New acts announced for Electric Picnic and Body and Soul

Legendary hip-hop group Public Enemy are among a batch of new artists announced for Electric Picnic today. The seminal group, led by Chuck D and Flava Fav, who will make their debut appearance in Stradbally, will be joined for the three day arts and music festival by New York pop-rock outfit The Drums, whose 'Let's Go Surfing' was a soundtrack to last summer.


Also added are BLONDE REDHEAD; ZOLA JESUS; SANTIGOLD; THE UNDERTONES; THE FAMILY STONE; JOAN AS POLICEWOMAN; POWER OF DREAMS; BEST COAST; YUCK and 3 EPKANO.


The latest additions for the Stradbally extravaganza join a line-up that already includes ARCADE FIRE; PULP;  THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS; INTERPOL; PJ HARVEY; BEIRUT; DEATH IN VEGAS; MOGWAI; JIMMY CLIFF; DJ SHADOW; WHITE LIES; OMD; MIDLAKE; THE CHARLATANS; LYKKE LI; BIG AUDIO DYNAMITE; THE GO! TEAM; BOYS NOIZE; TOOTS AND THE MAYTALS; FLYING LOTUS and many more.


EP '11 takes place from Sept 2-4 in Stradbally, and tickets are on sale now.


More additions were also announced last week for the upcoming Body and Soul festival, taking place on June 18th & 19th in Ballinlough Castle, Co. Westmeath. They are:


Nicolas Jaar, Lisa Hannigan, Delorean, Don Letts and Parish.


The initial line-up for the gig includes Fat Freddy's Drop, Holy Fuck, Lamb, Mount Kimbie, The Field, Plaid, Arborea, The Correspondents, Joris Voorn, Brandt Brauer Frick, Darkstar, Toro y Moi, Cloud Castle Lake and Lisa O Neill.


Tickets are available now from €99. See here for more.

Line-up announced for Body and Soul festival 2011

The line-up for this year's Body and Soul festival has been announced, and boy is it tasty.. One of the - ok - THE best festival we attended last summer returns with a bang - here is the list/blurb, taking place on June 18th & 19th in Ballinlough Castle, Co. Westmeath:

Alex Wilner aka The Field

Fat Freddy's Drop

Lamb
Mount Kimbie
Darkstar
Holy Fuck
The Correspondents
Arborea
Brandt Brauer Frick
Cloud Castle Lake
Lisa O'Neill
Daithi O Dronai

Plaid

Joris Voorn

Wow. Super line-up, and more to come, I'm sure. Here's more from the blurb:

This JUNE 2011, the intimate Other-World of Body&Soul will be returning to the labyrinth of stone-walled gardens, winding pathways and woodlands at Ballinlough Castle, with the same smattering of magic and mischief in a weekend, packed with an eclectic mix of live electronic and acoustic acts, holistic arts, green crafts, a secluded Soul Kids garden, art installations and bubbling hot tubs in the forest. The weekend will also feature Body&Soul's flamboyant Saturday Night Masquerade Ball - now an annual event, where revellers are invited to slip in to costume, don a mask, and dance incognito under the stars.

Adding to the permanent installations on-site, the celebrated Burning Man artists Gerard Minakawa and SHRINE will make their annual trek from California to work exclusively with Body&Soul, contributing their craftsmanship to the festival's landscape with a new custom-built bamboo stage and dramatic art pieces made from found and recycled materials.



In keeping with the Solstice tradition the festival will culminate in a closing lakeside fire ceremony - a magnificent spectacle which will include floating art, giant puppets, fireworks and flamethrowers.


With weekend camping tickets from as little as €99 (Limited Early Bird), festival-goers are invited to enjoy Body&Soul hospitality in a carefully embroidered tapestry of creative surprises and undiscovered musical gems.

This was genuinely the best festival of last summer - think of the best parts of Electric Picnic, without the queues, walking or rain, and camping on a golf course - we can't wait to go again this year! Get buying tickets now!

Weekend Camping Tickets from EU109



Sunday Ticket EU55


Limited Early Bird Tickets EUR99


Camper Van Tickets EU30
Bus Information here. Event & Bus combined tickets available. Ticket Prices incl. Booking Fee from Tickets.ie online bookings: www.tickets.ie or telephone 0818 333 32 31.

Electric Picnic 2010 stage times (plus Body and Soul)

The times are up, gonna need to plan fairly well, some interesting clashes, not least Jonsi and Modest Mouse on Friday night (eek!).. I will have a list of stage times and locations for local acts up shortly also, or see this week's Limerick Chroncile..



FRIDAY

Main Stage:
10:30pm – midnight Roxy Music
8:45pm – 9:45pm Modest Mouse
7:15pm – 8:15pm The Waterboys
6:00pm – 6:45pm Janelle Monáe
4:45pm – 5:30pm The Jolly Boys
3:45pm – 4:15pm Donal Dineen. Niwel Tsumbu & Friends

Electric Arena:
10:45pm – midnight Public Image Ltd
9:00pm – 10:00pm Jonsi (Sigur Ros)
7:15pm – 8:15pm Marc Almond
6:00pm – 6:45pm Black Mountain
4:45pm – 5:15pm Chew Lips
3:45pm – 4:15pm Nova Static

Crawdaddy Stage:
10:50pm – 12midnight Eels
9:20pm – 10:20pm Foals
7:45pm – 8:35pm Laura Marling
6:30pm – 7:15pm Hurts
5:30pm – 6:00pm Joe Echo
4:30pm – 5:00pm Cloud Castle Lake

Cosby Stage:
11:00pm – 12midnight Duke Special
9:45pm – 10:30pm Stars
8:30 pm – 9:15pm Cymbals Eat Guitars
7:30 pm – 8:00pm Here We Go Magic
6:30 pm – 7:00pm MNDR
5:30 pm – 6:00pm Delta Maid
4:45 pm – 5:15pm Vengeance & the Panther Queen
4:00 pm – 4:30pm James O’Connor with Audrey Trainor

Little Big Tent:
01:15am – 02:00am Rubberbandits feat Crystal Swing
12:15am – 01:00am Kormac’s Big Band
10:45pm – 11:45pm Booka Shade
9:30pm – 10:30pm Sneaky Soundsystem
8:30pm – 9:30pm Sebastian Leger
7:15pm – 8:15pm The Subs
6:00pm – 7:00pm Lorcan Mac
5:00pm – 6:00pm Phil Ryan
4:00pm – 5:00pm LRB

Body and Soul:
22:40-03:30 Donal Dineen live, with guests
22:00-22:40 Janelle Monae
20:35-21:20 Freelance Whales
19:10-19:50 Johnny Flynn
18:00-18:40 I Draw Slow
17:00-17.30 Que Pezon
16:00-16:30 Bocs Social

SATURDAY:
Main Stage:
12.30am – 2.00am Leftfield
10.30pm –11.45pm The Frames
8.45pm – 9.45pm Imelda May
7.00pm – 8.00pm Seasick Steve
5.15pm – 6.15pm Afro Celt Soundsystem
3.30pm – 4.30pm Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
2:15pm – 2:55pm Heathers
1.30pm – 2.00pm Mountain Man
12.30pm – 1.00pm Brian Deady

Electric Arena:
10:45pm – 12:15am LCD Soundsystem
8:45pm – 9:45pm Hot Chip
7:00pm – 8:00pm Bad Lieutenant
5:15pm – 6:15pm Crystal Castles
4:00pm – 4:45pm K'Naan
2:45pm – 3:30pm Robyn
1:30pm – 2:00pm Spilly Walker
12:30pm – 1:00pm Channel One

Crawdaddy Stage:
12midnight – 1:00am Gil Scott Heron
9:45pm – 10:45pm Cathy Davey
8:15pm – 9:15pm Steve Earle
6:45pm – 7:45pm Paul Brady
5:15pm – 6:15pm Villagers
4:00pm – 4:45pm Redneck Manifesto
2:30pm – 3:15pm Adrian Crowley
1:30pm – 2:00pm And So I Watch You From Afar
12:30pm – 1:00pm Goodtime John

Cosby Stage:
01:00am – 02:00am Joker & Nomad
11:50pm – 12:50am Edan
10:45pm – 11:35pm Monotonix
9:15pm – 10:15pm Brendan Perry
7:45pm – 8:45pm The Antlers
6:30pm – 7:15pm Steve Mason
5:15pm – 6:00pm Philip Selway
4:00pm – 4:45pm These New Puritans
3:00pm – 3:30pm Fang Island
2:00pm – 2:30pm The Mighty Stef
1:00pm – 1:30pm Aaron Wright

Little Big Tent:
00:45am – 2:00am Bloody Beetroots
10:45pm – 00:15am Tiga
9:45pm – 10:45pm Daniel Wang
8:30pm – 9:30pm The Japanese Popstars
7:25pm – 8:15pm Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip
6:10pm – 7:10pm Stacey Pullen
5:15pm – 6:00pm Crystal Fighters
4:00pm – 5:00pm Arveene & Misk
2:00pm – 3:50pm Trojan Soundsystem
12:30pm – 2:00pm Mikki Dee & Mystro

Body and Soul:
03:30-04:30 Phil Retrospector
02:15-03:15 Martin Hayes and Denis Cahill
00:45-01:45 Caribou
22:30-23:30 Crystal Fighters
21:00-21:40 Timber Timbre
19:50-20:30 Jimmy the Hideous Penguin
18:40-19:20 John Smith
17:20-18:00 Tucan
16:00-16:40 Lisa O’ Neill
15:10-15:40 Low Sea
14:00-14:40 SPECIAL GUESTS
12:50-13:30 Nouveaunoise
11:50-12:30 Ultan Conlon

SUNDAY:

Main Stage:
10.30pm – midnight Massive Attack
8.45pm – 9.45pm The National
7:10pm – 8:00pm Mumford & Sons
5:30pm – 6:30pm Friendly Fires
3.45pm – 4.45pm Dennis Alcapone
2:30pm – 3.15pm Bonobo (live)
1.15pm – 2.00pm Cymande II
12 noon – 12.45pm Dublin Gospel Choir

Electric Arena:
9:30pm – 10:40pm Fever Ray
7:45pm – 8:45pm UNKLE
6:15pm – 7:15pm Fat Freddy’s Drop
5:00pm – 5:45pm Two Door Cinema Club
3:30pm – 4:15pm Beardyman
2:30pm – 3:00pm DaM-FunK + Master Blazter
1:30pm – 2:00pm Neon Indian
12:30pm – 1:00pm Messiah J & the Expert

Crawdaddy Stage:
11:00pm – 12midnight Wolf Parade
9:15pm – 10:15pm Low Anthem
7:45pm – 8:45pm The Horrors
6:30pm – 7:15pm The Big Pink
5:15pm – 6:00pm Fight Like Apes
4:00pm – 4:45pm The Alarm
2:45pm – 3:30pm Stornoway
1:30pm – 2:15pm The Tallest Man on Earth
12:30pm – 1:00pm James McMorrow

Cosby Stage:
11:00pm – midnight New Pornographers
9:15pm – 10:15pm The Fall
7:45pm – 8:30pm Liquid Liquid
6:15pm – 7:15pm Archie Bronson Outfit
5:00pm – 5:45pm Field Music
3:50pm – 4:30pm Dandelion
2:50pm – 3:20pm Jerry Fish
2:00pm – 2:30pm O Emperor
1:00pm – 1:30pm Land Lovers
12 noon – 12:30pm Riptide Movement

Little Big Tent:
10:45pm – 12midnight Laurent Garnier live
9:15pm – 10:15pm 808 State
8:00pm – 9:00pm Juan Atkins
7:00pm – 7:55pm Mixhell
5:45pm – 6:45pm Jackbeats
2:30pm – 5:30pm Mr Scruff
1:30pm – 2:15pm Lorcan Mak

Body and Soul:
03:00-03.30 Visuals & Close
02:30-02:45 Judith Mok feat. Shane Booth & Daniel Forde performing Love & Life in Operatic Recital
01:00-02:00 Omar Souleyman
23:30-00:30 John Cooper Clarke
22:50-23:05 Sfear
21:30-22:30 Iarla O Lionaird & Steve Cooney
20:10-21:00 Neon Indian
18:30-19:15 Martina Topley Bird
17:25-18:00 Arborera
16:05-16:55 Cymande II
14:50-15:25 Special Guest
14:00-14:30 Jennifer Evans
13:00-13:30 Daithi O’Dronai
12.00-12.30 Paul Melia

Body and Soul Solstice Gathering this weekend

The first ever Body and Soul festival is gearing up to take off this weekend, with superb weather forecasted for the next few days.

The Body and Soul Solstice Gathering 2010 has essentially relocated the beating heart of the Stradbally based Electric Picnic extravaganza to Ballinlough Castle in Co. Meath for the weekend, with Four Tet, !!! (CHK CHK CHK), Jape, R.S.A.G and Tuung, among many, many others, set to provide a superb soundtrack to the festival.

The full line-up for the main stage is listed below, but, like its older Picnic-brother, the Body and Soul solstice festival features a veritable cornucopia of events, music and otherwise, including - I am led to believe - "acoustic jams, impromptu parties, wood-fired hot tubs, winding paths through delicious food stalls, holistic arts, a secluded soul kids garden, a masquerade ball with a moonlit orchestra, and bonfires under the stars".

The closing ceremony on Sunday will also feature a night-time extravaganza celebrating the theme of this year’s Summer Solstice: Phoenix Rising, and those present can expect Pyrotechnic/Pyro-Performance pieces around Sun Discs, fireworks and some other fire-fantastical elements.

A full line-up of events is available here.

Ballinlough Castle is nestled between the towns of Athboy and Clonmellon, Co. Meath. On the N52 (Kells to Mullingar Road) 3 miles south of Clonmellon and 4 miles west of Athboy.

Saturday's line-up/times:

12:15 - 2am - Gaudi
10:45-12:00am - Four Tet
9:15 - 10:15pm - Jape
8:00 - 8:45pm - Crystal Fighters
6:15 - 7:15pm - Voice of the Seven Thunders
4:30 - 5:30pm - Broken Records
3:00 - 3:45pm - Wiggle
2:00 - 2:30pm - Chequerboard
1:00 - 1:30pm - Patrick Kelleher & Cold Dead Hands
12 - 12:30pm - Jennifer Evans
11:00 - 11:30am - Imogen Gunner & the Imo band

Sunday:

1:00 -2am - RSAG
11:15-12:30am - !!! (Chk Chk Chk)
9:30 - 10:30pm - Blue King Brown
7:45 - 8:45pm - Tunng
5:40 - 7:15pm - Donal Dineen, Niwel Tsumbu & guests
4:25 - 5:10pm - Kormac's Big Band
3:15 - 3:55pm - The Egg
2:00 - 2:40pm - Katie Kim
1:00 - 1:30pm - Eoin Duignan
12 - 12:30pm - Colette
10:30-11:30am - Dr Alex Paterson

A limited number of tickets are still available and are available here. Gates open at 9am on Saturday. For more see here. Enjoy!

Early Bird Tickets For Electric Picnic Now Sold-Out

The last of the early bird tickets for Electric Picnic are now sold-out, apparently snapped up this morning. They were available for €199 ahead of the full release and line-up announcement, which takes place next Wednesday (woo!) - and the full price tickets will be available for sale on Friday, March 26.
The full line-up will be revealed here next Wednesday, so be sure and check-in..

However, those lovely people behind the Body and Soul area at Electric Picnic have announced that they are to hold their own festival in June in Co. Meath - which sounds fab, and we will be there with bells on. For more info, see below..

THE ORGANISERS of the Body and Soul area at the Electric Picnic festival in Stradbally - quite literally the beating heart of the festival - have decided to host a ‘special gathering’ to celebrate the summer solstice in June. The Body and Soul Solstice Gathering will take place in the beautiful surrounds of Ballinlough Castle, Co. Meath on June 19-20, and with capacity capped at 1,500 and camping available, promises to be an intimate event.
The line-up is good too, featuring Four Tet, Jape, !!! (aka Chk Chk Chk) Dr Alex Paterson, Crystal Fighters, Voice of the Seven Thunders, Gaudi, Kormac’s Big Band, and many more to be announced.
There will also be electronic acts, street theatre, acoustic jams, a healing area, a permaculture garden, a soul kids area, visual arts, workshops, hot tubs, late night cabarets and a masquerade ball with a moon lit orchestra under the stars, according to the organisers. The festival will finish with a “fire ceremony in tribute to the festival theme Phoenix Rising”.
Tickets for the festival went on sale last Saturday at the early bird price of €99. For more see here.

The Elective Orchestra ready for Electric Picnic

AS THE HORDES prepare to descend on Stradbally this weekend, Limerick’s representation at Electric Picnic will be led by local collective Nick Carswell and his band the Elective Orchestra. The band will perform in the Body and Soul Arena at 7pm on Saturday, and singer Nick revealed that the band are very excited about the precious slot at the festival.
“We are really, really looking forward to it, particularly after last year, I wasn't going to be happy until we got a slot at the Picnic,” laughed Nick.
“It is a big deal for us because it is such a great festival to be part of, particularly the Body and Soul area.”
Asked what it is about the festival that makes it such a special one, Nick is philosophical in his reply, noting the Body and Soul area, a natural amphitheatre that is the heartbeat or focal point of the Stradbally music and arts extravaganza.
“The whole festival in general is amazing, but what I love about it is the Body and Soul area, we spent a lot of time there the last couple of years - the whole vibe is very special for a music festival, there is nothing like it in Ireland,” explained Nick.
“The relaxed, chilled out vibe of it feels quite magical and you feel like you are really away from the modern world.
“Relaxing in amongst trees and all the different arts installations that they have, every little detail has something special about it and that is what makes it what it is,” he added.
The Elective Orchestra have secured a prized spot on the innovative Tree Stage, something else they are excited about.
“Apparently this year an artist has carved a stage out of a fallen tree, which is what we are going to be performing on and I'm looking forward to seeing what it is going to be like,” said Nick.
“I really don't know what to expect or how that is going to look, but it sounds right up our street with regard to our acoustic instruments - the cello, violin and acoustic guitar - they all work well with wood, so hopefully we will be getting some good vibrations through the tree,” he laughed. The Limerick band, made up of cellist and violinist Deirdre and Kate Cussen, drummer Bart Kiely, bassist Fergal O’Neill - well known from his stint with Woodstar - and singer Sian Murray, recently went on tour to support the release of second single Oceanview, reminding them of the pleasures of playing to new audiences.
“It was great, it was really good to get out on the road and bring the tunes to a new audience again,” says Nick.
“That is a big part of it, we keep reminding ourselves that that is what it is all about, getting out and playing to people all over the country - you can get carried away with other stuff, but playing live is undoubtedly our favourite part of what we do.”
The band are applying the finishing touches to their debut album and have settled into a steady line-up over the last year, a fact that has seen them grow and become more cohesive, both on stage and in the studio.
“Yeah, the core of our set are songs that we know intimately, inside and out, and they have really taken on a life of their because of all the rehearsal and gigs we have done and that is something we are really proud of,” explained Nick.
“The arrangements and the whole idea of our band has developed really well, we are quite happy with where we are as a group and we want to look forward.
“We still have to finish the album but there is lots more ahead of us and we are eager to build on that,” he added.
Nick Carswell and the Elective Orchestra play on the Tree Stage in the Body and Soul Arena at 7pm on Saturday.

Electric Picnic stage times, photos, general excitement!

This is getting ridiculous. Two days to go and I'm like an excited child on Christmas Eve. Scrolling through the EP facebook site and I see that they have pics up of the site build - this is almost too much to bear!!

I also spent the afternoon buying a raincoat and wellies for the first time ever going to a festival, and I've been getting calls ever since about how good the weather forecast is shaping up! For the record, this is what Met Eireann have to say about the weekend, so I'm still bringing my wet gear:

"Remaining cool and windy for Thursday and Friday, with the fresh to strong west to northwest winds persisting. There will be sunshine and showers, the showers heavy and possibly thundery in places during Thursday, though there will be fewer showers on Friday. Saturday promises to be mainly dry with lighter winds".

Official stage times being released tomorrow, but Body and Soul times are up now see here.

The Body and Soul is to have its own radio station (they thought of everything!). From the blurb:

A new and exciting addition to this year’s festival is Electric Picnics very own little slice of the airwaves. Body & Soul FM will broadcast live gigs from the main stage, interviews, DJ slots and festival news direct to cars, tents and camper vans on the site. Expect lively interviews with artists, environmentalists and holistic gurus, alongside useful general information and chats with performers and festival-goers. The studio will be located in the Body & Soul village on the festival site on wavelength 104.3fm.

There is also a Laundromat (yes, you read that correctly), loads of foodie type stuff (including Michelin star chef Dylan McGrath - no, I don't know who he is either) and a Powder Room (a chic beauty lounge located in a 50 foot luxury trailer). Wow.

Other blogs (why would you be reading them?!) are reporting that ticket sales have risen past the 30,000 mark, so get cracking if you haven't already bought a ticket!!

Jesus the excitement is killing me!

Body and Soul line-up for Electric Picnic

This is getting better and better.. The line-up for the Body and Soul arena for EP '09 includes the likes of Four Tet, Dan Deacon (solo show), J Tillman (of Fleet Foxes fame), Villagers, 3epkano, Charlie Parr, Roots Union, Chequerboard, Niwel Tsumbu, Lamb - and many, many more..

On the Beat can't see anything else for it, but to set up in the Body and Soul for the weekend and completely ignore everything else that is happening.

Here is the line-up in full, lifted from Mr Jim Carroll's fine blog (thanks Jim!):

Friday
Donal Dineen and guests, Kormac’s Big Band, Blindfold, Katie Kim, Villagers, Funzo, Colin Devlin

Saturday
Tulla Ceili Band, Four Tet, Tunng, Lamb, 3epkano, Wiggle, Niwel Tsumbu, Tiny Vipers, Island Line, Ohbijou, Kill Krinkle Club, Chequerboard

Sunday
Estas Tonne featuring Ise, Beach House, Amorphous Androgenous, The Sound Carriers, Golden Animals, Dan Deacon (solo show), Charlie Parr, Roots Union, J. Tillman, First Aid Kit, Baah Band, Chequerboard (DJ set)