ARCTIC MONKEYS
Since exploding onto the scene in 2006 with the fastest selling debut album in British music history, Arctic Monkeys have maintained their position as one of the biggest live attractions currently doing the rounds. With a sound that is perfectly suited to the festival vibe, they have come a long way from the spiky Post- Punk and street poetry of their incredible debut Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not. Subsequent records marked a shift towards a more muscular, heavy Rock sound and with new album AM due to drop in September, expect a set loaded with new material and a generous helping of fan favourites. Arctic Monkeys are a band that never fail to deliver in a live setting - a banker for one of the highlights of the weekend.

MY BLOODY VALENTINE
Think seminal bands of the last twenty years and the name My Bloody Valentine immediately springs to mind. Their 1991 album release Loveless remains one of the most critically lauded records of all time, regularly appearing in the critics Top Ten albums ever, and rightly hailed as a pioneering record that spawned a host of imitators. After a twelve year absence, they returned with a new album MBV in February, and once again had the critics drooling over a record that, if anything, was even more experimental than its illustrious predecessor. Once famed for their incredibly loud and shatteringly immersive live shows, it will be interesting to see how they translate their sound to an outdoor setting. Could be mind blowing.

HALVES
Halves are a band primed to make a big impression at this year's Electric Picnic. Having just released a record that is a front runner for Irish album of the year (Boa Howl), their shows always feel like major events, with an attention to detail evident in their fantastic lighting design and stunning visuals. Married to a sound that merges elements of ambient electronica, classical and alternative rock, there is enough to suggest that this Dublin-based band are on the cusp of greatness, and that Electric Picnic 2013 could act as a springboard to greater things. Make sure you move heaven and hell to catch their magical, awe inspiring set - unmissable.

JOHN MURRY
If you tire of the relentless, cheery bonhomie of the festival experience and find yourself wilting in the face of yet another band urging you to get your hands in the air, you could do worse than to check out Tupelo native John Murry. Released earlier this year, Murry's The Graceless Age is a terrifyingly bleak and beautiful album that documents in harrowing detail his battles with addiction and loss. It is a towering achievement from a singer with a gift for writing songs that dispense with everything but the hard coded truth. Live reviews would suggest that Murry is capable of holding audiences spellbound with the raw sadness of the stories he tells. If music of honesty, soul and passion is your thing, then John Murry could be the one act you are talking about long after Electric Picnic 2013 is a distant memory.

CLINIC
Their records have been described as sounding like 'David Lynch remixing Laurie Anderson'. They regularly appear on stage dressed in surgical scrubs and they are probably the last band you would invite back to your tent for a few post gig beverages. They make a vaguely unsettling and creepy noise and have been releasing weirdly wonderful and strangely sinister albums since the year 2000 when they unleashed the magnificent Internal Wrangler on the world. Every festival throws up a surprise package, the one act that delivers a performance that nobody could have expected. With their brand of unhinged garage rock, Clinic could be the bolter at this year's Electric Picnic. Don't say you weren't warned.
 

Words: Paul Page