The Flaming Lips will play their only Irish show next year at Big Top at The Galway International Arts Festival next summer.
The Flaming Lips will play Thursday 16 July 2026, with support from Mercury Rev. The Lips played their seminal album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots live in Dublin this past April.
Tickets €65.20 plus fees go on sale at 10am Friday November 28th from giaf.ie / roisindubh.net.
Formed in Oklahoma City in 1983, The Flaming Lips have become one of the most influential and inventive forces in American alternative rock. Their surreal, high-energy performances, complete with giant zorbs, confetti cannons, and kaleidoscopic visuals, have earned them global acclaim and a place on Q Magazine’s list of ‘50 Bands to See Before You Die.’
Audiences can expect much-loved anthems such as Do You Realize?? and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1, alongside songs from their critically praised albums King’s Mouth and American Head.
With their unique blend of creativity, theatricality and heart, The Flaming Lips’ return to Galway promises to be one of the most spectacular nights of the summer.
Formed in 1989 in Buffalo, New York, Mercury Rev are celebrated for their kaleidoscopic blend of indie rock, psychedelia, and orchestral pop. Forever evolving, the band has drawn on jazz, folk, funk, and electronic textures to craft what The Guardian called ‘music that pushes the boundaries of what rock means.’ Their 1991 debut Yerself Is Steam introduced their dreamlike sound, while 1998’s Deserter’s Songs, featuring the soaring singles Goddess on a Hiway and Holes, became a modern classic, topping NME’s Album of the Year list and inspiring a new wave of chamber-pop experimentation. Later releases such as All Is Dream and The Secret Migration cemented their reputation as one of America’s most imaginative and enduring alternative bands.
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.
