Review: Forbidden Fruit 2016 Day 2

It's another scorcher of a day in Dublin, which is both good and bad news, depending on your perspective. It's definitely a bad afternoon to be a DJ. Forbidden Fruit is totally sold out, but the sunshine means that the tents prove less attractive then the great outdoors. A shame because the likes of Freddie Gibbs, 4Wrd Grad, etc., are so good.

This reviewer's day began with a public interview with comedian Joe Rooney in the Hot Press Speakeasy. He was absolutely brilliant, with his Christy-Moore-does-Nirvana routine and the brilliance of "Kurt Cobain is in there making a heroin Irish stew."

An amble around the grounds of the Royal Kilmainham Hospital in the early hours of the day proved illuminating. Voxx on the Lighthouse Stage, EVE Djs on the Undergrowth Stage, Cian O'Connell in the Bulmers Lounge... all were great. The Comedy Tent was awesome, and also a respite from the heat for many. Later, the likes of Paul Marsh, Colin Chadwick and Jim Elliot shone.

The main stage was even better. The three white-shirted members of While Collar Boy put on a great show, but it would have worked so much better after the sun went down. Sounding like a fledgling Depeche Mode, they're absolutely amazing - most especially the track 'Priory Hall' - but it was a case of right place wrong time. Hours later, Tame Impala played the same vista to thousands - having been built up by solid, crowd-pleasing sets from Skepta and Jungle - but White Collar Boy would have made excellent headliners. Keep going, sirs...

Here's the weird thing about dance/electro. If the music is actually doing its job then the listener is transported to another realm. Therefore, it's almost impossible to review it. You either like what you're hearing and stay - or you dislike it and you move on someplace else. So it was with Forbidden Fruit. It's a properly established festival at this point, and you simply go with the flow. So Hot Press floated between stages - the Someplace Else Stage, the Bulmers Lounge, the Lighthouse Stage, the Undergrowth Stage and the Original Stage. It was a lovely experience. No bad vibes, no bad people... and lots of flesh on display.

So lots of flashponts - Kormac on the Undergrowth Stage, Billy Scurry in the Bulmers Lounge, MMOTHS on there Lighthouse Stage… but if you don't like something you move on. And there's always something to move on to.
Highlight of the day was Battles on the Original Stage. Their largely instrumental sound really got the crowd going. John Stanier on drums was a revelation (most especially with his ultra-high cymbal). Dave Konopka thanked Bulmers from the stage, but also questioned their "Forbidden Fruit" ethos: "All fruit should be equal! Who likes pineapples?!"
There's nothing like a bunch of young folks to make you feel old, so when the crowd sang along to Skepta's raps, it felt like a different world. But again, so it goes.
All told, it was eight hours of this reviewer's life well spent. I'll go again...