Saturday 16/06/07 Arctic Monkeys, Supergrass, The Coral @ Malahide Castle, Ireland

The picturesque surroundings of Maladide Castle in Dublin is the venue as the summer outdoor season is kicked into life by the Arctic Monkeys. The two-day mini festival is an announcement of intent for the Arctic Monkeys to claim the 2007 summer as their own.

The Coral are an anomaly, adored by Oasis, The Libertines and The Arctic’s amongst others yet this adoration hasn’t seemed to translate into mainstream acceptance. For some inexplicable reason they played behind veteran underachievers, Supergrass.  They’re a fantastic band and those of us lucky enough to view their set can only be impressed. An overcast day is brightened by the jangly sixties flavoured indie pop of these perma stoned scousers. ‘Pass It On’, ‘Dreaming of You’, a wonderful ‘In The Morning’ and ‘Don’t Think You’re the First’ are highlights of a set deserving of a headline slot. Curiously and possibly an insight into why The Coral seem to be in their current position is they choose to finish their set with an unnamed track from their new album rather then the usual electric ‘Arabian Sands.’

‘Alright’ was a song that sound-tracked a summer many years ago and at the time seemed like hairy indie kids Supergrass could take over the world. Now, not really kids, they are a band who release great albums but seem to lack any hits. As support to the giant spectre of the Arctic Monkeys, they are lost and their relevance to this mixed crowd baying for t’Arctics is questionable. The forgettable set is notable for the fact it seemed to increase the already insane queues for the bar to titanic proportions. ‘Pumping On The Stereo’ and ‘Richard III’ briefly remind us of past glories as they are rocketed out to some enthusiasm. ‘Alright' is notable for its absence as maybe Supergrass don’t want to remind themselves of past glories.