IT IS the final major festival of the summer, and the weather looks set to put everyone in good humour as Electric Picnic approaches this weekend.A sizeable contingent of local fans will again make the pilgrimage to the gorgeous rolling plains of Stradbally, but among the masses is a large contingent of local artists who will also perform at the three day music and arts festival.
As it is classed as such, Electric Picnic is not just about music - rather it offers a mind-bending array of comedy, theatre and discussion - indeed everything from political debate to cooking demonstrations - among such headline acts as Roxy Music, Massive Attack, Leftfield and The Frames.
Local bands such as The Brad Pitt Light Orchestra, Nick Carswell and the Elective Orchestra, Size2Shoes and the Limerick-based Roots Factory DJs will be joined by local comedian Karl Spain, the Choke Comedy Improv troupe and actor Zeb Moore, who will be performing his one-man show Spinal Krapp in the Theatre Tent in the Mindfield arena.
However, the pick of the bunch - and our absolute stone-cold highlight for the weekend - has to be the Rubberbandits pending debut appearance with cult-heroes Crystal Swing in the Little Big Arena on Friday night.
The bizarre gig - it is true, believe us! - will be one of two the Rubberbandits will play at the weekend, with the second an appearance on the Comedy Stage on Saturday. In an attempt to get an official comment from one of the plastic-bag wearing duo ahead of their appearance with Irish pop-trio Crystal Swing, On the Beat contacted one half of the dastardly duo to find out why they had chosen the Irish band as their special guests.“I have fancied the Ma in Crystal Swing since I first seen her,” explains Mr Chrome in his inimitable Limerick accent.
“She has this pure captivating look in her eyes. It is as if her iris is the setting for a fight between innocence and sin, and I am the referee. Finally, at the Picnic I will get my chance to shift the face off her,” laughs the Rubberbandit.
Local comedian Karl Spain will perform on a different type of stage as he hosts “ESB Picnic Power” on Sunday afternoon. Essentially a carnival style carousel with thirty bicycles powering an electric shower, Spain will be on hand to get volunteers onto the bikes and may even avail of a hot shower himself!
“It should be good craic. The thing has been described to me as a shower thing that is like a carousel, with 30 people on bikes creating enough energy to power the shower in the middle,” he says.
“My theory is, if you have 30 people cycling, all of them are going to need a shower afterwards! I dont know if that flaw has been thought through,” he laughs. Spain will also perform on the Comedy Stage on Sunday.
The local comedian has played at Electric Picnic a number of times, and says people need to take a break from the madness, and what better place than the comedy tent.
“It is a great idea having comedy at these things, because it is down time. As much as people like to think they are going to go mad for 72 hours, they are not, they need to sit and chill out for a while, and listen to someone who will entertain you,” he explains.
Local musicians Nick Carswell and David Blake of the BPLO are of a similar opinion and are big ‘Picnic fans.“We're delighted to be playing again, especially in Body and Soul arena, which is the big cosy heart of the festival,” says Nick, who will play with his band on Sunday afternoon on the Love Letters Stage.
“It's the perfect setting for The Elective Orchestra - last year our stage was made from a fallen tree so we can't wait to see the setup, it's always a bit magical. We'll be soothing some sore heads on Sunday afternoon while gearing people up for the last day of the fest,” he adds.
The BPLO will play in the Theatre Tent in the Mindfield area on Sunday night, closing out proceedings in that tent.
“We're thrilled to be invited back to play the Electric Picnic again this year,” says David. “Delightfully we're due to play in the Theatre Tent this year (and the Cabaret tent) which should house our many members. Since we're playing in a tent, we'll be hoping for rain to drive the punters in! Just kidding,” he laughs.
No such luck Mr Blake, the forecast this weekend is for sun, and we can expect plenty of laughter along the way.
Electric Picnic takes place this Friday to Sunday in Stradbally, and some tickets remain on sale from ticketmaster.ie
Don’t miss:
The Rubberbandits (Friday, Little Big Arena, 1.15am and Saturday, Comedy Stage 4pm)
Choke Comedy Improv (Saturday, Theatre Tent, 12.30pm)
Size2Shoes (Saturday, Village Green Bandstand, 2pm)
The Roots Factory (Saturday, Trenchtown, 5-8pm and midnight to 4am)
Spinal Krapp (Theatre Tent, Saturday, 5.30pm)
Karl Spain (Sunday, Comedy Tent)
Nick Carswell and the Elective Orchestra (Sunday, Love Letters Stage, Body and Soul, 4pm)
The Brad Pitt Light Orchestra (Sunday, Theatre Tent, 7.30pm)
MORE new additions to the Electric Picnic line-up, some of which are very exciting indeed, including new soul diva Janelle Monae, harmonic female trio and recent Bella Union signing Mountain Man, Irish lad Duke Special, dreamy shoegaze pop from Neon Indian, and the superb Irish band O Emperor. 
