I am very excited for the Picnic this year, i can't wait to go down and stand in a muddy field at forty years of age, while fifty thousand people are around me enjoying themselves. Ah, in all seriousness, i am looking forward to it, it is going to be deadly.
I am premiering my new album this year, so it's going to be really cool. My set will mainly consist of tracks from the new album, but i will be throwing in a few songs from the four other records. Myself and the Howlers are playing for an hour on the Salty Dog Stage, most likely it'll be 70 pre cent new material, 30 per cent old. There won't be any covers, i spent fucking 15 years singing at weddings and pubs, so i have generally resigned myself from performing any covers.
I've played the Picnic six times, either with Lisa Hannigan, other bands, or by myself, and i have probably played the majority of stages there. Last year, we played the Trailer Park Stage while a titty show was going on right in front of us, so this time i wanted to change it up and play the Salty Dog. We got a really nice slot time and it's genuinely the area that i would hang out at during most of the Picnics i've been to. There are great acts playing this year such as Pete Pamf, Bronagh Gallagher, Aine Cahill and Eskies. The Salty Dog And the Trailer Park is where the non-megastars tend to play and i fit very comfortably into that non-megastar bracket. It's a cliche, but you do discover the best acts on the smaller stages. The Salty Dog is a little off the beaten track, Cathy Davey has her thing going on too, there's real little community down there that reminds me of the early days of EP.
I really want to see The Eskies. I produced their album last year and as a live act, they are a real force of nature. They've been touring all over Europe and they've just been getting better and better. I also want to catch Ross Breen, Prison Love and Pete Pamf.
I'll be bringing the baby down too. Last year, we were down there when my missus was pregnant, so it has come full circle, it'll be a very different Picnic now. She has the little headphones and her rain gear, so she's braced and ready for all the elements.
The best act i've seen at Ep was Arcade Fire. That was a band literally on the verge of taking over the world. They hadn't quite become household names yet, but it was one of the best gigs i've ever seen. Redneck Manifesto, The Villagers and Jape last year were unbelievable. The first time the baby kicked was during Jape's set.

See Gavin Glass on the Salty Dog, Saturday 3rd September, 18:40 - 19:10.