“We’re Lovejoy and we’re from Brighton!”

Lovejoy was greeted with overwhelming cheers at Rankin’s Wood. They had drawn an ever-growing crowd bursting with fans who had structured their entire weekend around seeing this set; screaming fans were hoisted on shoulders, waving their arms wildly to the bubbly, high-tempo tunes. The audience was one of the loveliest of the weekend so far, a Gen-Z-heavy crowd encouraging others to enjoy the music and dance along as they opened with crowd-pleaser 'Call Me What You Like'.

At one point, I spoke to a girl who told me she had bought a ticket for Electric Picnic for the sole reason of seeing Lovejoy live for the first time. As she explained to me, "Everyone in the crowd was there for a reason."

Abigail Ring.

The band formed in 2021 after frontman and social media star Wilbur Soot’s solo music was received to great acclaim. They’ve released three EPs since and have been playing a series of festivals that have cemented them as an unstoppable force in the indie rock scene.

But Lovejoy is decidedly not Soot’s solo project. During the set, people were predictably clamouring to get his attention– but the set was not about him by any means. The band is a full package, with Joe Goldsmith shredding on lead guitar, Mark Boardman effortlessly smashing it on drums and Ash Kabosu grooving on bass. They were also joined by a horn/keyboardist, adding a special element to the band that placed them above some of their other indie rock contemporaries.

“This is our third ever gig in Ireland,” Soot revealed, his heavy accent dripping from every word, “and you guys always bring it. You’ve been some sick crowds.” He’s very focused, perhaps a bit daunted by the crowd at the start, but as the show progressed it was clear that he was absolutely comfortable and relaxed as the crowd cheered him on.

Abigail Ring.

The songs are effortlessly danceable, and they kept a pleasing high tempo throughout that you couldn’t help but jump to. The clean riffs and shredding bassline reminded me a bit of early-ish Paramore if Paramore were from Brighton and had gone more indie earlier on.

“I want to see dancing for this next one,” Soot said before they launched into a roof-blowing rendition of their hit ‘Portrait of a Blank Slate’ off of their most recent EP Wake Up and It's Over. “Why else are you here?”

And dance the crowd did, waving their arms and screaming along to every single word.

Stay tuned for more live reports, photos and all things Electric Picnic, live from Stradbally.