As everyone and their dog knows, this year’s Electric Picnic festival is kicking off this Friday in Co.Laois. In the interest of getting the best bang for your buck, Team GoldenPlec have put together a list of recommendations for the weekend. You know the big one’s (The Cure, The Killers et al), but what about the hidden gems you miss every darn year? It’s always annoying when ‘that friend’ says “Oh my god, did you see *insert any band below* on the *insert stage* last night?”, to which you inevitably respond “no”. Well, we have put together this EP cheat sheet for you lovely people, so have a wee look, head along and we’ll see you there!
The Jezabels
Recommended by David Dooley
Playing: Friday
After an under the radar slot at last year’s Electric Picnic The Jezabels are set for Stradbally round two. So what’s changed for the Australian quartet since they last graced Laois’ grassy fields? Well for one there’s the considerable radio airtime that tour de force single ‘Endless Summer’ has been getting, and I don’t mean on alternative radio, the song jumped right into top 40 radio territory. Oh and there’s also the small fact that they sold out their first Irish headline show back in May at the Button Factory. For anyone not lucky enough to have been there the band killed it. Yes frontwoman Hayley Mary was working some questionable stage moves that were bordering on boyband territory but who are we to question her with a voice like that.
Despite only having three EPs and one album to their name they’ve grown significantly with each of release and are only beginning to hint at their full potential. Anyone who owns their debut LP ‘Prisoner’ can be guaranteed some festival worthy, widescreen singalongs to the like of ‘Endless Summer’ and ‘Long Highway’ (and just about every other track on the album); and as for everyone else, they can see just what all the fuss is about.
Croupier
Recommended by Greg Synnott
Playing: Saturday
With a new self titled album just out on the ElevenEleven label, Croupier are making a fresh jump into the roaring Irish guitar scene with a sound that’s punchy without being overbearing.
From first listening to their debut single ‘Creo Beast’ you get the feeling this is the kind of band that deserve to be heard live, given the opportunity to unleash their energy on a stage feeding off their audience. ‘Croupier’ is a record that involves a lot of experimentation, not only from a band that are very much masters of their instruments but from five guys testing out their strengths vocally and delivering a sound that just works.
For anyone who considers themselves a fan of the bands on the Richter Collective will surely fall head over heels for Croupier’s sound and wouldn’t think them out-of-place standing in line with the likes of Enemies, And So I Watch You From Afar or Jogging. Do yourself a favour and catch Croupier over at Electric Picnic, you don’t want to discover them afterwards and just realise what you’ve missed out on.
The Barley Mob
Recommended by Ros Madigan
Playing: Saturday & Sunday
The Barley Mob have really had a 2012 to remember. Coming from the cold and lonely musical doldrums to no doubt becoming Ireland’s most well-travelled band. They have had one hell of a summer touring right across Ireland and even further afield than our quaint and green shores. The Electric Picnic bookers usually like to reward Ireland’s most talented bands at what is the summers last big festival. So no mystery as to why they have granted The Barley Mob two slots in this years festival.
Stand Up Rise Up Big Up and You’ll Never Be Lost (When You’ve Got Music) will be the perfect remedy for any weekend woes as the lads take you on a feel good set, full of sing along choruses and genuinely heartfelt lyrics.
Catch them on The Salty Dog Stage at 17.55 on Saturday and at 19.00 in the Trenchtown Village on Sunday. If it’s feel good Irish music you’re after, then make The Barley Mob top of your priority list for the forthcoming weekend. If their whirlwind sets of joy at Vantastival, Strawberry Fest and Body & Soul are anything to go by, then The Barley Mob won’t be too long in becoming your new favourite Irish band. Please Note: The Barley Mob may contain Irish infused Reggae gold, please approach with dancing shoes and/or wellies.
Land Lovers
Recommended by Justin McDaid
Playing: Sunday
As one of the founding members of Dublin’s Popical Island collective along with musical cohorts Groom and Yea Deadlies, Land Lovers are a band that you may as well go ahead and call an institution at this stage. Main man Pádraig Cooney released his first album ‘Romance Romance’ under the name in 2008, later recruiting a full line-up to do the songs justice live. As well as appearances on the Popical Island compilations, the band has lent its services as support act to among others, The Wave Pictures and all round hero Steve Malkmus.
No strangers to the jaded festival crowd, a fantastic early-afternoon set at this year’s Body & Soul saw the band deploy their peerless song-writing chops and lush vocal harmonies to smile-inducing effect. With second album ‘Confidants’ released in September of last year, expect to hear songs from both records. Expect to be swept along in a wave of infectious indie excellence. Expect to enjoy the arse off it. They’re a band apart.
Wild Beasts
Recommended by Alice Goodwin
Playing: Saturday
Hailing from Kendal, England, Wild Beasts roll into Electric Picnic still flying high off the success of their latest release ‘Smother’. As it’s their third studio album, they can safely boast a mature, developed and unique sound which is sure to impress at this year’s festival. Consistently providing some of the most atmospheric, smoky, and just downright sexy gigs to grace the live music scene in a very long time, this band have more than proven their worth. Combining their love of rolling rhythms, electronic ideas and contrasting textures, they’ve managed to create an immersive musical experience for those looking for something a little bit more complex, natural, and even sensual; a definite must-see.
Trinity Orchestra
Recommended by Anna Job
Playing: Saturday
After taking 2011’s festival circuit by surprise with their orchestral arrangement of Daft Punk’s ‘Discovery’ album, The Trinity Orchestra have gone from strength to strength in 2012. They are an entirely student run body and anyone involved works on a voluntary basis. This however, does not mean that they operate in half measures. Their latest offering is a highly crafted performance of Pink Floyd’s classic 8th studio release ‘Dark Side of the Moon’, arranged by Senior Sophister music student James O’Leary.
Their set at Forbidden Fruit and sold out gig in Christ Church for 10 Days in Dublin received rave reviews, successfully upping the hype for their last performance of the summer. The 100 piece orchestra, which includes a house band and vocalists will squeeze onto the Main Stage on the Saturday at 12.30pm. Set your alarm for Saturday morning, brave the campsite and check out what is set to be a spell binding performance. If you’re still not convinced, here’s a taster of what to expect.
Grandaddy
Recommended by Alex Millar
Playing: TBA
In 2006 Grandaddy broke up because they weren’t earning enough money from their music, and the world wept. Well, anyone who had heard of them, or chanced across ‘A.M. 180’ in 28 Days Later, wept. That year, the world lost a band that performed bittersweet indie rock laced with synths and lyrics that lamented the rise of technology…and robots…
Bridging the musical and lyrical gap between Weezer and Radiohead, Grandaddy surfed a quiet wave for just over ten years, and this weekend, the Californian space rock quintet will tread the boards of EP for the first, and possibly last, time. Calling their show unmissable is an understatement…
The reunion of Grandaddy will be a fleeting one. Speaking to one journalist in the US, front man Jason Lytle admitted that it’s all about the money, needing to “resurface his indoor tennis court” and change the oil of his 4×4 Ferrari. But that’s pretty much what the whole reunion thing is about, and this one doesn’t seem to be a begrudging one. Lytle and the band are “pretty stoked” about playing a few more shows and that seems to be a pretty good atmosphere to catch some catchy, fuzzy, slacker rock.
Metronomy
Recommended by Séan Noone
Playing: TBA
Metronomy are a strange prospect. After a distinctly average album, in 2008’s ‘Nights Out’, there was little expected of them but to fade quietly into the ether. Sure there would have been a hipster or two complaining that they were too good to be appreciated by the mainstream, but isn’t that the case with so many bands? What Metronomy did instead was go back to the studio and work away on a new album. The result of the work, ‘The English Riviera’, was, very sneakily, one of the best albums of 2011. The album is full of quality tracks – and one or two that will make you think ‘oh yeah, I know this song’ – all done in a distinctively laid back style. That style might count against them if they’re given a main stage slot. If they get a favourable inside slot though, this could be the ‘I was there’ moment that Electric Picnic seems to produce every year.
A Plastic Rose
Recommended by Niall Swan
Playing: Saturday
Belfast-based band A Plastic Rose open the Crawdaddy Stage at Electric Picnic on Saturday after an incredibly busy year which has included two UK tours and a support slot for Snow Patrol on both the Belfast and London legs of their Fallen Empires Tour. The reason for their incessant gigging is to promote their sound ahead of the release of their debut album ‘Camera. Shutter. Life’ on October 22nd.
Having spent the year on tour, A Plastic Rose have gained a reputation for their epic, energetic live shows. Combining the emotive vocals of lead singer Gerry Norman with sharp guitar riffs, it’s not difficult to see why they have been compared to Glasgow rockers Biffy Clyro amongst others. Latest single ‘A Boy Racer’ received plenty of airtime on BBC Radio 1 whilst debut single ‘Build From The Ground Up’ was described as “a surefire recipe for unassailable success”.
So if you’re looking for a decent wake-up call this Saturday morning, you need not go any further than the Crawdaddy Stage. It’ll knock your hangover clean off its feet.