Electric Picnic Sells Out Without Announcing A Band?

Yesterday I received two emails from Electric Picnic newslwetter. The first was to tell me the festival had sold out, the second was to announce the line-up. Something in my head tells me that this is the wrong order? That is to say 55,000 tickets had sold without knowledge of one band that was playing. It is fairly clear the position the festival holds in music/ youth culture in Ireland. It is seen as the best and biggest festival, and really has very little opposition for that crown. The festival has always aimed itself at a slightly older audience, and it is no surprise to see bands like Duran Duran and A Tribe Called Quest headline.

While Duran Duran did release Paper Gods in 2015, it is fairly safe to say they are not playing on its merits. They will be expected to run through the hits and will no doubt comply. A Tribe Called Quest returned last year with the well-received ‘We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service’ which was their first album since 1998. These are heritage acts and safe crowd pleasers.

It does beg the question though, does the music matter? If fans are not going for any particular act but rather for the festival itself, why should the promoters strive to keep their standards high? While Duran Duran would do little for me, I’d happily watch the other two headliners. Some of the smaller acts on the list are also impressive, including Run the Jewels, Father John Misty, Divine Comedy, Young Fathers, Perfume Genius, Real Estate, Japandriods and more.

It does beg the question though, is it not about time that someone else started to try and compete? Competition is always a good thing, so Body&Soul, Forbidden Fruit et al, it’s over to you! Dazzle us with your music…