It's a special Knockanstockan this year, the 10th edition no less and the KS crew have pulled out all the stops for the lineup this year. It's a basic who's who of brilliant upcoming and somewhat established Irish music but there are few surprises in store at the festival. Have a look through the recently-published stage times and you'll notice some special guests slots on the timetable. To prevent WikiLeaks from gaining access, the actual identities are under lock and key at Knockanstockan headquarters in a timed vault with laser sensors and a Conor McGregor denied of his suits.
The collective think tank at GoldenPlec have been mulling over the potential identities with the brainpower of fervent mice trying to get the cheese at the end of the maze. Yes, that much thought has been used. The below are who we think could be the special guests, but let us know who you reckon they'll be?
Boris Johnson
If Knockanstockan were going to bring some big name in, we thought who has a bigger profile than Donald Trump? Then we mulled over it for a while and realised that Trump's (allegedly) tiny hands wouldn't fit around a guitar fret, so that would never happen. That led us to a more realistic option. Boris Johnson has a lot of free time on his hands now and, as you can see from this shot, he's in mid stride of I Want To Break Free. An apt tune if ever for Boris. Also, as seen during his time as London Mayor, he's an extrovert who's not averse to showing off to the media. If indeed he's headlining The Burrow, expect the place to be thronged.
Robbie Brady
Robbie Brady, the man can do no wrong, can he? Although Shane Long is widely known as the troubadour of the Irish squad, as you can see here, Robbie Brady (here in his younger days) is no less a dab hand at the guitar shredding. He's just as adept at busting out a blistering solo as he is dispatching a pressure penalty. Like most aspiring musicians who plan festivals and gigs around work, Brady is on holidays and has more than enough time to spare to hit the lakes of Blessington. It would be an emotionally drenched and intense set if it does become reality.
Gary Coleman
Yeah, we know Gary Coleman died back in 2010 but this isn't an impediment to a festival. Think Tupac at Coachella and you know this is a "thing". It would be new ground for an Irish festival and what better festival to do it than Knockanstockan with a landmark hologram show on the shores of Blessington? Gary Coleman was more badass than some west coast rappers and had the rap sheet to prove it. As the above photo shows he wasn't averse to dropping a few bars about his experiences. It would be a fitting spectacle to a landmark edition of Knockanstockan.
Stone Cold Steve Austin
The enigma that is Stone Cold Steve Austin was high on the GoldenPlec list of potential special guests. The general reason for this placement would be the chance to see the lesser known side to Stone Cold Steve Austin. If you don't know what that is, it's the sensitive singer songwriter in him. There is rumours that he could also make a tag team appearance with a Cavan act. Could it be Áine Cahill or Lisa O'Neill? It's a tantalizing and unique prospect and one we in GoldenPlec would relish seeing.
A Chicken
Okay, we freely admit to running full of ideas by this point.