Ten Irish acts to perform at this year’s ESNS in The Netherlands

Eurosonic Noorderslag (ESNS) will take place this week (17-20th January) in Groningen, Netherlands, and 10 Irish acts are slated to perform over the festival’s three-night run.

Each year, the international music industry descends on the city on the lookout for artists and bands to book for their respective festivals and venues for the year ahead.

Last year’s festival saw robust Irish representation showcasing the likes of The Mary Wallopers, The Scratch, Kynsy, Bricknasty, M(h)aol and Séllo.

ESNS 2024 suggests a promising redux of the previous year's festival, with several Irish artists and performers poised to perform.

Music from Ireland, the Irish Music Export Office, helped to coordinate the strong Irish presence at ESNS and also promote the Irish acts to the over 4,000 delegates in attendance. ESNS also brings together all the national radio stations from around Europe under the European Broadcasters’ Banner (EBU), of which RTÉ2FM is a prominent member. This year, Sweetlemondae is the station’s chosen artist to be presented by them at the festival.

High Priestess of Irish country-pop music, CMAT is scheduled to perform at ESNS on Wednesday after a meteoric rise in the Irish and international music scenes in recent years. An unmissable act, the pop star fuses the genre’s enduring themes of heartbreak and self-destruction with camp humour and a distinctly Irish sense of the absurd.

Northern Irish post-punk triad Chalk have seen an impressive leap in popularity with their image-driven soundscapes composed of wailing guitars, an unrelenting rhythm section and spoken-word delivery that is at once raw and visceral. They will perform a Wednesday night slot at Eurosonic.

Limerick-based trio Kingfishr balance traditional Celtic airs and Appalachia-anchored indie rock reminiscent of Noah Kahan and Mt. Joy. With a Wednesday evening slot at Eurosonic, Kingfishr is on track for another exciting year in 2024.

Fresh on the heels of a triumphant year, a Galway rapper Sweetlemondae also comprises this year’s lineup at ESNS with a performance on Thursday. Sweetlemondae was selected for the 2FM Rising list for 2023 for Irish musicians, and she wrote the empowering and anthemic ‘Turn The World’, which became the official track for RTE’s coverage of the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Purveyors of psychedelic punk, Cork-based trio The Love Buzz have steadily made a name for themselves with their hyper-saturated blend of punk pop and indie, and promise a lively and infectious electronic set on Thursday night at this year’s ESNS.

Malaysian-Irish producer and songwriter yunè pinku will also perform a highly anticipated set on Thursday after an explosive year and impressive nomination for the 2024 Music Movies Europe Awards.

Brothers Christy and Andy Leech make up the Irish electronic duo Le Boom: an ambitious, live electronic set fusing high-energy beats with captivating spoken word. With a highly anticipated tour in April, Le Boom will perform this year's ESNS during a Thursday night slot.

Chubby Cat, rising star of Irish alt-pop and one of the country’s most exciting new artists, will also play a set on Friday night at Eurosonic after a promising few years in the Irish music scene. A proud queer artist making alternative pop and electronic music, with an incredible aesthetic and vocal range, she's seen widespread radio support across Ireland and the UK.

With his anticipated debut album, Conchúr White navigates the surreal and allusive with ethereal soundscapes and scintillating melodies. White will celebrate the release of his new LP Swirling Violets out 19th January with a midnight set.

Hailing from Dublin, YARD is a gripping electro noise quartet whose music bridges the gap between techno and noise rock. Drawing inspiration from the likes of SUUNS, Death Grips and Nine Inch Nails among others—and visually represented by their eerie mascot ‘Bucketman’—YARD vows to leave the crowd energised, sweaty and awestruck for their Friday night gig.

Check out the full lineup, as well as information on the festival, scheduling and the ESNS Conference here.

Listen to the sound of Eurosonic Noorderslag, with a playlist of highlights from this year's Irish acts below.