Electric Picnic 2023 review: Thirteen talking points from a fine weekend in Stradbally
Electric Picnic 2023: Niall Horan on stage; the crowd at Electric Arena for the Wolfe Tones; three music fans enjoying the sun. Pictures: Leah Farrell, EP Official, Niall Carson
The Wolfe Tones’ first appearance at Electric Picnic already feels like it has the makings of an annual tradition. Festival organisers say the veteran folk band attracted the biggest crowd ever to the Electric Arena, with thousands joining in the Sunday singalong from outside the huge, packed marquee.
There was a definite feeling of Siamsa Cois Laoi ’81 as thousands belted out classic ballads such as ‘Grace’, and likely unleashed acres of media debate with their ‘Up the Ra’ chants. It all marks quite the revival for a group largely excluded from the main tent of the Irish music world for many decades.
After the deluge at the 2022 event, and the rather damp summer we’ve had this year, the good weather in Stradbally through the weekend was particularly appreciated. Festivals are definitely more fun in the sun.
Just one hour away from his hometown of Mullingar, former One Directioner Niall Horan was proud as punch to be playing Electric Picnic 2023. Having not played in Ireland in five years, the ‘Slow Hands’ singer told the crowd on Friday night that he had never been so nervous for a gig. As the audience sang along to every word of his songs, Horan was clearly feeling emotional.
He was barely able to get a word in between songs due to the cheering and the Olé, Olé chants from the crowd, who he thanked for making his dreams come true. To see an Irish star so proud to play in his home country is always special and Horan’s main stage performance – complete with a One Direction throwback made for a truly memorable first night at the festival.
Another first night highlight was a stellar show from American singer songwriter Billie Eilish who also brought along her brother and co-writer, Finneas. The Bad Guy singer played the festival in 2019 and broke records with the crowd she drew to the main stage.
This time around, the singer made the crowd feel like part of their very talented family as she dedicated her hit ‘Everything I Wanted’ to her brother. Eilish told the crowd she was feeling rather ill, but despite a couple of coughs along the way, she pulled off an amazing performance with the help of the crowd who were more than happy to sing along with her.
Saturday night brought British DJ Fred Again’s Main Stage debut and festival-goers couldn’t have been happier. Last year, the multi-instrumentalist – who has worked with the like of Ed Sheeran and Stormzy – performed on a smaller stage in the festival’s Rankin’s Woods.
This year, chatter around campsites made it clear that the 2023 headliner was a highlight for many EP attendees this year. From delivering his biggest hits to his chats with the crowd, those at the Main Stage were singing Fred’s praises after a great set and end to night two of the festival.
Kanye West and the words ‘low-profile’ aren’t often seen in the same sentence, but apparently the troubled American star did fly under the radar to attend Electric Picnic.
Kanye was spotted at Dublin Airport with his entourage after reportedly attending the Stradbally event to see his pal Steve Lacy at the Electric Arena on Friday night. An unverified photo also emerged of a hooded figure hugging Lacy backstage – supposedly it’s West, who has been effusive in his praise for Lacy’s Gemini Rights album.
The Script were in front of what lead singer Danny O’ Donoghue described as the “loudest crowd” they’ve ever had on Sunday night. The performance included O’Donoghue chugging a pint of Guinness on stage while a lucky man by the name of Pat got quite the unexpected surprise when the O’Donoghue called him from his girlfriend Niamh’s phone after she handed it over from the crowd. “Hiya Pat this is Danny from The Script,” he said before singing ‘Nothing’ while on FaceTime to him.
But the highlight of performance was a moving tribute to band member Mark Sheehan who passed away in April. “Earlier on this year we lost our brother,” O’Donoghue said before a huge cheer from the crowd. “You never realise what you have until it’s gone.” Choking on his words, the lead singer said it was Sheehan was really looking forward to playing Electric Picnic before dedicating the very emotional ‘If You Could See Me Now’ to his late friend and band mate as video clips of him played in the background and fans in the crowd wiped away tears.
Johnny Marr’s set in the Electric Arena was a smash, taking in his extensive solo work and, of course, some Smiths classics, beginning with 'Hang the DJ' and continuing with ‘This Charmless Man’, ‘Bigmouth Strikes Again’ and a transcendent ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’.
As indie kids, their indie parents and then their indie grandparents poured into the Electric Arena, it was ‘How Soon Is Now’ which blew the roof off. The moment when everything bar that echoey guitar and the solid drumbeat drops out is still one of the most heartstopping moments in music.
Roddy Collins had a packed crowd at the Leviathan tent in the Mindfield area for a chat with his autobiography co-author Paul Howard. He then reappeared next door at the Ah, Hear tent for an Off the Ball special shortly afterwards. Dressed in a Hawaiian shirt (“my children told me to put this on this morning”) and with a full stack of anecdotes, he had the audience rolling in the aisles at both events.
At this rate, expect ShowaddyRoddy to headline the main stage with his band next year. And maybe Glastonbury too.
While some veterans grumbled about this year’s line-up in advance of the event, there’s no denying that the 2023 roster had a particularly strong Irish contingent. One of those flying the flag for Cork was Cian Ducrot, who underlined why he’s being touted as Ireland’s next breakthrough star. On Saturday, he worked his flute like a magician as a large, sun drenched crowd gathered in front of the main stage in the early evening.
It must have been a vision for the Passage West native, whose 2022 single, ‘All For You’ first gained popularity via TikTok. The thrill isn’t likely to end any time soon, with people of all ages singing along to ‘I’ll Be Waiting’. Ducrot’s sunglasses initially looked orange, but just maybe they were rose-tinted, looking to the future.
For the second year in a row, the HSE had a drug-testing facility onsite at Electric Picnic. Attendees could surrender substances in special bins, and the HSE would make public announcements on any particular issues of concern. It was a policy that already bore fruit by the Friday of the festival with warnings being issued about ‘purple punisher pills’ containing large amounts of MDMA. The HSE said that these pills contained 246mg – about double the average dose.
On Saturday, the HSE also cautioned that the substance 3-CMC — a potent stimulant-type drug that can lead to negative mental health reactions — was being sold as cocaine.
Finishing a fantastic weekend was Las Vegas based rockers, the Killers who took to the main stage on Sunday night. Lead singer Brandon Flowers and co brought the best of their hits including crowd pleasers like ‘Mr Brightside’ and ‘Human’.
But it was a surprise appearance from Mike Scott of the Waterboys that topped off the night. The Scotsman joined Flowers on stage to sing ‘The Whole of the Moon', ending Electric Picnic 2023 on a high.
The fears of this year’s event being the ‘final September’ festival were allayed by director Melvin Benn, who assured that the switch to mid-August for 2024 is a one-off. He said the temporary change was in order to book a “specific artist”. And in what has become an almost annual ritual for the end-of-festival briefing, Benn also flagged that the next event would expand in capacity, going from 70,000 to 75,000. Bigger? Yes. Better? We look forward to finding out.
