Kylie is Electric Picnic saviour, but why no sign of CMAT or Lankum?

The long-awaited line-up is here and while it’s great, it’s also a little baffling

It’s been a long wait for Electric Picnic ticket holders, but we finally have a line-up for this year’s shindig which takes place from August 16-18 in Stradbally Hall, Co Laois.

After much concern over the quality of artists booked due to a fourmonth delay in an announcement, it has been confirmed that the pintsized Princess of Pop herself, Kylie Minogue, is the mysterious headlining artist organisers accommodated by pushing forward EP a fortnight.

Whether pop is your thing or not, it’s a coup for a festival that has been lacking in worldwide superstars in recent years, and shows it can compete with the rest of Europe’s festivals.

Padam Padam was the undeniable song of last summer and it will go down well on Sunday night in Stradbally. And, judging by the reaction from girlies and men in their 30s over on X, there are also a lot of people who will be losing their minds at the thought of some deep cuts on the setlist. So, that’s one big plus for EP (which is already sold out). But what about the rest of the headliners?

Calvin Harris fills the usual Saturday night DJ post, and while he will certainly be a crowd-pleaser with his decade of radio hits, he’s hardly an inspiring choice for 2024.

Noah Kahan will go down well with a good chunk of the EP crowd, thanks to his omnipresent Stick Season and previous sellout show at the 3Arena.

But for your average festival-goer, it may be a bit baffling that somebody who really only rose to fame in Ireland in the last year is headlining in the spot Billie Eilish took last year.

Gerry Cinnamon and Kodaline are standard and dependable singalong fare, but the other winning booking is Raye, whose vocals will surely be a highlight of the weekend. As always with EP, the real diamonds can often be found earlier in the day, as seen in the reaction to Brandon Flowers bringing out Mike Scott on stage last year – The Waterboys always draw a nostalgic crowd.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor will probably be one a big attraction too, thanks to the renaissance of Murder on the Dancefloor after the success of the movie Saltburn.

Might we also see a cameo from a (clothed) Barry Keoghan? In any event, Ellis-Bextor is a fantastic live performer, so certainly one to watch.

Kneecap will probably be relegated to a tent, which is unfortunate as the Belfast rappers will likely be one of the highlights of the weekend.

Thankfully, The Wolfe Tones have been promoted to the main stage after drawing a record crowd last year and hopefully they’ll be playing on a sun-soaked Sunday afternoon.

But there are certainly some surprising absences.

Lana Del Rey was considered a frontrunner to headline, as was Hozier, coming off the back of his Too Sweet success; while Irish favourites such as CMAT and The Mary Wallopers are conspicuously missing.

So too are Lankum, who, after a blazing year of success with their album False Lankum, would have been brilliant to see. However, Kojaque, Jazzy, The Scratch, NewDad, Big Sleep and more are representing Ireland on the bill.

As for a better gender-balance, two female headliners improves on just one last year, and artists like Ethel Cain and Peggy Gou being high on the bill is promising.

Perhaps Kylie and Raye’s Sunday double bill will ensure that male dominance of the headline slots is a trend that stays in the past.

No doubt there are many people threatening to sell their tickets, and others scrambling for resale. Either way, Electric Picnic is finally making an effort to stand in the big leagues.

‘Lana Del Rey was thought a favourite to headline, as was Hozier coming off the back of his “Too Sweet” success’