It's Witnness Review Central!

To read Kim Porcelli on Damien Rice go here

Badly Drawn Boy
Sporting his trademark beanie even in the face of sultry Irish climes, Damon Gough took to the main stage yesterday with a piano, a guitar and a harmonica and despite his backing band ‘standing him up’, was as rich and beautiful and simple as ever. Few artists could appeared before a festival audience of thousands and create such an intimate atmosphere. Sitting at his piano with a cigarette at arms reach, he delivered plenty of old favourites as well as some new material, with the occasional improvisation and clearing-of-throat mid-song. An epic rendition of ‘Pissing in the Wind’ had good vibes radiating throughout Punchestown, and judging from the rapture of The Diehard Fan beside me, I have to conclude that this was an extra special Badly Drawn Boy experience.

The Thrills
The Thrills seem to be going from strength to strength lately, and their seamless live performance on the Rising stage last night was testimony to the sheer talent and dynamism these Dublin boys possess. Their onstage energy had a highly contagious effect, with big hits ‘Santa Cruz (You're Not That Far)’ and ‘One Horse Town’ raising the roof in the jam-packed tent. The Thrills’ unique style of eclectic rock inspired a healthy amount of good old-fashioned moshing and many a crowd sing-a-long – a promising reception for a band who only last month released their first long player, So Much For The City. “This is the best gig I’ve ever done,” enthused frontman Conor Deasy as he finished their set. Touché.

Lemon Jelly
Lemon Jelly brought a wave of refreshment to many a red-faced punter when they took the stage in the sweaty dance arena last night. Their imaginative electronic meanderings gave some much-needed stimulation to those weary from the bangin’ output of the day, while their finely crafted beats provided sufficient funk for the ever-funky crowd. An impressive set from these Sussex boys, whose attention to detail sets them apart in their genre. Piling oodles of layers of lovely ear candy into their compositions with enough breathing space and enchanting visuals to boot, the Lemon Jelly live experience was a welcome addition to the Witnness dance bill.

The Streets
So what about all this hype about the Streets? The live experience of Original Pirate Material was, well, impressive. As the sun set over County Kildare the 22 year-old Brit took to the stage with a cup of the dark stuff and began rhyming about all things Guinness (and Witnness). This pretty much continued throughout his performance, peppering a flawless delivery with plenty of onstage antics alongside fellow MC Kevin Mark Trail. Skinner’s tomfoolery encouraged a constant flow of flying objects from the audience – juggling bottles, giant foam hands and a big, black brassiere. Ten points for entertaining the festival crowd. The tunes, they were choice. Methinks The Streets are here to stay.