Live Report: Violet Grohl at Electric Picnic: Dark, grungy and completely herself

Violet Grohl takes to the Electric Arena, saving us from the rain and treating us to a gloriously grungy rock 'n' roll session.

'THUM' is a sublime opener. From the first notes, she has the presence of someone who has been doing this for years - perhaps unsurprising given her upbringing, but still impressive to witness.

Outside, the rain keeps falling. Drops make their way through the tent and onto the stage around her, creating an unexpected visual feature. Against the dark surroundings, it somehow looks beautiful.

Violet Grohl at Electric Picnic on August 29, 2026. Copyright Liam Murphy/hotpress.com

Then 'Cool Buzz' arrives, its smashing drums pulling us in. Grohl's slow, moody vocals give the song a distinctly femme-fatale quality, while sliding guitar riffs shimmer and stretch out each breath of the track.

She harmonises with Ainjel Emme, the two voices intertwining and elevating the song into something much bigger. 'Last Day I Loved You' is an instant dark-rock standout. There's a desperation in the performance. Grohl closes her eyes during the bridge, pushing the song towards its eventual release in her chorus.

Violet Grohl at Electric Picnic on August 29, 2026. Copyright Liam Murphy/hotpress.com

When she introduces her band, she tells us she's "so fucking stoked to be here." And while it would be unfair to reduce Grohl to her famous father, there are unmistakable traces of the Foo Fighters frontman in the way she carries herself onstage. The resemblance is there, but so is something distinctly her own.

'Big Memory' slows things down. It still feels perfectly suited to a festival set, allowing Grohl's vocals to take centre stage. There are echoes of the shadowy, dreamlike atmosphere found throughout her debut album Be Sweet To Me, as she sings through the emotional overload of trying - and failing - to forget someone.

Then comes 'Bug In The Cake', a particularly special moment for an Irish audience. Grohl reveals that she wrote the song about her grandmother, Virginia Hanlon, who was from Ireland.

Violet Grohl at Electric Picnic on August 29, 2026. Copyright Liam Murphy/hotpress.com

Anxious drums and an angry bassline pull the crowd immediately into the song. It feels made for this room.

Grohl is remarkably casual throughout. There's no sense that she's trying to perform rock-star theatrics for the sake of it. She's chewing gum. Headbanging and completely absorbed in the music, before casually unleashing some genuinely astonishing vocals. She knows she's good.

'Applefish' begins with slow, smooth riffs before suddenly turning hardcore - then softening again. It's musical whiplash, but in the best possible way. The post-90's grunge influence comes through strongly, with the song's surreal imagery creating a sense of being stranded somewhere between dream and reality.

Violet Grohl at Electric Picnic on August 29, 2026. Copyright Liam Murphy/hotpress.com

Next comes the unreleased 'Sun Is Blind', keeping the alternative-rock momentum going. It's an exciting glimpse of what's ahead for Grohl, and judging by the reaction, one crowd is more than happy to hear it.

We're onto the final two songs. '595' brings more huge guitar riffs, backed by a raw, rasping vocal. The song's title refers to the $5.95-per-call price printed on a vintage T-shirt advertising an old phone-sex hotline - an appropriately strange detail for a song that feels both nostalgic and slightly sinister.

Then feedback fills the arena. 'Often Others' closes the set in a haze of ghostly, angry, almost moaning vocals. It's a suitably atmospheric ending to a performance that has moved effortlessly between grunge, alternative rock and dreamier territory.

Grohl keeps the goodbye simple. "Stay hydrated, and free Palestine." Then she's gone.

For an artist who is inevitably introduced through the lens of her surname, Violet Grohl spends the set making a compelling case for being judged on the music instead. And the music speaks loudly enough.