Taking It To The Streets

It may seem a touch early for festival season, but nobody told the organisers of BudRising’s inaugural Street Party.

Alongside an impressive array of big-name live attractions, the event also boasts a karaoke stage, an organic food stall, a live graffiti artist and – what Irish festival would be complete without it? –the constant threat of rain. Hot Press even hears one punter excitedly likening the set-up to a “mini-Electric Picnic”. So much for festival fatigue!
Indeed as The Streets' Mike Skinner makes his way to the stage, many remain so preoccupied by the Street Party side of attractions that his entrance goes largely unnoticed. Visibly bemused by the paucity of revellers on hand to greet his arrival, Skinner teases the assembled with good humour. “I’m Mike Skinner,” he announces, “one day I’ll be famous and you can say you saw me and there was hardly anybody there!”
Whether intended to or not, his self-deprecation pays off. Word gets around and even before opener ‘Turn The Page’ reaches its synth-led climax the tent is positively rocking.
Emerging from his recent self-imposed hibernation, Skinner shows he has lost none of his chav-ish charms – he romps through ‘Has It Come To This?’ and ‘Push Things Forward’, whipping the now-heaving tent into a good-natured frenzy.
Delivering what is in essense a greatest hits set, Skinner and co-vocalist Leo the Lion work the stage intently, interchanging trademark minimalist melodies with grime rhymes. It's not all bling and beats, though – we also get occasional piano ballads such as the ‘Let It Be’-swindling ‘Never Went To Church’.
“I thought it was going to be a quiet one," Skinner says at the end. Whatever gave him that idea?

Jack Wright
“It’s an impressive structure and set-up, with loads of different things on around the place. I’m a pretty big Streets fan but I only ever saw them once at Oxegen a few years ago – I think it was 2004.
"This was different though – it was good to see Mike Skinner up close and in such an intimate setting. It was a good set. If I had to pick one song as a highlight I’d have to say ‘Dry Your Eyes’. If there was something like this on again I’d definitely come along. It’s a really great set-up and atmosphere to see live music in. Plus it was free – you can’t really go wrong.”

Alicia Davey
“Even though it rained all night, it didn’t stop me partying. I thought The Streets were very entertaining. Mike Skinner had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand.
"Mixmaster Mike lived up to his name and really worked the crowd with his mixing skills. I reckon he’s one of the best turntablists in the world. DJ Morgan ended the night with a bang. I got my five minutes of fame at the rock star guitar stage and loved the graffiti artists Maser’s work! A great night out and the free tickets made it even better! Saturday night in George’s Dock – definitely this year’s jewel in the BudRising festival crown!”

Kenneth McDonald
“I was really surprised and impressed by the whole set up. It was a cool vibe – kind of like a mini festival but in a city centre location. It came as a pleasant surprise to find it being held in a nice cosy tent and not outside like I’d expected.
"I’m a fan of The Streets, but I hadn’t seen them live before – they were much better than I thought they’d be. I was glad he had a full live band on stage. It was a good opportunity to see Mike Skinner up close. He was looking fresh-faced and rested – probably ‘cos he isn’t touring at the moment. His flow was at a nice pace but the real star was his co-vocalist Leo the Lion – he was fantastic, full of energy. Between them they bounced around the stage and kept the crowd going.
"Stand out tracks were ‘Weak Become Heroes’ and ‘Fit But You Know It’ and everyone enjoyed the cover of Prodigy’s ‘Out Of Space’.
"I think he played a couple of new tunes which sounded good too. I’m definitely looking forward to album No.4.”

Sinead Watters
“I thought the Streets were good although I wish they did more from their first album. They only did a few from Original Pirate Material. They were great at getting the crowd going and the atmosphere was fantastic, especially when Mike Skinner got everyone to sit and then jump up in unison. Some might reckon it was a bit cheesy – but, hey, it worked!
"DJ Morgan was amazing. We go to see him DJing all the time around Dublin – he really knows how to warm up the crowd. I thought Mixmaster Mike was going to be a lot better. Lots of the tracks he played were quite mainstream which surprised me as I expected him to play more old-skool tracks and mix a lot more. Luckily Morgan finished the night off with some hard bangin’ tunes from MIA and Nine Inch Nails. The crowd was lovin’ it. His set went down a treat."

Colin Nolan
“I arrived just before The Streets took to the stage. We were standing behind the first apex of the tent so perhaps those in front could hear it better. The instruments could be heard fine but the vocals were lost. I thought the sound would let him down but he pulled it off by the end. When they played the hits the audience was won over. The best tracks were ‘Dry Your Eyes’, ‘Fit But You Know It’ and ‘Push Things Forward’.
"I’m a big hip-hop fan. It was great to see Mix Master Mike. I’ve seen him play with the Beastie Boys before but never on his own. With the pencil cameras set up on the decks you could see him in action up close. Some of the tracks he mixed in, like Rage Against the Machine's ‘Killing In The Name Of’, were real surprises.
"It was a good show. I thought the set-up was really impressive. It had the feel of a mini boutique festival. They should have something like this on more often.”