Reverence, (noun), a feeling or attitude of profound respect, usually reserved for the sacred or divine; devoted veneration… so says the Collins English Dictionary – if ever an event lived up to it’s billing, this is it.

Last year, by the time the inaugural Reverence Valada was announced, I had already committed my meagre gig-chest to attending Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia – I had felt inexorably compelled to see Goat, on what may have proved to be the last time they would grace the stage of a relatively small, indoor venue, certainly one within reasonable striking distance of Ireland.

I must confess though that as soon as the reports from Portugal started coming in, along with the vibrant photographs, bathed in that peculiar golden glow from the sky, I did wonder if I had made the right decision…