Live Report: KhakiKid lights up Electric Arena with new tunes and viral favourites

KhakiKid and his merry band enter Electric Arena in leaps and bounds on Saturday afternoon, bringing 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.

Just before the gig, they had played a dance remix of  'Come Out Ye Black & Tans' which KhakiKid cheekily tells the crowd was a ploy to bring in the audience from KNEECAP, whose set ended just as KhakiKid's began— though it is clear from the start that he has a screaming, swooning crowd of his own.

KhakiKid at Electric Picnic. 30 Aug 2025. Photo: Abigail Ring/hotpress.com

He opens with his upbeat single 'Who's That Girl', running up and down the stage as he shows off his impressive talent in both pop singing and alternative rap. The cheery mood continued with his beloved track 'maradona' with its catchy indie rock drums and bouncy bassline.

His set takes a more R&B turn with 'Babybrown'. Harmonious backing vocals joins his chilled-out rap verses as the crowd waves their arms in time.

Partway through the song, visuals bearing KhakiKid's name suddenly change to show a Palestinian flag. He briefly jogs off stage partway through the song and returns with another flag draped over his shoulders.

He does not speak at length about Gaza during the set as other artists at Electric Picnic have — afterall, his set is a short but sweet 45 minutes — but the sentiment is clear and strong. Throughout the performance, his visuals occasionally switch between the flag and the words "Free Palestine" along with his name.

Another unique visual was a compilation of football clips, largely dominated by Messi's greatest goals, during the bass-driven low-key track 'Boy Racer'.

KhakiKid at Electric Picnic. 30 Aug 2025. Photo: Abigail Ring/hotpress.com

After 'Boy Racer', he makes a cheeky comment about Chappell Roan being in his crowd — to some gasps and screams from gullible fans — before introducing a never-before-heard track. The unreleased song spotlights his singing talent more than his rapping, starting out with a calmed down bass-driven few verses before building up to a high-energy cacaphony of drums.

Next up is the most upbeat of his setlist: 'DON'T TOUCH THE CDJ', released just three days prior. KhakiKid recently told Hot Press the dance-electronic track was "literally made for this weekend" and it delivers. KhakiKid jumps and headbangs along to the song, waving around a bubble gun he had palmed from an audience member earlier in the set and grinning from ear to ear.

KhakiKid at Electric Picnic. 30 Aug 2025. Photo: Abigail Ring/hotpress.com

After telling his band "let's give them what they came for," KhakiKid finishes off his set with his viral track 'Date Nite'. Nearly the entire audience sings along with gleeful smiles, dancing and waving their arms along with the band.

Though 'Date Nite' is by far the crowd favourite of the performance, every single song is impeccably performed, cementing KhakiKid's name in the ranks of Irish hip-hop.