed by 'Walk Like An Egyptian'. Needing no introduction 'Radar Detector' really got the crowd joining in even though Darwin's vocals were a bit flat. What's more all the way through their performance, Ying and Yang seemed to occupy either side of Darwin, with the unstoppable force of the guitarist on his left and to his right; the mellow swaying bassist. With smiles, to top off the set the guys raised their cans in salute of the cheering crowd.

Crazy In Love: The jack in the box energized guitar player had so much energy that he could have potentially powered the whole of the Oxegen festival with the power of his jumping feet.



99 Problems:  At times Darwin's endearing lyrics were muffled out and in one song sounded as flat as a battery.

Oxegen Rating: 9.5/10

Describe in a Tweet: Dressed for sunny Cape Cod but rocking the Punchestown rain.



What Happened: Looking like they rocked up out of a Bret Easton Ellis novel, the Upstate New Yorkers bring a brighter note to the main stage after the serious blues rock driven sound of Black Keys. BK rocked, but with the skies emptying ever more furiously, this crowd is in need of some preppy pep. With most songs weighing in around the two minute mark, VW are the perfect soundtrack to an irony loving Irish god of summer. 

Not much in the way of brand new material but highlights from both albums get a run out. Cousins and Horchata sit better in a live set than on the Contra album, while the stand out tracks from the eponymous debut still outshine in general. A-Punk is an outrageous machine gun spit of indie pop and Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa is a shimmering gem whatever the weather. M79, Mansard Roof and Campus flowing into Oxford Comma beautifully seems to echo this.

Onstage the band behave with all the charm of a new chum back to meet your mum for Sunday lunch, with a knowing glint in the eye that suggests they may just try to fire the lips on her after dessert. The nicely pressed shirts hide a definite air of menace.

Crazy in Love: The 'Hey Hey Hey's during A-Punk will likely have caused turned heads in Tallaght.



99 Problems: At times the band's clean cut image and sound can straddle a fine line with appearing smug, but hey - if we were rich, handsome and in a cool band, we'd be frankly unbearable..



Oxegen Rating: 8/10

Dance Arena, Friday 9th July, 6.00pm



Describe in a Tweet: Fred Falke gets the crowd moving at #Oxegen 2010



What Happened: As the rain started to get heavier on the site it seemed that the smart money was on an act in a tent, where it's always dry and always night time. With this in mind, your unhardy reviewer headed to check out one of the hottest producer/DJs on the scene at the moment. Legendary for his own productions, as well as collaborations with long time partner-in-rhyme Alan Braxe, Fred is currently one of the most in-demand remixers in the business.



Glad to see then that the Oxegen crowd was not disappointed with his hour long set. He began by putting a record on (well, pressing play on a mac) and picking up an electric bass and playing along live. The crowd lapped it up which, combined with the dramatic light show, resulted in a very active dancefloor. In the last half hour of his set, Fred plundered through his own remixes of tracks by Goldfrapp (Number 1), Gossip (A Heavy Cross), Ke$ha (Tik Tok) and finally, accompanied by himself on bass, Robyn's latest single Dancing On My Own. At this point he cleared the stage for next act Aeroplane to rapturous applause and chanting. Fred is clearly welcome back anytime. 

Crazy in Love: The addition of live bass from Fred Falke himself added a new level to the set.



99 Problems: At one point, while meandering towards the stage, your brave reviewer accidentally stumbled into "the circle of fear", where there was a stand-off between two angry men. Security were straight in though to split it up, otherwise, y'know, Team ATL would have got involved.



Oxegen Rating: 8/10

Main Stage, Friday 9th July, 4.10pm

Describe in a tweet: Still got the blues, unfortunately.



What happened: Perhaps an odd choice for the main stage, garage blues combo The Black Keys start churning out their riffs to a largely indifferent crowd. Sweaty riff follows sweaty riff, and the whole thing chugs along with attention levels coming and going. Accompanied by a bassist, the main problem seems to lie with the fact that this just might not be the ideal setting for this kind of music. It's all pretty accomplished stuff, and the band have serios chops, but it seems to be going over the heads of the audience.



Then they dispose of the bassist, revert back to their 'classic' line-up and start kicking out the jams. The whole set goes up a notch, provoking some serious grooving. The more aggressive the sound, the more of a reaction it gets, and by the time they leave the stage, things have seriously got cooking. A qualified success.



Crazy in Love: The southern fried blues-funk fills up ATL's empty belly.



99 Problems: Guitar solos and riffs can frequently be quite boring, you know.



Oxegen rating: 6/10

Heineken Green Spheres, Friday 9th July, 4.10pm



Describe in a tweet:  Music to listen to during an alien invasion.



What happened: The smoky haze of the darkly lit Green Spheres tent created the perfect setting for these Wicklow post rockers. Playing "From dust to the beyond" the long haired brothers Torsten and Niells head banged with conviction whilst riffing on their guitars, in front of an iconic banner of the sun. Then taking it up a notch they veered into dark ominous riffs, with fast paced tick tock drumming, accompanied by flashing red lights, before launching into their next song with drum and bass beats that got people dancing in a jungle like fashion. Synth riffs brought their songs to a higher plane and with Neil's saluting the fans and the audience clapping in unison, it was clear that the trio had captured their souls. Despite not having much on stage banter, the band truly connected with their audience like an electric socket.

Crazy In Love: Fans were taken on a myriad of sound with vast musical crescendos, hypnotic synth riffs, and helicopter take offs that sent the crowd into outer space.



99 Problems:  Stage performance wise - dad rock comes to mind.



Oxegen Rating: 7/10

Main Stage, Friday 9th July, 2.00pm



Describe in a tweet:  A melted peach melba on a Mediterranean cruise ship.



What happened: Eliza was the first performer of the festival to hit the main stage in a flimsy peach summer outfit, alongside three preppyily dressed musicians (one being called Charleston). Eliza's beautiful vocals soared into the raining skies, whilst fans crowded around in wellies and ponchos. Oblivious to the elements, the vocalist floatily danced the cha cha on stage to the slow tempo of the double bass, much like you would expect from the onboard entertainment of a cruise ship. To boot the acoustic guitarist / ukelele player and tambourine hitting drummer sang along in a Beach Boys-esque fashion. After Eliza threatened to sing a Justin Bieber song, she performed Aretha Franklin's 'I Never Loved A Man', followed with the lyrically questionable 'Mr Medicine' and first single 'Skinny Genes'. Announcing the release of her self-titled debut album in Ireland, she was cheered on by fans and thanked everyone for their support to date.   



Crazy In Love:  The last song of the set and meloic pop wonder 'Pack Up' was sung with more conviction by Eliza than the rest and got fans jovially singing and dancing along, under a showering rain cloud.



99 Problems: The constant monosyllabic lyrics of 'La, La, La', 'Toot Toot' and 'Do Do Do' found me asking if I had ended up in the local children's creche. What's more, as beautiful as Eliza's vocals were, they seemed souless and left me with the feeling of tepid tea.



Oxegen Rating: 6.5/10

Groundhog day! We're packing our pink espadrilles and mirrored shades once again to make the trip to Punchestown for Oxegen 2010, so tonight on Across the Line radio we will be asking what is making you shudder with anticipation.

As usual, the ATL team display their own deluded sense of self-importance and here we list what we're going to be dancing badly at...

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Each week on the ATL Dance show, Paul Hamill invites an illustrious luminary from the electronica scene to tip us off with their three killer new tunes.

This week's essential tracks are chosen by Phil Lucas from Belfast club night Twitch.

ATL Dance is broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster, Friday nights from midnight til 2am folks!

Read the rest of this entry