Electric Picnic Live Report: David Keenan at Electric Picnic

Nestled in the midst of the Stradbally chaos, the Croí area is Electric Picnic’s Irish-focused oasis.

Gracing the downward-sloping stage tonight was Louth singer-songwriter and folk poet David Keenan.

During an interview with our very own Jess Murray at the Hot Press Chatroom earlier this afternoon, Keenan said he’d “flash his arse” if the show didn’t go well.

We were greeted to no such callipygian showcase. On the one hand, it meant the show went well (it went very well). On the other, why couldn’t he do both?

Mooning (or lack thereof) aside, Keenan’s set was metamorphic, starting off solo with only himself and his well-traveled guitar ( which he had previously moaned about having to carry, it doesn’t look that heavy), he displayed his more intimate and honest return-to-roots songwriting. 

Credit: Miguel Ruiz

After warming the crowd, the band was introduced. The now five piece turned up the heat in the heart of EP, with some late 60s Rolling Stones-esque, sax-driven breakdowns, providing a fitting backdrop to Keenan’s irreverent, yet touching lyrics.

Perhaps needing a quick break, or just wanting to flex his multi-disciplinarian talent, Keenan then perched himself behind the piano.

The Dundalk native has said in the past that he considers himself a “live performer”, and that his albums provide an outlet for him to bring his songs to an in-person setting. 

Watching the singer and his bandaged guitar perform, it’s clear to see why he feels that way. 

Credit: Miguel Ruiz

Starting off with his most recent single ‘An Irish Song’ Keenan showed his rediscovered honesty, which was supplemented by ‘El Paso’- which the singer originally penned as a fourteen-year-old. 

The fact that Keenan said he wrote the tune so young brought as much of a feeling of resentment as it did admiration- when I was fourteen I was struggling to figure out which HDMI cable my Xbox was connected to. 

‘Unholy Ghosts’ was a particular highlight, Keenan’s diehard followers, as well as his well-earned new fans returned his words like a Djokovic backhand. 

Finishing the set off with “Tick Tock” ( not to be confused with Gen Z’s foremost addiction), Keenan and his band rocked the set to a close, much to the appreciation of the- by now mostly standing- Croí attendees.