Electric Picnic is now just under a week away, Stradbally Estate is calling and thousands upon thousands will answer the call and make the annual pilgrimage to Electric Picnic for their 2010 instalment which like every other festival in Ireland this year is yet to sell out as the recession keeps wallets firmly in pockets.
However we believe it’s not far off selling out, so if you want to go, start picking up tickets if you don’t want to be disappointed, the lineup for this year is pretty good, every festival has its detractors, every year the hardcore festival-going fans always say they feel the lineup could be better but when it all comes together and the festival kicks off, the posthumous reviews show that everyone has a corker, that certain bands played out of their skins, it’s the same old rigmarole, don’t let others tell you the lineup isn’t great, it’s all subjective and so many people right now are scanning through the lineup with agonising decisions on who to leave out if certain bands clash.
So here are a few acts from each day that we have picked out as our recommendations for Electric Picnic 2010, they are all music-related but there are also many non-music events going on throughout the weekend at EP, so do check some of them out.
Okay, here we go
Friday
Roxy Music
Bryan Ferry’s 70s/80s art rockers, Roxy Music have been around since before I was even alive. One of the first glam rock style of bands. These guys will have everyone dancing on the Friday night to hits like ‘Let’s Stick Together‘ and ‘Jealous Guy‘.
It’s their first ever Irish festival appearance as far as I know, so every reason to pop by and let them control your limbs with their pop hooks and rock pulls.
Jonsi
With Sigur Rós taking a break lead singer Jónsi took the chance to come out on his own with some spectacular solo material. His solo album ‘GO‘ is largely acoustic with string arrangements and obviously presents his amazing voice, from what we have learned from his label, there is a beautifully crafted stage show to go along with the music that alone is worth seeing.
If you’re a fan of Sigur Rós you will love this and if you have not heard of either (as unlikely as it seems) we still think you’ll enjoy this show.
Foals
Mercury Award winning Foals, played in Dublin earlier this year and literally blew our reviewer away, no seriously, we haven’t seen him since. They are mesmerizing crowds all over Europe and the U.S. and I have no doubts that they will do it again at Electric Picnic.
You seriously need to see these guys, expect it to be packed, expect the atmosphere to be electric, expect to leave satisfied.
Laura Marling
Folky singer songwriter Laura Marling is literally amazing, she is two for two with nominations for Mercury Awards for two album releases with ‘Alas I cannot swim‘ nominated in 2008 and ‘I speak because I can’ has been nominated for the 2010 award which is yet to be decided.
Laura was one of the first acts that came through as Folk-style music kicked in as one of the most popular genres over the last two years none more true than in the case of Mumford and Sons. You can’t go far wrong with dropping by for this show.
You could also drop by and see :
Janelle Monae, Thread Pulls, Jerry Fish and the Mud bug Club
Saturday
The Frames
20 years…….. Seriously has it been that long, i remember listening to Fiztcarraldo in 1998 as a teenager, obviously at that point it was out two years but it drew me into the band and eventually led to a few local gigs before seeing them play at Witnness 2002. One of the definitive Irish bands of our time, they defined a genre for Ireland and will always have a place on my iPod regardless of how big the collection gets. Revelation still gets me singing along passionately regardless of where I am.
With the success of the Swell Season, it’s hard to tell how many more chances you will get to see The Frames live as a band, don’t miss out on this chance on a special occasion for the band.
And So i Watch You From Afar
Belfast post-rock four-piece And So I Watch You From Afar (ASIWYFA) have been causing a stir lately, picking up a following both online and at gigs with headline gigs having La Faro and Wounds supporting them, reversing roles to support Them Crooked Vultures early in the summer.
Another top Irish act, definitely worth taking a peek.
Villagers
What can be said about Conor O’Brien and his cohorts that make up Villagers that hasn’t already been said? If you haven’t heard of Villagers you’ve been under a rock, they have had print and online writers falling over themselves to gush about the Dublin band, shortlisted for a Mercury Award for Becoming a Jackal this will be a cracking gig and we highly recommend dropping by.
Robyn
Sweden’s biggest export and a personal guilty pleasure for some Swedish dance pop, I reckon this gig could be a lot of fun, it might just be me though.
You could also drop by and see :
Imelda May, Japanese Pop stars, Bloody beetroot
Sunday
Massive Attack
It’s four years on since the 2006 appearance of Massive Attack at Stradbally but the Trip-hop legends are returning off the back of the massively successful release of Heligoland.
Can’t see this being filled with anything other than buckets full of win so make sure you’re here for this epic show.
Mumford and Sons
Completing a rare double are Mumford and Sons, one of the few international acts to play both Oxegen and Electric Picnic
I saw the Oxegen set this year and literally WOW, the atmosphere in the tent was unbelievable, the crowd were word for word, motion for motion hanging on every move the band made, it was unbelievable, I literally had goosebumps at the gig. If you miss this you are either clinically insane or just plain silly. This will be one of the sets people are talking about after Electric Picnic for months after.
Two Door Cinema Club
Another Irish band with massively rising stock. Played to death through advertising containing the use of Undercover Martin and Something Good can Work but again are very, very good live, the rest of the album is excellent and are well worth watching alongside being Irish. Patriotism people.
Fight like Apes
We couldn’t avoid putting these guys down on the list, the new album The Body Of Christ And The Legs Of Tina Turner is a quality second album, having seen them play some of the new songs at Tower Records recently I can say that the songs I thought would not be as strong live, I was completely wrong about. Once again Fight Like Apes will effortlessly fill a tent or venue as they are brilliant live performers.
The new album is on sale from today and is worth every penny. It was on Itunes for €5 this week and available in HMV for €8 so it’s nice and cheap which is a bonus. If you’re heading down to Stradbally then don’t miss them, it’s going to be an excellent gig.
You could also drop by and see :
Friendly Fires, UNKLE, The Big Pink