Oxegen 2009 was the sixth
Oxegen
Oxegen was a music festival in Ireland, first held from 2004–2011 as a rock and pop festival and again in 2013 with dance and chart acts only. The event was regularly cited as Ireland's biggest music festival, and, by 2009, it was being ci ...
festival to take place since 2004. It took place on the weekend of Friday 10 July, Saturday, 11 July and Sunday, 12 July at
Punchestown Racecourse
Punchestown Racecourse is located in the parish of Eadestown, between the R410 and R411 regional roads near Naas, County Kildare, in Ireland. It is known as the home of Irish Jumps Racing and plays host to the annual Punchestown Irish National ...
near
Naas
Naas ( ; ga, Nás na Ríogh or ) is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 21,393, making it the second largest town in County Kildare after Newbridge.
History
The name of Naas has been recorded in th ...
in
County Kildare,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
.
Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon is an American rock band formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill, and their cousin Matthew Followill.
The band's early music was a blend of Southern rock and ga ...
,
Snow Patrol,
Blur and
The Killers
The Killers are an American rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After going through a number of short-term bass players and drummers in t ...
headlined.
The festival took place over three days, with reports of a four-day festival proving unconfirmed as did rumours, described as "ridiculous", that a 6 pm curfew would be imposed on the Sunday.
The festival slot was the only Irish performance by Kings of Leon in 2009. It also featured the only Irish live performance of Blur in 2009.
The Killers
The Killers are an American rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After going through a number of short-term bass players and drummers in t ...
were voted most popular band in an official poll conducted on the Oxegen website after the event.
The band later used footage from the festival on their live DVD ''
Live from the Royal Albert Hall'', released on 6 November that year.
Oxegen 2009 was officially opened by the
Artane Band
The Artane Band () is a marching band for young musicians based at the Artane School of Music in Artane in Dublin, Ireland.
Name
The band was originally called the Artane Boys Band, with members drawn from the pupils at Artane Industrial Sch ...
on 10 July at 14:00.
The festival was heralded as "a marvel of organisation" when compared to the
Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock. Billed as "an Aquar ...
held in the United States in 1969.
Oxegen 2009 was also the first European music festival to have an
X-ray machine
An X-ray machine is any machine that involves X-rays. It may consist of an X-ray generator and an X-ray detector.
Examples include:
*Machines for medical projectional radiography
*Machines for computed tomography
*Backscatter X-ray machines, used ...
onsite.
It was also praised for its greenness and recognised as the largest 100% CarbonNeutral event in Ireland.
Build-up
Tickets
Tickets for the festival were on offer as prizes to those who filled in an onlin
surveywon by Kings of Leon, the first headliner announced for the second consecutive year on 28 January 2009. A similar survey led to them being booked for the 2008 festival. Early Bird tickets went on sale to registered online users on Friday 8 August, and to all-comers on Friday 15 August at the 2008 price of €224.50 (including booking fee). These were limited to four per person, with a free car park space with every four tickets. Tickets went on general release on 6 March 2009 at 08:00. Once again, it was possible to buy an additional Thursday Camping Pass for €20. As of 23 April, Oxegen 2009 had not yet sold out.
It had not sold out by 20 June either.
It eventually sold out on 12 July after a sudden rush for day tickets.
As with the 2008 festival, the campsite opened on the Thursday evening to prevent traffic queues forming on the Friday.
The popularity of a ticket deposit scheme introduced in March 2009 was confirmed when it returned in May.
Early reports
On Thursday 17 July 2008, just days after the
2008 festival had ended,
Phantom FM
TXFM (formerly Phantom 105.2) was a Dublin based radio station, founded in 1997 as a pirate radio station. TXFM broadcast under a contract awarded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI). The station ceased broadcasting on 26 October 2016 ...
published a report suggesting that organisers of
T in the Park
T in the Park festival was a major Scottish music festival that was held annually from 1994 to 2016. It was named after its main sponsor, Tennents. The event was held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire, until 1996. It then moved to the disused B ...
, Oxegen's sister festival which traditionally shares many of the same bands as Oxegen, were reportedly seeking
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
to headline the 2009 festival which took place on the same weekend. The 62-year-old was previously due to headline both T and Oxegen in 2004, but had to pull out due to illness.
Klaxons
Klaxons were an English rock band, based in London. Following the release of several 7-inch singles on different independent record labels, as well as the success of previous singles " Magick" and "Golden Skans", the band released their debut ...
put themselves in contention to play at Oxegen 2009 after announcing that they will "play every festival possible" in 2009. But they didn't.
Official announcements
Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon is an American rock band formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill, and their cousin Matthew Followill.
The band's early music was a blend of Southern rock and ga ...
were again the first band to be confirmed for Oxegen in 2009, with their announcement coming on 28 January 2009. They headlined for the second consecutive year, having won the approval of fans in an online vote for a second consecutive year as well. ''
Hot Press
''Hot Press'' is a fortnightly music and politics magazine based in Dublin, Ireland, founded in June 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes.
History
''Hot Press'' was founded in June 1977 by Niall Stokes, who co ...
'' then announced what they claimed was a "world exclusive" late on 28 January 2009 that
Snow Patrol and
The Killers
The Killers are an American rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After going through a number of short-term bass players and drummers in t ...
, headliners in 2007, would be co-headliners in 2009. An appearance by Snow Patrol was confirmed by the organisers within two days, with
Katy Perry,
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are an English rock band, composed of Kele Okereke (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, sampler), Russell Lissack (lead guitar, keyboards), Justin Harris (bass guitar, keyboards, saxophones, backing vocals) and Louise Bartle ( ...
and
The Script also being confirmed on 30 January 2009. Kings of Leon played Oxegen's sister festival
T in the Park
T in the Park festival was a major Scottish music festival that was held annually from 1994 to 2016. It was named after its main sponsor, Tennents. The event was held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire, until 1996. It then moved to the disused B ...
on its Friday whilst Snow Patrol played T on its Sunday night. Also from T in the Park persistent rumours have forced the organisers to deny that
AC/DC are the other headliners.
On 5 February, the reformed
Blur were announced as the remaining headliners in what was their only Irish appearance of the year and their first in Ireland since three shows in the
Olympia Theatre, Dublin
The Olympia Theatre, known for sponsorship and advertising purposes as the 3Olympia Theatre, is a concert hall and theatre venue in Dublin, Ireland, located on Dame Street.
In addition to Irish acts, the venue has played host to many well-known ...
in 2003. It will also be only the third time that all the original members will be together since 2000, with the second occurring a week earlier in
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is a Listed building#Heritage protection, Grade I-listed major park in Westminster, Greater London, the largest of the four Royal Parks of London, Royal Parks that form a chain from the entrance to Kensington Palace through Kensingt ...
at a 55,000 sell-out show which followed an appearance at
Glastonbury 2009
The 2009 Glastonbury Festival/Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts was held from 24 to 29 June 2009.
Tickets
Registration
In a similar way to previous festivals, tickets for the 2009 event required pre-registration (of a ph ...
.
The Killers
The Killers are an American rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After going through a number of short-term bass players and drummers in t ...
were named as headliners on 18 February.
On 12 February, ''
The Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'' announced that
Pete Doherty would be playing the festival. Doherty was confirmed within twenty-four hours alongside nine other acts:
Razorlight
Razorlight are an English indie rock band, formed in 2002 in London by lead singer and guitarist Johnny Borrell. Along with Borrell, the current line-up of the band is composed of founding members Björn Ågren on guitar and bassist Carl Delemo ...
,
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds,
Elbow
The elbow is the region between the arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and the me ...
,
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O (born Karen Lee Orzolek), guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are compl ...
,
The Ting Tings
The Ting Tings are an English indie pop duo from Salford, Greater Manchester formed in 2007. The band consists of Katie White (vocals, guitar, bass drums, bass guitar, cowbells) and Jules De Martino (drums, lead guitar, bass guitar, keyboards ...
,
White Lies,
Fight Like Apes,
Pendulum
A pendulum is a weight suspended from a pivot so that it can swing freely. When a pendulum is displaced sideways from its resting, equilibrium position, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate it back toward th ...
and
Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz (; born June 23, 1977) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his debut studio album, ''Waiting for My Rocket to Come'' (2002), which spawned the single " The Remedy (I Won't ...
. On 24 February,
Keane,
Lily Allen
Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer-songwriter and actress. She is the daughter of actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. Her music career began in 2005 when she made some of her vocal recordings public ...
,
The Specials
The Specials, also known as The Special AKA, are an English 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall and Neville Staple on vocals, Lynval ...
,
Paolo Nutini
Paolo Giovanni Nutini (born 9 January 1987) is a Scottish singer, songwriter and musician from Paisley. Nutini's debut album, '' These Streets'' (2006), peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. Its follow-up, '' Sunny Side Up'' (2009), de ...
,
Wallis Bird
Wallis Bird (born 29 January 1982) is an Irish musician, living in Berlin since 2012. As of 2021, she has released six studio albums, including ''Architect'' in 2014 and '' Home'' in 2016.
Career
Bird performed at the Eurosonic Festival in 20 ...
,
Digitalism,
The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta is an American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2001. The band's only constant members are Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, producer, direction) and Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals, lyrics), whose partnership for ...
,
Swedish House Mafia
Swedish House Mafia (SHM) is a Swedish house music supergroup consisting of Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso. The group officially formed in late 2008, were placed at number ten on the '' DJ Mag'' Top 100 DJ Poll 2011, and have ...
,
Miss Kittin
Caroline Hervé (born 1973), known professionally as Miss Kittin, is a French electronic music producer, DJ, singer, and songwriter. Since rising to prominence in 1998 for her singles "1982" and "Frank Sinatra" with The Hacker, she has worked ...
/
The Hacker
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
,
Crookers
Crookers is the musical project of Italian DJ and producer Francesco "Phra" Barbaglia.
Crookers was originally a duo consisting of Phra and fellow producer Bot, who worked together from 2003 to 2012. When the two artists met, both were trying to ...
, and
Hockey
Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
were confirmed by MCD. The Specials were announced after they reformed to celebrate thirty years in the music business, although it was unclear at the time if founding member
Jerry Dammers
Jeremy David Hounsell Dammers GCOT (born 22 May 1955) is a British musician who was a founder, keyboard player and primary songwriter of the Coventry-based ska band The Specials (also known as The Special A.K.A.) and later The Spatial AKA Orche ...
would be included. The Truffle Shuffles learned of their invitation to perform whilst live on
Rick O'Shea
Paul Crossan (born 7 May 1973, also known as Rick O'Shea) is an Irish radio personality. He was born in Drimnagh, Dublin 12, grew up in Crumlin, and attended Drimnagh Castle Secondary School and later UCD. He has been a presenter on RTÉ 2fm ...
's
RTÉ 2fm
(RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, whil ...
radio show on 25 February. On 3 March, eleven new acts were added to the line-up for Oxegen 2009. These were
Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
,
Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Welsh rock band formed in Blackwood in 1986. The band consists of cousins James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, lead guitar) and Sean Moore (drums, percussion, soundscapes), plus ...
,
Florence and the Machine,
TV on the Radio
TV on the Radio (TVOTR) is an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2001. The band consists of Tunde Adebimpe (vocals, loops), David Andrew Sitek (guitars, keyboards, loops), Kyp Malone (vocals, guitars, bass, loops), and ...
,
The Game,
Ladyhawke,
James
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguati ...
,
Foals,
Of Montreal,
Friendly Fires
Friendly Fires are an English indie rock band from St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. They are currently signed to XL Recordings. Their self-titled debut album was released on 1 September 2008, and was announced as one of the shortlisted twelv ...
and
Squeeze. James will play a warm-up show in
The Academy on 8 July.
On 5 March, Oxegen 2009 was officially launched by the organisers, with an initial stage breakdown unveiled and a number of new acts announced. These included
Nine Inch Nails,
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985. The band consists of vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery. Jane's Addiction was one of the first bands fr ...
,
Pet Shop Boys,
Glasvegas
Glasvegas are a Scottish indie rock band from Glasgow. The band consists of James Allan (vocals), Rab Allan (lead guitar) and Paul Donoghue (bass guitar), with Swedish drummer Jonna Löfgren joining the group in 2010 until her departure in 2020 ...
,
The Saturdays
The Saturdays were a British-Irish girl group based in London, England. The group formed during the summer of 2007 and have been on hiatus since 2014. The lineup consists of Frankie Bridge, Una Healy, Rochelle Humes, Mollie King, and Vanessa ...
,
Doves
Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...
,
Eagles of Death Metal
Eagles of Death Metal is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, formed in 1998. Founded by Jesse Hughes (vocals, guitar) and Josh Homme (drums), the band also includes a wide range of other musicians who perform both on the band' ...
and
God Is an Astronaut
God Is an Astronaut are an Irish post-rock band from County Wicklow, formed in 2002 by Niels and Torsten Kinsella. Their style employs elements of electronic music, krautrock, and space rock, reminiscent of Tangerine Dream. The band currently ...
.
Techno/electronica musicians Niall "Mano le Tough" Mannion and Ruairi Donohue of the
Red Bull Music Academy also performed at Oxegen in 2009.
On 8 April,
202s announced they would be performing on the Friday of the festival.
Calvin Harris,
Noisettes
Noisettes are an English indie rock band from London, currently composed of singer and bassist Shingai Shoniwa and guitarist Dan Smith. The band first achieved commercial success and nationwide recognition with the second single of their se ...
,
The Saw Doctors
The Saw Doctors are an Irish rock band. Formed in 1986 in Tuam, County Galway, they have achieved eighteen Top 30 singles in the Republic of Ireland including three number ones. Their first number one, " I Useta Lover," topped the Irish charts ...
,
The Coronas
The Coronas are an Irish rock band that originated in Dublin. They release their music by their own independent record label, 3ú Records, and are based between Dublin and London. They have released seven studio albums, '' Heroes or Ghosts'' ...
,
The Blizzards
The Blizzards are an Irish band from Mullingar in County Westmeath. They were formed by Niall Breslin in late 2004, and also feature Dec Murphy (drums), Justin Ryan, Anthony Doran, Louize Carroll (bass) and Aidan Lynch (keyboards). They have ...
,
The Answer,
The Horrors
The Horrors are an English rock band formed in Southend-on-Sea in 2005, consisting of lead vocalist Faris Badwan, guitarist Joshua Hayward, keyboardist and synthesizer player Tom Furse, bassist Rhys Webb, and drummer and percussionist Joe Spu ...
,
Iglu & Hartly
Iglu & Hartly is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. The band is composed of Jarvis Anderson (vocals, keyboards), Sam Martin (vocals, keyboards), Simon Katz (guitar), Luis Rosiles (drums), and Michael Bucher (bass).
History ...
,
Starsailor and
Spinnerette
Spinnerette was an alternative rock band formed in 2007. The band was a vehicle for the solo career of Brody Dalle following the breakup of her previous band, The Distillers, in 2006. The band featured Tony Bevilacqua (also from The Distillers) ...
were added to the line-up on 28 April.
La Roux
La Roux ( ) is an English synthpop act formed in 2008 by singer Elly Jackson and record producer Ben Langmaid. The act's debut album '' La Roux'' (2009) was a critical and commercial success, winning a Grammy Award and producing hit singles su ...
cancelled citing "touring commitments".
One DJ or VJ was offered a half-hour slot at the festival in association with
Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the ...
.
More dance acts, including
Felix da Housecat
Felix da Housecat (born Felix Stallings Jr., August 25, 1971) is an American DJ and record producer, mostly known for house music and electro. Felix is regarded as a member of the second wave of Chicago house
Musical career Early life
Stall ...
and
The Japanese Popstars, were announced on 7 May 2009.
On 14 May 2009,
Therapy?
Therapy? are a Northern Irish rock band from Larne, formed in 1989 by guitarist-vocalist Andy Cairns and drummer-vocalist Fyfe Ewing. Therapy? recorded their first demo with Cairns filling in on bass guitar. To complete the lineup, the band r ...
,
Tinchy Stryder
Kwasi Esono Danquah III ( ; born 14 September 1986), known by the stage name Tinchy Stryder, is a Ghanaian-British rapper, singer, songwriter, entrepreneur and investor.
Stryder has released three solo studio albums, '' Star in the Hood'' (2 ...
,
Boys Noize
Alexander Ridha (born 22 August 1982), better known by his stage name Boys Noize, is a Berlin-based German-Iraqi electronic music record producer, songwriter, and DJ. It is similar to the name of Ridha's label, Boysnoize Records, which he esta ...
and
Fever Ray (
Karin Dreijer Andersson
Karin Elisabeth Dreijer (born 7 April 1975) is a Swedish singer-songwriter and record producer. Dreijer was one half of the electronic music duo the Knife, formed with their brother Olof Dreijer. Dreijer released their debut solo album unde ...
of
The Knife) were all announced.
MCD announced the stage breakdown on 18 May 2009.
The return of the ''
Hot Press
''Hot Press'' is a fortnightly music and politics magazine based in Dublin, Ireland, founded in June 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes.
History
''Hot Press'' was founded in June 1977 by Niall Stokes, who co ...
'' Signing Tent was confirmed on 21 May 2009.
The line-up for the Red Bull Music Academy was confirmed on 22 May 2009.
The ''
Hot Press
''Hot Press'' is a fortnightly music and politics magazine based in Dublin, Ireland, founded in June 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes.
History
''Hot Press'' was founded in June 1977 by Niall Stokes, who co ...
'' New Band Stage line-up was announced on 27 May 2009.
On 3 June 2009, the
IMRO
The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO; bg, Вътрешна Македонска Революционна Организация (ВМРО), translit=Vatrešna Makedonska Revoljucionna Organizacija (VMRO); mk, Внатр ...
New Sounds Stage line-up was announced, with
David Kitt
David Kitt (born 1975 in Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish musician. He has released eight studio albums to date: ''Small Moments'', ''The Big Romance'', ''Square 1'', ''The Black and Red Notebook'', '' Not Fade Away'', ''The Nightsaver'', ''Yous'', ...
,
Director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
and
Villagers confirmed as headliners.
Also performing on that stage are
C O D E S,
Heathers
''Heathers'' is a 1989 American black comedy film written by Daniel Waters and directed by Michael Lehmann, in both of their respective film debuts. The film stars Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty, Lisanne Falk, Kim Walker, and ...
, Blood or Whiskey,
Juno Award winners
Wintersleep
Wintersleep is a Canadian indie rock band formed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2001.Heidi Ulrichsen"Wintersleep offers 'sneak peeks' of new album at Boreal" ''Sudbury Star'', June 30, 2014. The band's original lineup consisted of vocalist and gui ...
,
Broken Record
A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog signal, analog sound Recording medium, storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove ...
from
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
,
Home Star Runner and
Concerto For Constantine.
On 12 June 2009, the entertainment line-up and further details of facilities for campers was announced.
The campsite remained open until 18:00 on the Monday after the festival.
The Thursday night entertainment featured bands such as Snakes of Desire, The Stone Roses Experience, Definitely Might Be and Hells Bells.
The Xbox Live Stage was located to the Blue Campsite and ran each day of the festival from 14:00 until late into the night and the Headphone Disco is available to a maximum 2,500 campers per night.
A funfair was present in each campsite (the previous year had one shared between all the campsites) and other features included
barbecue areas for those with disposable barbecues, the Pull Parlour Salon and better facilities for phone charging.
Scouting Ireland
Scouting Ireland ( ga, Gasóga na hÉireann) is one of the largest youth movements on the island of Ireland, a voluntary educational movement for young people with over 45,000 members, including over 11,000 adult volunteers . Of the 750,000 peo ...
returned to offer their free tent pitching service.
Several acts were added to the Bacardi Arena on 25 June 2009.
The return of Heineken Greenspace was announced on 29 June 2009.
The stage times were released on 1 July 2009.
Related events
The Blizzards
The Blizzards are an Irish band from Mullingar in County Westmeath. They were formed by Niall Breslin in late 2004, and also feature Dec Murphy (drums), Justin Ryan, Anthony Doran, Louize Carroll (bass) and Aidan Lynch (keyboards). They have ...
performed a live online show on their website in association with
Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the ...
on 27 May 2009.
The webcast preceded appearances by the band and the return of the Xbox Live Stage to Oxegen 2009.
Xbox also ran a competition with a top prize of a half-hour DJ set on the Xbox Live Stage at Oxegen 2009.
The Irish
Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan
Eamon Michael Ryan (born 28 July 1963) is an Irish Green Party politician who has served as Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport since June 2020 and Leader of the Green Party since May 2011. He ha ...
endorsed a "Rock the Environment" competition designed to promote Oxegen 2009 as being a "green festival".
Ryan said the festival was "sustainable, green and fun".
Competitors were asked to send in their environmentally-friendly videos to the Oxegen Muzu TV channel.
Winners will have their entries broadcast in the green Ecogen area.
Two acts from
County Kildare featured at Oxegen in 2009; these were decided via the annual Platform V contest.
Box Social, Colin Scallan, I Phoenix, The J-Walkers, The Resistance and Seven Days were the six finalists; two were selected in
Naas
Naas ( ; ga, Nás na Ríogh or ) is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 21,393, making it the second largest town in County Kildare after Newbridge.
History
The name of Naas has been recorded in th ...
,
County Kildare on 19 June.
The
Road Safety Authority
The Road Safety Authority (RSA; ga, Údarás Um Shábháilteacht Ar Bhóithre) is a state agency formed by the Irish Government to promote road safety within the Republic of Ireland. The agency has devolved control of much of the work of the D ...
(RSA), Kildare County Council and MCD used youth radio stations to front a road safety campaign throughout Oxegen 2009.
Billboards of four young persons from County Kildare who died in
2005 and
2007 were on display onsite. Mobile messages and the big stage screens were also used to promote road safety.
The
Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists and the
Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Northern Ireland jointly produced a festival guide aimed at fans, issuing advice on walking, camping and how to dance appropriately and pain-free.
Publications
Several newspapers and magazines issued special editions for Oxegen 2009.
''
Hot Press
''Hot Press'' is a fortnightly music and politics magazine based in Dublin, Ireland, founded in June 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes.
History
''Hot Press'' was founded in June 1977 by Niall Stokes, who co ...
'' featured the Ultimate Guide to Oxegen '09 prior to the festival.
It included the favourite Oxegen moments of six Irish musicians and interviews with
Brody Dalle
Brody Dalle (born Bree Joanna Alice Robinson; 1 January 1979) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and musician. She began playing music in her adolescence and moved to Los Angeles at the age of 18, where she founded the punk rock band The D ...
of
Spinnerette
Spinnerette was an alternative rock band formed in 2007. The band was a vehicle for the solo career of Brody Dalle following the breakup of her previous band, The Distillers, in 2006. The band featured Tony Bevilacqua (also from The Distillers) ...
and
Dave Keuning
David Brent Keuning (born March 28, 1976) is an American musician, best known for his role as the lead guitarist of the rock band The Killers, which he founded alongside Brandon Flowers in 2001 and with whom he has recorded six studio albums. K ...
of headliners
The Killers
The Killers are an American rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After going through a number of short-term bass players and drummers in t ...
.
They also made several music videos of artists performing on the New Bands Stage available on their website.
One week before the festival,
Gary Lightbody
Gareth John Lightbody (born 15 June 1976) is a Northern Irish singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the alternative rock band Snow Patrol. He has also founded the musical supergroups The ...
of Oxegen headliners
Snow Patrol was chosen as guest editor of ''The Ticket'', ''
The Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'' weekly music supplement.
Lightbody selected two musicians whose performances were covered in that week's edition—he chose
Lisa Hannigan
Lisa Margaret Hannigan (born 12 February 1981) is an Irish musician, singer, composer, and voice actress. She began her musical career as a member of Damien Rice's band. Since beginning her solo career in 2007 she has released three albums: '' S ...
and
Josh Ritter
Josh Ritter (born October 21, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and author who performs and records with the Royal City Band. Ritter is known for his distinctive Americana style and narrative lyrics. In 2006, he was named one of ...
—and also chose which bands Jim Carroll would write about in his column about new music.
Lightbody also wrote a guide to surviving festivals, interviewed
Glenn Moule of the band
Howling Bells
Howling Bells are an Australian indie rock band that formed in London in 2004. The band obtained moderate popularity in the United Kingdom following the release of its 2006 self-titled debut album. The lineup consists of Juanita Stein (vocals, ...
and wrote a piece on which artists he intended to see perform at Oxegen, including
Lily Allen
Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer-songwriter and actress. She is the daughter of actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. Her music career began in 2005 when she made some of her vocal recordings public ...
,
Republic of Loose
Republic of Loose were an Irish funk rock band from Dublin. Formed in 2001, the band formerly consisted of lead vocalist Mick Pyro, bass guitarist and vocalist Benjamin Loose, keyboardist Deco, guitarists and vocalists Dave Pyro and Brez and ...
,
Patrick Wolf
Patrick Wolf (born Patrick Denis Apps; 30 June 1983) is an English singer-songwriter from South London. Wolf uses a wide variety of instruments in his music, most commonly the ukulele, piano, and viola. He is known for combining electronic samp ...
,
TV on the Radio
TV on the Radio (TVOTR) is an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2001. The band consists of Tunde Adebimpe (vocals, loops), David Andrew Sitek (guitars, keyboards, loops), Kyp Malone (vocals, guitars, bass, loops), and ...
,
Annie Mac,
Elbow
The elbow is the region between the arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and the me ...
,
Friendly Fires
Friendly Fires are an English indie rock band from St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. They are currently signed to XL Recordings. Their self-titled debut album was released on 1 September 2008, and was announced as one of the shortlisted twelv ...
and
Crystal Castles
Crystal Castles was a Canadian electronic music group formed in 2006 in Toronto, Ontario, formed by songwriter-producer Ethan Kath and singer-songwriter Alice Glass, who later left and was replaced by Edith Frances. Crystal Castles were know ...
.
The ''
Irish Independent'' featured numerous Oxegen-related articles on 3 July 2009. These included reports on
Blur,
Fight Like Apes,
Snow Patrol,
The Ting Tings
The Ting Tings are an English indie pop duo from Salford, Greater Manchester formed in 2007. The band consists of Katie White (vocals, guitar, bass drums, bass guitar, cowbells) and Jules De Martino (drums, lead guitar, bass guitar, keyboards ...
,
Jerry Fish
Jerry may refer to:
Animals
* Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National
* Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Jerry'' (film), a 2006 Indian fil ...
,
a piece on
Northern Irish
Northern Irish people is a demonym for all people born in Northern Ireland or people who are entitled to reside in Northern Ireland without any restriction on their period of residence. Most Northern Irish people either identify as Northern ...
acts such as
David Holmes,
That Petrol Emotion
That Petrol Emotion were a London-based Northern Ireland-originating band with an American vocalist, Steve Mack. It featured the O'Neill brothers from celebrated Derry pop-punk band The Undertones plus ex-members of fellow Derry bands Bam Bam and ...
,
Therapy?
Therapy? are a Northern Irish rock band from Larne, formed in 1989 by guitarist-vocalist Andy Cairns and drummer-vocalist Fyfe Ewing. Therapy? recorded their first demo with Cairns filling in on bass guitar. To complete the lineup, the band r ...
,
Duke Special
Duke Special (born Peter Wilson; 4 January 1971) is a songwriter and performer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A piano-based songwriter with a romantic style and a warm, distinctly accented voice, he was previously known for his distinctiv ...
and
The Answer,
a piece on newer acts,
twenty selected facts
and an A–Z of festival fashion.
Gary Lightbody talked of his first time when Snow Patrol were in their early twenties and spent the night drinking and "being silly".
Traffic
Traffic delays were encountered by fans on their way to the festival on 9 July.
MCD suggested fans ought to expect an additional three hours of travel time.
Buses in
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
and
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
, mapsize = 220px
, pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe
, pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe
, pushpin_relief = 1
, coordinates ...
were full since that morning, whilst those in
Cork and
Galway
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on ...
were said to be "meeting demand".
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
also experienced what was described by media as "a mass exodus" of fans to Oxegen 2009.
Dublin Bus
Dublin Bus ( ga, Bus Átha Cliath) is a State-owned bus operator providing services in Dublin. By far the largest bus operator in the city, it carried 138 million passengers in 2019. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann.
...
, which operates public transport from
Parnell Square
Parnell Square () is a Georgian square sited at the northern end of O'Connell Street in the city of Dublin, Ireland. It is in the city's D01 postal district.
Formerly named ''Rutland Square'', it was renamed after Charles Stewart Parnell (1 ...
to Punchestown, said its journeys were running at one hour and ten minutes, a "good" time according to the company.
30,000 campers were on site by the Thursday night.
The campsite opened at noon, with 35,000 campers having arrived by the Thursday night.
These were entertained by
AC/DC,
Oasis and
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. One of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the band's classic and most prominent lineup consisted of vocalist Ian Brown, ...
cover bands on the Thursday Night Live Stage.
Traffic after the festival was reported to be "moving well on all routes".
Festival
Weather
Festival-goers and musicians alike experienced rain and mud at Oxegen 2009.
Hours of heavy torrential rain fell throughout the Saturday but, whilst wellies and raincoats were seen throughout the Saturday, the Sunday weather was sunnier.
Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz (; born June 23, 1977) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his debut studio album, ''Waiting for My Rocket to Come'' (2002), which spawned the single " The Remedy (I Won't ...
described the weather as "perfect", saying that "going in and out of rain and sun
..is a great way to celebrate." He then claimed: "I've never experiences torrential rain in my life."
MC Double D of
Sneaky Sound System
Sneaky Sound System is an Australian dance music group formed in late 2001 by Angus McDonald on guitar, MC Double D (Daimon Downey) on vocoder and vocals, Damien Hesse (DJ) and Nick Broadhurst on saxophone. They were joined in 2004 by Connie M ...
described the differing tolerance for rain in Ireland and his native country. "You like it wet over here. I'm from Australia and we don't like it wet over there. You guys get a bit annoyed if it's too sunny I think.
..We're playing in a tent so I can't complain."
Performances
The Artane Boys Band, described as "one of the most famous warm-up acts in the country",
opened Oxegen 2009 in an appearance described as "unlikely" by the ''
Irish Independent''.
The first band to appear on the ''Hot Press'' New Band Stage on the Friday were The Truffle Shuffles, winners of RTÉ 2fm's School of Rock competition.
The band later met Main Stage performers The Script, giving
Danny O'Donoghue
Daniel John Mark Luke O'Donoghue (born 3 October 1980) is an Irish singer-songwriter best known for being the frontman of the Irish rock band The Script and as a coach on the first two series of the television singing talent show ''The Voice ...
a CD of their music.
The Script themselves announced a five-night residency in Dublin's
Olympia Theatre, beginning on 25 August 2009.
Onstage they described the place as "crazy" and spoke of how they had been in the audience two years previously.
James
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguati ...
warmed up for their Friday performance with a show at
The Academy in Dublin the night before.
Lily Allen
Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer-songwriter and actress. She is the daughter of actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. Her music career began in 2005 when she made some of her vocal recordings public ...
altered lyrics to one of her songs due to having a young Irish cousin in the audience.
She had flown in from
Belgrade and her performance included a cover version of "
Womanizer
Womanizer may refer to:
* "Womanizer" (term), a promiscuous heterosexual man
* "Womanizer" (song), a 2008 song by Britney Spears
* "Womanizer", a 1977 song by Blood, Sweat & Tears from '' Brand New Day''
* ''Womanizer'', a 2004 album by Absolute ...
" by
Britney Spears and "
Fuck You", her ode to
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
, which had the crowd raising their middle fingers during the chorus.
She also performed her cover version of the
Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who formed in 2000 as Parva, releasing one studio album, ''22'', in 2003, before renaming and establishing themselves in their current name that same year. Since their formation the band h ...
song "
Oh My God
Oh My God, O My God, Oh My God! or Ohmigod may refer to:
* the first words of the Act of Contrition, a Christian prayer
* a common phrase frequently abbreviated as "OMG", often used in SMS messages and Internet communication, and sometimes euphem ...
" but bemoaned the crowd's reaction to some of her songs, yelling: "Oh, you guys are like women. C'mon you lot!"
She later wandered around talking to fans alongside two bodyguards.
Snow Patrol flew from Italy to perform at Oxegen 2009, interrupting their time spent touring with
U2.
They dedicated "
Shut Your Eyes
"Shut Your Eyes" is a song by the Northern Irish band Snow Patrol. Initially a track on their 2006 album ''Eyes Open'', it was released as a single in several countries in 2007.
The various B-sides featured on the single are taken from a Snow Pat ...
" to Lily Allen in their Main Stage performance before
Blur.
Blur were said to have been paid €500,000 to perform at Oxegen 2009, headlining on the Friday night from 23:00.
They played songs from three decades and paid tribute to an Irish music journalist who had assisted in their rise to fame, dedicating "
There's No Other Way
"There's No Other Way" is a song by English band Blur, released on 15 April 1991 as the second single from their debut album ''Leisure''.
Content
The song utilises a beat and tambourine sound typical of songs of the Madchester and baggy sc ...
" to him,
with lead singer
Damon Albarn saying: "The first time we were here
n Irelandwas back in 1990. We played at a wedding for Leo Finlay, who has since passed away."
Albarn also said it had been "a fantastic couple of weeks after not doing much for 10 years.".
They also dedicated "
The Universal
"The Universal" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur and is featured on their fourth studio album, '' The Great Escape'' (1995). It was released on 13 November 1995 as the second single from that album, charting at number five on t ...
" to
Joe Dolan
Joseph Francis Robert Dolan (16 October 1939 – 26 December 2007) was an Irish entertainer, recording artist, and pop singer. Chiefly known in Ireland for his association with showbands and for his innovative style and high pitched singing v ...
who had covered the song before his death.
Fred
Fred may refer to:
People
* Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name
Mononym
* Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French
* Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Rod ...
were the first band on the Green Spheres stage on the Saturday, playing to a large crowd and ending with singles "Running" and "Skyscrapers".
Squeeze attracted increasing crowds throughout their time on the Main Stage, performing just before
The Blizzards
The Blizzards are an Irish band from Mullingar in County Westmeath. They were formed by Niall Breslin in late 2004, and also feature Dec Murphy (drums), Justin Ryan, Anthony Doran, Louize Carroll (bass) and Aidan Lynch (keyboards). They have ...
played to an even more significant sized crowd.
Guy Garvey of
Elbow
The elbow is the region between the arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and the me ...
thanked fans watching them despite the bad weather on the Saturday evening.
Doves
Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...
drew a large crowd to the O2 Stage despite performing at the same time as
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are an English rock band, composed of Kele Okereke (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, sampler), Russell Lissack (lead guitar, keyboards), Justin Harris (bass guitar, keyboards, saxophones, backing vocals) and Louise Bartle ( ...
on the Main Stage.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, however, attracted a small enough crowd to the same stage, with several fans leaving to see headliners
Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon is an American rock band formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill, and their cousin Matthew Followill.
The band's early music was a blend of Southern rock and ga ...
on the Main Stage.
Kings of Leon headlined Oxegen from 23:30 on the Saturday
despite threatening to withdraw from the festival after encountering serious sound problems at their T in the Park show in Scotland the day before.
The sound problems frustrated vocalist
Caleb Followill
Kings of Leon is an American rock band formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill, and their cousin Matthew Followill.
The band's early music was a blend of Southern rock and ga ...
and led him to destroy his guitar before hurling the shattered remnants into the crowd.
The band's tour manager intervened, with the band ultimately deciding to travel to Ireland.
A source explained that the band's anger was due to their desire for "every show to be perfect".
Several international celebrities watched Kings of Leon perform at Oxegen 2009;
Pete Doherty and
Stereophonics frontman
Kelly Jones
Kelly Jones (born 3 June 1974) is a Welsh singer-songwriter and a founding member, lead singer, and guitarist of the rock band Stereophonics.
Early life and debut
Kelly Jones was born youngest of three boys for Beryl and Arwyn Jones in the s ...
watched from the side of the stage, whilst actress
Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman (born Natalie Hershlag, he, נטע-לי הרשלג, ) is an Israeli-born American actress. She has had a prolific film career since her teenage years and has starred in various blockbusters and independent films, receiving mu ...
"disappeared down into the mosh pit" where she was seen "every now and then jumping up and down and belting out her favourite songs".
The band said Oxegen was "the gig we've been looking forward to most this year".
Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
underwent a
wardrobe malfunction
A wardrobe malfunction is a clothing failure that accidentally or intentionally exposes a person's intimate parts. It is different from deliberate incidents of indecent exposure or public flashing. Justin Timberlake first used the term when apol ...
live on stage during her Sunday performance when one of her breasts slid from beneath her metallic dress.
After a breakdown during her second song, Gaga expressed her frustrations at her production team: "I can't hear myself for a moment there. That was close there for a minute. It's my worst nightmare not being able to hear. I'd rather cut my fucking feet off rather than not be able to hear"
and praised Irish fans for their battles against the weather: "You all suffer for your love of music, like Jesus"
as well as saying: "If you told me this time last year I’d be playing in front of 100,000 people, I’d probably have told you to fuck off".
She also had several costume changes, at one point appearing on a blue
Vespa
Vespa () is an Italian luxury brand of scooters and mopeds manufactured by Piaggio. The name means wasp in Italian. The Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 by Piaggio & Co. S.p.A. of Pontedera, Italy to ...
scooter and, during her single "
Poker Face", writhing around on board a piano.
Prior to the performance she had attracted attention for requesting underwear from festival organisers
and was overheard asking about how to pronounce Naas.
The Horrors
The Horrors are an English rock band formed in Southend-on-Sea in 2005, consisting of lead vocalist Faris Badwan, guitarist Joshua Hayward, keyboardist and synthesizer player Tom Furse, bassist Rhys Webb, and drummer and percussionist Joe Spu ...
cancelled their appearance at Oxegen 2009 when frontman
Faris Badwin was struck down with
bronchitis
Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...
.
Foals saw an increased crowd to their Heineken Green Spheres performance when rain drew festival-goers inside.
The Ting Tings
The Ting Tings are an English indie pop duo from Salford, Greater Manchester formed in 2007. The band consists of Katie White (vocals, guitar, bass drums, bass guitar, cowbells) and Jules De Martino (drums, lead guitar, bass guitar, keyboards ...
also drew large numbers to the O2 Stage.
Perry Farrell of
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985. The band consists of vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery. Jane's Addiction was one of the first bands fr ...
referenced
Guinness,
Jameson and
cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...
during his band's performance.
Villagers "set alight a sparsely populated tent with a performance bordering on perfection", according to the ''
Irish Independent''.
Sunday night headliners
The Killers
The Killers are an American rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After going through a number of short-term bass players and drummers in t ...
attracted large crowds to the main arena but attendance at
Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Welsh rock band formed in Blackwood in 1986. The band consists of cousins James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, lead guitar) and Sean Moore (drums, percussion, soundscapes), plus ...
and
Nine Inch Nails suffered from those bands performing at the same time on other stages.
Signing tent
The first part of the line-up for the ''
Hot Press
''Hot Press'' is a fortnightly music and politics magazine based in Dublin, Ireland, founded in June 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes.
History
''Hot Press'' was founded in June 1977 by Niall Stokes, who co ...
'' signing tent was announced on 7 July 2009, with acts including
Paolo Nutini
Paolo Giovanni Nutini (born 9 January 1987) is a Scottish singer, songwriter and musician from Paisley. Nutini's debut album, '' These Streets'' (2006), peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. Its follow-up, '' Sunny Side Up'' (2009), de ...
,
Razorlight
Razorlight are an English indie rock band, formed in 2002 in London by lead singer and guitarist Johnny Borrell. Along with Borrell, the current line-up of the band is composed of founding members Björn Ågren on guitar and bassist Carl Delemo ...
,
The Virgins
The Virgins were an American indie rock band formed in 2006 in New York City. The band split up in November 2013.
History 2006–2007: Formation
Frontman Donald Cumming began writing music by himself in his New York apartment. He then recruited ...
,
Fun Lovin' Criminals
Fun Lovin' Criminals are an American rap rock band from New York City. They are best known for their hit "Scooby Snacks", which features samples from films by Quentin Tarantino, and the song "Love Unlimited", which recalls Barry White's backin ...
,
The Blizzards
The Blizzards are an Irish band from Mullingar in County Westmeath. They were formed by Niall Breslin in late 2004, and also feature Dec Murphy (drums), Justin Ryan, Anthony Doran, Louize Carroll (bass) and Aidan Lynch (keyboards). They have ...
,
Hockey
Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
,
Duke Special
Duke Special (born Peter Wilson; 4 January 1971) is a songwriter and performer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A piano-based songwriter with a romantic style and a warm, distinctly accented voice, he was previously known for his distinctiv ...
,
Republic of Loose
Republic of Loose were an Irish funk rock band from Dublin. Formed in 2001, the band formerly consisted of lead vocalist Mick Pyro, bass guitarist and vocalist Benjamin Loose, keyboardist Deco, guitarists and vocalists Dave Pyro and Brez and ...
,
The Coronas
The Coronas are an Irish rock band that originated in Dublin. They release their music by their own independent record label, 3ú Records, and are based between Dublin and London. They have released seven studio albums, '' Heroes or Ghosts'' ...
,
Spinnerette
Spinnerette was an alternative rock band formed in 2007. The band was a vehicle for the solo career of Brody Dalle following the breakup of her previous band, The Distillers, in 2006. The band featured Tony Bevilacqua (also from The Distillers) ...
,
Friendly Fires
Friendly Fires are an English indie rock band from St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. They are currently signed to XL Recordings. Their self-titled debut album was released on 1 September 2008, and was announced as one of the shortlisted twelv ...
and
Therapy?
Therapy? are a Northern Irish rock band from Larne, formed in 1989 by guitarist-vocalist Andy Cairns and drummer-vocalist Fyfe Ewing. Therapy? recorded their first demo with Cairns filling in on bass guitar. To complete the lineup, the band r ...
.
Other acts were later announced, including
Noisettes
Noisettes are an English indie rock band from London, currently composed of singer and bassist Shingai Shoniwa and guitarist Dan Smith. The band first achieved commercial success and nationwide recognition with the second single of their se ...
(Sunday),
Jerry Fish
Jerry may refer to:
Animals
* Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National
* Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Jerry'' (film), a 2006 Indian fil ...
(Saturday),
Doves
Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...
(Saturday),
Maxïmo Park
Maxïmo Park are an English alternative rock band, formed in 2000 in Newcastle upon Tyne. The band consists of Paul Smith (vocals), Duncan Lloyd (guitar), and Tom English (drums). The band have released seven studio albums: '' A Certain Trigge ...
(Saturday),
Squeeze (Saturday)
The Airborne Toxic Event
The Airborne Toxic Event is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2006. It consists of Mikel Jollett (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steven Chen (guitar, keyboards), Adrian Rodriguez (electric bass, backing vocals), Daren Ta ...
(Saturday),
and
That Petrol Emotion
That Petrol Emotion were a London-based Northern Ireland-originating band with an American vocalist, Steve Mack. It featured the O'Neill brothers from celebrated Derry pop-punk band The Undertones plus ex-members of fellow Derry bands Bam Bam and ...
(Sunday).
A timetable was released on the ''Hot Press'' website on 10 July.
Republic of Loose
Republic of Loose were an Irish funk rock band from Dublin. Formed in 2001, the band formerly consisted of lead vocalist Mick Pyro, bass guitarist and vocalist Benjamin Loose, keyboardist Deco, guitarists and vocalists Dave Pyro and Brez and ...
, represented by all the band's members, were the first act to appear in the signing tent at around 18:00 on the Friday evening.
Fans of
The Coronas
The Coronas are an Irish rock band that originated in Dublin. They release their music by their own independent record label, 3ú Records, and are based between Dublin and London. They have released seven studio albums, '' Heroes or Ghosts'' ...
sang their "
San Diego Song" whilst queueing, with the band also revealing the title of the second album for the first time, saying they had only decided on the title that day.
Duke Special
Duke Special (born Peter Wilson; 4 January 1971) is a songwriter and performer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A piano-based songwriter with a romantic style and a warm, distinctly accented voice, he was previously known for his distinctiv ...
was greeted by several males in superhero costumes,
whilst one fan who received an autograph from
Brody Dalle
Brody Dalle (born Bree Joanna Alice Robinson; 1 January 1979) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and musician. She began playing music in her adolescence and moved to Los Angeles at the age of 18, where she founded the punk rock band The D ...
of
Spinnerette
Spinnerette was an alternative rock band formed in 2007. The band was a vehicle for the solo career of Brody Dalle following the breakup of her previous band, The Distillers, in 2006. The band featured Tony Bevilacqua (also from The Distillers) ...
claimed she would have it tattooed onto her.
Hockey
Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
were the first band to appear in the signing tent on the Saturday.
Friendly Fires
Friendly Fires are an English indie rock band from St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. They are currently signed to XL Recordings. Their self-titled debut album was released on 1 September 2008, and was announced as one of the shortlisted twelv ...
were the first band to appear in the signing tent on the Sunday.
One fan signed the bicep of lead singer Ed Macfarlane.
Noisettes
Noisettes are an English indie rock band from London, currently composed of singer and bassist Shingai Shoniwa and guitarist Dan Smith. The band first achieved commercial success and nationwide recognition with the second single of their se ...
supplied lollipops and were dabbed with face paints by fans.
Paolo Nutini
Paolo Giovanni Nutini (born 9 January 1987) is a Scottish singer, songwriter and musician from Paisley. Nutini's debut album, '' These Streets'' (2006), peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. Its follow-up, '' Sunny Side Up'' (2009), de ...
signed autographs for twenty-five minutes longer than originally intended and shared wine gums with fans.
Backstage
A black and pink "chill-out area" decorated with black leather sofas was filled with fruits and flowers for the headlining bands.
Performers were able to access areas with pool tables, bean bags and a bar.
One member of
The Saturdays
The Saturdays were a British-Irish girl group based in London, England. The group formed during the summer of 2007 and have been on hiatus since 2014. The lineup consists of Frankie Bridge, Una Healy, Rochelle Humes, Mollie King, and Vanessa ...
was nearly struck with a cue ball by an unidentified person playing pool. "She looked at him like he had two heads. There's better things to do than throw a cue ball at a girl. Maybe I'm not good at this but I don't claim to chat up girls by throwing cue balls at them... I throw the black at them!" said
Niall Breslin of
The Blizzards
The Blizzards are an Irish band from Mullingar in County Westmeath. They were formed by Niall Breslin in late 2004, and also feature Dec Murphy (drums), Justin Ryan, Anthony Doran, Louize Carroll (bass) and Aidan Lynch (keyboards). They have ...
who witnessed the incident.
Danny O'Reilly of
The Coronas
The Coronas are an Irish rock band that originated in Dublin. They release their music by their own independent record label, 3ú Records, and are based between Dublin and London. They have released seven studio albums, '' Heroes or Ghosts'' ...
described his band's performance as "so amazing" with "a really great atmosphere
..the best gig we've done in a long time".
Members of
Republic of Loose
Republic of Loose were an Irish funk rock band from Dublin. Formed in 2001, the band formerly consisted of lead vocalist Mick Pyro, bass guitarist and vocalist Benjamin Loose, keyboardist Deco, guitarists and vocalists Dave Pyro and Brez and ...
reported that they were "stalked" repeatedly by
Lily Allen
Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer-songwriter and actress. She is the daughter of actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. Her music career began in 2005 when she made some of her vocal recordings public ...
.
Max Grahn
Max or MAX may refer to:
Animals
* Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog
* Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE)
* Max (gorilla) ...
of
Carolina Liar described meeting Irish fans for the first time, saying: "We got here for the first time in our lives yesterday. They know the songs and they know our names. It's crazy. We hope to be back in August."
Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz (; born June 23, 1977) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his debut studio album, ''Waiting for My Rocket to Come'' (2002), which spawned the single " The Remedy (I Won't ...
said Ireland had "always a very appreciative crowd, always a very vocal crowd, a singing bunch. I love them."
VIP guests
Rugby union player
Brian O'Driscoll
Brian Gerard O'Driscoll (born 21 January 1979) is an Irish former professional rugby union player. He played at outside centre for the Irish provincial team Leinster and for Ireland. He captained Ireland from 2003 until 2012, and captained the ...
and his actress friend
Amy Huberman
Amy Huberman (born 20 March 1979) is an Irish actress and writer, which is known for her role as Daisy in the RTÉ drama series '' The Clinic''. In 2018, she began writing and starring in the comedy series ''Finding Joy''.
Early life
Huberman g ...
were in attendance, camping in a
Winnebago.
Upon trying to view Kings of Leon on a platform he was turned back by security as he did not have the correct wristband.
Annoyed at this rejection, O'Driscoll left the festival early and flew to Dublin's
RDS venue for a
Bruce Springsteen concert, where he had a much more enjoyable time and cried when The Boss complimented him on stage on his sporting prowess.
Pete Doherty,
Kelly Jones
Kelly Jones (born 3 June 1974) is a Welsh singer-songwriter and a founding member, lead singer, and guitarist of the rock band Stereophonics.
Early life and debut
Kelly Jones was born youngest of three boys for Beryl and Arwyn Jones in the s ...
and
Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman (born Natalie Hershlag, he, נטע-לי הרשלג, ) is an Israeli-born American actress. She has had a prolific film career since her teenage years and has starred in various blockbusters and independent films, receiving mu ...
, the latter of whom was seen buying pasta at one point,
also attended the Kings of Leon show at Oxegen 2009.
MTV presenter Laura Whitmore was seen backstage with ''
Dan & Becs'' actress
Holly White as well as actor
Colin Morgan
Colin Morgan (born 1 January 1986) is a Northern Irish actor. He is best known for playing the title character in the BBC fantasy series ''Merlin'' (2008–2012), Leo Elster in ''Humans'' (2015–2018), and Billy Clanton in Kenneth Branagh’s ...
and actress
Katie McGrath
Katie McGrath () is an Irish actress. In television, she gained recognition for portraying Morgana Pendragon in the BBC One series ''Merlin'' (2008–2012), Lucy Westenra on the British-American series ''Dracula'' (2013–2014), Saskia in th ...
, of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
''.
Whitmore was also subject to speculation in the media when she was seen snuggling against
and walking around hand in hand with him.
She moved to deny reports of romance, claiming they were "merely keeping each other company as they shot their respective footage of the festival" and said she had most enjoyed
.
Gardaí arrested 114 people throughout Oxegen 2009, mainly for offences relating to public order, traffic, assault and drugs.
100 of these arrests had been reported by the Sunday evening.
77 of the arrests occurred between the Thursday afternoon and the Saturday.
12 of the arrests had been made by the Friday.
There were less arrests at Oxegen 2009 than at Oxegen 2008 when 140 arrests were made.
In one serious incident, a man in his twenties was left in a stable condition after being stabbed with a glass bottle in a car park close to midnight on the Friday.
.
One man was arrested in relation to the incident but was not charged and later released.
'' on the Sunday morning.
Approximately 1,000 personnel and Scout volunteers were clearing the site of stage equipment, litter and abandoned tents by Monday afternoon.
'' reported that Punchestown Racecourse resembled "a scene from the World War I battle trenches" after being battered by heavy rain,
'' suggested that the Ploughing Championships had arrived in Dublin the day after the festival so noticeable were the "wellie-wearing punters
stepped off buses, full of cheer, bearing muddy rain jackets and laden with picnic and camping equipment".
Buses deposited fans on Dublin's quays "where muddy wellies and bits of tents lay abandoned on the paths".
Several international acts announced future Irish dates during and in the immediate aftermath of Oxegen 2009.
on 26 August 2009.
and in Belfast as part of their 30th Anniversary Tour on 15 and 16 November respectively.
in Dublin for 18 August 2009.
due to increased demand.
amongst the presenting team.
The highlights will be shown in late July–early August on MTV, MTV HITS, MTV TWO and VH1 channels across one weekend.
broadcast a total of 21 hours of live coverage throughout Oxegen 2009.
presented a special Oxegen IMRO Tasters Show in the week before the festival.
''.
and Mr. Spring conducted acoustic sessions and interviews. RTÉ 2fm also recorded all the acts from the IMRO New Sounds Stage.
aired a three-hour Oxegen 2009 special programme at 15:00 on 19 July 2009.
Oxegen 2009 had at least seven stages. There was at least one new stage, the
Music Academy. The Green Room was renamed Heineken Green Spheres.
*The Main Stage was headlined by
.
.
.
.
Line-up and stage breakdown.
*The Stone Roses Experience have also confirmed that they appeared on the Thursday night.