2 Many Djs:
Alternative Rock/Electro
Essential Album: Soulwax Presents: Most of the Remixes
Meg says; Belgium mash-up pioneers. A good dance act for people who don’t actually like dance music.
A Flock Of Seagulls:
New Wave/Electro Pop
Essential Album: Listen
Meg says; Not just the pioneers of the eponymous haircut. Also made classic 80’s music
Baaba Maal:
African Beat
Essential Album: On The Road
Meg says: Esteemed African guitarist. ‘The Senegalese Christy Moore’ it’s been said…possibly.
Barry Redsetta
Bat For Lashes:
Alternative/Indie
Essential Album: Two Suns
Meg says; Twice nominated for the Mercury prize (including this year). Could be a festival highlight.
Billy Bragg:
Folk/Alternative
Essential Album: Don’t Try This At Home
Meg says: Serial collaborator, might get a special guest or two up on stage
Brian Wilson:
Pop
Essential Album: Pet Sounds
Meg says; Used be in a band called Beach Boys, apparently they were quite successful
Cap Pas Cap:
New Wave
Essential Album: We Are Men (12”)
Meg says; Emerging Dublin band. Like to describe their style as ‘no wave’.
Chew Lips
Chic:
Disco//R&B
Essential Album: C’est Chic
Meg says; You probably will recognise ‘La Freak’, a good way to get away from the more serious acts for a while.
Chris Cunningham Live:
Dance/Audio-Visual
Essential Album: I Feel Love (single)
Meg says; Better known as a Music video director, should be an interesting spectacle.
David Geraghty
Indie
Essential album: The Victory Dance
Meg says; Bell X1 singer strikes out. Chilled out David Grey/Jack Johnson type music.
ESG:
Funk/Post Punk
Essential Album: Come Away With ESG
Meg says; Hugely influential 80’s funk band, reformed last year.
Explosions In The Sky:
Instrumental/Post Rock
Essential Album: The Rescue
Meg says; They describe their songs as ‘cathartic mini-symphonies’. Try not to hold it against them.
Four Tet:
PostRock/Electronic
Essential Album: Ringer
Meg says; Another DJ known for remixing some pretty cool bands, should be a decent set.
Imelda May:
Rockabilly
Essential Album: Love Tattoo
Meg says; Finally getting recognition this year, should be a triumphant set.
Jape:
Electronic/Rock
Essential Album: The Monkeys in the Zoo Have More Fun Than Me
Meg says; The only Irish band to have been covered by The Raconteurs, a good thing.
Jazzanova Live:
Jazz
Essential Album: Of All The Things
Meg says; Unlike the ‘Nu-Rave’ label, ‘Nu-Jazz’ is a decent description for this lot.
Jon Averill
Julie Feeney:
Instrumental/Electronic
Essential Album: 13 Songs
Meg says; Listed as a composer singer, record producer, musician, songwriter, theatre artist and educator on her Wikipedia page. So good that she has time to play Electric Picnic.
Just Jack
Kid Creole And The Coconuts:
Latin/Big Band
Essential Album: Tropical Gangsters
Meg says; Used to throw whole coconuts into the audience, but massive lawsuits followed. That may not be true.
Klaxons:
Indie/Alternative
Essential Album: Myths of The Near Future
Meg says; The ‘Nu-Rave’ hype was annoying but still a great live band
Lisa Hannigan:
Folk/Indie
Essential Album: Sea Sew
Meg says; Unbelievably the only Meath born, Mercury nominated, former Damian Rice collaborator playing the festival.
Low Anthem:
Folk/Alternative
Essential Album: Oh my God, Charlie Darwin.
Meg says; Great live band, will have a ridiculous amount of instruments onstage.
Lrb & Conor G
Madness:
Ska
Essential Album; Absolutely
Meg says; Twenty plus years on the go. Still a good larf live
Magnolia Electric Co:
Indie/Folk
Essential Album: Josephine
Meg says; Band name is an anagram for ‘A Grimace Collection’. But that’s not really that relevant.
Marina & The Diamonds:
New Wave/Pop
Essential Album: Crown Jewels
Meg says; Her debut single is ‘I Am Not a Robot’ which will hopefully put those nasty rumours to bed.
Moderat:
Electronic/Experimental
Essential Album: Moderat
Meg says; As well as being German and making experimental electronic music, they even look like Kraftwerk on stage.
Mundy:
Indie/Rock
Essential Album: Jellylegs
Meg says; Nothing out of the ordinary but July and Galway Girl are always crowd pleasers.
Neko Case:
Indie/Alternative
Essential Album: Middle Cyclone
Meg says; Made a big splash on the American Indie Scene this year after years on the road. She also sings with The New Pornographers.
Noze:
Electro/Techno
Essential Album: Encore
Meg says; French so bring a level of sophistication to Techno, and cool Panama hats.
One Day International:
Indie
Essential Album: Blackbird
Meg says; Another Irish band, their first album was released this year.
Optimo Djs
Roots Manuva:
HipHop/Dub
Essential Album: Awfully Deep
Meg says; The King of Dub. Hit or miss live, but can be spectacular.
Special Disco Version Dj Set James Murphy Pat Mahoney:
Disco/House
Essential Album: Love has come around
Meg says; LCD soundsystem founder James Murphy teams up with Pat Mahoney (LCD drummer) to mess around with Disco music.
Stee Downes:
Soul/Jazz
Essential Album: All in a Day
Meg says; Dublin born singer-songwriter, something of a homecoming gig for him having been based in Amsterdam for 7 years.
The Field:
Indie/Dance
Essential Album: From Here We Go Sublime
Meg says; Sadly not an old man with a white beard shouting “This is my field” repeatedly for 40 minutes. If only wishing made it so.
The Hacker:
House/Techno
Essential Album: Reves Mecaniques
Meg says; The French really do love their dance music, don’t they. Another French DJ.
The Lost Brothers:
Indie
Essential Album: Fallen
Meg says; Not brothers or lost. Two guys with guitars, called Bosh and Bark (really). From Tyrone and Meath respectively.
The Walkmen:
Indie/Post Punk
Essential Album: Bows & Arrows
Meg says; Something of a coup for E.P organizers as this American band have an aversion to flying. Could be a highlight as long as they make it on the plane.
The XX:
Pop/NewWave
Essential Album: The XX
Meg says; A late addition to the line-up. Have been attracting huge hype so an opportunity to see for yourself.
Tunng:
Folktronica
Essential Album: Good Arrows
Meg says; Have been known to use strange instruments onstage, including sea shells, dead cats and human organs. Two of the three things listed are not true.
Whitest Boy Alive:
Indie/Dance
Essential Album: Rules
Meg says; He’s so white that he sometimes he appears grey.
