From returning favourites Arcade Fire and The National to veterans Stevie Wonder and Elvis Costello to bright hopes The Middle East and Villagers, JIM CARROLLrounds up the 20 hottest acts playing this summer
JAY-Z
While there are a few other acts jostling for Jigga's crown (just a few, mind), the fact that he's still capable of knocking out tunes like Empire State of Mindkeeps the Brooklyn native in pole position. The various non-music ventures and superstar wife (that would be Beyoncé) help to maintain his high profile, but his musical smarts remain his trump card. As he showed at Glastonbury in June 2008, Jigga is more than capable of kicking out the jams in a festival setting to a field of indie and pop fans. Given the Oxegen demographic, this is an inspired booking. Oxegen, Punchestown, Co Kildare, July 9
!!! (CHK CHK CHK)
There's a pretty decent line-up on the cards for Electric Picnic offshoot Body Soul's debut run in Co Meath, with Four Tet, Jape, Voice of the Seven Thunders and more on the bill. For our money, though, idiosyncratic US dance-punk mob !!! should take the plaudits. New album Strange Weather, Isn't It?is due later this summer, but there's already a host of fine funky, punky grooves on previous albums Myth Takes and Louden Up Nowto be going on with. Body & Soul, Ballinlough Castle, Co Meath, June 20
ARCADE FIRE
Canadian show-stoppers Arcade Fire made their reputation on the back of inspirational live shows that connected with the big music in considerable style. Few who were bundled into the tent for their Electric Picnic show in 2005, for instance, will easily forget the euphoric head rush of that debut Irish performance. Since then, they've released a second album ( Neon Bible, not quite as good as debut Funeral) and played several shows in a tent in the Phoenix Park. This Oxegen appearance is a primer for an as-yet-untitled third album, due later in the summer. Don't worry, though, they'll probably still play Wake Up. Oxegen, Punchestown, Co Kildare, July 9
THE MIDDLE EAST
If you only see one Australian buzz band this summer, chances are it will be The Middle East. Playing spine-tingling orchestral pop bursting with heart and soul, the seven-strong band's profile has been growing all year, thanks to much-lauded appearances at the South by Southwest festival in March and an EP featuring such magnificent songs as Bloodand The Darkest Side. In between touring the globe all summer, the band are also putting the finishing touches to a debut album they hope to release before the end of the year. Sugar Club, Dublin, June 26; Oxegen, Co Kildare, July 11
THE NATIONAL
Behold the quiet revolution. It has taken The National a couple of years of slow, steady progression, measured in fantastic albums and live shows, to reach the stage of being many people's favourite band. New album High Violetcontains all those much-admired National hallmarks: Matt Berninger's stately baritone, beautifully subdued musical grandeur and a widescreen sense of drama. If you're after downbeat, troubled tunes that build into exquisite, heartbreaking anthems, you've come to the right place. Electric Picnic, Stradbally, Co Laois, September 3-5
PHILIP GLASS
Not only is Philip Glass (above) the world's most pre-eminent classical composer, but he is also the world's only pre-eminent classical composer who used to drive a New York cab and was parodied on South Park.Glass continues to be one of the most prolific composers in the game, with a hectic schedule of live performances worldwide, in addition to a seemingly never-ending series of new compositions and scores. His Dublin show will be a solo piano performance, while his Cork date, part of the city's Midsummer Festival, will see Wendy Sutter and Mick Rossi joining him for an evening of chamber music. National Concert Hall, Dublin, June 22; City Hall, Cork, June 26
GRIZZLY BEAR
For indie fans, Grizzly Bear's appearance is the real red-letter event on the annual Live at the Marquee bill by the Lee. Last year's Veckatimestalbum saw the Brooklyn band with a fine handle on chamber-pop and folk melodies jump from being underground darlings to a more mainstream position. Heavyweight support from the excellent Midlake, Scottish act Camera Obscura and Villagers makes this show even more of a must-see. Live at the Marquee, Cork, June 25
ELVIS COSTELLO
This turn from Declan MacManus sees him hitting Thomas Street with The Sugarcanes, the band he recorded last year's T Bone Burnett-produced Secret, Profane & Sugarcanealbum with. It's the latest incarnation in a career that has seen Costello roam far and wide in terms of musical styles, collaborations and projects. Vicar Street, Dublin, July 1
VILLAGERS
Conor O'Brien and Villagers are set to be the Irish band of the summer. For a start, they seem to have been booked for every major dogfight in the land. Then there's the fact they have a No 1 album in Becoming a Jackalunder their oxters. Add in the word-of-mouth wows from people who've already seen them live and you've all the ingredients for a very fine season for a very fine band. Live at the Marquee, Cork, June 25; Oxegen, Co Kildare, July; Earagail Arts Festival, Co Donegal, July 17; Iveagh Gardens, Dublin, July 18; Electric Picnic, Co Laois, Sep 3-5
PAUL McCARTNEY
Macca's second show in the city in the space of six months. But the rave reviews from that pre-Christmas show at the O2 was such that we can expect Dublin 4 to be chock-a-block with merry day trippers when he comes to town. RDS, Dublin, June 12
LCD SOUNDSYSTEM
This may well be your last opportunity to see James Murphy and co live – well, at least until the inevitable reunion occurs down the road. As Murphy has said again and again in interviews to plug new album This Is Happening, he intends to put the kibosh on LCD Soundsystem once this campaign is over, in order to concentrate on other stuff that doesn't involve tour buses, soundchecks and backstage catering. Make the most of it, then, as the finest, most sardonic punk-funk outfit of all do their thing one last time. Electric Picnic, Co Laois, Sep 4
MOUNTAIN MAN
Mountain Man came to our attention at this year's South by Southwest music beano in Texas. These three girls, based in Vermont, will take your breath away with their songs and voices. Those in search of kooky, ethereal and spooky a-cappella folk should form an orderly queue at the venue's front doors right away. For those with more patience, the trio's forthcoming debut album, Made the Harbor, is a delightful affair. Crawdaddy, Dublin, July 2
STEVIE WONDER
This could go either way. On the one hand, it's Stevie Wonder, the man who produced a rake of groundbreaking, thrilling tunes and albums (especially that peerless five-album run from Music of My Mindto Songs in the Key of Life) down through the years as his one-man revolution changed soul music forever. On the other hand, it's Stevie Wonder who hasn't produced a decent record in years (can you name a Stevie tune from the past 20 years?) and whose live shows have reportedly become a little bland. He last played Dublin in 1984, yet tickets are still on sale – fans are obviously hedging their bets on which Stevie will show up. The O2, Dublin, June 24
LONELADY
We fully expect Julie Campbell to be one of the acts Castlepalooza fans will be raving about after their August bank-holiday weekend in Co Offaly. The Mancunian's Nerve Updebut for Warp, recorded in a couple of weeks in makeshift studios in one of Manchester's abandonded former mills, is a beautifully understated clatter of edgy, wiry, jangling 1980s pop. Reports about Campbell's live shows have also been quite promising. Other Castlepalooza acts to check out include Wave Machines, James V McMorrow, Funeral Suits, Blue Choir and headliners Mercury Rev. Castlepalooza, Charleville Castle, Tullamore, Co Offaly, Aug 1
LEONARD COHEN
Is there anyone in the country who hasn't seen Lenny at this stage? It's Cohen's third summer in a row to visit Ireland, yet there doesn't seem to be any fall-off in demand to see the Canadian wordsmith in action. Indeed, his first show in Yeats's old holiday pad sold out in jig time. At this stage, you know what to expect from the maestro: all the hits from a remarkable back catalogue delivered with panache by the coolest 75-year-old on the circuit. Lissadell House, Co Sligo, July 31 Aug 1
P!NK
The exclamation mark didn't end up in her name by accident. What you get with Alecia Moore is bold, brash pop music with a definite spark and a lot of rebel yells. There's been a lot of growing up since Get the Party Startedshowed she could holler with the best of them. But there are still moments on current album Funhouse, such as So What, when she shows she's still able to cut loose and run for the hills. Live, she's the real deal, putting on a show that gives real value for money. King's Hall, Belfast, June 16; RDS, Dublin, June 19; Thomond Park, Limerick, June 20
BONNIE ‘PRINCE’ BILLY THE CAIRO GANG
Will Oldham's latest visit to Ireland sees him in cahoots with The Cairo Gang, aka guitar slinger Emmett Kelly, a very able foil for Oldham's unique voice and songwriting skills. The pair's current album, The Wonder Show of the World,is a fine entry in the Oldham catalogue, with ghostly, austere folk replacing the sometimes laboured country of recent releases. Empire Music Hall, Belfast, July 27; Whelan's, Dublin, July 28 29; Róisín Dubh, Galway, July 30; Cork X Southwest, Skibbereen, Co Cork, July 31
O EMPEROR
Given the number of gigs the rising Waterford/Cork band have planned for the coming months, you're probably going to come across these melodic troubadours at some stage or other. A bunch of fine songs, such as Don't Mind Mefrom the current ReverieEP and last year's excellent Po, mean there's a whole bunch of expectations surrounding them and their forthcoming debut album for Universal Ireland. Happy Valley Festival, Co Kilkenny, June 6; Cavan Festival, June 19; Cyprus Avenue, Cork, June 25; Fusion, Drogheda, June 26; Sea Sessions, Bundoran, June 27; Academy, Dublin, July 2; Oxegen, Co Kildare, July 9; Róisín Dubh, Galway, July 15; Boyle Arts Festival, July 24; Spraoi, Waterford, July 30; Cork X Southwest, Skibbereen, July 31; Castlepalooza, Tullamore, Co Offaly, July 31; Indiependence, Mitchelstown, Aug 1
PUBLIC IMAGE LTD
It's John Lydon's second Electric Picnic appearance, though it's safe to assume this will be a whole lot more thrilling and visceral than the clapped-out pantomime act he was fronting when the Sex Pistols played there in 2008. Public Image Ltd's reunion has not quite received the same amount of ink and attention as the Pistols did on their return to the stage, which is a pity, because PiL's innovative post-punk and futuristic, dubby soundscapes were arguably more influential than any of the toys the Pistols threw out of the pram. Just a pity Lydon didn't see fit to make the peace with original bass player Jah Wobble. Elecric Picnic, Stradbally, Co Laois, Sep 3
GORILLAZ
The more you listen to the latest Gorillaz album Plastic Beachthe more you can make the case for Damon Albarn as pop's reigning renaissance man. Albarn has yet to align himself with a project or collaboration that is not worth exploring. If last year was all about a successful Blur reunion for Albarn, 2010 sees him putting flesh on what was originally billed as the world's coolest cartoon band, turning them into a live spectacle worth the price. Reports from UK shows suggest Dublin audiences are in for a treat when the show pitches up here, with The Clash's Mick Jones and Paul Simonon, De La Soul and Bobby Womack on board for the live gigs. The O2, Dublin, Sep 22
- In Arts on Tuesday, catch our calendar of the big festivals, summer schools and shows of the summer
