Electric Picnic 2025 **No Ticket Sales / Requests** - Hot metal and methedrine, I hear empire down

Yes, Aphex Twin, Radiohead (I'd even take The Smile or Thom Yorke on his own!) & MBV as subs!! MBV actually did do EP, IIRC.

Fontaines possible headliners?

He was in the the categories (AT) last year too.

Yea and an appearance at EP is almost guaranteed

Fontaines with present momentum are probably too big for ATN given two nights at the 3Arena and the new album heading to no 1 in much of Europe. They're likely to get a much bigger offer from FR and I reckon it's either an EP headline slot or Marlay Park. They've outgrown Malahide I think unless they do two nights.

I'd love EP but more likely may be replicating the July show at Finsbury Park in Marlay with the same support - Kneecap, Amyl & the Sniffers, etc. We should find out soon after the 3Arena gigs. Must be tempting to them though to play to the biggest audience in the country and regarding them having different bookers, they've played EP three times at least, the last only two years ago.

bigger than Nick Cave, Lorde or the National?

Fontaines seem to have built up a relationship with POD throughout their albums. I imagine it'll be a dedicated curated day similar to Lankum around June next year. Perhaps ATN

IMO they wouldn't sell out one night in Malahide with their current back catalogue.

Unless there was a great undercard with the likes of Shame/Murder capital and similar bands.

Lorde's last Irish gig before ATN was headlining Forbidden Fruit. Not the draw she was.

Nick Cave's last Irish gig before ATN was Kilmainham. He could do one night at the 3Arena. Not two.

The National did one night at the 3Arena. Fontaines are doing two. They're a bigger act in Ireland right now and about to get bigger. Could possibly add a third 3Arena gig if the demand comes in the next few months as the album hits everywhere.

Ha! That very card, Shame, Fontaines, Murder Capital played the Tivoli (RIP) shortly after the 2018 Picnic. A great night.

Fontaines last album was no 1 in Ireland & the UK. Top five in Germany, Belgium, Netherlands. No 7 in France. No 2 in US Heat. This album will be bigger.

As above they’ve already sold 25k tickets for the 3Arena shows and may sell more if they add another date. If they don’t do EP then it’s Marlay or two nights at Malahide. They’re the biggest Irish indie act since the early years of U2 and they’re potentially heading towards topping the bill at Glastonbury.

Absolutely, they're good but they're no Kodaline.

I’d have assumed that ‘heading towards’ headlining Glastonbury was pretty unambiguous. Apparently not. It ain’t happening in 2025 but possibly 2027/28.

Tis all about trajectory. These guys have made it in Europe and are getting bigger here. They break the US in the next 2/3 years and they’ll top the bill at Glasto.

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An Irish indie band (don’t underestimate the local support) who’ve had two number 1 albums (with a third to be announced next week) and who can do two or three nights at the 3Arena can headline EP. Their monthly listening figures are 9 times those of the Saw Doctors and 12 times those of the Mary Wallopers, both of whom had significant slots on the main stage this year. The kids are listening to the Fonts so don’t patronise ‘em.

In terms of the Park Stage, at 20k it’s close to double the capacity of Woodsies and the fourth largest stage at EP. It goes quite a way back if you’ve been there. You omitted two of the sub-headliners over the past two years, Leftfield and Orbital who’ve both headlined EP. Fatboy Slim has headlined EP twice and could easily take the slot that Calvin Harris had this year. Most here wouldn’t like it but it’d be no great shock.

The stage is also one where big acts do surprise slots, examples being Radiohead, Jack White, Pulp, Elbow and others. You’d be foolish to assume it’s a little stage brushed away in the corner. And as before watch the Fonts continue to move up the bill there. They don’t and you can admonish me back here in 3/4 years.

The Strokes who are one of the biggest headliners and legacy bands in the world. Those guys?

My point on The Strokes was more that indie/guitars might not be not dead on the main stage just yet... albeit its probably a poor trajectory of tbe last two years. But in terms of size, if Cinnamon and Kodeline can sub-headline the main stage, there's no reason that Fontaines couldn't pull a similar size crowd!

idles won’t be going near an AIken festival this century.
honestly the strokes at EP in 2019 was odd one. I don’t we will see the likes of those acts in headline slots.

I’d pay good money to see the look on @bodhrandude ’s face as he stands front and centre 😀