Conor Dockery

The Scratch

On Electric Picnic:

The first time we did Electric Picnic was in 2018. We did this tiny stage out in the food area for Birra Moretti. I remember rocking up and we nearly missed our set because we didn’t have the right passes! The following year we did a Three Mobile tent and The Salty Dog, which was unreal. The Salty Dog has been one of my favourite stages down through the years and we got an amazing slot. That was serious craic. We were booked to play before the pandemic kicked off, so this year’s going to be our first bigger slot. We can’t wait for it.

We’re expecting it to be our best festival experience of the summer, even though it’ll be right at the end. We’re going to go big with it. We’re playing the same stage and day as Kneecap and For Those I Love, so we won’t venture far from them! For Those I Love is definitely the one I’m looking forward to.

I love a bit of Dermot Kennedy, it’s great to see him headlining. That set’s going to be insane. Seeing where he was a few years ago and where he is now is wild. The performances that stick out from a few years ago were Vince Staples and Ben Howard in 2018, they were amazing. I remember stumbling across Chic. They played Ireland all the time, but I saw them on the main stage and was blown away. I stayed and danced for the whole thing.

On Sea Sessions:

My only experiences at Sea Sessions has been working with bands, we’ve never actually played it. But I remember the year Sigrid got sick and her band ended up going surfing. It’s all about the incredible location, isn’t it? I love Bundoran and the surrounding area. It’s just an amazing place to have a festival. Some of my favourite Irish artists are playing this year, like Kneecap. We grew up with a couple of the lads from Kodaline, who are one of the headliners, so hopefully we get to hang out with them and grab a few pints. They’re seriously good craic. We’ll be performing straight after at another festival in the Czech Republic, so it’ll be a busy weekend!

Read the full Summer Festival Special in the current issue of Hot Press: