Kitt and caboodle

David Kitt knows all about the romance of big music festivals. In 2003 the electropop craftsman was contemplating attending Witnness as a regular punter when an unexpected phone gave him the opportunity to play in front of a massive crowd for the first time.
“It was the time Jack White had that car accident and we got asked to fill in for The Flaming Lips when they got moved to the White Stripes’ slot,” he recalls. “So we were headlining in a tent and there was probably about 10,000 people there. We’d gone from playing a gig in Clonmel the week before to about 300 people, and things weren’t going that well for me at the time. So to get that call out of the blue and the next thing you’re up in front of thousands of people where everyone is singing along, it was just amazing and really special.”
Although Kitt is playing on the Saturday of Electric Picnic, he intends to make sure he catches the wealth of talent on display on the other two days.
“I’ll definitely be there for the whole thing,” he says. “ Well, hopefully, if I’m still fighting fit after my own show!”
And who is he most looking forward to seeing in the rolling plains of Stradbally?
“There’s so much good stuff there this year. I want to see Hot Chip and Modeselektor, Jape, Yo La Tengo, and I’m also looking forward to Tapes ‘n Tapes.”
Kitt’s new record Not Fade Away sees him exploring fresh territory, both musically and lyrically, and he’s confident that it’ll come across well live.
“It’s a really enjoyable record to play live because it comes together very, very easy,” he maintains. “We’ve just done an Irish tour with the new record and it’s gone down really well.”
Not Fade Away features guest appearances from luminaries such Lisa Hannigan, Annie Tierney and also Romeo and Michelle Stoddart from The Magic Numbers. Kitt reveals that there might even be some surprise guests joining him at the Electric Picnic.
“Hopefully Lisa Hannigan will be making an appearance,” he beams. “I think she’s up for a bit of singing.”
Kitt is also a big fan of the myspace sensation Lily Allen.
“I think her record is great, really brilliant,” he enthuses. “She’s really found her sound. A couple of years ago she played me some demos and you could tell that she hadn’t quite nailed it yet, but it was obvious she had the talent.”