If you happen to be Forbidden Fruiting this weekend in Dublin, then here’s my picks of who you should see over the three days. I ignored most of the headliners and the bands you will know for sure and limited myself to five bands a day. Enjoy the weekend and don’t forget the afterparties. Stage times for the weekend.
Saturday
1. The Shit Robot Show
Undergrowth Stage, 2.15pm
Early attendees on Saturday can choose between three Irish electronic acts of note, White Collar Boy, Scribble Soundsystem and Shit Robot. I’d pluck for Marcus Lambkin’s set as it’s a rare occasion that he plays in Dublin. Hopefully, as the name suggests, the setup will be similar to his LCD Soundsystem Madison Square Garden support slots last year with full visuals and headgear leading the electro/house/techno/disco charge with tracks from From The Cradle To The Rave and a selection from his upcoming 12″s. Shit Robot will be DJing on Sunday night along with Com Truise in the Pygmalion.
2. Factory Floor
Undergrowth Stage, 5pm
Hypnotic post-industrial rave put together by a band who take their reference points from the cold underground of the grim North of England. Factory Floor’s tunes are made for warehouse parties and decaying buildings but they work at festivals too. Let’s just hope that tent is dark.
3. Toby Kaar
Lighthouse Stage, 5.15pm
The Cork producer has been making a name for himself with recent live sets at festivals such as Camden Crawl in both London and Dublin and Hard Working Class Heroes. His sets are expressively presented via the Monome and the payoff is usually a full and willing audience. Toby is also playing the Button Factory afterparty with The Field and Arveene and Misk.
4. Le Galaxie
Lighthouse Stage, 6.15pm
Don’t stray too far after Toby Kaar is over. A Le Galaxie set will be just what you need to take you into evening mode. This four-piece have been the best live electro band in the country for a while now. Their reputation for bringing the party has grown as a result. Expect a mix of songs from the band’s debut album and some new songs. You can hear their most recent Camden Crawl Dublin set here. This is how you do it by the way:
5. Actress
Lighthouse Stage, 8.30pm
Having just released his striking new album R.I.P, Darren Cunningham is high on my must-see list this weekend. R.I.P. along with Splazsh before it, showcases a cerebral ambient dance music, rich in texture and encompassing so it will be interesting to see how that translates live.
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, Cara Magazine, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, founder of Lumo Club, club promoter, event curator and producer of gigs, listening parties & events in Dublin.
Grimes is just awful for my money. Toby Kaar and LE Galaxie though good, play very regularly locally so why go see them when less regular players are in town. Same goes for JVM. Wilco are a must see, easily one of the best live bands I have ever seen.
Looking forward to Austra, Real Estate, Wilco, Leftfield and the Field most
Why Local bands? because they’re as good as international acts and I’m sure a lot of people reading this will be going to the festival with people who aren’t going to gigs every week. Variety is the fruit of festivals.
looking forward to grimes, austra, purity ring, peaking lights….. sunday is synth heaven.
don’t want to be knocking home grown acts, but can someone post a good track from mmoths, toby kaar, la galaxie? really don’t know what the fuss is about, mmoths and toby kaar sound like competent but uninspiring 90s electronica/dance music and la galaxie sound like simian mobile/electro revival 5 years too late.
please someone prove me wrong……
You don’t like the Toby Kaar tracks above? Admittedly, Toby’s best work is live at this point as he hasn’t released any original tracks in a while.
Mmoths is great for me but maybe not for every one, he’s only had one release out and again, his live shows are getting more varied in tempo.
I can see that Le Galaxie comparison, I really like them myself. Live, they also deliver.
Have seen la galaxie and sure they get the place worked up, and some of their album’s like the blade runner soundtrack which can only be a good thing, but hardly going to change the world are they?
toby kaar tracks are good, but same thing not going to blow anyones mind. Maybe if someone is hearing this kind of stuff for the 1st time it sounds great to them, but I have heard it all before the 1st time round in the 90s, all the great warp roster, american house music, german techno and detroit elctronica. so surely it should all be measured against that and be moving things forward not repeating the past? listen to the actress album and see where things can go, hints of dubstep, pole, basic channel and his own take on it, brillant album.
Mmoths is a young guy so hopefully he’s only beginning and finding his sound, would love to see someone like him or toby kaar blow up worldwide. sorry to sound like a begrudger but just because they are local lads doesn’t make it great, it has to cut it on an international front.
I agree, why Grimes? Check out Cloud Nothings though – awkward, punk energy that just deserves to be seen. Wilco is a no-brainer. Real Estate has had a heckuva tour so far and are at the top of their game. See them
Cos her album is brilliant. Wilco aren’t really for me and they’re prety much headliner material as I outlined at the top I wasn’t going to cover. Would be interested in Real Estate though two Cloud Nothings album have done nothing for me, not my thing.
I like Beirut, Andrew Bird, Wilco and Field Music.
I am more relevant than the person who read this a split second ago.
Grimes (to me) sound like a Vietnamese girl doing some bad karaoke.
Looking forward to seeing Andrew Bird for the first time too.
actress is playing today, sh*t never knew that…..
He cancelled. Missed his flight.
Supposedly. I heard no mention that the Bloody Beetroots was going to be a DJ set in advance. Meant 2 of the 3 acts on stage at the end of the night were just DJing.
Great round-up, fair play Mr. Nialler
Really nice. I never heard about it. Live performances on the move.
Theres something wrong with all of your heads.That isn’t fuck’in music at all.its NOISE!