We have over 17 pages on the top festivals to check out over the coming months, including Ireland's biggest weekenders, such as Electric Picnic and Longitude, and all manner of literary, cultural and film festivals, including Dublin Gay Theatre Festival, the International Literature Festival, Kilkenny Cats Laughs, and much more.

We also speak to some of the major Irish acts playing across the country. David Kitt - who will play at Castlepalaooza this summer - talks about his first record in nine years under his original moniker. Delorentos talk about how time and maturity led to their career best album True Surrender. They also give us a preview of what Sea Session and Indiependence festival goers can expect this summer. Bob Geldof, meanwhile, shares his thoughts on joining up with the Boomtown Rats once again, to pay a one-day festival with Queen at Marley Park.

Going further afield, Welsh rockers Manic Street Preachers sound off on political turmoil, how they've stayed at the top of their game for so long, and they look ahead to playing at the Biggest Weekend festival in Belfast this May.

Elsewhere, Bitch Falcon, Hothouse Flowers, Vulpynes and Seamus Fogarty all tell us what festivals they're looking forward to playing at over the coming months.

In our Frontlines section, we get an exclusive interview with Melvin Benn, the Managing Director of Festival Republic which oversees Electric Picnic and Longitude. He tells us about his pioneering new initiative, ReBalance, which he believes will contribute to fixing the problem of women being underrepresented in the music industry and on festival line-ups. He also tells us how Dublin act AE MAK became the first female band to benefit from this new programme.