Forbidden Fruit returns for its thirteenth year on the June bank holiday weekend at IMMA, Royal Hospital Kilmainham, and here are the standout acts from the lineup so far for 2025.
1.
Yaeji
The Korean-American producer makes her Dublin debut on Sunday June 1st.
The NYC-via-Seoul artist-producer-vocalist and DJ has made some of their more interesting and esoteric electronic music in recent years.
With a renewed sense of urgency on recent tracks ‘booboo’ and ‘Pondeggi’ following second album Under The Hammer in 2023, Yaeji is returning to the kaleiodscopic ASMR-assisted bass music, techno, acid, Korean pop and electronica hybrid that made her name.
This summer is a great time to see Yaeji live.
2.
Clara La San
Her voice will be known to many as a vocalist on Bicep records but there’s so much more to Clara La San.
The relatively mysterious Manchester musician had previously shown some reticence to embrace the interest in her music. After releasing the Good Mourning mixtape in 2017, La San pulled the release off platforms and went dark for a while. La San instead took her time, and released the album Made Mistakes last year, an entirely self-written, produced and issued album of nocturnal electronic R&B-pop songwriting. Which she then followed up with a newer version of Good Mourning. So it’s safe to say that La San is finally ready to bring her bedroom pop style to main stages on Saturday May 31st at Forbidden Fruit.
3.
Caribou
Dan Snaith and co never fail to deliver on a festival stage.
It’s well established by now, that a live Caribou festival set is likely to feature in many attendees’ top moments of any festival, such is the deft touch that the band move between psychedelic euphoria, polychromatic crescendos and full-bodied dance beats.
Witness the glory of their recent Belfast Boiler Room set as an example. The Forbidden Fruit main stage show on Saturday May 31st will be Caribou’s first Dublin show since the release of last year’s Honey album.
4.
Jamie XX
It took nine years for the xx producer to follow up his debut album In Colours.
But by the time In Waves was released last year, it was evident that Jamie had deployed his experience playing to large crowds on main stages in the creation of bangers.
The album features weaponised dancefloor bangers like ‘Baddy On The Floor’ , ‘All You Children’ and the French Touch pop of Robyn-collaboration ‘Life’.
Recent live shows have employed a troupe of dancers in the crowd to bridge the gap between stage and audience, adding an inclusive dancefloor element to Jamie’s already unifying sets. Catch him headline Forbidden Fruit on Saturday May 31st.
5.
Fcukers
With nods to DFA Records cowbell indie sleaze, blog house, hyperpop, Fcukers are a genuine New York city buzz band.
It’s hard to make music sound this nonchalantly cool, but Fcukers do it easily, and they have two of the greatest singles of 2024 in ‘Homie Don’t Shake’ and ‘Bon’ both grimey, DIY indie dance jams, evocative of the early indie sleaze era and both, endlessly repeatable.
Fcukers play Forbidden Fruit on Sunday June 1st.
6.
Moio
Dubliner MOIO’s 2023 song ‘Moments’ hit a viral moment earlier this year, and then things really went crazy.
MOIO is a producer and artist with Dublin’s Chamomile Club alongside Monjola and Aby Couilbaly.
It all started when MOIO posted a Tik-Tok of himself singing an acoustic version of ‘Moments’ has an guitar-rock feel much like Radiohead’s ‘Let Down’ and is anchored by a hooky falsetto from MOIO.
Since then, MOIO has been playing gigs in New York, Paris Fashion week and is poised for a big main stage set at Forbidden Fruit on Saturday May 31st.
7.
Underworld
Trends come and go but Karl Hyde and Rick Smith’s classic dance elation is ever being discovered by new generations and held in regard by those who were there the first time.
An Underworld festival set is one of immense power, catharsis, release. Laden with lasers, lights and visuals, the English pair have been provide big field sounds that reach deep and look wide for nearly 40 years now.
Underworld never get old, and they even released Strawberry Hotel, a fine album last year, their eleventh in total and first in five years. Catch them on Sunday June 1st at IMMA.
8.
Juicy Romance
The Scandalizer from down under is coming to Forbidden Fruit on Sunday June 1st.
Nuala Bradley is the Melbourne / Naarm producer known for hedonistic sounds and cheeky dancefloor selection.
Juicy Romance brings dark, playful rave bangers to her DJ sets, featuring bouncy bad-bitch anthems and melodic dirty electronic -pop.
Forbidden Fruit lineup so far
Forbidden Fruit Tickets
Saturday Day Tickets (May 31)
- Tier 1 – €79.50 (Sold out)
- Tier 2 – €89.50 (Sold out)
- Tier 3 – €99.50
Sunday Day Tickets (June 01)
- Tier 1 – €79.50 (Sold out)
- Tier 2 – €89.50 (Sold out)
- Tier 3 – €99.50
Weekend Tickets ( Sat 31 May & Sun 01 June)
- Tier 1 – €129.00 (Sold out)
- Tier 2 – €139.00 (Sold out)
- Tier 3 – €154.00 (Sold out)
- Tier 4 – €174.00
Weekend Instalment
Weekend Instalment tickets are now SOLD OUT.
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005. He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Cara Magazine, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, co-founder of Lumo Club, event curator, Indie Sleaze club promoter, and producer of gigs and monthly listening parties & events in Dublin.
