Live Report: Saoirse + Arcadia Spectacular, All Together Now 2018

Located at the nucleus point between All Together Now's three biggest stages - ATN Stage, Road to Nowhere and Something Kind of Wonderful - the Arcadia Spectacular is truly a sight to behold. A flaming spire shooting fireballs and housing a DJ booth, it amplifies music into something more powerful, more cinematic.

Originating at Burning Man, the first DJ to occupy the spot at All Together Now was Dublin act Saoirse. She did not disappoint, delivering house tunes which felt fresh. The DJ avoided repetition by constantly switching speeds and beats per minute and using a diverse range of interesting samples including disembodied voices, subtle melodies and robot bleeps.

However, one wonders how much of her set's power came from the Arcadia Spectacular itself. Fireballs were blasted in keeping with Saoirse's drops, serving the dual function of emphasising her music while also keeping audiences warm as the night turned chilly.

Saoirse looked bad-ass throwing shapes from her booth just underneath the Spectacular's main flame, while surrounded in a circle by various other small fires, emanating from gorgeously designed artificial trees.

For those looking for something to do at All Together Now after the Main Stage closes, the Arcadia Spectacular is their best bet for a good time, hosting DJ sets from 12 each night of the festival.