“Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble”…

As one of apparently only 7% of the UK population with veins anointed with O Rh-ve, midges and mosquitos tend to regard this blood with envious eyes – singled out like caviar or Dom Pérignon, from the dull palatable herd.

Whether or not Sarah’s Green Witch concoctive brew of yesterday had warded off these bloodthirsty flying miscreants or not, we took no chances and liberally doused ourselves again with; 11 drops Lavender Oil, 10 drops Lemon Oil, 10 drops Lemongrass Oil, 3 drops Tea Tree Oil, Topped up to 15ml with Rose Water for spraying or mixed in with small tub of cream for lotion – we came home with no bites whatsoever, so patent pending!

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…