Having teased us before Christmas with five choice acts – Roisin Murphy, Belle & Sebastian, George Ezra, Jon Hopkins and The War On Drugs being them – Electric Picnic has made its first major line-up announcement.
Two of the big headline turns are dance legends Underworld and Florence + The Machine, who after taking a well-earned breather are gearing up for the release of their third album, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful. Of course, it’s not Ms. Welch’s first visit to the Picnic with Hot Press and about 150 other early to rise folk catching her Sunday lunchtime set in 2008.
Also descending on Stradbally Hall from September 4-6 will be: Manic Street Preachers, Tame Impala, Hot Chip, Future Islands, Jurassic 5, CHVRCHES, Ride, Battles, My Morning Jacket, Jessie Ware, Django Django, Low, Pond, Tourist, Metz, Girl Band, Kwabs, Lapsley, ALVVAYS, Marika Hackman, Jack Garratt, Wyvern Lingo, Circa Waves, Hinds, Shura, Ben Khan, Curtis Harding, Aquilo and Little May.
There’s an awful lot to pick through there but we’re especially excited about the return to these shores of Future Islands who were 2014 Gig of the Year contenders with their Vicar St. show; the re-convening of shoegaze legends Ride; our first live glimpse of ace Liverpudlian songstress Lapsley and shaking our legs to perennial festival faves, Hot Chip, who really know how to throw a party.
Tickets are on sale now.