Live Report: Orla Gartland illuminates Electric Picnic with euphoria-filled set

As Dublin singer-songwriter Orla Gartland enters the 3 Music Stage on Sunday afternoon, running and jumping in as ‘Holding Out For A Hero’ plays in the background, one thing is for sure: we are in for an absolute joy of a gig.

For her live set, Gartland is accompanied by her own guitar, drums, bass and the occasional keyboard for rock-flavoured arrangements that match her easy-going, charming rock-star attitude. From opener 'Kiss Ur Face Forever’ and onto ‘Codependency’ or ‘Three Words Forever’, the singer-songwriter offers an incredibly compelling, cool and simply fun performance, matching the often tongue-in-cheek tone of her songwriting with boisterous dancing and theatrics.

Orla Gartland at Electric Picnic 2025. Copyright Cat Gundry-Beck

On ‘Now What’, which Gartland describes as “a song that could’ve been on the Shrek 2 soundtrack”, the musician begins exploring more emotional territories without fully letting go of the party atmosphere. A great opener to the stripped-back section of the set, which includes the incredibly moving and choir-inducing ‘Why Am I Like This?’, and the beautifully stirring ‘Everybody Needs A Hero’, on which the quality of her vocal performance shines through with absolute ease.

Orla Gartland at Electric Picnic 2025. Copyright Cat Gundry-Beck

After hitting her audience deep in the feels, Gartland announces that she is “done being sad forever” before jumping in to a cover of Chappel Roan’s ‘Red Wine Supernova’, a moment I could only describe as one of the most euphoric of the whole festival.

From then on, it’s only joyful, laughter-stuck-in-the-throat bangers, Gartland, her band and her audience all dancing in rhythm together to ‘Late To The Party’ and closer ‘Little Chaos’. The Sunday afternoon rain is all but forgotten, in favour of the sunny atmosphere that Orla Gartland created. A consummate performance from one of Ireland's finest...