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Un-Laoised - The top acts to see at Electric Picnic

Updated / Friday, 16 Aug 2024 07:35
Clockwise from top left: The Scratch, Kylie Minogue, The Wolfe Tones, Jazzy, Kneecap and Raye
Clockwise from top left: The Scratch, Kylie Minogue, The Wolfe Tones, Jazzy, Kneecap and Raye

It's Electric Picnic time again. We rounded up the top acts to see at Stradbally in Co Laois this weekend . . .

Kylie

Making her first Irish festival appearance since her memorable turn at Féile 95 in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, the queen of pop pops up in a field in Laois this weekend. And what a back catalogue she can choose from for her Sunday night headliner. The former soap star began her music career back in the Mesozoic Age with a charming version of Little Eva's Locomotion but really landed with the sugar rush of I Should Be So Lucky. What followed was one of the best run of pop hits of the nineties, from Better The Devil You Know (her best song), her Philly Sound homage Step Back in Time, and indie Kylie highs like Some Kind of Bliss, Confide in Me, and disco diva return, Spinning Around. Live, the 56-year-old always delivers and her recent shows feature triumphant new versions of her best-known songs mixed in with a smattering of newer tracks, such as Orville Peck collaboration Midnight Ride, and Hold On To Now from her 2023 album, Tension. Just when you think she’s a spent force, she always bounces back - only last year Kylie zapped the zeitgeist once again with mega hit Padam Padam. You will feel the love in Stradbally this Sunday night. Alan Corr

Jazzy

Dublin singer Jazzy has had a BIG year. In May 2023, the 27-year-old Crumlin native, real name Yasmine Byrne, became the first Irish female to reach number one in the Official Irish Singles Chart in 14 years with her belter Giving Me. Since then, she was nominated for a Brit Award (for best international song alongside the likes of Billie Eilish, Noah Kahan and Olivia Rodrigo) and an Ivor Novello award, and took home two Choice Music Prize gongs.

The singer and DJ performed to a packed tent at the Electric Arena at EP last year - with the crowd deliriously singing back every word of Giving Me. We're sure the vibes will be off the charts for her EP performance. Sarah McIntyre

Kneecap

It started seven years ago with a run of singles that mixed satire with agitpop, then a killer album and last week the release of their universally acclaimed movie. Now, men of the moment Kneecap step up for their biggest homeland gig yet. Móglaí Bap, Mo Chara, and DJ Próvaí have created their own mouthy brand of Irish punk rap, flowing in both Irish and English, and succeeded in infuriating all the right people on both sides of sectarian divide. Children of the Good Friday Agreement, they are equal opportunities offenders who know the value of image as well as well as having something to say with raw bilingual smarts. There hasn't been an Irish act this talented and this single-minded in years. Savour the moment. AC

Newdad

What a year - and still a bit of it left - for Galway's Newdad. They welcomed their acclaimed debut album, Madra, to the world, were part of the Glastonbury line-up, and now help to bring the curtain down on an Irish summer - playing at the Picnic and then living the dream with Pixies over in Galway on 27 August. For those of, ahem, a certain age who remember when MTV played videos all the time, and when it seemed like there was a great new band to see/hear every week, Newdad's music will be like family. They keep the late 80s/early 90s flame alive but don't sound like they're shackled to nostalgia. In keeping with their moniker, it feels like the best is yet to come. Find your way to the front to celebrate these local heroes and leave a bit younger than when you arrived. Harry Guerin

Festival fever - the good, the bad and the muddy

The Scratch

There’s nothing quite like seeing Dublin-based four-piece The Scratch perform live. If it’s foot-stomping, high-octane energy you’re looking for, you’ve come to the right place. Their music, a heady mix of heavy metal and Irish trad, is made for a live setting. The band, made up of Jordan "Jordo" O'Leary (guitar/lead vocals), Daniel "Lango" Lang (cajón, percussion, lead vocals), Conor "Dock" Dockery (guitar, backing vocals) and Cathal McKenna (bass/backing vocals), bring impeccable musicianship, a frenetic stage presence and rascally spirit to every gig, and we’re sure EP will be no exception. They’re coming off a massive summer tour, with performances at Beyond the Pale, Glastonbury and Finsbury Park in London with The Wolfe Tones, and their legions of loyal fans are sure to be out in force at Electric Picnic. SM

Everything you need to know about Electric Picnic 2024

Jessie Murph

"Who knows what tomorrow brings?" sang Jennifer Warnes on Up Where We Belong. Wisdom for the ages - but it looks a safe bet that you'll be bragging about seeing Jessie Murph at EP in the months ahead and beyond. The Tennessee-born, Alabama-raised teenager - she turns 20 next month - made her Irish debut at the Academy in Dublin back in February and now arrives in Stradbally to showcase her mix of pop, country, and hip-hop. Maybe you've heard her, maybe you haven't - but arguably the real magic at festivals is turning up to see the acts who aren't the biggest names on the bill. Murph looks right at home on the big stages already and her list of collaborators - deep breath: Diplo, Polo G, Maren Morris, Teddy Swims, and Jelly Roll - speaks to her clout as a performer and whisper it, a future EP headliner. Up where she belongs indeed. HG

The Wolfe Tones

After smashing last year's attendance record at the Electric Arena, with tens of thousands of revellers flocking to see the Irish music legends, The Wolfe Tones are gearing up to make their triumphant return to Stradbally with "something very special". Back with a well-earned Main Stage slot, the Irish folk and rebel group made up of current members - Tommy Byrne, Noel Nagle and Brian Warfield - vow to bring even more craic agus ceol to this year’s festival. With a few more months to go before the gang officially hang up their mics, we’ve a feeling fans will be shouting 'one more tune’ louder than ever when their EP set draws to a bittersweet close. Laura Delaney

Calvin Harris

EP, this is what we came for! Legendary Scottish DJ, Calvin Harris, has defined modern electronic music with over a billion combined audio and video streams in his career to date. Well-known on the festival circuit for his electrifying synths and infectious dance anthems, EP goers can get ready to hear the powerhouse DJ and producer belting out his chart-topping hits (Feel So Close, Acceptable in the 80s, and The Girls) along with an arsenal of exhilarating dance music. With over 35 billion combined audio and video streams - making him one of the most viewed artists on YouTube and one of Sony Music's biggest streaming artists – there's no doubt Harris will continue to hit the right notes at Stradbally. LD

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