XX Appeal

Kimbra
Saturday, September 1

Kiwi composer Kimbra is best known for lending her feminine touch to the biggest song of 2012, Gotye’s ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’, but the 22-year-old has an extraordinary amount to offer all on her lonesome. For a start, there’s the songs from her debut album Vows, which include ‘Settle Down’, a monstrous breakbeat pop number that’s racked up a rather impressive 18 million views on YouTube since it was released over two years ago. Then there’s the Kimbra live show, based around a particularly fancy live-looping and sampling station which allows her to create an entire song with just her voice. Now this, we’ve got to see.

Azealia Banks
Friday, August 31

Adored by everyone from Mumford & Sons to Kanye West to Gwyneth Paltrow, foul-mouthed rapper Azealia Banks is possibly the most talked about woman in music right now, thanks in part to her badass image and in part to an unforgettably brazen little ditty called ‘212’. Of course, this Electric Picnic date almost didn’t happen; Ms. Banks pulled out of the show back in April due to recording commitments, but, possibly after receiving a barrage of puppy dog-faced appeals from disgruntled members of Team Hot Press, she announced in May that she would be able to make it after all. And we all know what that means; explosive beats and expletives by the bucket-load.

Grimes
Saturday, September 1

Captivating Canadian oddball Claire Boucher comes to Electric Picnic with a great many fans already in tow; not only has her critically-adored third album Visions sparked a full-on Grimes frenzy, but thanks to a sensational visit to Forbidden Fruit in June, the Irish contingent are already smitten with her live show. Falling somewhere between adorable, ethereal and frightening, Ms. Boucher certainly didn’t hold back for her Irish debut, as she yelped, growled and flailed her way through the set, resembling an exceptionally trendy banshee. The 24-year-old hipster heartthrob rarely performs a song the same way twice, so those who were lucky enough to catch her earlier in the summer will surely find something new to like when she breezes into Stradbally.

Bat For Lashes
Sunday, September 2

Countless Stradbally hearts were broken in 2009, when Natasha Khan was forced to cancel her Electric Picnic appearance due to a minor accident at home in London, but three years later, we’re happy to give her the chance to make it up to us. As Bat For Lashes fans ready themselves for the release of third album The Haunted Man, Khan & Co. bring their electrifying synth-pop sound (the same sound that charmed Thom Yorke, Debbie Harry and M.I.A. and bagged her an Ivor Novello Award) to the Irish stage, including heartbreaking new piano number ‘Laura’.

The xx
Friday, August 31

The jaw-dropping success of The xx really cannot be underestimated; universal acclaim, a Mercury Music Prize, record sales in excess of 1.3 million, and that all-important milestone of musical accomplishment, a Rihanna collaboration, have all followed in the wake of their debut album, 2009’s xx. Since then, Romy Madley-Croft, Oliver Sim and Jamie Smith have been hard at work on the follow-up, Coexist, which woozy numbers ‘Angels’ and ‘Chained’ suggest will be every bit as powerful as its innovative predecessor. Electric Picnic 2012 marks the third Irish live appearance for The xx, but the first chance for fans to hear songs from the new record, which hits the shelves on September 7.

Grandaddy
Friday, August 31

Californian space rockers Grandaddy made a lot of nostalgic fanboys very happy this year when they announced that they would reform for a once-off victory lap around the festival circuit to celebrate their 20th anniversary. For ‘90s indie junkies, the band’s Electric Picnic show marks a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get reacquainted with the men who brought them quirky turn-of-the-century classics like ‘Nature Anthem’ and ‘Now It’s On’; for a whole new breed of lo-fi enthusiasts, it’s an opportunity to see how the old guard do it. “It’s still a bit surreal to me, to tell you the truth,” quothed frontman Jason Lytle earlier this month. “At this point, I’m really excited about it.” We’re right there with you, Lytle.

Metronomy
Friday, August 31

Nothing makes the festival heart beat faster than a good two-step, and no band will make that money-maker shake harder than electro indie peddlers Metronomy. Having courted dance-hungry music lovers with their glossy, funk-infused floorfillers way back in 2006, the Devon foursome set about creating a truly unique live experience, which includes a trippy light show based around four push lights suspended from each band member’s chest and, if you’re lucky, a spot of synchronised dancing. The effortlessly poppy songs from their Mercury Prize-winning album The English Riviera went down a treat at Oxegen last year, so expect some seriously dizzying synthwork and roof-raising electronic hooks when they return for their Stradbally debut.

Solar Bears
Saturday, September 1

As well as racking up 24,000 listens for dauntless space jam ‘Cosmic Runner’, the first teaser from their long-awaited second album Supermigration, the creative duo behind electronic outfit Solar Bears have been very busy boys this year, taking in shows in Zurich, Moscow, Croatia, Poland, France and the UK, as well as a handful of gigs at home. Their date with Electric Picnic, on the other hand, is something entirely new; for the first time in their 18-month touring history, Rian Trench and John Kowalski will expand their set-up to include live instruments. If the resulting show is even half as good as we’re imagining, expect something very special indeed.

Squarepusher
Saturday, September 1

Three years after he last graced Irish shores, Essex’s finest electronic trailblazer Tom Jenkinson returns for a Saturday date with Electric Picnic, bringing his whopping 15-album back catalogue with him. The man who inspired acts like Outkast and Four Tet to broaden their musical horizons doesn’t require much bigging up, but a long list of celebrity fans is only one reason to get excited about his upcoming Irish visit. Fresh from a knockout performance at Los Angeles ravefest Hard Summer, he’s just perfected a groundbreaking new live set-up. “It’s all as I did it in the studio running live on stage,” he explained earlier this month. Naturally, we’ve sought out the necessary shaky YouTube evidence; consider our minds blown.

The Roots
Saturday, September 1

Rightfully dubbed the best house band in the world by their boss Jimmy Fallon, The Roots are arguably the best band in the world, full stop. Comprising some of the most fawned-over noise makers on the planet, including drummer, producer and Afro-wearer extraordinaire Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson, there’s no denying the musicianship this groove-bearing octet bring to the stage. Having performed with just about every big name in the soul and hip-hop directory, including Jay-Z, Nas, D’Angelo, Erykah Badu and John Legend, they’ll be focusing on their own material, particularly last year’s experimental masterstroke Undun, when they crash into Stradbally on September 1.