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CMAT, LANKUM, AND Eurovision singers Bambie Thug and Loreen have been added to this year’s Electric Picnic lineup.
The music festival, which is in its 20th year, will take place from 16 to 18 August in Stradbally, County Laois.
This year’s headliners include Noah Kahan, Calvin Harris, Kylie Minogue and Gerry Cinnamon.
Tickets for the weekend have already sold out.
Podcaster Blindboy, indie folk group Villagers, and rock bands The Stranglers and Daydreamers have also been added to the lineup.
The festival’s 20th anniversary coincides with The Stranglers’s 50th anniversary, which they have been touring for.
Cork band Cardinals and German band Zimmer90 will play the festival too.
In a statement posted to her social media, singer-songwriter CMAT said the gig “means so much” to her.
Electric Picnic was the first music festival she ever went to when she was 15 years old.
“It lives so vividly in my mind as the day I made the decision to spend as much time as humanly possible at music festivals.”
Lankum, a contemporary Irish folk group, won the 2023 RTÉ Choice Music Prize, receiving critical acclaim for their last album False Lankum.
Bambie Thug came sixth in this year’s Eurovision song contest.
They wrote on Instagram: “Can’t wait to be back on home soil.”
Loreen won the contest last year, as well as in 2012.
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Sadly the days of large decent festivals in Ireland are gone. I’m old enough to have been to such gigs as the Oxigens and Homelands. They always had stellar line ups and the only downside was you’d have too many great acts on not to have clashes. 2010 had Jay-z, Eminem, Muse, Arcade Fire, Kasabian, Fatboy Slim to name but only a few. They just don’t make them like that anymore.
@marklars81: not that it’s a competition, but I’m old enough to have been at the last Lisboonvarna festival in 1983. Brilliant line up – Rory Gallagher, Van Morrison, John Martyn, Moving Hearts, but the weekend was carnage and ended in unspeakable tragedy. Slane with Dylan that year was also carnage. At least festivals are relatively safe environments these days, but there was more authenticity back then, I think. And thankfully no means for the punters to record everything, and no social media
@SYaxJ2Ts: Not gonna lie, I’d hate to have any footage of myself from those days.
Living pretty close to Slane we would just hop on the bus and sneak in, my last freebie was Madonna, still think I was overcharged for that one.
@marklars81: smaller ones are better, BTP was amazing a couple of weekends ago, best vibe and older crowd, totally recommend it.
@marklars81: I was at the first Homelands… epic
@Thesaltyurchin: It truly was! Orbital playing Halcyon and someone donating a monster of a bifter while we listened from the nearby playground was a particular highlight for me.
@honey badger: Feile 95 was immense, too
@SYaxJ2Ts: Van Morrison is an old school unionist with unpleasant views
Saw a clip of the Eurovision performance from that act yesterday, could not believe how bad it was.
@An Other: while I think that the EP line up is an absolute mediocre disaster, there is a reason why Ireland placed 6th our best result in the Eurovision since Brian kennedy in the mid 00s. You don’t like it, but hundreds of thousands if not millions reacted to the bold and exciting mix of darkness and light and itw actually a pretty decent song. Irish love a lot of safe music, Doomsday blue was THE hardcore entry of 2024 & meant for an audience like Eurovision which has seen some actually incredibly diverse acts win in recent years
Overall pretty poor headline acts at EP this year. Would have less than zero interest in the headliners but festivals all about seeing lesser known bands. The Cardinals sound like they could be a great band, would love to see them at smaller stage/tent
Hopefully we’ll get a Bambie Thug and Wolfe Tones collab. Joe Duffy on the mic between verses. Journal commenters in the pit. Give the people what they want!
Bambie Thug, headline act, music really has gone to the dogs.
@Marcus Maher – Triskellion Films: Sunrise. Sunset. Maybe it’s not for you. Each generation usually pops up with something that leaves the previous ones scratching their heads a little. Just as it’s supposed to be. There’s infinite other options with legacy acts, classic rock and pop on a conveyor belt at the moment. It’s not like the older generations can complain when there’s an absolute litany of old fogeys doing the rounds from the 60s-90s right now.
If that’s not your thing and it’s more dance music – the same DJs and acts that have been on the circuit for 30 years are doing the rounds still. And if you happen to still be interested in new music there’s so much good stuff in any genre you could care to name. You might have to shake a leg and go looking for it via Bandcamp, specialist shows and mags/blogs..but the hunt for buried treasure has always been half the fun!
Drugfest
@Argus Romsworth: Where and when is this? How much for the tickets?
@Argus Romsworth: 100,000′s of thousands of people, so many drugs, but mostly everyone gets on with their lives, no problem.
Loved ep but unfortunately the demand for tickets has contributed to the organisers not giving a shyte as to who plays. It’s always a good weekend but the variety is upcoming Irish acts pop music and the rave in the woods. If you don’t like pop definitely stay at home.
Thankfully there’s plenty of better festivals also on.
Festival republic don’t care about the punters. Increased crowd capacity and the campsite for disability access is one of the furthest from the arena. The last. Time I went a few years back they hadn’t even finished the area between terminus and the salty dog. Lads still painting signs and the like at around 6 in the evening. Plus. The one way system cos of the bigger crowds makes getting around a pain in the hoop.
@gordon o loughlin: Forest Fest was excellent last year despite the awful weather. It has another great line up this year, though missing it as away on holidays. Will def be going next year provided it can keep the same sort of music/bands
Sounds horrendous..just another Lgqbtrtigssx event with rainbow flags everywhere..world is gone bonkers
@Derek O Gorman: back to the marginalisation and intimidation they once had I say.
Not
Another reason not to go. Freak show
What a line up
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