It’s festival season again and that means we’ll have previews of the festivals for those of you heading down picking out our must see acts for each day of the festival.
This time it’s one of the first festivals of the season and one of the new ones too AND it’s held right here in Dublin on the grounds of the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham.
It takes place on June 4th and 5th this coming weekend and tickets cost €90 for the weekend and €49.50 for the days tickets.
Ok so lets get onto the main job here. Recommending some acts for you to check out. Let’s start with Saturday and we’ll finish with Sunday. We will make four recommendations for each day which you should check out whilst your there.
Saturday 4th June
The Flaming Lips
Ah the Flaming Lips, what a showpiece were in for. Literally famed for their stage shows which merge visual oddities alongside theirpsychedelic rock tunes proving the audio pleasure. This is a must see, I apologise to whatever other bands are headlining their stage at this time but everyone will be walking down the quays of Dublin talking about what went on at this show. They always do something fun or crazy and their music is awesome too.
Main Stage at 9:15pm
Bombay Bicycle Club
Caught these live at Electric Picnic last year and I walked into the tent having not thought much of them and walked out an absolute convert. Bombay Bicycle are immensely powerful live. Whipping the crowd up into a frenzy and providing one of those live energies you can’t help but feed off. Tired feet and limbs will dissipate and you WILL dance. They apparently are due for a new album in September so you may be among the few to catch some new material first!
Main Stage at 2:15pm
Ham Sandwich
I have long been a fan of Ham Sandwich, they produce such lovely music to listen to, I was a huge fan of Carry The Meek when it came out in 2007 and the most recent release of White Fox in 2010 cemented them as one of my favourite Irish acts. Again I seem to be selecting here based on prior experience of a band live and if Ham Sandwich can translate the Whelans show all guns blazing into a festival showcase whilst highlighting Podge’s fashion decisions they will be onto a winner.
Lighthouse Stage at 8:15pm
Bipolar Empire
These catchypop rock n rollers have only recently managed to garner some of the acclaim they have been long overdue. They released their debut album after two years working and sitting on it since visiting Los Angeles in 2009 to record it and it found it’s way to release on April 29th 2011 and the lead track ‘Tempomatic’ was used by 2FM in the “Come Together” ad campaign.
The album entitled ‘Feel That You Own It’ and the single of the same name (with video featuring Katie Taylor) has been getting them some radio play as the hard work starts to pay off. There is something raw about them live and I would definitely suggest them to be caught if your around. The only problem is they play during the Flaming Lips set, so if you’ve seen the Lips before and want to give something different a look, this is our suggestion.
Lighthouse Stage at 9:45pm
Sunday 5th June
Caribou
When we discussed this very topic on our 2XM show Caribou proved to be a very popular choice amongst our debating members. He has garnered a reputation as one of the must see live electronic acts in the world and you’ve got Dan right on your doorstep. I haven’t yet gotten into Caribou but if around on the Sunday I will most certainly be checking his live show out.
Main Stage at 5:55pm
Jamie XX
Fans of The XX will already be well acquainted with Jamie Smith aka Jamie XX who is well regarded as one of the most prolific producers and remixers around at the minute. His collaboration with Gil-Scott Heron (who passed away recently at 62) on the album “We’re New Here” which is a remix of “I’m New Here” has been met with massively positive reviews and has provided Jamie with another platform of recognition for his great work. Looking for some electronic dance beats, stop here.
Undergrowth Stage at 7pm
Solar Bears
Electronic duo Solar Bears have been building their reputation since early 2010 when they signed to Planet Mu and released their Inner Sunshine EP and She Was Coloured In EP both in the same year. One of the highly regarded acts by many music bloggers in Ireland definitely check out their music before you go as you might rue not catching them if you check it after.
Undergrowth stage at 3:10pm
Trinity Orchestra
This is an intriguing one, no doubt you have seen their video play a medley of Daft Punk songs which went viral online. From what we hear they will be playing a set of Daft Punks – Discovery at the festival. This is something a bit unique, a bit different and I can guarantee if I’m at the festival in time I will be straight over to this without thinking.
Main Stage at 2pm
I’d like to add as always this isn’t a definitive list of who to see, We know there are many more acts whom your should definitely see and there will be clashes but we had to cut it down to four each day and this is what we’d like to recommend.