Neven mixes it up at EP
The list of Electric Picnic 2025 headline acts is impressive: Hozier, Fatboy Slim, Kings of Leon and Neven Maguire. Spot the odd one out! Or maybe not, as the Blacklion chef prepares to put down his mixing bowl and start cutting tracks when he headlines the main Theatre of Food stage in Stradbally this weekend.
The beloved Blacklion chef and culinary icon will trade his chopping board for a set of DJ decks in what promises to be a stand-out moment of the festival, August 29-31.
In the mix
While fans are used to seeing Neven whip up Michelin-level cuisine, few know of his deep appreciation for music, especially techno and trance- a love he developed during his formative years cheffing in Berlin kitchens.
He’ll delight and surprise fans in equal measure with his first-ever DJ set following his Saturday cooking demo at 5pm for what is set to be one of the most talked-about performances of the year.
But Neven isn’t the only Cavan export making waves at Stradbally.
Young Hearts roam free
The Savage Hearts, fresh off a packed gig at The Marquee in Drumlish, will bring their raw, genre-blending energy to the Jerry Fish Electric Sideshow Fish Stage on Sunday from 9:30-10:30pm.
Their new single, ‘Radio Silence’, drops September 19, and they’ll share the stage at Cavan’s Townhall on September 13 alongside Mirror Glass for what promises to be a memorable night of new Cavan music. At the heart of the the Hearts is former Strypes’ drummer Evan Walsh, a seasoned Electric Picnic veteran.
At just 28 years old, incredibly Evan has been a fixture at the Electric Picnic festival for 14 years.
His first appearance was age just 12, a fresh faced member of The Strypes when they wowed audiences and were hailed as one of the heroes of 2012.
They were named the principle “breakout act” then the following year, and in 2014 appeared on the RTÉ 2fm stage, and returning in 2015 for a memorable performance on the Jerry Fish Electric Sideshow stage.
“Jerry’s always been every good to us, very supportive,,” says Evan, who adds: “No matter what band I’ve played with, Electric Picnic has always been a constant.”
Last year, he joined The Mighty Stef in a supergroup that performed the Sex Pistols’ Never Mind the Bollocks album in full - a highlight of the 2024 festival.
For Evan, the Laois music and arts festival remains one of the most creatively freeing on the Irish music calendar: “It’s always a great weekend,” he enthuses.
Biird is the word
Also making an appearance at Electric Picnic will be Cavan’s own concertina queen Zoran Donohoe, as a member of the all-female eleven-piece trad-music supergroup Biird. They will perform at the Spike Island stage in the Freetown area.
Zoran has had a summer to remember, playing alongside Ed Sheeran at the Fleadh in Wexford before spending a weekend seisún entertaining guests at the wedding of Derry Girl’s star Saoirse-Monica Jackson when marrying Scottish DJ Denis Sulta (Hector Barbour) in a three-day celebration in Kerry. Last weekend Zoran and fellow local musician, Laura Doherty (fiddle) from Cornakelly near Moyne performed in front of 80,000 musicians at Croke Park alongside former Take That star Robbie Williams (See this week's front page).
Tinkling the ivories
This year’s festival meanwhile also sees the introduction of a brand new Piano Stage in the Croí area, designed for stripped-back, intimate performances.
Belturbet native Cormac McCann will headline this stage at 3:20pm on Saturday, showcasing his skill as both a pianist and performer.
The stage will be open for impromptu playing between scheduled sets, giving festival-goers a chance to make their own musical mark.
Feast of entertainment
Finally, and not least, in the newly added Global Green area, singer-songwriter and Belturbet woman Fiona Maria Fitzpatrick will bring her soulful tunes to Saturday’s lineup (4:45-5:30pm), returning on Sunday for something completely different when she’ll be joined by fellow actor Charles McGuinness to perform ‘What Are We Eatin’ Anyways?’
The 40 minute drama first hitting the stage at Lizzie Buggie’s Bar in Ballyconnell in 2023 with the support of Creative Cavan, where the fantastic feedback received inspired the creators to take it to the next level - professionally scripting, producing, and directing the play.
Their Sunday performance is scheduled for 1:30pm.
With 80,000 daily attendees packed into the sprawling 600-acre site, this year’s Electric Picnic organisers say will be the most monumental in the festival’s 22-year history.