FORBIDDEN FRUIT 2017: Sunday review

As Forbidden Fruit opened its gates for the second day, returning ravers who braved the elements for Orbital the night before were glad to be welcomed by a scorcher of an afternoon - and a number of sets throughout the day raised the heat too.

The moment Soulé took to the Bulmers Live Stage at 4:30 today, it was clear that this is an artist destined to perform before far bigger audiences in the future. Her easygoing charisma allows her to connect with an audience like few others, as she lead a chant of 'Oggy Oggy Oggy' to calm her nerves for her first ever festival performance. And what a performance it was, as she displayed her incredible vocals on the heartfelt 'Orbit' and her infectious attitude on 'Troublemaker' - a 'fuck you' song for the ages with a tremendous beat. With the able assistance of DJ Mona Lisa and her backing singers, Soulé proved to the crowd that she really is an electro-pop prospect to keep a close eye on.

They’ve said that their name comes from the suffix rather than the vehicle, but SHIPS spend their early evening set attempting to transport us to a neon-lit, Drive soundtrack world. They’re just getting back into the live game after the release of their crowd-funded second album Processions, which might explain a slightly slow start - but once guitarist Sorca McGrath and bassist Simon Cullen get into their disco groove it’s hard not to follow in their wake.

Famously accomplished live act Moderat were eagerly anticipated, and the Berlin trio did not disappoint at all - they transformed the blue canvas of the Outcider stage into a temple of electronica with their intense tracklist and incredible lights and graphics. Their incredible rendition of 'Bad Kingdom' was the highlight of their set from both a musical and visual standpoint, sparking a singalong as an enormous version of its animated video played out behind them. 'Damage Done' and 'Nasty Silence' kept the crowd captivated as well, swaying from side to side as if hypnotised.

Dutch producer Bas Bron is enjoying the renaissance of his Fatima Yamaha project, fueled by the reemergence of the mother of all sleeper hits, ‘What’s a Girl To Do?’ - first released 13 years ago on Dublin’s own D1 Records. The closest thing dance music has to a lighters-in-the-air torch song, it made for one of the moments of the weekend - the stage blocked out by a sea of people scrambling to get on each other’s shoulders, singing the iconic synth melody. Bron really let loose with his newer material though - his keyboard improvisations took the likes of ‘Love Invaders’ to a new level.

Limerick-born Cornishman Aphex Twin showed he's stayed in touch with his Irish roots in his infamous face-mapping visuals - layering his own face onto Leo Varadkar's, Twink’s and even Dustin the Turkey. Some confused younger ravers may have wandered off during some of the harsher noise sections, but fans who’d been waiting six years for his Irish return were rewarded with acid and jungle of intensity that bordered on nightmarish at times. Genius at work.