The atmosphere around Merrion Square was chilled out, relaxed, and fun. And why not, the weather was amazing, and so was the music. If you’ve never been to the Soul Picnic before then the experience is hard to understand, it is simply a pure good time, and possibly the best celebration of peace and love since Woodstock.

The show began at twelve, and by then a good sized crowd had already gathered in front of the stage area. There were individuals, couples, whole families, old and young all sitting on the grass and enjoying the sun.  Then the music kicked off.

Among the first bands on were Supertonic Sound Club, who provided the perfect cool, jazzy rhythm perfect for the chilled out audience.  At this stage most of the gathered audience were taking it easy, sitting on the grass and letting the pure soul energy of the music wash over them. The only exceptions were the young children, weaving playfully through the crowd.

The tempo was kicked up a notch when soul legend Buck Taylor made his way on stage.  With his huge, impossibly deep and gravelly voice, Buck launched into versions of James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s World” and “I Feel Good”.  This really got the crowd excited, and not for the first time people got up and started dancing.  Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, but now living in Ballina, Co. Mayo, Buck also treated the crowd to songs by Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder.

While Buck may have been a tough act to follow, the next performer was more than up to the task. Miranda Rosenburg has been described as one of the greatest, most powerful voices of our time and is well known for her action-packed live performances. Her surprise show at the Soul Picnic more than lived up to this reputation. Miranda brought the audience to life, and even went so far as going down and dancing her way through the mostly seated crowd. She danced with people, posed for photos, and even got down on bended knee and sang into one male audience member’s ear. Miranda was clearly having fun. Her excitement was obvious at the moment she invited Buck back on stage to duet with her, as she confessed she was a massive fan of his, but had never had the opportunity to meet him before. The resulting duet was simply mesmerising.

Miranda was joined onstage by The Rare Groove Funk Orchestra, who matched Miranda’s incredibly positive attitude with some incredible musical talent. By the time Miranda and The Rare Groove Funk Orchestra had finished their set, something magical had happened at the soul picnic. And there was still more to come.

Next on stage were the Irish Reggae band the Barley Mob, previous winners of the Rising Stars competition. The Barley Mob have a stage presence like no other band I’ve ever seen, and by the end of their set they had a significant crowd dancing right in front of the stage, not to mention everyone else tapping their feet and clapping their hands. With original songs like “We Go the Distance”, “Free Your Mind and Shine” and “Stand Up, Rise Up” the Barley Mob preach a message of undeniable positivity. Their sheer enjoyment of the type of music they play is infectious, and the many people who sang along and danced to the beat were definitely influenced by this overwhelming positivity. One real highlight was a cover of Bob Marley’s “Waiting in Vain” which transformed into a reggae version of John Lennon’s “Imagine”. The audience loved it.

The Barley Mob’s attitude can probably be summed up by the title of one of the final songs they played “Never Be Lost (When You’ve Got Music)”. From the way people at the soul picnic reacted, I’m pretty sure they agreed.

The final band on stage were the brilliant blues rockers The Riptide Movement. They played an all original set, with some super catchy rock songs like “Keep On Keeping On” , “Hot Tramp” (both available for free on the band’s website) and “Shake, Shake”.  The Riptide Movement are the type of rock band that you can dance to, like the Killers or Bon Jovi (who they are supporting this summer) and they closed the 2011 Soul Picnic in a frenzy of excitement.

The Soul Picnic really is an event unlike any other. It has the impact and enjoyability of a big music festival, but it is also a proper family event. You can go along to relax, have fun and hear some great tunes. It really is a celebration of peace and love, and especially a love of music. Without a doubt I’ll be going back next year.

by Bernard O’Rourke