Music
17 Aug 24

Electric Picnic 2024: Friday round up!

Sophie Ellis-Bextor at Electric Picnic 2024 by Liam Murphy.

Featuring Gerry Cinnamon, Jazzy, Nas, Noah Kahan and a stacked line up of Irish and international talent- Electric Picnic 2024 commenced the festival weekend as it means to continue.

Kicking off the weekend's festivities at the Electric Picnic main stage- Jazzy set a dance feel good tone, with her bouncy numbers such as 'Giving Me' and 'Life Lesson' spurring the crowd on.

Accompanied by her entourage, fiancé, and thousands of adoring fans- Jazzy kept her vocals clean and her beats infectious.

A new track was also debuted among the hits, 'No Bad Vibes' and indeed, the single could be used as apt description of the main stage's opening set.

Jazzy at Electric Picnic 16th August 2024 by Jason Doherty

Dug took to the 3 Music Stage early on in the evening, starting with their second single release, 'Big Sundown'. The song perfectly suffused the musical heritages of band members Lorkin O’Reilly and Jonny Pickett, drawing inspiration from the journey of O’Reilly’s parents as they immigrated from Ireland to Australia in the 1980s while remaining true to the duo’s iconic Americana-Irish folk soundscape.

NewDad, who stopped into the Hot Press Chat room earlier that day- also joined the lineup on the 3 Music Stage, producing their effortlessly cool effusive shoegaze.

It was an ethereal set, with back lighting and moody ambience, singles off the grip's debut LP Madra were played side by side with old school favourites with 'I Don't Recognise You' and 'Blue'.

Julie Dawson. Credit: Miguel Ruiz

Fellow chat room alums Villagers, took to Rankin's Wood in a surprisingly dance-y gig. Conor O'Brien, the brain behind Villagers, raised the roof with an intimate set peppered with high energy moments.

Kojaque, in the iteration of Jackie Dandelion makes a dramatic entrance, emerging from the scaffolding as the lights dim and his fervent subjects chant ‘Jackie took the soup!’ in tribal unison.

The Cabra artist dealt a set filled with hits from his most recent LP PHANTOM OF THE AFTERS.

Ethel Cain at Electric Picnic 2024. Copyrigt Miguel Ruiz.

Returning to Electric Picnic after a cult favourite set last year, the expectations were high for the indie rock Ethel Cain. The stage decor was simple, featuring a massive screen showing brief clips and stills of Cain herself, the countryside, car parks, etc. The unadorned stage offered a perfect accompaniment to make way for Cain, the obvious focal point dressed in simple jeans, a hoodie and jacket.

Her Southern Gothic sensibility, saw the crowd relish in her brooding single such as 'Crush'.

One of the jewels in the of the Electric Picnic stages; the all-new Smirnoff stage proved itself the place to be for those looking for a groove, attracting some of the world's leading DJs.

The Blessed Madonna at Electric Picnic. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

Notable titans on the lineup included Cleveland.born polymath Honeyluv. A former NCAA basketball player, the jockey oozes an unfair level of talent, delivering infectious house grooves surrounding by adoring attendees.

The world-renowned Blessed Madonna closed out the venue and delivered a suitably transcendent showing. The Kentucky native, who's collaborated with serious big names, including sunday headliner Kylie Monogue, has a ridiculous ability to offer experimental, trance-inducing mixes, which are nonetheless accessible and easy to dance to.

The Blessed Madonna at Electric Picnic. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

Opening with the acclaimed ‘The World Is Yours’, you could feel the exhilarating atmosphere from the first line, hip hop legend Nas delivered a charisma driven set which will be hard to beat as a festival highlight.

It was murder at the main stage when Sophie Eillis Bextor took up her slot with her feel good disco set. The 'Murder on the Dancefloor' star stoked the main stage fire, and kept the ambiance at its euphoric temperature.

Short after, Glasgow's Gerry Cinnamon pulled a huge crowd, playing hits such as 'Belter', 'Canter' and 'Sometimes'. All of which resulted in life affirming embraces among the fans.

Noah Kahan pulled a similarly huge crowd, with the Vermont singer songwriter rounding out what had been an incredible first day of festivities, ending his show, and Electric Picnic's first day, with the smash-hit 'Stick Season'.