*****
It’s the eternal quandary of the muso – what to do when your favourite band becomes popular? Do you denounce them for, evil of evils, selling out, or do you stick with them?

All week the prophets of doom had been telling us that the day was going to be a washout. Hurricane Charlie, they informed us in hushed tones, was on his way. Not a man, woman, or child would be left standing. If we looked closely we might see Noah sail past, sails full of the mighty winds that would rage all day, if the rain hadn’t got us first. <At this point adopt Alan Partridge voice> Well there was a localised hurricane in South Dublin last Saturday, a ‘Hurricane Marlay’, if you will. And we got so blown away….. <end of Partridgeisms, honest> 

In fairness, this wasn’t the best gig the Frames have ever played, it wasn’t even their best Irish gig this year (that honour goes to Whelans of course). But it was certainly the most important. From the opening bars of ‘Lay me Down’ the crowd started singing, and kept going through Revelate. Happy was, unfortunately, one of the few new songs to make it into tonight’s set, the lads obviously deciding that to fill Marlay Park, you’re going to need a lot of noise. And so they delve back to Fitzcarraldo, for the title track, and rare outings (these days) for ‘Angel at my Table’ and ‘Monument’, along with the more frequently played ‘Your Face’ and ‘Red Chord’. Dance the Devil was well served too, with ‘Hollocaine’, ‘Star Star’, ‘Rent Day Blues’ and ‘Pavement Tune’ all getting an airing. ‘Hollocaine’ became one of the unexpected highlights of the evening, the track being lifted from quite an ordinary song into something else by the rapping of, to my knowledge anyway, the only rapper in the world to trade under the moniker ‘Berny’. He then forced the band into playing the timeless classic….Bananaman, and may now face legal action as all of those bananas flung into the crowd could have taken someone’s eye out. Star Star was it’s usual brilliant self, Colm’s violin sending the music soaring and sweeping into the night sky, before we got a helping of Deus’ Hotellounge, and an all too brief taste of Sparklehorse’s Prettiest Widow.

During the brief respite from the music, I just took the opportunity to look around me … and I was amazed. There was a sea of faces behind me, all waiting expectantly for the lads to come back onstage. I thought back to the first time I saw The Frames live, in the Funnel. And the second, a couple of weeks later in the DCU canteen, with about 60 others, shortly before the release of Dance the Devil. They put as much effort into those couple of shows I saw 6 years ago as they did on Saturday. There really aren’t any maps to show how a band can get from playing to a couple of dozen people in a canteen in DCU in 98 to headlining their own show in front of 15,000 people 6 years later, with no financial backing from labels. 

Returning in triumph onto the stage, we got Glen solo doing The Blood, replete with audience chorus. The Blowers daughter heralded the entrance of Damien Rice, wearing his ‘interesting’ poncho-stylee top. In fairness the man can sing, and he lead the audience through his song admirably, with a verse of Creep thrown in for good measure. Glen returned to the stage to remind us that, whilst the bands rise has been swift in the past couple of years, there have been dark days too. With video footage of Mic on the screens, he sang Heyday like he really believes it. So did we. It was a fitting tribute to a life cut tragically short. The traditional nod to the Pixies came in the form of Where is my mind, Colm’s violin again proving the focal point of the song. There could only be one song to round off the night, the sprawling epic that is ‘Red Chord’. As the crowd roared cathartic ‘yeea-aahs’ into the night sky, the band formed a huddle and took their leave. 

As I started on the seemingly endless path out of the park, I though back once again to those early shows, and the conversations I had after them. We all agreed that if there was any justice in the world, this band would be massive. Saturday, for me anyway, proved that The Frames have finally made it, prove that sometime the good guys do win. It marked the end of a chapter in their lives, which is why I think there were so many old songs. So, goodbye to all that, and we wait in expectation for the release of ‘Burn the Maps’, and the live shows in Vicar Street. I also thought of the bands they’d led me to, through covering their songs, like Sparklehorse and Deus, and also the artists they’d given a helping hand to by giving them support slots – David Kitt, Damien Rice, Bell X1, Turn, Jubilee Allstars, Mark Geary. Paul Noonan’s image of The Frames being a giant sow who allow other artists to suckle at their breast is one that sticks in the memory, but it is accurate (well metaphorically anyway, I don’t know what goes on behind closed doors….) 
 

So, to return to my original question, what do you do when your favourite band go from cult status to genuine mass popularity? When the band is this good, you have no option - you stay on the train, and see where they’ll take you next. I love it so far.

*****
By 11:00 am, the crowds had swelled into an uncontrollable number (12), they were excited (sleeping or reading). By 12:30 the queue had formed with the epic debate breaking out "Jaffa Cakes-biscuits or cakes?!" (Think about it!). No breakthrough had been made by 2:30, so we decided to watch the concert. 

When Halite started only a couple of hundred had entered the concert area, most were eating or buying t-shirts. They seemed happy to be there, but only drew a handful of people.

BELL X1- the Dublin quartet were greeted with a warm welcome, as they came on, playing snakes and snakes first, in what was a set dominated by material from their most recent album "Music in Mouth". Paul Noonan’s voice was on top form, as was his occasional guitar playing. His outrageous gyrations were matched by his shaker playing, even having a shaker solo one the bands upcoming songs "Monkey 61".

The multi talented David Geraghty often stole Mr Noonan’s limelight, playing equally brilliantly on guitars, keyboards, banjo and harmonica, also singing "Offshore", their sole offering from "Neither am I", the bands 1st album. The set also included an electrifying version of Tongue, followed quickly by White Water Song, shaking off many people’s views of them as a boy band with guitars.

As the band played their biggest hit "Eve the Apple of My Eye", Paul Noonan went backstage and fetched a couple, blinded by enormous apple Heads. They shared a quick slow dance, before being escorted back off again. Not so successful was the experiment with the little orange loudspeaker, making Noonan looking like a right tool when singing the end of "Alphabet soup."

All in all a pleasing, if not short, set where they spun out the hits and two new songs, also engaging the crowd at times. Paul left the crowd pleased, when he said "See you all at Vicar Street!"

IDLEWILD: Many left after Bellx1 and didn’t return for hours, this left the Scottish band with quite a small crowd. Few knew the lyrics, so didn’t make much of an impact. Tried to connect with the crowd, but the lead guitarist’s busted like jumping lost them my respect.

SUPERGRASS: Got a lukewarm reception, they seemed to just play songs and leave. Spoke twice to the crowd, "we only arrive here an hour ago, but we love Ireland"-do we look like fools. Also the drummer said about ‘Grace’ "This song is about a secret relationship with a six year old" meant as a joke, but greeted with "I HOPE you’re not serious" Played the songs well, with ‘Pumping on Your Stereo’ and ‘Moving’ getting SOME crowd feedback.

THE FRAMES: 8:45 saw the arrival of the band everyone came to see. Emerging and quickly getting down to business. Starting off with an amazing rendition of Lay me down, the first of 20+ songs, they showed their intentions. Proving to be the biggest crowd favourite/sing along, as usual, Glen often nodded to the crowd and stepped back. What followed was proof that the frames have the best (I didn’t say biggest!) following, with the crowd screaming every lyric.

Glen was quick to thank and acknowledge the crowd and support acts. Quickly into Revelate after that, the crowd already in a frenzy, were wowed by Colm and his skeleton like electric violin, proving beyond doubt that a violin can find a home in a modern guitar band. Nailing the solos in revelate, rent day blues, pavement tune and of course, his showcase, fitzcarraldo. During the latter Mr Hansard could only stand and watch. Afterwards, he confirmed the identity of this fiddle-master as "Colm Mac ConIomaire, ladies and gentleman!" Arguably the bands finest song (my favourite anyway!), fitzcarraldo was only one of many highlights.

The band then moved on with the newer some newer songs Fake, Happy and Finally, with the latter drawing a few blank faces (understandable, seeing as how it had been only released the previous day), with a heartfelt version of God Bless Mom in there somewhere.

By now the lads were visibly enjoying themselves, everything going well, and they went into another crowd favourite- Your face, with huge crowd involvement. Rent Day Blues didn’t get going on the first attempt, with glen laughing "It can still happen on the bigger stages," his harmonica not working so he threw into the crowd. 

As the band continued the music of a brilliant ‘Hollocaine’ Glen asked "is there a rapper in the house?" Up jumped Berny, Messed up his clothes a bit, did a bit of rapping, and into ‘Bannaman’ with glen. Bananas were thrown to the crowd, hugs all round.

The band members were really soaring by now. The bass line to Perfect opening line wandered close to Billy Jean, and normally reserved Joe jumped on the opportunity to make the transfer. This led them down a dead end, as none of the band members knew most the words (although glen did try to mumble the ones he didn’t know). Joe did a brief moonwalk, got a huge cheer! 

Speaking of glen, he showed the tight lipped Supergass how to work the crowd. He was visibly exstatic on stage, bouncing around, mimicking Colm’s violin playing and of course letting the crowd take over on many occasions. He turned conductor of crowd during the electric ‘Pavement Tune’. As the crowd hmmed and ahhed along with Colm’s violin, Glen waived his arms about, controlling the crowd’s noise and pitch. At the start of this particular song, he forgot to sing, but this only drew him closer to the crowd, as did his other little mistakes.

One of the other songs he slipped up on was fake, He laughed to himself between words, while Rob made no such mistakes, he played it perfectly and always looked calm and cool. He was somewhat unfortunate to be standing where he was, as he was regularly obscured from the crowd by that misty CO2 stuff. When visible, though, his guitar skills were plain for all to see in ‘Revelate’, a rarely-played-live ‘Angel At My Table’, ‘Where is My mind’ (Pixies cover) and of course, ‘Monument.’ Monument was greeted with a huge cheer and vigorous head nodding (from me at least!).

When Glen asked the crowd what to play, ‘STAR STAR’ was yelled back by just about everyone apart from two ejits shouting ‘Denounced’ (me) and ‘Races’ (some guy beside me). The band duly obliged and the set was lit up like sunshine coming into a dark room. After this, the band said thanks and goodnight.

As expected Glen ventured beck on stage with his acoustic to play "a song about Vampires" (‘The Blood’) The crowd were ready to go and gave the ooohs and AAAHs everything they had. Then to my shock I saw Joe and co. come back on to complete one hell of encore, continued with ‘Angel at my Table,’ followed by an acoustic version of ‘The Blowers Daughter.’ A couple of bars, in a rather nervous looking man (wearing what can only be described as a rug shaped into a jacket!) came on and stood beside glen and was handed his guitar.

Only Colm and Damo were left when he really got going in his cameo appearance. Even HIS magical voice was drowned out by the crowd; He followed this with ‘Creep’ (Radiohead Cover), then received big hugs and departed.

The band showed what Mic Christopher meant to them by playing a heart-wrenching version of Heyday. Glen told the crowd "I want them to hear this in Ballymun", I’m pretty sure they did.

The trend of covers continued with ‘Where is my Mind’, beautifully executed. The crowd knew the dream gig would have to end sometime. ‘Red Chord’ proved to be the song they ended with. Again the crowd’s adoration for this band could be seen. At the end, urged on by Glen, every six or so seconds, a wave of "YEEAAHHHH" rippled across the crowd as Glen said his ‘Thank Yous’. The evening was capped off with another round of ‘Heyday’, this time with glen abandoning his acoustic guitar, in favour of an electric.

SET LIST (thanks whoever posted this)

The set list was the key to this brilliant show, but it was a bit* conservative, consisting of sure crowd pleasers. Only one song off of ‘For the Birds’ made it. Glen only told one story-how getting evicted inspired rent day blues. He also gave brief explanations of songs including your face, Angel at my table and Heyday. Oh and Fitzer ("This is a song about a ship")

*****
Pathetic fallacy is what it’s called. It’s when nature is saying ‘yeah I feel it too’. And that’s what seemed to be going on on Saturday. I was in a good mood on Saturday. You know why. And because I was in such a good mood, I noticed that the brief walk from the car park to Marley was really cool – for one thing it was full of really shinny happy people. And the trees that lined the walk were pretty beautiful. And then there was the rain. What rain? Exactly. Nature was saying ‘yeah I get it, something special is going down here today. I’m with you on this one.’ 

And what a something special it was. I admit I arrived at about six thirty. Die hard Frames fan. I couldn’t have cared less who played support (sorry). I just wanted to see Glen and the lads. The first thing that struck me when they came on stage was the unbelievable energy. This was a confident group of guys delighted to be here and do what they do best. But you know what I love about the Frames most? It’s not always about them. Marley Park was about two things – the fans and the music. Berny gets up and blows the crowd away with his rap. Damien Rice stuns people into thinking how lucky they are to share in the experience. And we get to say, Mic we love you. You may be gone. But you’ll live on in our memories forever. We’ll keep you alive. 

I’m not gonna tell you who sung what and when. It’s bigger than that. It’s about the amazing atmosphere and how it really touched your soul. You just knew that you were part of something really special. 

The group hug at the end said it all. The solidarity between the band was reflected back in the solidarity between the fans. Hey for that one day in August, you met thousands who share the same love for something special. And that’s one hell of a bond. Roll on Marley Park 2.

P.S. Who got the harmonica? You lucky devil!

*****
'C'mon, let them hear us in fuckin' Ballymun!' roared the figure on stage. For a brief moment, it actually seemed possible the we 30,000 or so fans could break all known laws of physics and project our adoring screams from where we were, nestled just at the foot of the Dublin and Wicklow mountains, in Dublin's spacious Marlay Park, to that famous - or infamous - Dublin suburb. It seemed possible because this was The Frames, this was Dublin and we were witnessing something rare, something beautiful, something incendiary.
From about midday people had been milling about the outskirts of Marlay Park, trying to blag freebies from the various radio and mobile phone companies in evidence, or sipping on a pre-gig pint in the miraculously rain-free garden of the Eden pub. Mobile phones could probably have run without batteries the atmosphere was so electric, even at this early stage in the day.
From the two entrances to the park in use for the concert, it was a long but scenic walk to the Regency Garden, the field with the vague natural-amphitheatre curves in which we were to have our epiphany. I straggled in, late, looking for my friends who had gone in long earlier. As I walked I heard the sounds of the band Halite belting out across the trees, and was struck with a sheer blind terror of missing even one second of the music that is important to me. I'm a stickler for gigs, obeying two commandments: never miss the support act and always be within at most three rows of people from the barrier. The way things were shaping up, I was well on course to break both rules. I met with my accomplices inside the ground, and my heart sank when I saw the blue-and-white paper bands around their wrists - pit passes, and I had missed them being handed out. Cock and bull story after cock and bull story was made up to various unsympathetic security ogres, about how I had been parking the car and now couldn't be with my girlfriend up the front, how I had been delayed by rescuing an injured kitten from a tree, how it was absolutely essential for me to stand at the front in order to be properly inspired for my life's work, the distribution of labrador puppies to blind orphaned children. Unsurprisingly, the trolls in the dayglo jackets were having none of it, more because they generally lack the attention span to listen to words of more than two syllables then because they didn't believe me. This called for desperate measures - out comes the wallet. I shuffle from person to person, asking if they want to sell their wristband. answers generally ranged from 'sorry, no can do' to threats against my person and family for even suggesting such blasphemy. However, some likely targets came into my sights: teenyboppers. There they were, ridiculously young in their pastel snowboots, with lovely blue and white paper strips around their wrists! I saunter up to them, girlfriend in tow, trying to look as unthreatening as possible, and immediately offer one €20 for her pit pass. You see, in the heat of the moment I had forgotten that you're meant to start low and work up. She was amazed that anyone could want a pass that much and had no plans to go up the front anyway (unsurprisingly, as she would've been crushed to a pulp, so small was she), so she sold it to me.
Even though I'd just been swindled by a 12 year old, I still felt that victory was mine, and the day could begin proper. I had to make it up the front fairly sharpish if I wanted to catch Bell X1, and within five minutes I was there in my prescribed fourth-row-of-people-from-the-barrier, watching Paul Noonan strut around with the confidence of a Springsteen or a Stipe, singing like an angel. 
There's something that makes Bell X1 quite unique, and I have a feeling it's their lyrics. Who else could sing 'I need to smile like I'm pissing in your swimming pool' and 'You're not Maud Gonne but then again neither was she' without cracking up? Coupled with this rather idiosyncratic approach to songwriting is an incredible sense of melody, ranging from the Damien Rice co-penned rocker 'Tongue' to the almost sickly sweet 'Eve, the apple of my eye'. The Bellies played an absolute cracking set, despite a few sound gremlins as Noonan told us, and a rather amusing incident in which the wire fell out of his voice-modifying toy without his noticing while he sang into it. The famous Noonan blush was out in force after that. Perhaps it's a silly complaint, but their set in Marlay Park was virtually a carbon copy of the show they played at Oxegen, albeit with a bigger crowd. That said, the shows were similar in setting and only a few weeks apart so perhaps it is silly of me to expect any kind of radical departure.
But after Bell X1 came the real treat for me, the unknown quantity: Idlewild. I've all their albums and 'Little Discourage' was the first song that my old band and I played live - which also makes it the fourth-last song we ever played live. I love these guys, and was hankering to find out what they were like in person. I think that with the possible exception of Halite, Idlewild had the hardest crowd of the day, because I could only see five or so people who knew the songs, though perhaps there were more. despite this, roddy and the boys acquitted themselves admirably, the boy woomble with his newly-long hair flapping in the wind. 'When I argue I see shapes', 'Little Discourage' and 'You held the world in your arms' were all highlights, but the show was stolen by closer 'In remote part/Scottish fiction', a tender, folky affair that tears up halfway through into an epic three-chord crasher, closed by a rather remarkable poem by Scots wordsmith _______________ , which echoed across the sward while our Scottish/Irish heroes left the stage. I couldn't help but wonder whether Foxy regrets ditching his old bandmates in Turn, but from the great big grin on his face tonight, I doubt it.
Hunger. Searing hunger. And thirst. And nicotine cravings. If I have one single complaint about the whole day, it's that there wasn't a single place on the entire grounds to buy fags. I mean seriously, what were they thinking? If a bewildered and shaken looking bearded man with a tie approached you asking for fags, I apologise, but I was really, really stuck.
The girlfriend, her friends and I decided that it'd be better to get a bite to eat and a pint or two than stay up front for the next five hours, so Supergrass were seen by us from a safe distance, at the back of the field, by the incredibly long queues for the food. Why are MCD such tossers that they can't organise to feed the people who pay their wages without making them wait an hour and a half? 
Freshly Abrakebabra'd, we sat on the grass and listened. Supergrass certainly sounded great, but the consensus from those we talked to who'd been in the pit was that they were a band going through the motions, though it didn't seem like that from our distance.
A ritual festival toilet trip followed, but this review is rated U, so I'll have to spare you the details or the censor will have me done for obscenity. It wasn't pretty, but we didn't mind, because the frames were about to begin.
A lot of elbow shoving and 'let her through, she's fainting!' later, we were back in our old position near the front, the tension palpable. I thought that putting on a short claymation film on the big screens was a great idea, making the wait much more bearable, although it was only fairly funny. None of that mattered before long, because here came the stars of the show, the heroes of the adventure, playing their biggest (?) show to date, in the native city of most of the members.
And what better way to start than with 'Lay me down'? neither fast nor slow, up or downbeat, but a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, setting the stage for the rest of the night. Even the band, used to rapturous receptions, looked amazed at the sea of voices urging them on and joining in the singing. The smile on glen's face could've melted George W Bush's hard heart.
When the thrashed opening c#minor of 'Revelate' rang out to whoops of delight, it was clear that the band wanted this to be a rowdy, sweaty, upbeat gig, something they went on to prove even more by continuing with the emphatically-not-about-damien-rice 'Fake' and the brand new single, released a day before, 'Finally'. The band never once let up, and the crowd wasn't going to either, with every note Glen sang echoed by the thousands in front of him, every violin solo from Colm greeted with applause and a sea of smiling faces in every direction.
Crowd, band, hell, even the thugs in yellow looked like they were enjoying themselves, though it might have been that they were relishing the prospect of being able to rough up a few crowd surfers.
It's difficult the pick out highlights of this show, the whole thing basically being one great big two hour highlight, but I'll give it a go. Glen's scream of 'Aon, dó, trí ceathair, cúig, sé, seacht!' during the breakdown of 'God bless mom' went down a storm, as the great white backdrop saying 'The Frames' fell to the ground, revealing a new, vaguely radiohead circa amnesiac-esque backdrop, perhaps symbolising that this gig marked the end of the 'Setlist' ear and the beginning of the 'Burn the Maps' phase. Hollocaine was a rare treat, even more so when you take into account that halfway through it turned into a big hipitty-hopitty beat affair, with glen asking for a rapper - any rapper - to come up on stage and throw his stuff all over it. There was no shortage of volunteers, and soon we had a guy with long blonde hair telling us a story about walkin' down the street and meeting a girl and such. While this was hilarious in and of itself, it was made even better when the rap turned into bananaman, and our mc friend took bananas out from his bag and distributed them to the crowd, before shouting 'Bananas for the monkeys!' and handing them to the security guards. I like the way that guy thought.
And so we rolled into the night, amazing song following amazing song, quiet, loud, tender, angry, all such epitaphs becoming meaningless, becuase this is The Frames, and they don't understand the concept of genres, nor of repeating themselves. Every song, and every performance of every song, is totally unique. (Okay, apart from Revelate, which as anyone with half and eardrum can tell you is just the chords from 'Where is my Mind' and the tune from 'caribou'!). speaking of 'Where is my Mind', this was the absolute highlight for me: for what would have been the second encore if the band had had time to go offstage and come back on, Glen announced that they'd done the gig, it was over, everyone was happy, and now it was time to have fun (did he not know we'd been having fun since about 12 midday?). 'We're only doing this cos we're fans' said the great man, before launching into the apocalyptically great rendition of Black Francis' anthem. Listening to this song, I was transported. I don't know where, maybe the late Eighties, maybe the first time I heard the song in my cousin's flat in Edinburgh a few years ago, with low clouds blowing past the window and leaving a sheen of raindrops on the cat, hell, maybe the final scene of fight club. all I know is that music performed by The Frames - not even written by them - is so powerful that it can transcend everything we know, or thought we knew about everything. It even challenges my total opposition to hyperbole, as you've probably gathered by now. Rob Bochnick Esquire handled Joey's solo admirably, twice, and as the song ended we were left in a sweaty mess of bodies and limbs, screaming the 'Woo-ooo!' bit out as every instrument left the mix: Rob went. Glen's gone. Colm stops. Joe and (the drummer) keep going. We keep going. Exit Joe, stage right. All that can be heard at the foot of the Dublin mountains is a pulsing, insistant drumbeat and several thousand people in ecstasy screaming 'woo-ooo!' at the top of their lungs. It stops, we applaud, as much for ourselves as for the band.
It would be impossible to mention this gig without mentioning Damien Rice. After all the rubbish about 'Fake' being about Damo, even the tabloids commenting on it, it was fantastic to see the two lads finally, publically, put the rumours to rest. Just when we least expected it, out it comes from glen's mouth: 'And so it is...'. screams, roars, yells, people coughing up lungs in disbelief. I had had an inkling that something like this would happen, and lo and behold, Glen and Colm are looking backstage and making come-hither gestures. And there's the man himself, as as scruffy as ever, but what a voice. What a voice. All that remained was Colm and Damien, teaming up to bring tears to the eyes of every girl in the place, and quite a few guys too. In he went into creep, and though normally during this song he proves that he is vocally easily the equal of thom yorke, unfortunately he tripped up this time. But it didn't matter, it never matters, it couldn't have mattered. earlier on, Idlewild played 'You Held the World in your Arms'. at this point, The Frames and Damien had the universe in their arms and no bum notes or missed glottal stops could in any way tarnish what they had achieved.
I had hoped that Damien would stay out for 'Heyday', but it was not to be. In a terrifically appropriate but monumentally upsetting move, videos of Mic Christopher played on the bigscreen, offering a strange counterpoint of mortality to perhaps one of the most joyful, uplifting songs ever written. I think that the studio version of this song is a bit overproduced and as a result some of the energy is lost, but tonight here it was in all its glittering, pulsing, screamingly joyous glory. Here we were, several thousand people of all ages, all walks of life, from all over the country and maybe even abroad, gathered together to have fun. This was our heyday, and boy were we not afraid to shout, together, linking arms, smiling, flashing easy grins at each other.
After the sheer exuberance of 'Heyday', we needed something to see us off, something both tender and epic, something relaxing yet energising, and what better to do this than 'Red Chord'? Yet again, we were left screaming the backing part, this time 'Yeeeaaaaaahhhh' instead of 'Woo-ooo' and again we, frankly, rocked.
There are still things I haven't mentioned: Billy Jean, Joe moonwalking, Glen giving away his harmonica holder and then laughing because it was broken anyway, Glen saying that if we want to have girls on our shoulder we can and we were to ignore the dayglo monkeys (another man after my own heart) but it is totally impossible to mention everything that happened on that blissfully dry August night. All I - or anyone else for that matter - can do is attempt to give a feeling of the atmosphere, the sheer exuberance and joy of everyone who was there, for those unfortunate enough to have been absent.
Glen asked us to be so loud they could hear us in Ballymun, but forget that. we were so loud, so amazed, so happy - they heard us in Heaven.

*****
This review is short but tries to capture my memories of the gig - personally, I think it is exceptionally hard to write a review when something so brilliant as last Saturday night means that words fail you. 
 

The night before: sleepless
The journey: endless
The venue: idyllic
The beer: served in plastic
The grass: damp
The audience: hyped
The atmosphere: electric 
The moment the band walked on stage: orgasmic
The music: amazing
The craic: mighty 
The end: devastating
The experience: unforgettable

*****
THIS IS OUR HEYDAY

I Spy, Frames-style. Spot the people who turn up at every gig. There’s the Six-Foot Man, standing in front of me as usual… and there’s the Guy Who Shouts Revelate… there’s the hundred people in front of the t-shirt stand, and here they come an hour later all wearing the same t-shirt… oh look, and there’s Damien Rice.

Hang on. Damien Rice? Was it?

Every Frames gig I go to gets better and better. It starts early in the morning; dress in whichever Frames shirt comes to hand, meet my comrades-in-arms, then up the M50 with Fitzcarraldo playing and anticipation building inside me.

I can’t say I used to watch the Frames when they were playing tiny holes in the back-end of nowhere, because I’d be lying. I’m a young fan, but no less dedicated for it. I don’t really mind, though. Nights like Saturday remind me that I am lucky to have discovered this band now, in their prime, when the magic flows and I feel for once part of something bigger than myself. It’s the nearest I get to spiritual.

The queue in a scenic lane in Marlay Park is so long I can’t see the end. It’s no problem for the guy in front of me, though. He’s wearing an Irish flag and giving his friend queue-jumping instructions, roaring into a phone that he’s standing UP HERE! BESIDE THE TREE! Marlay Park, you may have noticed, has no shortage of trees. Very slowly, we are given pit bands and admitted past the security checks into the concert ground itself.

As we enter, Halite have just started, and I drag my friend up to the front to watch Graham and friends belt out a short but loud set. Songs like Why Bother? and Passing Tax translate well to the live setting, gaining a rockier sound on the way. The crowd reaction to Halite is one of the few things that will disappoint me today; they deserve more recognition and cheering than they get. 

The pit attendance swells suddenly when Bell x1 take to the stage, complete with leopardskin keyboard stand, orange loudspeaker and vegetable maracas. Paul Noonan is an incredible showman who has the crowd eating out of his hand before the first song is over. They play a set mainly taken from Music in Mouth, although there is a welcome appearance from Offshore from Neither Am I. The two new songs played look promising too, Reacharound and the wonderfully catchy (All Hail To) Monkey 61. However, it is Eve that makes my afternoon, as I had expected. The song is heart-stoppingly beautiful, and Paul’s two new friends Adam and Eve round it off brilliantly. They finished with a perfect I’ll See Your Heart, and no-one wants them to leave. All hail to Bell x1… where is their ticker tape parade?

Idlewild are as cool as I expect a band fronted by a Scot called Roddy to be. Nah, I joke really. They surprised me. I can’t say I’m a fan now, but I have warmed to them. Their set is standard indie rock, but they’re entertaining and that’s all I ask.

In the break between Idlewild and Supergrass, I take a brief check on what’s going on around me. The food stand is still swamped with people buying exorbitant E6.50 paninis, the new shirts look pretty damn cool and, oh yes, the bar is still closed. Some people seem to be mildly annoyed about this. Strange.

I may be blaspheming here, but Supergrass do nothing for me at all. It may be that they play nothing I know until Grace, or perhaps it’s that they’re not the Frames and I’m getting impatient. Either way, I spend most of their set talking to people and thinking that if I had my way, I would’ve had Bell x1 before the Frames. And I would have opened the bar earlier.

Whosever idea Pulling The Devil By The Tail was, I applaud them. It’s hilarious, but I can only keep one eye on it as I watch the stage being prepared for the Frames. In fact, I’m so busy watching the stage I nearly miss the Frames, who come out unnoticed for a few seconds. Glen’s grin is sheepish, "aw shucks, folks” style, as they pick up instruments and launch into a blistering call-and-response Lay Me Down.

Revelate follows, sending the crowd into new frenzies of excitement, then new single Finally gets its airing for the night. Finally has developed since I heard it last in December, and it is now anthemic and surely destined to stay a live favourite.

I’m afraid I can’t give an orderly account of what happened; the truth is, the sheer beauty of it all is still too overwhelming. God Bless Mom segues into Fake in an explosion of energy from band and audience; Pavement Tune is greeted with fervent singing, a united crowd pleading with the band to help their lives make more sense. Fitzcarraldo is simply amazing, down to the last note of Colm’s aching violin. Perfect Opening Line is just that. A beautiful Star Star merges seamlessly into dEUS’ Hotellounge, and for the majority of the crowd who know it, it is a lovely surprise. Some other surprises are also in store tonight; we are treated to a story before Rent Day Blues, a towering Monument and a rendition of Hollocaine which turns into a surreally funny Bananaman rap, complete with banana distribution to the crowd. Rock and roll!

It’s not the only funny part of the show. We hear about ‘being in love with your next-door neighbour, wearing black nail varnish because she does it and feeling like a complete tit’ as the intro to Angel at my Table, and although the Frames are men of many talents, moonwalking is unfortunately not one of them as we discover during an impromptu rendition of Billie Jean. Never mind, lads – the song is wonderful, despite none of us knowing the words…

But more often than laughter I find myself nearly on the verge of tears. It would take a more gifted writer than I to describe what this band mean to me, but I think anyone who was there will understand. The sense of communion that I have only ever felt at Frames concerts was there throughout every touchingly loud verse of Heyday, as Mic beamed at us from the video screens. The welcome afforded Damien Rice before he led the Frames in the most fragile and moving Blower’s Daughter I have ever heard was loud enough to lift the sky from above Marlay Park. And when the band launch into Your Face, we promise to wait for them forever, and none of us would mind.

The night ends with a cover of Where Is My Mind?, before one last stand through Red Chord – they may be over time and in trouble but nobody cares… yeah, pulls you back to me, lord, yeah, now… I don’t want this to end, ever. I can’t speak when it’s over, I am just frozen into a beaming smile and I’m clapping until my hands ache. I don’t want to leave. Neither does anyone around me. We stand and grin at each other like fools until the harsh voice of the security man on the PA grates us back to life.

Walking out, I ache from standing for eight straight hours, I haven’t eaten all day, I’ve spent a lot of unnecessary money and I’m wet from being drenched by the stage’s own private raincloud (be up the front and understand). But I don’t care. None of it matters. My mind is still back in front of the bright lights, taken over by music.

As we leave Marlay Park and head into the silent night, I’m already looking forward to the next time.

*****
Gig review:

I had my doubts at first about the capacity of the gig on Saturday,considering the security men let 3 of my cohorts through the railings for €10,not bad!I thought maybe there wasn't going to be as big a crowd as I expected. I was proved wrong.The sheer size of it proves what a fantastic live act the frames are & what pulling power they continue to have so far into their career. Bell X1 were the first band that I saw,missed Halite.There's no respite for the soul quite like the handsome Mr. Paul Noonan guiding 2,presumably blind, giant apple heads onto the stage.the bellies sailed through an enjoyable set, playing much of their Music in Mouth album with a great reception from the crowd. I missed most of Idlewilds set due to the horrendous queues for the bar & toilets..Supergrass sort of looked like they had somewhere else they'd rather have been at times, probably due to the lukewarm reception they got.Still, Moving sounded as good as ever & Grace really got the crowd going. Then, cira 8.30, the giants arrived on stage lead by the ginger adonis!Straight away it was made clear who everyone had come to see. they started off with Lay me down & tore through a blistering set which included Revelate,Finally,god bless mom,pavement tune,perfect opening line,a beuatifully played Your Face,monument,star star,angel at your table and the rest! Colm was such a force as usual on the violin.there were times I felt shivers down my spine,especially amazing playing from him on Fitzcarraldo.Heyday was played with great footage of Mic Christopher running on both big screens.Emotional stuff & a great testament to how popular he continues to be, if the volume Heyday was sang at by the crowd is anything to go by. the blood was played in the encore & Damien rice sang a spine-tingling version of The Blowers daughter.An excellent,excellent gig,but thats all you ever get from the frames i think.Cant wait til next time.

*****
"Is that Damien Rice. it is, thats Damien Rice!!!" So I peg it up to him with nothing for him to write with! I borrowed a pencil off a girl who just got his autograph and he gladly signed the back of my Frames poster and he posed for peoples pictures ( sound sound guy) and off he went! You think things cant get any better you have just seen Bellx1, who were just brilliant, met damien rice and are about to see the frames, what more do ya want!

So after waiting in line for an hour and a half to get a tiny box of chips and jumping around to "pump it on your stereo" among others, We were waiting with bated breath for THE FRAMES!

Standing there a guy turns to me and says "Are you from Ireland, I'm from whales!" "Yeah I'm from Dublin" After he turned away his welsh accent just dissapeared!!! Again he turned to me and asked would I go to the bar if he gave me a €20? I said I wouldn’t! "Why, ah go on please" I told him that I wouldn't get served (not 18 yet!) and if he gave me a €20 he probably wouldn't get it back! He couldn't believe that €20 meant so much to me but when you are as broke as I am €1 means a hell of a lot!!

"I will Write you Letters . . " I went a bit mad here and I may have head butted some one (sorry if I did) I may not have been able to see the guys ( a lot alot of tall people in front of me) but I could feel the music it touched a nerve, it meant something and well I could see the one of the screens so all was not lost!

Then "revelate" this made you want to just jump around so much that nothing else mattered, A guy asked was I crazy "yes" was my reply so he moved away from me like quite a few people! Others were going just as crazy as I was if not worse.

Finally and Happy were just as fantastic but when God Bless Mom came on you couldn't help but jump that extra bit higher with a bit more feeling( while trying to ring your mam so she could hear the praise she was getting)

Fake, Your face, Rent Day blues (Glen took a minute to fix his harmonica!) and Pavement tune were just unreal, all emotions spilling out you couldn't help but close your eyes and do a bit of moshing, While holding the phone up so the poor unfortunates who couldn't go could experience the it (in my case my friend Mich all the way in Limerick!)

And then the song I never thought I would hear live "monument" at this stage the arms were going mad I thought they may just fall off and I had hit some people in the head a couple of times during all of this (sorry). You are just getting over monument and the soothing Hollocaine is played, we have the famous Berny get up and do BANANA MAN with Glen, the crowd are just goin mental, cannot control themselves and why should we!

The madness continues with the ever great "perfect opening line" with "billy Jean" stuck in there, people trying to remember the words because Glen is at a loss here and getting Joe to moonwalk!! But suddenly you are hit with "Fitzcarraldo", this song just seems to touch a nerve that no other song can, and I always get goosebumps at Colm’s bit(just amazing, breathtaking)

The soft "star, star" (with the crowd singing every word) is followed by "the Blood", the hairs on the back of your neck stand up as some 15000 odd are all singing ah-ah-ah-ah. "angel at my table" what can you say about it, it was just beautiful .

The shock (and a very good one at that) came next when Glen started singing "the Blower’s Daughter" and Damien Rice walked out to accompany him, Glen handed over his guitar and skipped off stage as Damien performed this tear jerking( It always makes me cry) song! You had goosebumps, your whole body was tingling and the hairs on the back of your neck were once again standing on end and this feeling continued as video of Mic came up on the screens and "heyday" was performed, emotions were high the crowd were singing HEYDAY at the top of their voices, I know I have never experienced anything so moving as those few minutes! 

We were then told that time was running out and the they weren’t even going to go off and come back on! So "just coz we’re fans" "where is my mind" The pixies was blasted out. "Red Chord" was to be the last song and it was past 10:30 (Screw it were my words if I can remember correctly) The crowd were just amazing with all the YEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHA’s and then it was over. They thanked the crowd and we on their way (to Whelans!) 

All in all it was an absolutely amazing day with so many emotions , so many high’s ( I have probably left out a lot) It was only at this stage you realised how much pain you were in and that your knee’s were about to give in , how dehydrated you were but spirits were high as you could hear "livin on a prayer" being sung by some of the crowd! All I have to Say is Roll On Slane!

*****
`my cheesy review
Message: Saturday Morning I awake to the sound of a ringing phone, whos phone is that i wondered and more importantly where am I and where are my trousers. I peer out from underneath the blanket that had been draped over me. I spot my phone on the ground just next to the couch "hello" i slur into the phone "baz, baz where are you, cmon get up we have to get the booze in before we head to marlay park" to which i reply in a more entusiatic tone "ahhhhh"
Needless to say trousers were quickly located and was I was on my way down towards O'Connell steet. I met my friends off the bus and we went straight to the neerest off licence now don't get me wrong its not that we are alcohlics are anything we just live to drink ha ha well it was a conert we were heading to.
We had no problem in finding the shuttle buses and in no time we were at marlay park and having never been there before I must say i was well impressed at this venue. Like booze hungry hounds we found benches and qin no time at all the buckfast spilled down our thirsty mouths. 
We then made our way in to the actual gig itself. Bell x1 and theyre oh so tall singer Paul Noonan played the favorites and kept the crowd content all tho it must be said there was a certain eagerness amongst the masses an eagerness for another certain irish act that were still hours away from theyre performance.
Next to grace the stage were Idlewild and these scottish lads had no qualms in really rocking out and guitars were swinging and wielding to a point that for a second I taught the guitar strap would snap and some poor fan would meet a rather untimely end .
After idlewyld finished up I exchanged a few words with fellow Frames message board people Berny, Lela, Blathnaid, loveless and em to name but a few. Lovely people they were to and I was delighted to meet them.
Supergrass arrived on the stage and the crowd went absolutely mental and the music had me dancing like a man posessed by some sort of dancin demon. They played Moving and they played pumping on the radio and there was really great funky vibe that went with it.
One thing that im sure everyone would agree the bar situation was a farce, firstly in took to get to the bar you were guaranteed to miss out on part of one of the bands.didnt open till and it closed at 10 , secondly the queue was so long that in the time it 
But it didnt matter cos next up was the eagerly awaited Frames. 'Lay me down' started things off and it was perfect the famous mask made an appearance also. When the lads played 'Finally' it secured theyre place as one of the greatest band in Ireland and put many peoples minds at rest as it has now been confirmed that "burn the map' is going to be another amazing album. Song after song each as good as each other were played and to top it off Bernys appearance on stage was definelty inspired and he proved that he has as much carisma as any of the other performers on the stage that day. Damien Rice made a guest appearance and sand his 'Blowers daughter/creep medley'.
This gig was a God send and each and every person there left with a memory that they would bring with them forever. As we walked back to the bus I could hear these lads infront of me talking "my god that was amazing, best gig ever, he was somehting else wasnt he, Im in shock that rapper guy was just class wasnt he..". 
How many seconds till the next gig I asked Richy as we headed towards the buses. Now im here back in waterford after a painful bus journey, ive not had alot of sleep im quite hungover ,im in work and i look like a whino but if you were to ask me was it worth it id have to say it is definetly without any shadow of a doubt worth it and i cant wait to hear the rest of the new album.

*****
Prelude

Wearing a Frames T – Shirt circa 1990 (see Pulp Fiction) I’m driving to Dublin from Monaghan. In my car is my girlfriend and some other Frames fans. They are all in their late teens and early 20’s and it strikes me that there is something incredible about this. I first saw the Frames support the Stunning in the Olympia, it seems like a million years ago, now years later, they are headlining the kinda gig, I always thought they deserved. Nearly 14 years later, so many albums and line up changes later, my expectations are as high as the spirits in the car as we head down the road to Dublin. Back to where I come from and back to where I first made the acquaintance of the band.

Review
Its hard to be detached when you are writing a review as an unashamed fan. It’s hard to be honest and to take a step back and view the day with independent eyes. Having listened to the music so often and feeling so attached to it… for Christs sake, I named my house Fitzcaraldo, I sold my soul to the Frames and Danced with the Devil from day one. 

The whole day was perfection. Arriving early to get pit passes. Meeting a load of boys from Mayo, Dublin, Cork, everywhere in the queue. An hour and a half goes by in a blur of slags and craic waiting for and then joyously accepting the wristband that was our passport to the pit and the place we knew we wanted to be. 

Into the gig and almost immediately Halite are on stage. The Therapy influence is obvious as the band play a set, battling against the sound system, which is hard and based on a kind of heavy rock that deserves a wider audience. 

Bell X1 are next, a complete opposite to what has gone before. If ever a band was gonna go down well on this day it was Bell X1. From reading the message board, its obvious that half the Frames fans have an attachment to the band. Their music is fun and their rapport with the crowd is easy and built on a willingness to please. Catchy songs well played, they did well at Oxegen and they did better here. 

Idlewild are to me strangely reminiscent of the Smiths. Having seen them at Coldplay in the point a few years ago, I knew to expect a tight performance from a band that have far more quality than they get recognition for. You get the feeling that most of the crowd are taking a break between Bell X1 and Supergrass. Some have headed for the annoyingly unmanned bar, the only annoyance in the day. Idlewild play on and those that miss them, have missed a real opportunity to hear something special.

Supergrass are a band I never had much time for. Happy Chappys, singing about how great it is to be from up north (that’s north England not Norn Iron) and young. Annoyingly sugary pop tunes masquerading as indie music. Well if there was a revelation at the gig, they were it. Behind the hits from I Should Coco, there were a string of really well written and well played songs. The sofa interlude offered a glimpse of just what good musicians the boys are. 

Then the expectation starts to grow, the animated short diverts our attention from the roadies getting the stage ready. We pay no attention to the dare – devil roadie climbing the rope ladder to the rigging in the sky, preferring to watch as the punk folk band meets the devil for the first time. 

We are so caught up in watching the film that we barely notice that the Frames have snuck onstage. Glen smiles, we smile and the ride begins. It is obvious from the off that the band are awestruck with the size of the crowd in front of them. They have played to more at Witness, but these people are there for them, not just passing time before the next big English or American band comes on stage. The expression ‘feel the love’ is the most appropriate, because that’s all that seems to be there. The band seems subdued for a minute. Maybe the silence is a remembrance of how before Fitzcaraldo the whole thing nearly broke apart, maybe its in recognition of long years on the road playing to unreceptive crowds in England, frustration with the Outspan and Commitments focus of the media for years. Maybe its just a moment to prepare before unleashing an onslaught on the expectant crowd. 

As Lay Me Down opens up the night, we sway, we are gently enticed into the spell. Soft and melodic, with words we all know and can relate to, the crowd sings most of the song as Glen surveys us with a semi stoned grin on his face. Having been lured in, we are sent into ecstacy as the unmistakable chords of Revelate, spark off. The full fury of the band drives the crowd wild. It lasts through the new single, Finally, not out long enough for many to sing along, but we all move, god yes we all move.

Happy gives another clue as to the composition of the new album before the tribute to Mrs. Hansard is played. We all scream, like good Irish Boys and Girls in honour of our mammys. Then Fake, all bitterness and gall and sung with passion, and sung back with even more. 

Your Face and Fitzcaraldo later are special, I was there the first time they were played live. They are my favourites and the best written of all tunes. Screaming at the skies during Fitzcaraldo will be an abiding memory for me, no longer screaming to the band but at something ‘out there’, a primal scream, a release and a realization on a day like this that ships can be carried over mountains and that we can all conquer anything.

In between Rent Day Blues, Pavement Tune and the rarely heard Monument, keep the momentum ticking nicely. Hollocaine will live in peoples minds as Berny launched his attempt to become the new voice of the streets. Brilliant and fitting in a show which was not just about the band but the fans. 

Star Star finishes the show proper, the quotation "push the button Charlie, we’re going through the roof’ is the most fitting commentary on a band which has like Charlie has survived on dreams and honesty and which was finally fulfilling their dreams in magical wonderland.

The band go off, we bay for more, we all know the curfew is 10:30 and we know that this band unlike others will use every second of the nights magic, not only for us, but for them.

Glen returns and we become The Blood. We know our role in all of this, we learned it in Vicar Street and places all over Ireland. We sing La La La La Laaaa as if our lives depended on it. Five stupid syllables, but somehow tonight they mean the world to us.

Angel at my table, one for the older fans is a beautiful tune, sad and determined in a way. We roar, we scream the lines. Then the opening chords of the blowers daughter and Damien Rice is on stage. A guy who has become an international star remembering where he came from, remembering friends. Nice. Then in the same spirit the boys are back and we are watching Mic on screen. A fitting tribute to a genuine friendship. No more need be said.

Where is my mind, a reminder that the guys on stage are fans like the rest of us. Before Red Chord sends us home. More singing, more rapture and then its over. The crowd around me is gone and I’m still singing the Blood. Two days later and I’m still singing.

I want to be objective. I’ve seen the band play better. I’ve seen other bands play better. Theres no point in listing better gigs, it’s not comparing like with like. For this fan, the gig wasn’t about the music alone. It was about a bond built up with a band over years. It was about meeting people who felt the same. It was about remembering the times in that time when hearing Fitzcaraldo or Revelate or The Dancer made me feel better. It was about feeling something that even a decrepid 30 year old has never felt with any other band. Feeling that, like a family member you haven’t seen in a few months or even years, that when you meet again that it wont be awkward. That we won’t have to struggle to make chat or that we wont ‘get each other’ any more. That I am the Frames and you are the Frames and that everyone who wanted to join in on Saturday night was a member of the band. 

I’ll make you a deal guys, you keep playing music like that, and I’ll keep forgetting how to be objective. When you feel as good as I felt on Saturday night, it feels good to leave the objectivity and cynicism at home for a change.

*****
We got there early because we wanted to see the support acts, had a wander around and bumped into a couple of people we knew from here and there, previous Frames and other bands gigs – all in all a nice atmosphere from early on with people just kicking back and lending a nice relaxed vibe to the area

The build up for me had started on the Friday morning with Glen giving an interview with Uncle Iano and performing "Finally" live – this song was written to be played live and really raised the hairs on the back of my neck, setting off the countdown in my head for the gig proper

Halite opened the proceedings with an energetic set, don’t know about the crowd reactions though, some tunes seemed to turn people on but some didn’t seem to go down as well. There was a bit of trouble with the sound as well which didn’t help, a bit of a shame but these guy’s should be around for a while and hopefully more to come

Bell x1 – I’d have gone to Marley Park if only to see these guys alone. Love their stuff and saw them play a cracking set at Dublin Castle when they were supporting Josh Ritter. A couple of technical gremlins in the background were quickly overcome and the guys produced easily the second best performance of the day. 

Easily recognisable tunes from ‘Music in mouth’ meant everyone could get tap into the energy from the stage and really start to get in the party mood (like it was needed!). The Adam and Eve figures coming on for ‘Eve, the apple of my eye’ was a nice touch but you had to feel a bit sorry for the girl – that costume looked like it was becoming a little too heavy…. Great set from a great band and should have been further up the line up in my opinion. Loads to recommend but I’ll stop now - suffice to say that if you missed them then do yourself a favour and catch them again "All hail monkey ‘61"

Wasn’t overly impressed with Idlewild to be honest. They seemed like they knew what they were about but didn’t seem to connect with the crowd – or to even want to. Some decent enough tracks but a bit too taken with their own selves to endear themselves to the crowd – (what was the lead singer doing crawling around the stage while trying to sing??), when they started their set quite a few people pushed forward to see them but as they went on they crowd seemed to filter away – says it all really

Was looking forward to Supergrass but again felt they fell a little flat - they were there but not 100%. Some great recognisable tunes but some that the crowd just didn’t, or couldn’t, connect with. The acoustic break was a glimpse of the show they did in the Olympia but a bit too little too late. All in all an average set with some decent moments but nothing to write home about – certainly nothing for me to keep writing about.

Then to the reason everyone was there…. The Frames

What to say or where to start…

A list of the set wouldn’t begin to describe it or even a description of the atmosphere, nor would the interaction between the band and the crowd or the brilliant production of the gig to ensure that everyone – no matter where they were standing / sitting/ lying could see the stage on the two screens and could hear every note and word. 

The closest I can come to describing it is that it felt, to me, that the guys were playing purely for the fans that have been there for them for years, it didn’t matter that there were nearly 20,000 of us it still felt like a close-knit bunch of mates - it was an expression of gratitude from the band and respect for, and from, the fans.

The lights came on and there they were, the guys we’d all come to see. For most people it wasn’t the first time at a Frames gig but it was probably the most intense – this was the largest bunch of dedicated Frames fans I’d ever been a part of and I get the feeling that this wasn’t lost on a single fan or a single member of the band.

We were there to see them and they were there to make damn sure we enjoyed it.

From the opening song "Lay me Down" everyone in the park was rocking. This was followed by my definitive (but not my favourite) Frames song "Revelate", a tune that always ups the tempo that extra notch at a gig. When "Finally" started up I just knew that this song is best heard, and felt, live.

"Happy" has just added to the anticipation of "Burn the Maps" for me to be honest

"God bless Mom" - "Fake" - "Your Face" - "Rent day blues" - "Pavement Tune" all brilliant and a real joy to be a part of, leading up to one of my surprises of the night. 

"Monument" has always been a great tune but when it slipped into "Been caught Stealing" by Jane’s Addiction I didn’t even notice I’d slipped straight over with it and was screaming it straight back – I cracked up laughing when I realised though

"Hollocaine" followed and I reckon what everyone remembers about this was the impromptu rap – respect to Berny, them’s serious cojones to stand in front of everyone and give it a go and the crowd gave a lot of support - but I reckon it was a moment best described by the look that was captured on both screens as Glen looked over smiling with a look that had to be seen to be understood.

The gig then got back on track with "Perfect Opening Line" (lets not mention the Billy Jean thing) – "Fitzcarraldo" – "Star Star" – "The Blood" - all of these are brilliant songs live, and again, it felt like I was singing along with the band, and this has always been part of the magic of a Frames gig for me

and then my favourite Frames song "Angel at my Table", this song just means so much to me, it's easily one of my favourite songs of all time by any artist so was (even more!) wrapped up in the atmosphere

Then the moment everyone is talking about so I’ll just relate my experience; Glen and the boys start and the screens start to show images of Mic Christopher (Heyday video?), mine and my mates attention switched to the screens and got a bit caught up in the moment so missed the changeover from Glen to Damien Rice. 

As soon as he started singing though I looked back to the stage and was taken aback at first ‘til I copped. With the screens showing Mic and Damien singing I thought "Blowers Daughter" never sounded, or felt, so good so I pulled my girlfriend close and held her tight. 

To lighten the mood though two of the lads beside me were discussing how well Glen was covering the song and how like Damien he sounded at times… I broke the news to them gently and they switched their attention back to the stage – turns out neither of them bothered to wear their glasses to the gig and hadn’t realised…

Following with "Heyday" just seemed appropriate and again the crowd rode with it, the Pixies "Where is my mind" ("because we’re fans too") and "Red Chord" (with a reprise of "Heyday") rounded it all off very nicely for everyone.

It was easily the best Frames gig I’ve ever been to (and there’s been a few) and one of the best gigs I’ve ever been to – but why?

The simple answer, to me, is that we respected the fact that they gave their all to put on a gig to show their appreciation for our support over the years. The band and the crowd just seemed to feed off each other for the whole show and no-one was in any doubt as to the mutual respect and admiration for everyone involved.

The only thing that could add to the experience would be a DVD / video of the entire show from start to finish with very little, if any, editing – there’s a guaranteed 20,000 to be sold to just those who were there

*****
07.17am my phone read, at least it was 10mins later than the last time I checked….I had to get up the excitement, the butterfly feeling was making me feel really young again, stumbled out of bed across the room to the cd player, turned on Finally really really loud much to the annoyment of my mother…Jumped around for a while till I realised what the hell I was doing….12 o clock eventually came, rang the NEW boyfriend, the virgin frames fan, he gave a chant of the blood down the phone ( he had been listening to that song on an old compilation cd he had) the only frames song he knew apart from Fake!!!!
 

Made our way to Marlay Park…my fone never beeped so much in its life "are ya here yet" the txts read. Stumbled upon a bottle of Buckfast knew BaZ couldn’t have been far away, drank on the benches for a while, searched, frisked and there we where….”Snakes and Snakes” my head began to shake and my god my neck is paying for it now, The Noonan chants were missing, the beer wasn’t flowing but the Bellies lived up to all the other times ive seen them live….Monkey 61 got a rapturous hand movement going (actually it was a day for the monkeys all round) Bananas galore!!

After the Bellies and because the bar wasn’t open I needed something to take the thought of the lovely Heineken away….So we played a game, lying on the ground we had to spot a pair of airmax…its actually a really good game, I spotted a Celtic jersey and I knew what was coming….yes I won the game!!

Idlewild and Supergrass were excellent from what I could hear of them while I was at the bar….keep on moving got my arms moving in a way I never thought they could likewise pumping on your stereo got my legs moving just as much….

The Frames what can one say...Lay me down made me wanna jump so I did, Revelate made me wanna jump so I did, The glint in Glen’s eye sent a tingle through my body, I was happy for him who was so happy to be there. People beside me singing away through Colm’s instrumental parts was a bit annoying but I suppose different people take different things out of a song… The air guitar was out, if only Kerrang could have seen me, I would’ve deff. been a contender for the worlds greatest air guitar player!! The Blowers Daughter, I looked up, took one look at Mic in New York and cried (my NEW boyf. Must have thought I was crazy) couldn’t stop, was now up on someone’s shoulders, sadness gives way for happiness, 17 thousand people singing along to Heyday, Mic could deff. hear us (well he heard me anyway)!!!! The Blood, I didn’t have to look at my boyf, I kew he was singing along he’s still talking about it….Where is my Mind -just cause were fans well we knew that was coming - love glen’s fish like sounding!! Red Chord my most favourite Frames song ever, a perfect ending to a perfect day, to a perfect first date, A perfect memory…………………………..A Heyday!!!!

*****
The last time I saw The Frames was in the National Stadium in 1991 when they supported The Stunning. It was my first concert and lets just say at the time I didn’t appreciate the finer aspects of what The Frames had to offer. My Dad whisked me off home after the concert and I thought nothing more of the support act that night until last year when I picked up a copy of Dance the Devil and became a Convert. 

Tickets purchased and plans made to spend the day at Marlay Park on Saturday rain, rain or rain I was delighted with myself. Nothing could go wrong. That was until I awoke on the morning of the concert in a Snot brought on by now officially AWOL boyfriend. The girls went off to the concert as I battled with the Snot. I am happy to say that although an afternoon was wallowed away missing the fantastic BelleX1 and Supergrass I powered through and whisked myself up to Marlay Park as Glen & Co. arrived on stage.

Now I have heard that Whelan’s is the place to see The Frames but I have to say so is Marlay Park. The rain held off the music was fantastic and everyone knew all the words. The band were so obviously enjoying themselves and their gratitude was so refreshing. We begged for Star Star and it came. Red Chord and Your Face were personal highlights for me; I downloaded (all paid for mind you) Fitzcarraldo this morning on the back of those performances. Damien Rice was like the cherry on the cake of a fabulous evening.

I left the concert with music in my head and post –concert pints and chats waiting in the nearest pub. Looking forward to reading the reviews tomorrow so I can go "yeah I know I was there and its was great’. Looking forward to the new album out next month. But sure in fairness you know all this you were there and it was great.

*****
1 hour of preparing, 2 hours of travelling, 3 hours of queuing, 4 friends a screaming, 5 hours of support bands and then…The Frames live Marlay Park ’04.
As the sun sank down low in the sky The Frames once again built up the explosive trademark atmosphere exclusively found at their concerts, by giving us nothing but everything.
And out of all the reported 15,000 hysterically screaming fanatics (lads included) it was clear nobody enjoyed themselves more then Mr. Glen Hansard himself.
Seeing your son trade in his classroom and schoolbooks for the streets and his guitar wouldn’t be every mother’s cup of tea. Hell, my mom even frowned at me doing forth year!
But this 13 year old was determined and focused, though the years haven’t exactly been easy on Glen. He often lost faith in himself and couldn’t find the light in the long dark tunnel.
After ‘Another Love Song’ was dropped, Hansard took a "strange trip to New York" and on return the light shone all the brighter.Glen poetically told this loyal band of buskers,"from here on in we’re gonna sink or swim so let’s fucking swim until we drop".
As sure as night and day, it was monumental moments like this that transformed this daytime teen busker to nighttime Irish music legend, that we all marvelled at in Marlay.
Glen seems to keep his head and know his roots, and proved this on Saturday, by continuously thanking everyone for coming out, from those of us front row of the pit to those lying back of the field in a drunken bliss.
There were no passer-bys that day as thousands of pairs of feet were firmly cemented to the ground while the Irish rocker enchanted us with his heart piercing vocal skills.
As emotions ran high Glen made no attempt to hide how much the day meant to him. He paid tribute to his mom and to all the musical geniuses that came before him and who’ve come after him; The Pixies, Mic Christopher, Michael Jackson, Damien Rice.
Marlay Park being almost exactly 14 years from The Frames’ live debut appearance in the west of Ireland, we made it clear they are more then appreciated here. The roaring crowd often rose over the lads, with The Frames’ own lyrics, and proudly led the song to victory.
Which in my opinion gave the guys more support then ever. And even though the ringing in my ears has now subsided the echoed memories of the spectacular brilliance that was Saturday 21st of August ’04 will stay printed in all our hearts forever. (Snifsnif)
And so, thanks from the fans for thanking the fans. We’ve noticed you’ve noticed and love ya’s all to bits.

A Marlay Parker.

*****
The decision to relinquish an encore due to the time constraints imposed on the venue was followed with a blinding version of the Pixies’ Where Is My Mind. Possibly threatening to exceed the neighbourhood’s decibel limit that rocked the grounds.

Closing on an uplifting Red Chord with a fitting reprise of Heyday, the audience was left feeling like a corner had been turned. Burn the maps, and that they did. The Frames have their own designs on the path they are to follow and long may they walk it.

May the circle be unbroken.

*****
Amidst the glut of music festivals that are currently on offer to the gig-going public these days, you can’t help but forgive me for taking a biased route and choosing to go to one that features home-grown talent as the headline. 

The Frames took the stage last Saturday on a decidedly grey day, at Marlay Park. With support slots featuring Halite, BellX1, Idlewild and Supergrass, the weather however, did not reflect the atmosphere. The rain stayed away and the music rocked.

A short animated yarn called, Pulling The Devil By The Tail, shown before The Frames took to the stage had the majority of the crowd transfixed on the big screens. One character’s catchphrase, "That was mad craic," would prove to tell the story of the night…

Opening with the familiar Lay Me Down, the band immediately grabbed the audience’s attention. This was what everybody was waiting for. With backing vocals being supplied by the crowd singing somewhat enthusiastically out of tune, you couldn’t help notice the delight on the band’s collective faces in being able to play to such an enamoured crowd. They took hold of Marlay Park and made it their own. They stepped up the frenzy by following with Revelate. With their set list comprising of music spanning most albums from their back catalogue, the gig managed to satisfy even the most hardened follower. Throwing in their most recent single release, Finally, and airing a few more new tracks from their coming album, portrayed a band that indeed has matured with their influences and audience.

The interesting thing about The Frames is the obvious fact that this band is not a polished rock act going through the motions with their assembled fans. With front man Glen Hansard having to re-tune guitars mid-set and forgetting to sing the opening verse to Pavement Tune, purely due to the enthusiasm of the moment, the gig teeters on the edge of slipping into a playful sing-song where messing around threatens to eclipse the music. However, you can forgive these discrepancies, as it is a case of what you see is what you get; the band really are enjoying themselves and are clearly sharing their elation with those looking on. This can’t help but add to the gritty honesty and feeling that is dished out with each song. 

Throwing in tastes of Deus, Jane’s Addiction and Van Morrison, the band takes the crowd on a roller-coaster tour of their influences. Michael Jackson even got a say with a dodgy version of Billie Jean that was redeemed by Joe Doyle’s impromptu moonwalk. A member of the audience being invited up on stage to rap during the outro of Hollocaine, added to the impression that this was still an intimate gig. Hansard returning to the stage for a solo encore and encouraging the audience to sing the harmony to The Blood further cemented this notion. The mark of a great live band is the ability to make everybody feel part of the moment. From where I stood, The Frames were certainly doing their job.

The concert took an unexpected twist as Damien Rice joined the band onstage, to a wall of enthusiastic noise from the crowd. In all probability, the ensuing rendition of The Blower’s Daughter/Creep left a certain proportion of the audience clamouring for more. This may have been the next day’s major talking point if not for the soaring version of Mic Christopher’s Heyday that followed, putting the crowd firmly back in The Frames’ pocket. The big screen footage of the honourable Mic Christopher and the chorus of echoes singing, ‘This is our Heyday baby…’ culminated in an emotional and exhilarating performance.

The decision to relinquish an encore due to the time constraints imposed on the venue was followed with a blinding version of the Pixies’ Where Is My Mind. Possibly threatening to exceed the neighbourhood’s decibel limit that rocked the grounds.

Closing on an uplifting Red Chord with a fitting reprise of Heyday, the audience was left feeling like a corner had been turned. Burn the maps, and that they did. The Frames have their own designs on the path they are to follow and long may they walk it.

*****
I have a problem.
I am not a heavy drinker and I am not an unrelenting party animal. However, on the eve of excitement (Oxegen, Marlay park, Christmas), I cannot help but put all my eggs in one basket and drink, snort and smoke that basket dry. It’s a will power thing. Come the bell on a Friday afternoon prior to an event for which you’ve been counting down the days, no mountain is too high. I always hit the town... hard. 

The night preceding Marlay Park was no exception. The morning of Marlay park was Confusion. And the afternoon of Marlay park was frustration. Frustration I, that is, at the fact that I was late and only managed to skip through the gates in time for Supergrass.
This, as you might have gathered, meant that I missed Bell X1. Always a disaster as thay are such a great band. I also missed Idlewild which was not such a tragedy. I believe they are very good, I have never bought any of their records though.
I missed the opening couple of Supergrass songs but heard the Acoustic set - which was very good - and their new single (which ups their funk factor tenfold). Also great renditions of Richard 3 (caught the end), Pumping on your Stereo and Moving. One of my favourites, Mary, didn’t sound so good on the stage. The crowd warmed to them but you could tell they were a support band as opposed to a festival slot. There was a Frames buzz going around the place, that’s for sure.

By this point, the hair of the dog had freed me of last night’s sins and I was looking forward to the main act. The atmosphere in Marlay park was superb. The weather was perfect bringing a chilly but tranquill vibe to the beautiful setting. The woodland and hills also provided a good punchbag for the sound and each note was crisp and well executed. The Frames are the type of band that can make the dated surroundings of The Olympia sound good. The acoustics at Marlay Park were the first red carpet laid out for them to ensure this was a memorable night.

After Battling with a burger from Abrakebabra (it was still alive and furious), it was time to sink into the atmosphere up by the stage as the band appeared to massive applause. I was close to the front at this stage and seeing the smile on Glen’s face prompted me to turn around and see what faced him. It wasn’t pretty. A bald guy with a black eye and his finger up his nose. Then I moved slightly to the left and saw the sea of people horizoned by the hills that greeted him. He has played to crowds before, not least at wittness, but there was something more electric about this poppy field of people. Everyone was facing me, I mean him, and everyone was smiling. The hills in the background made the whole thing feel more natural and everybody was there for The Frames.

Lay me down opened and the crowd participated paving the way for what was to be a typical band/audience interaction affair but on a much bigger scale (not least Berny with his rapping - fair play to you man. Your presence and timing were weighted well, unlike some imposter who was mimicing you at Whelans a few months ago).

Rightly, they decided to rock it out a bit with Revelate, Fake, God Bless Mum and even kept the noise levels going for Your Face and Finally [no particular order]. Finally is great. Your Face improves every time I hear it live.

The thing I liked about Marlay Park the best was the fact that it was a kind of milestone in their career... and they pitched it perfectly. Glen laid off on the story telling but somehow managed to keep the intimacy of a smaller venue. He paid massive tribute to Mic Christopher in what seemed like a way to say thank you, reeling a beautifully edited piece of film to the entire sound of Hey Day to which the audience responded vocally and the goose bumps took centre stage.

Other highlights included Damien Rice’s performance. Very moving and a very respectful crowd, which was nice after seeing some of the abuse he receives here. It was half past ten and the curfew was being broken (surprise, surprise). Who could blame them though. If you had just made 17,000 people laugh, cry, sing and smile and created a wee bit of history, wouldn’t you lap it up a little longer?