Live Report: Florence Road put on a ferocious show at Electric Picnic

Given how new they are, you'd be forgiven for thinking it's the sudden downpour that has drawn the crowd in and filled the tent of the Electric Arena, but that idea is disabused immediately by the loud cheer that greets Florence Road.

The young Bray rockers — singer and guitarist Lily Aron, guitarist Emma Brandon, bassist Ailbhe Barry, and drummer Hannah Kelly — have experienced a stratospheric rise in their so-far short career, launching straight into latest single 7563.

The quartet have a presence and an ease on stage like they have been playing to crowds of this size for far longer, though their supoorting turns for the likes of Olivia Rodrigo, The Last Dinner Party, Kings of Leon and Wolf Alice have helped.

Given the sound of the rain beating off the tent adding an extra layer of percussion, their second track is the highly appropriate Storm Warnings, followed by Heavy and Hand Me Down.

"It's great to be back," shouts singer Lily Aron, referencing their first ever Electric Picnic as the 2pm opening act at the very same Electric Arena in 2024.

At the pace they moving up the line ups, they're sure to headline this stage or even the Main Stage by 2028.

"I wanna see everyone dancing for this one" Lily says as they kick into Figure It Out, followed by Miss and No Better Woman — an as yet unreleased track they've previewed a few times already at other shows.

"I know you know this one" Lily says, as she ditches her guitar to dance across the stage and down to the barrier as they start Hanging Out to Dry (and indeed we do), their record-breaking tune that was the first song by an all-female Irish band to reach No. 1 on the Irish Airplay Chart since Radiomonitor records began in 2012.

Ending on Break the Girl, they burst with energy that is both utterly rockstar and unrepentingly girlish and joyous.

This is the future of Irish music and it's female, with vocals that both snarl and soar over gloriously, unapologetically heavy and grungy riffs and drums.

Firmly ensconched already in the pantheon of this generations riot gurl icons, be unsurprised if Olivia Rodrigo calls Florence Road up for a second round of her all female Dasiy Chain Fields Festival.

You can find all of the Hot Press coverage from the entire Electric Picnic 2026 weekend right here.