Electric Picnic 2025: Saturday Round Up!

Starting off a fun-filled second day of Electric Picnic, Dublin folk artist Aaron Rowe offered the biggest set of his career on Electric Picnic day 2, dazzling his audience with his softly powerful tunes. Even though the set was beautifully stripped-back, Rowe's stage presence and sound appear larger than life, as infinitely emotional as it is riveting. In between tracks, He constantly appeared to have a chuckle stuck in his throat, charmingly fun despite the somber tone of his writing.

Then came one of the most highly anticipated sets of the weekend: KNEECAP. The set was a balancing act of chaos and genuine political conviction. Visually, they create some spectacle. DJ Próvaí prowls in a jumpsuit, Móglaí Bap sports sunglasses and a tracksuit that are a little bit Elton John, while Mo Chara commands proceedings. What’s undeniable is the scale of what Kneecap have built. At a time when the internet pulls individuals in every direction, KNEECAP, fulcrumed on good craic, cultural pride and genuine humanity, have created a something that makes people feels like they're part of something huge and meaningful.

Overlapping with KNEECAP was Dundalk heavyweights Just Mustard, who offered a dark, powerful performance for the ages. Just Mustard have got the recipe down to create an incredibly rousing and recognisable sound, infinitely dark and bone-rattling from start to finish, never giving you a second to breathe. Track after track, abrasive guitars blend together with drums so powerful that their rhythm shakes all the way into the ground of the Electric Arena.

Then came KhakiKid and his merry band, who entered Electric Arena in leaps and bounds and brought gleeful energy along with them. As he told Hot Press earlier this month, it is his biggest Electric Picnic stage yet and one of his biggest performances ever— and he is taking full advantage of the spotlight. He rapped, danced and smiled his way through a high-energy performance featuring viral favourite 'Date Nite', recent release 'DON'T TOUCH THE CDJ' and a new, unnamed track.

For Amble’s Electric Picnic main stage show, Saturday’s moody sky accompanies the setlist so perfectly you would have thought it was planned. Under light drizzling rain, the band kick off their set with the enchanting trad-tinged number ‘Shallow River’. Facing the gargantuan crowd stretching out for meters upon meters, frontman Robbie Cunningham can’t help but chuckle: “fuck me, that’s a lot of people!” They offered a deeply heart-warming set that leaves the whole crowd ready for an infinitely joyful evening.

Meanwhile at Electric Arena, Maverick Sabre's set oozed confidence. Most acts do, but few seem as comfortable as him- nor do they make it their mission to spread it to the audience. The Electric Arena is filled with a funk-soaked sound, one that couples excellently with Sabre’s incredible vocal ability. It’s joy to listen to. He stuns the audience with the variation of his vocals, all without showing a shred of exertion.

Over at 3 Music Stage, Black Country, New Road delivered a spellbinding, almost otherworldly set on the 3Music Stage at Electric Picnic on Saturday. The six-piece from Cambridge moved fluidly between delicate folk, post-rock crescendos and jazz-infused improvisation, with pianist May Kershaw’s dazzling precision and Tyler Hyde’s magnetic presence anchoring the performance. Songs unfolded like journeys: banjo, saxophone, violin, flute and even tin whistle weaving in and out as the band traded vocals and shifted time signatures with startling ease. At times psychedelic, at others fragile and intimate, their set built a world that asked the crowd not to dance or shout, but to pause and truly listen, rewarding us with moments of pure, communal awe.

Under the last bit of clear sky over the main stage on Saturday evening, Inhaler sauntered out like they own the place, ready to deliver a performance to remember. They were a late addition to the EP 2025 line-up, but with a packed crowd and thunderous applause upon entry, they are far from forgotten. The Dublin band were welcomed with open arms and endless love by the Electric Picnic crowd as they embody the essence of that rock n' roll cool factor with a hit-filled performance to remember.

Only half an hour later was Nile Rodgers and Chic. Weather forecasts predicted lashing rain to ambush Stradbally coinciding with their set. Murmurs of concern and the rustling of plastic ponchos ripple through the crowd gathering around the main stage at Electric Picnic. But when they took the stage, one would think they are blessed by the heavens: the skies directly overhead cleared, with a stunning golden sunset to the west and a breathtaking double rainbow to the east. The disco legends dazzled crowds, performing a series of some of the greatest songs of all time.

After the sun set, Sam Fender stood tall beneath the twilight sky, flanked by his band and a tidal wave of expectancy. No super flashy stage set ups here. No gimmicks. Just a Geordie with a guitar and something to say - and the vast crowd at the main stage hangs onto every word like scripture. There’s no questioning the power of Fender's presence. He’s sonically confident but never cocky, political without being preachy and generous with his crowd - often stepping back to let them sing whole verses. 

Under grandiose, golden back light, Dublin-based pop musician Shobsy slowly entered the stage of Fishtown, atmospheric synths and guitar riffs offering the perfect backdrop to his unshakably cool demeanor. From the first track, the message is clear: Shobsy is about to offer 45 minutes of the most fun, intense 80s-tinged of the festival, both insanely powerful and unendingly catchy. By the end of his set, one thing was certain: Shobsy is one of the best frontman Ireland has to offer right now.

Wrapping up the night was the great Fatboy Slim, who brought his lauded sonic mayhem to the main stage for his Saturday headliner. If you're standing in the sweaty, ecstatic sea of bodies under Stradbally’s electric sky tonight, you aren't just witnessing a Fatboy Slim set: you are being absorbed into a ritual. For those there to lose themselves rather than dissect the craft, it's a thunderous success. Cook plays like he’s still the hungry DJ he was in the ‘90s: dancing and grinning with the manic joy of a man whose BPM is permanently set to 130. Keeping things lit since the early days, a Fatboy Slim set feels like a jolt of sugar to the brainstem.

It'll be hard to top Saturday's lineup at Electric Picnic 2025 — but if any festival can do it, EP can!