The countdown has truly begun for this year's Electric Picnic. We chose ten acts you really should see this year in Stadbally, Co Laois
Billie Eilish
When Billie last played EP in 2019, she was a relatively unknown quantity for most people in Ireland but not to the discerning Stradbally massive; she drew the largest ever main-stage crowd at the event, performing to more than 50,000 people.
The now 21-year-old from has continued to rack up the records, she's the youngest artist to record a Bond theme, the youngest to headline the Coachella Festival in California and the youngest to headline Glastonbury.
Tapping into a doomily romantic LA vibe (why are we reminded of Depeche Mode headlining the Pasadena Rose Bowl on a sunny day back in 1988?), Billie’s fatalistic goth pop may make her the anti-Taylor Swift. She last graced our shores in June 2022 for two nights at the 3Arena and as her performance at Glasto last year revealed, she has got her festival game down. She’s a smart pop star who can hold the whole crowd in her hand and wrap them around her little finger at the same time. You’ll be happier than ever this Friday night. Alan Corr
Confidence Man
Pop fans won't want to miss this four-piece electro-pop group from Australia, who have written some incredibly memorable earworms, like Holiday, Boyfriend (Repeat) and Don’t You Know I’m In A Band.
Siblings and singers Sugar Bones and Janet Planet (not that Janet Planet, silly!) create a memorable stage show, combining their pop bangers with flamboyant synchronized dance routines, kooky costumes, props and bucketloads of unbridled energy.
Meanwhile, their two bandmates lurk in the background, masked behind thick black veils to keep their identities hidden.
Overall, while their catalogue isn’t extensive, a Confidence Man gig is a dose of positivity, a unique and uplifting experience and one that’s sure to make you smile and bop. Audrey Donohue
Amyl and The Sniffers
If you want raucous... you got it! Possessed of the same devil-may-care DNA as their compatriots and inspirations AC/DC, Melbourne's Amyl and The Sniffers are Picnic first-timers - watch any of their live stuff on YouTube and along with the joyous punk abandon you'll see a steely-eyed determination to make every stage and crowd their own.
This is the set to catch if you want to work off all the festival grub (or, indeed, a feed of drink) and remind yourself that you're not as old as you think. Whoever follows whirlwind singer Amy Taylor and co will have their work cut out, so raise a fist/glass/inflatable banana to one of the performances of the weekend. Harry Guerin
Johnny Marr
Guitar godhead long-established, Johnny Marr shows often take on a spiritual quality for keepers of The Smiths flame. Live, he blazes forth with a pick 'n' mix from a catalogue of his three very solid solo albums and classics from his eh, old band.
Recent setlists from the hard-gigging hero have included Panic, This Charming Man, Getting Away With It by Electronic and even I Feel You by Depeche Mode.
And who knows? Maybe Johnny Guitar will swing by his ancestral home of Athy on the way to Stradbally to check up on his cousins and admire the plaque that was unveiled for him there back in 2018. AC
The Killers
The Killers are the absolute perfect way to end EP 2024.
Having seen them play live a number of times, I can promise you, whether or not you are a fan, you will be leaving the Picnic on a high after you bop along to hit after hit.
Tunes like Mr. Brightside, When We Were Young, Somebody Told Me... all those lyrics are lodged in there somewhere and no doubt, when performed live as the closing headline act of the festival, the Stradbally crowds will be in high voice.
It's bound to be a full on show of lights, colour and anthems, so make sure you reserve some energy for this special band.
They've previously performed This Charming Man live with Johnny Marr, so perhaps the aforementioned 'guitar Godhead' might make a special appearance.
Check out this performance at Reading Festival 2023 for a taste of what you can expect from the Las Vegas boys. Suzanne Keane
Rick Astley
The unassuming Astley came to prominence in the 1980s under the guidance of pop juggernauts Stock, Aitken and Waterman when he went from tea boy to Top of the Pops thanks to his massive worldwide hit Never Gonna Give You Up.
More hits followed, but he turned his back on his career in the 1990s to spend more time with his family.
Rick returned to music in 2000 and over the last two decades has enjoyed success on the nostalgia circuit, while also creating waves in the mainstream with various activities - including his recent (and much lauded) Glastonbury appearance. John Byrne
The Murder Capital
Perhaps the most intense act you'll see this weekend, The Murder Capital live can be a visceral affair. Charismatic frontman James McGovern leaves everything on the stage and the band's potent mix of churning guitar and existentialism creates its own spectacle.
Their second album, the No 1 hit Gigi’s Recovery (the follow-up to incendiary debut When I Have Fears) crackles with a seductive energy, adding electronic touches and delivering buoyant pop songs like Only Good Things, heroic poetry on The Stars Will Leave Their Stage and lovelorn tenderness on A Thousand Lives.
Relentless gigging has honed them into a ferocious live act and along with their friends Fontaines D.C. they’ve ushered in a new seriousness and passion to Irish rock. Expect catharsis and great, great tunes. AC
MUNA
With the right weather and, more importantly, company, few things are as blissful in modern music as Los Angeles' MUNA, and the trio of Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin, and Naomi McPherson are making their Electric Picnic debut - a gig as special for them as those watching.
They're touring on the back of their 2022 self-titled third album, a record that showcases their talent for switching from West Coast dreaminess to electro-pop, with Stradbally the final night of their European dates. Stage set so for quite the send-off; you may well be their Number One Fan by the end of it. HG
Maverick Sabre
One of the finest soul voices of his generation, London-born, Wexford-bred Mav started out in rap before hitting the mainstream in 2011 with the single Let Me Go and subsequent debut album, Lonely Are The Brave.
Further albums, Innerstanding (2015), When I Wake Up (2019) and last year's Don't Forget to Look Up displayed a gradual maturity and dexterity in the singer's vocal style and Maverick Sabre gigs are never less than stunning.
He recently re-recorded and re-released his debut album, retitling it Lonely Are the Brave (Mav's Version). It's the perfect introduction to an outrageous talent. JB
Wet Leg
It's just over two years since the Isle of Wight duo of Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers released their debut single Chaise Lounge but they've quickly risen to become main stage players at festivals worldwide.
Paramore's Hayley Williams, Iggy Pop and Florence Welch were among their early fans and it's easy to see why. Wet Leg’s kooky, occasionally punky, poppy tunes and wry lyrics make them queens of weird pop. They formed at the top of a Ferris wheel in 2019 and somehow that makes perfect sense. AC
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