Arcade Fire for Electric Picnic

Thursday, 24 March 2011 21:21

Arcade Fire's first ever Irish performance at Electric Picnic in 2005 divided picnickers. On one side there were those who believe that they had witnessed one of the most memorable performances ever; and then there were those that simply wished they had witnessed it.
One thing is for certain, it's a show neither Arcade Fire nor picnickers have ever forgotten and one the band themselves have cited on numerous occasions.
"The feeling of Electric Picnic and how excited we were and the people were, that's undeniable. It was like: 'wow, something really special is happening here'," said Arcade Fire's Jeremy Gara.
So six years on, after three critically acclaimed albums, including their latest Grammy Award-winning The Suburbs, Electric Picnic welcomes Arcade Fire back to Stradbally with open arms.
Another very welcome addition to this year's line-up are Pulp, who return this summer having last played together in December 2002. Jarvis Cocker previously played a solo show at the festival back in 2007.
Quite simply one of the biggest bands of the 1990s, Pulp defined the sound of a generation with a collection of much-loved singles taken from their classic albums His 'N' Hers, This Is Hardcore and Mercury Music Prize winner Different Class.

The shows will involve all the original members of the band (Nick Banks, Jarvis Cocker, Candida Doyle, Steve Mackey, Russell Senior and Mark Webber) and they will be playing songs from all periods of their career.
And while you have those dancing wellies on, one of the most important and influential dance acts of the last decade, Tom Rowlands and Ed Simonds – aka The Chemical Brothers – will be playing some 'Block Rockin' Beats' to keep them moving. Their sensational performance at the festival in 2007 still raises goose bumps.
Picnickers will also be lucky enough to be get the live taste of the massively successful self-titled fourth album from New York's finest, Interpol. Ever since Interpol appeared on the scene back in 2002 with their debut Turn On The Bright Lights, they've been captivating audiences worldwide with their dark, haunting, seductive sound.

Meanwhile, it's safe to say you will not have heard anything quite like PJ Harvey's latest album. Let England Shake was released to widespread international acclaim earlier this year, with Mojo Magazine writing: "More than ever... Polly Harvey was made for these times." NME awarded it a rare 10/10 review, stating it's arguably her most brilliant album to date. Harvey last played Stradbally in 2006.
As well as a host of other musical greats (Death In Vegas, Mogwai, DJ Shadow, Lykke Li, OMD, The Charlatans, Sinead O'Connor... the list goes on), festivalgoers will also have the chance to get immersed in everything else that's going on outside the reverberating music arenas.
You can expect a fantastic line-up of up and coming performers and artists on both the Body & Soul Stage and the Love Letter Stage, while the Mindfield spoken word area is back with a programme guaranteed to spark the imagination, provoke debate, enthrall, inspire and entertain.

The flagship Leviathan political cabaret events hosted by David McWilliams with special guest Jon Snow form the centre of a festival-within-a-festival, with interactive conversation, debate, poetry, literature, music, science, history, architecture and much more.
Meanwhile, the Global Green returns as the place at the Electric Picnic to slow down and celebrate the potential for cultural transformation, bringing together a wide community of cultural creatives, artists and civil society organisations to blend the themes of hope and opportunity with community and collaboration.
The Comedy Tent will once again cater for all comic styles, ranging from the musical stylings of Dead Cat Bounce, The Rubberbandits and hip hop improv masters Abandoman to the finest proponents of straight stand up.
Elsewhere, discover the spirit of Jamaica tucked away in the deepest forests of Stradbally at Trenshtown, relive your childhood with Fosset's Circus, let yourself be taken up by the pirate-fuelled antics at Salty Dog Saloon, and have the mini picnickers prove once again that mini doesn't make for any less festivity at Soul Kids in the beautiful walled gardens, with festival fun including yoga, enchanted fairy workshops, and arts and crafts.

Weekend tickets cost €240, while family camping tickets are €240 per adult (payable in easy instalments). Sunday day tickets cost €99.50 (no camping permitted). Campervan tickets for access to regular and family campervan parks cost €60. Tickets are available from www.ticketmaster.ie and usual outlets.
For more information, log on to www.electricpicnic.ie.