With a sun-glazed weekend of top quality music at The Phoenix Park, Sunday’s line-up was one not to be missed, engaging the headline slot of Glastonbury heroes Mumford & Sons, with very special guests in the form of up and coming Irish group, Ham Sandwich, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, The Vaccines, and one of the UK’s finest current musicians, Ben Howard.
First up to occupy the growing crowd was Ham Sandwich. Building a reputation in Ireland, they got a respectable response and seemed to be gaining new fans by the minute. With an energetic sound, and an animated stage presence, their style really was the perfect opening for this wildly aniticpated concert.
As Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes sparked the mood again , The Phoenix Park immediately got a burst of life. With lead singer Alexander Ebert not refrainigng from interacting with this adoring crowd, he started with standing over the crowd for a sing-song, before jumping right over the barrier to enjoy the blinding sun with the rest of us. Moving through a well-balanced set list, these guys ended on ‘Home’– the track it seemed everyone had been waiting for.
The Vaccines stepped up to a crowd which was very quickly filling the massive space of The Phoenix Park. With crowd-pleasing anthems stitched in their set list, it was enough to spark a reaction in the already hyped setting. Their talent is fantastic on the live stage, but in terms of stage presence, The Vaccines just didn’t steal the spotlight on this occassion. The great energy anchored in their tracks could have used this outdoor setting to a bigger advantage, but the atmosphere of the crowd succeeded to keep the flame lighting.
As thousands of people made their way closer and closer to the stage in anticipation for the mighty Ben Howard, the excitement was building. As Ben stepped up with opening track- ‘Old Pine’, his presence was very much appreciated by the massive amount of people glaring at the stage. Voices from all corners of the park screamed the wonderully apt feel-good summer lyrics back at this wonderfully talented musician and his band. Occupying the set just before headliners, Mumford & Sons came on, Ben executed a set list of his biggest hits; from ‘Only Love’ to ‘Keep Your Head Up’ to finally ending with the bang of ‘The Fear‘.
Six hours after the crowd began flooding the Phoenix Park, and it was finally time for Mumford & Sons to take to the stage. Just off a very busy schedule of Glastonbury and T in the Park, these guys were on fire. Coming out to the folk-y strums of ‘Babel’ and following a sequenced set list similar to that of their album, before breaking into their roots with some older classics. Classic, power-enduring tracks radiated from this stage with the lighting and stage production guiding them beautifully.
Gliding over what were laid down as stand-out tracks of the night for me- ‘Hopeless Wanderer’, ‘Ghosts That We Knew’ and ‘Little Lion Man’, this night very quickly became a true Mumford performance. With ‘Little Lion Man’ erupting a manic response from the crowd- everyone waving their arms in the air, screaming at the top of their voices, and throwing themselves on friends’ shoulders, Mumford showed the usual top-notch level of showmanship. Moving from that atmosphere to a totally chilled sense with ‘Ghosts That We Knew’ as everyone sang the lyrics back in a grouped harmony, creating one of the most beautiful live songs I’ve witnessed in a long time.
Drawing the night to a close with some older tracks, it wasn’t long before the guys stormed back on with an encore to be praised. Entering on the chords of ‘Lovers Eyes’, they then moved to the utteraly acclaimed ringing of ‘The Cave’ which elated into a massive sing-song once again. Finishing this outdoor Irish show with a special cover of the Irish anthem- ‘Galway Girl’, you can only imagine the reaction of the park.
A fantastic range of talent showcased on a beautifully sunny day in The Phoenix Park- it doesn’t get much better. Mumford & Sons came out in top form, following fantastic performances from the support acts.