A guide to Electric Picnic on Sunday

CROWD PULLERS

MY BLOODY VALENTINE

Each year, Electric Picnic does the honour of bringing in a once important band that has recently reformed. This year we have the Sex Pistols and - hurrah! - My Bloody Valentine. With remastered versions of the band's two classic albums (Isn't Anything, Loveless) out there, and an audience ready, willing and able to have their ears assaulted, this looks like the gig of the event.
www.mybloodyvalentine.net

SEX PISTOLS

Making their official debut in Ireland, the Sex Pistols unprecedented reputation hinges precariously on two things: one incendiary studio album and singer John Lydon's enigmatic if occasionally buffoon-like anarchism. The jury is out, then, but frankly, we can't wait for the opening chords to Pretty Vacant.
www.sexpistolsofficial.com

CONOR OBERST
Nebraska's Conor Mullen Oberst  has temporarily shelved his long-standing Bright Eyes project in favour of a supposed "and-this-is-me" approach. His self-titled new album continues in the vein of last year's Cassadaga , which is no harm, considering it's yet another collection of generally sharp-edged, contemporary folk. www.conoroberst.com

THE GOSSIP
The Gossip were big news a couple of years ago, the import of which diminished as they cocooned themselves in recording studios as they worked on their fifth studio album, the follow-up to 2006's Standing in the Way of Control. The good news is that Beth Ditto and co are back, have an album in the can and have been performing at festivals honing new material into shape.
www.thegossipmusic.com

GRINDERMAN
Nick Cave and his band of beefy musicians return to Ireland to plug their side project. Here's hoping that the range of Grinderman knickers he has been working on with his wife Susie Bick, will be for sale at the merchandise stalls. For the wife, you understand.
www.grinderman.com

CSS
From Brazil to Stradbally -  what a long, tinsel-adorned journey it has been for singer Lovefoxxx and her ensemble bunch of fashion-victim misfits. There ain't nothing amiss about the music, though. Latest album, Donkey, might not be within an ass's roar of their debut, but it still kicks like a mule. Er, sorry.
www.csshurts.com

FLORENCE & THE MACHINE
If ever there was an anti-Kate Nash, then here she is - 21-year-old art school dropout Florence Welch  offers Heart of Darkness imagery and Psycho-type scares throughout a series of songs that push the button until it bleeds and then breaks. Charming? Yes. Charmed? You will be. www.myspace.com/
florenceandthemachinemusic

FOALS
Thanks to C4's laughable yoof series Skins, Foals have upped their profile and in doing so have been tipped as one of the bands to watch out for this year. The most exciting band of 2008? No, not really, but they scuppered David Sitek's production on their debut album, Antidotes, in favour of an in-house redraft, so for attitude alone that snags our vote. www.myspace.com/foals

HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR
Hercules and Love Affair's main man, Andrew Butler, knows the difference between neutered disco and the best kind of dance record. The former is a wet Tuesday night in Tuam, the latter is euphorically joyous and deeply sorrowful. Butler and friends blend torch songs, art-disco mutations, Chicago house and digital sorcery. If they bring along only one of these to Stradbally, we'll be happy. www.myspace.com/herculesandloveaffair

IBRAHIM ELECTRIC
Danish jazz trio trespassing the boundaries between funk, rock, afro, blues and swing. The percussion canters, the rhythm gallops. A dead cert for best jazz outfit of the weekend.
www.myspace.com/ibrahimelectric

STALWARTS

ADRIAN CROWLEY
It is, they say, the quiet ones you have to watch out for. Up until a year ago, Galwegian Crowley seemed destined to release under-the-radar records. Then along came Long Distance Swimmer, a Choice Music Prize nomination and a publishing deal with Domino. Crowley remains the quiet type, but the buzz is getting louder and louder. www.adriancrowley.com

CEILI HOUSE ALLSTARS
Powerhouse trad music from Cork, comprised of musicians from the Sliabh Luchra region, close to the Cork-Kerry border.

HADOUKEN!
A new outlook for the highly regarded Leeds glowstick band seems a good idea; gone are elements of techno, replaced by spurts of grime-punk that is both as hard as marble and as pop-oriented as The Wombats. The result - for once a band with a perfectly appointed exclamation mark.
www.myspace.com/hadoukenuk

GEMMA HAYES
In a creative "alwaysthe-bridesmaidbut-never-thebride" scenario, Gemma Hayes has been close to bridging the gap between cult and crossover a few times. That she hasn't is no big deal to her fans, and we'd warrant it isn't too important to Hayes, either. Point to ponder: My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields plays guitar on Hayes's latest album, The Hollow of Morning, and, you know, My Bloody Valentine are playing the same festival. Hey - I'm just saying! www.gemmahayes.com

DENGUE FEVER
Psychedelic rock mixed with Cambodian pop music? LA's Dengue Fever - beloved by Real World head honcho Peter Gabriel and anyone with musical tastes that veer towards the exotic.
www.myspace.com/denguefevermusic

MAHMOUD FADL'S UNITED NUBIANS
What's that sound? Oh, it's the collected drums of the Nile beating out a rhythm that will either drive you wild with excitement or bore you rigid. Me? I'm off to the Salty Dog Saloon. www.myspace.com/
mahmoudfadl

TURIN BRAKES
Having long since levered themselves out of the short-lived new acoustic scene, London's Ollie Knights and Gale Paridjanian  are now in the enviable position of gaining inroads with their delicious blend of textured pop and intricate folk.
www.myspace.com/turinbrakes

MARK GEARY
Yes, there are far too many male Irish singer-songwriters plying their trade: thankfully, Geary - who honed his craft in front of initially unforgiving New Yorkers - is one of the best of the bunch.
www.markgeary.com

NEW KIDS

ABSENTEE
London hopefuls Absentee carry the flag for lovelorn songs delivered with punch and panache, and are daubed with the tell-tale signs of incurable romantics and the sleazy influence of Velvet Underground. Our kind of band.
www.memphis-industries.com/absentee.html

THE BLACK LIPS
These Atlanta hillbilly punk rockers set fire to their guitars at this year's Coachella, so keep an eye out for burning necks and melting strings.
www.myspace.com/theblacklips

EMMY THE GREAT
Don't be fooled nto thinking that ack of irony and retension is a Sad thing. Coming from the (kind of) anti-singer/songwriter scene that spawned Jack Penate and Kate Nash (but totally dissimilar to each) is E the G, whose sideways, utterly English glance at the sound of Nebraska's Saddle Creek label is deft, poetic and committed. www.myspace.com/emmythegreat

COWBOY X
Naming your band after a longforgotten Sesame Street character tells you something about the people behind it - they're just not well, are they?
www.myspace.com/cowboyxmusic

THE DODOS
Logan Kroeber and Meric Long have been The Dodos for less than two years, but in that space of time have set out their stall as purveyors of psychedelic folk songs so pretty that grown men have been known to quietly shed tears. So I've read, anyway. Ahem. www.myspace.com/mericlong

HAM SANDWICH
Kells band Ham Sandwich have used their decidedly banal name to good effect. Above all, though, is the fact that their debut album, Carry the Meek, contains some of the smartest Irish-released rock/pop of the year. www.myspace.com/eathamsandwich

JOHNNY FLYNN
Country/folk/blues with a modern twist from the mid-20s songwriter whose influences range from Shakespeare to WB Yeats. Some people are just too smart, eh? www.myspace.com/johnnyflynn

LEILA
Some years ago, Iranian-British media studies student Leila was plucked by Bjork from obscurity onto the stage; it's been non-stop profile-raising ever since. An afternoon delight.
www.leilamusic.co.uk

THE URGES
Every festival needs a slice of primal fuzztone, a peel of psychedelic organ, a bunch of zombie retro-rockers and anunhinged lead singer. www.myspace.com/theurges

YACHT
A mixture of shrewdly cerebral and naturally instinctive, Portland, Oregon duo Yacht (Jona Bechtolt and Claire L Evans) music references everything from Nirvana and Carl Sagan to Andrew WK. Now that's what I call eclectic.
www.myspace.com/yacht

REBELS

Chromeo

Chromeo's guitarist and lead singer Dave 1 (aka David Macklovitch) teaches undergraduate French classes at Columbia University; his electro-funk colleague is one P-Thugg (aka Patrick Gemayel); oh, and their banging club track Rage! has been used in a McDonald's commercial. Diversity, surprises and smarts all in one. www.myspace.com/ chromeo

Aka Joel Zimmerman, from Ontario, Canada, and according to those who can tell the difference between progressive house and electro-trance, the go-to guy for production/ remixing jobs. www.myspace.com/deadmau5

Farmers Market

No, it isn't the people selling their wares in the Village Green, but rather a Scandinavian/ Eastern European act that fuses - dear God! - surf music with Bulgarian wedding rhythms. Very. Very. Strange. www.farmers-market.net

Get cape. Wear cape. Fly

Aka British artist Sam Duckworth has a keen sense of the absurd as well as being so politically aware it's a wonder he's still in thrall to folk/indie/pop/rock music. Two things: he is an avid supporter of the movement Love Music Hate Racism, and he is well known for his forthright debating skills. Over to the Leviathan tent with you. www.myspace.com/getcapewearcapefly

GO SEE THIS:Iorla O Lionaird

What we have here is an unabashed practitioner of cross-cultural music - a non-prissy mélange of electronic abstraction (cf Sigur Ros and Brian Eno) and centuries-old Irish traditions. www.myspace.com/iarlamusic

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks

Here are a few things you might not know about Malkmus (above) one-time frontman of Pavement: he loves the DIY approach of Television Personalities, Desperate Bicycles and Swell Maps, and his favourite female singer is Fairport Convention's Sandy Denny. www.myspace.com/stephenmalkmus

Jah Wobble's Chinese Dub

From Public Image to Can via tube stations at midnight, Jah Wobble (aka John Wardle) has trod a peculiar, singular path. His latest music project is a cool coalescence of dub and traditional Chinese music, featuring performers from China and Tibet, and his guzheng- playing wife, Zi Lan Liao. www.myspace.com/jahwobble

Sinead O'Connor

She has been around for more than 20 years, and despite the occasionally woeful records (2002's Sean-Nós Nua, 2005's Throw Down Your Arms), the "revealing" interviews and the public displays of disharmony, we still reckon O'Connor hasn't lost the musical plot. www.sinead-oconnor.com

Micah P Hinson

There are many singer-songwriters out there that like to flesh out the folk/roots/blues template with musical flourishes and sideswipes. Texan Micah P Hinson has himself done this, but latterly, he has toned down the misery and decamped - in his mind, at least - to his version of Butlins. The Red Coats, however, are coming to take him away, ha, ha, hee, hee, ho, ho. Back to the drawing board, then? www.micahphinson.com

OLD HATS

The Congos

Jamaican reggae comes to the Picnic in the form of The Congos, who are perhaps best known for their bona fide classic roots/ reggae album, Heart of the Congos (produced by Lee 'Scratch' Perry). Expect heavy duty vibes and a riddem method of their very distinctive own. www.reggaetrain.com/biocongos.asp

Dublin Gospel Choir

There's a lot to be said for a band who will perform at weddings, masses, christenings, receptions and corporate events as well as major open air gigs - Dublin Gospel Choir make no bones about the reach of their music, which is purpose-built to spread joy, peace, harmony and the love of Jeeeeeessssussss amid the soulless troops. Start repenting now, is our advice. www.dublingospelchoir.com

Faust

Away from the laser-sharp melody lines of Kraftwerk and the motorik rhythms of Neu, Germany's Faust were the square pegs in the round hole of experimental electronic music in the 1970s. For this reason, they were never as commercially successful as the former or as fêted as the latter, yet their "industrial" collage-sound nonetheless forms a constituent part of what we know as Krautrock. Sadly, you can't whistle to it. www.myspace.com/faustpages

Michael Franti & Spearhead

Beatnigs, Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy and more recently Spearhead; via each unit Michael Franti, pop's most fervent polemicist, has thrown out socio-political messages that capture the fierce commitment and passion of an eloquent spokesperson. New album, All Rebel Rockers, will be plugged, promoted and rifled, no doubt. www.spearheadvibrations.com

The Roots

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, hasn't been the same since The Roots burst from the traps back in the early '90s. Noted for employing an eclectic, quite jazz-influenced sound, the Grammy Award-winning act remain something of a touchstone for up-and-coming hip-hop/R&B acts. www.myspace.com/theroots

IF YOU HAVE TO...

School of Language

Sunderland art-rocker David Brewis's (of Field Music fame) side project, sadly, is more mannered than maverick. Still, God loves a trier, eh? www.myspace.com/schooloflanguage

These New Puritans

Lauded at the start of the year for their debut, Beat Pyramid, this Brit band are so in thrall to The Fall you can hear Mark E Smith tsk-tsk all the way to the Bottle Bank. Next-ah!

[ www.myspace.com/thesenewpuritans Opens in new window ]

Hayseed Dixie

The pitch? Acoustic bluegrass versions of recognised metal songs - although this has been superseded somewhat by a recent album of rock-out originals. Not a good idea. www.hayseed-dixie.com

Candi Staton

You can thank film director Baz Lurhmann for the resurgence of soul singer Staton's career: her signature pop hit Young Hearts Run Free was included on the soundtrack to his movie, William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet. Result? Renewed interest from the likes of Damon Albarn and a new audience for a club song staple. www.myspace.com/candistaton

Dublin City Big Band

Jazz in a supersize-me format, fronted by Ciaran Wilde and featuring vocalist Cormac Kenevey. www.web.mac.com/derekphonic/dcbb

Wolfgang Haffner

Former drummer for Chaka Khan, jazzer Haffner (left) brings his own band to the EP party, so expect a few well-placed paradiddles amid sax breaks and flugelhorn solos. You have been warned. www.myspace.com/wolfganghaffner

LAST BUT NOT LEAST... The acts who might turn up anywhere on the programme

Alphastates

Irish band gearing up for the release of their second album. www.myspace.com/alphastates

GO SEE THIS:Chequerboard

John Lambert's Penny Black album of earlier this year has remained a constant source of listening pleasure, and as such gets our vote for the best quiet-ambient tunes of 2008. www.myspace.com/chequerboardmusic

Los Langeros

Cork act that fuses careering electric mandolin, punkabilly, fervid stage antics and a sense of unpredictability. www.myspace.com/loslangeros

GO SEE THIS:Juno Falls

Some years back, Myles O'Reilly upped sticks from Dublin and headed out on a solitary path to Dingle. Cue a short while later the arrival of Juno Falls' album, Weightless, which is an astute mixture of melody and melancholia. www.myspace.com/junofalls

Fields

UK/Iceland band that glue rock music to psychedelic textures without ending up with Sticky Finger Syndrome. www.myspace.com/fieldsband

Martina Topley Bird

Former squeeze of Tricky's and one-time contender for the Mercury Prize (for 2003's Quixotic), this singer is the musical equivalent of dreamy, unconservative and downright sensual. www.martinatopleybird.com

One Day International

Dublin-based but featuring Antipodean Matt Lunson (the geezer behind The Cake Sale track Aliens), their debut album, Blackbird, is out in October. www.myspace.com/onedayinternational

Laura Marling

Perhaps unfairly pitched as a whey-faced teen singersongwriter for Harry Potter fans (think Luna Lovegood fused with Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush and Laura Nyro), Marling has good reason to laugh back at her critics; her songs might not be loud, but they're resilient. We predict a quiet riot. www.myspace.com/lauramarling

Carly Sings

A singer in thrall to the knowingly retro, the highly singular and the charm of romantic, realistic imagery. www.myspace.com/carlysings

Yoav

Life has some strange twists and turns, and for 29-year-old Yoav Sadan the road winds ever more weirder as he returns to Ireland on the back of a fine debut album (Charmed & Strange) that is both sinewy and experimental. www.yoavmusic.com

GO SEE THIS:Vyvienne Long

Vyvienne Long straddles the rock/classical divide with deftness and finesse; as comfortable with Elgar and Prokofiev as she is with Nick Drake and White Stripes. www.vyviennelong.com

Autamata

The brainchild of producer Ken McHugh, Autamata been enhanced by vocals from Carol Keogh, Sarah Verdon and Cathy Davey - a trio of trilling voices that enrich McHugh's instinctive, accomplished musical achievements. www.autamatamusic.com

AND FINALLY ...
Also appearing are
HENRY ROLLINS
JINX LENNON
DAVID KITT
CAPTAIN MOONLIGHT
WHITE CHOLERA
BALANESCU QUARTET
NITIN SAWHNEY
JAMES YORKSTON