The lineup for Electric Picnic 2008 has just been officially announced…
The lineup for Electric Picnic 2008 has just been officially announced…
Sex Pistols, Sigur Ros, Grinderman, Franz Ferdinand, George Clinton & The P-Funk Allstars, My Bloody Valentine, Goldfrapp, Christy Moore, Wilco, The Gossip, Duffy, Underworld, Tinariwen, CSS, Tindersticks, New Young Pony Club, Josh Ritter, Lisa Hannigan, Cathy Davey, That Petrol Emotion, The Breeders, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Sinead O’Connor, Henry Rollins, The Waterboys, The Roots, Kila, Micah P Hinson, Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes), Hayseed Dixie, Candi Staton, Juana Molina, Turin Brakes, Faust, Midnight Juggernauts, Tartit, Hadouken!, Silver Apples, Mark Geary, Teitur, Blitzen Trapper, Absentee, Balanescu Quartet, Lou Rhodes, Adrian Crowley, One Day International, The Yard Dogs, Tobias Froberg, Boss Volenti, Dawn Landes, Constantines, Yacht, Lionheart Brothers, Large Mound, Emmy the Great, Foals, Kormac & the BSQ Band, Jape, Noisettes, Dublin Gospel Choir…plus many more to be announced.
Press Release POD Concerts & Aiken Promotions present Electric Picnic 2008 – The Boutique Music & Arts Festival
29th, 30th & 31st August, Stradbally Hall, Co Laois
March 26th 2008
Anarchy, funk, nostalgia, surrealism….just another day at the Electric Picnic.
As the evenings get longer, the cogs of Ireland’s acclaimed music and arts festival are turning once more and details are unfolding of what to expect on the last weekend in August when the rock’n’roll circus descends on Stradbally village.
As with every year, the festival takes pride in showcasing the greatest music from around the world, iconic acts together with the hottest new acts. Acts this year range from; the first ever Irish show of one of the most legendary acts of the twentieth century, the incendiary Sex Pistols to the melodic, classical, experimental Sigur Rós, the Icelandic post-rock band known for its ethereal sound and lead singer Jónsi’s falsetto voice. The Sex Pistols changed if not the history of rock then at least its course and the lineup consists of the original four members, John Lydon, Glen Matlock, Steve Jones and Paul Cook.
Another iconic and influential band playing a very rare show are My Bloody Valentine whose critically acclaimed 1991 album Loveless was recently voted as the greatest rock and roll album of all time in an Irish Times poll. This is their first show here in 17 years and one of only a handful of shows they are doing across the world this year.
Scottish Indie rockers Franz Ferdinand unveil their eagerly anticipated third album with what is also one of a handful of shows they are playing globally this year.
Funk legend George Clinton & his astonishing 30 piece P-Funk Allstars will be showing us a thing or two about how it’s really done. One of the most important innovators of funk music, next to James Brown and Sly Stone, he has been a major influence in the world of hip hop and beyond.
The scuzzy blues rock of Nick Cave’s Grinderman appears in Ireland for the first time while the mighty Christy Moore makes his maiden voyage to Stradbally to further broaden the eclectic palette of the Picnic. Also appearing will be new Motown sensation Duffy.
Electro pop act Goldfrapp are welcomed back this year showcasing their more introspective new sound and dance icons Underworld join us for the first time. Amongst the other upbeat party acts are The Gossip, Brazillian rock dance phenomenon CSS and the classic soul-tinged hip hop of Philadelphia’s The Roots.
Alternative US rockers The Breeders return after a 6 year hiatus with their new album Mountain Battles. Other acts include Wilco bringing their engaging, no-frills blend of twang-encrusted guitar rock and ballads to the stage; Mali’s desert warriors Tinariwen, a trio of Irish stunning female voices Lisa Hannigan, Sinead O’Connor & Cathy Davey. The newly reformed That Petrol Emotion make an exclusive Irish appearance this year; Conor Oberst (aka Bright Eyes) plays a solo show; the austere beauty of Tindersticks, feel-good soul diva Candi Staton, the legendary avant garde band Faust; and of course it would be no Picnic without the Dublin Gospel Choir to lift your souls for breakfast.
We are also very excited to announce a new stage added Jazz & World Music Stage which will be hosted by the Improvised Music Company. Musical tastes are ever evolving, and adventurous ears at this years Electric Picnic will find plenty to stimulate them at the Jazz & World Music Stage. Ireland’s leading independent jazz and world music promoters are a welcome new addition, and evidence that the festival knows no boundaries when it comes to creative music, irrespective of labels and idioms. Programmed by Gerry Godley, this stage will be an acoustic affair and will add another dimension to the Picnic’s melting pot, joining the dots between jazz and contemporary classical groups, along with living traditional music from around the world, and why not some of our own traditional music too. There’ll be everything from chamber music to desert blues, from funky organ trios to grooving Balkan brass.
Roars of laughter are set to roll over the lawns of Stradbally once again this year when the essential International Comedy Club Stage returns for another riotous weekend of Leckie Pickie laugher. Founded by Des Bishop in 1998, The International Comedy Club is the nerve centre and nurturing ground of comedy in Ireland where new blood can rub shoulders with the great and the good from the world of international comedy. This stage has been an enormously popular part of the Electric Picnic experience since year one and the line-up for 2008 promises to be as stellar as ever.
