So I was laid up with my knee when the announcement was made, and yes everybody knows by now who the line up so far is surely...

But just in case you missed it, or you just stumbled in here not ever having heard of Electric Picnic, here the acts that will play Stradbally in Ireland 29th, 30th & 31st August:

• Sex Pistols
• Sigur Ros
• Grinderman
• Franz Ferdinand
• George Clinton & The P-Funk Allstars
• My Bloody Valentine
• Goldfrapp
• Christy Moore
• Wilco
• The Gossip
• Duffy
• Underworld
• Tinariwen
• CSS
• Tindersticks
• New Young Pony Club
• Josh Ritter
• Lisa Hannigan
• Cathy Davey
• That Petrol Emotion
• The Breeders
• Michael Franti & Spearhead
• Sinead O'Connor
• Henry Rollins
• The Waterboys
• The Roots
• Kila
• Micah P Hinson
• Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes)
• Hayseed Dixie
• Foals
• Noisettes
• Candi Staton
• Juana Molina
• Turin Brakes
• Faust
• Midnight Juggernauts
• Tartit
• Hadouken!
• Silver Apples
• Mark Geary
• Teitur
• Blitzen Trapper
• Absentee
• Balanescu Quartet
• Lou Rhodes
• Adrian Crowley
• One Day International
• The Yard Dogs
• Tobias Froberg
• Boss Volenti
• Dawn Landes
• Constantines
• Yacht
• Lionheart Brothers
• Large Mound
• Emmy the Great
• Kormac & the BSQ Band
• Jape
• Dublin Gospel Choir

And more to be announced.

Plenty in there I haven't a clue who they are, so maybe there'll be a few gems for me to discover - but all in all it's not a massively exciting line up for me.

Sigur Ros and Grinderman are tempting alright... and there's a fair few in there who I would certainly like to see, but I'd have been more excited about them a year or two ago. Franz Ferdinand and CSS for example - I'm sure both would be great to see, but they don't have that edge of excitement any more do they?

A third date has been added for Leonard Cohen this June. He will now play the Friday (13/06/08) as well as the Saturday and Sunday.

Does anyone else find it marginallly annoying when you buy a ticket to a gig and then dates are added before the date you bought for? You know, like maybe the performer will be tired by the time they get to your gig... I know they're most likely doing a world tour and will be knackered anyway, but you know...

Anyway, tickets for the third Leonard Cohen night go on sale tomorrow morning (Wed 26/03/08 9:00am). Grab em quick!

Wednesday the 26th of March 2008 at 6pm it seems. Electric Picnic. Will I go this year? I think it will take a name I really want to see to get me there this year. I'm already going to Radiohead, Lou Reed and Leonard Cohen... now, since I can't get to Nick Cave in Dublin, if he were to play Electric Picnic...

Leonard Cohen will play the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham on Saturday the 14th of June. Tickets go on sale tomorrow morning, Friday the 14th of March at 9am on Ticketmaster.ie. Tickets are €88.50 - €115.00 which is priceyish, but hell, it's Leonard Cohen.

It seems his last tour was in 1993, and I was giving up hope of seeing him perform so this is pretty damn exciting news. I guess somebody heard me giving out about the Summer Music scene and decided to set things right

Now, I better go and do some work so I can afford all these damn concerts & festivals!

So I previously was bitching about the line up for Live at the Marquee in Cork this summer 2008, but then I heard Lou Reed and Neil Young have been added to the line up. Now, I know Neil Young will be a welcome addition for a lot of people, but for me it's Lou Reed.

I saw Lou Reed play the point donkeys years ago and he was phenomenal, I saw him at the Leonard Cohen Tribute and he lived up to his legend and now, at the marquee he is going to perform Berlin in it's entirety.

I refuse to use the words 'rock opera' and will just say that I would go to this gig to hear 'Caroline Says' alone. Not to mention 'Sad Song', 'How Do You Think it Feels' and 'Oh Jim'... wow, it's weird knowing what the playlist is going to be!

I'm going out to buy Berlin today, and I suggest you do the same if you're not familiar with it. It's funny, just last week I realised that I had not updated my Lou Reed collection since my cassette days (yes cassette) and, shocked to discover I did not own a cd copy of new York I went out and bought it. I also looked for Magic and Loss but it wasn't in any of the shops in town. So I was already on a rediscover Lou Reed buzz when this was announced.

I have to admit that after Magic and Loss I didn't follow his next few albums, so they are now on my shopping list as well.

Oxegen presale tickets go on sale Monday the 3rd of March. The line up so far is as follows:

• R.E.M
• The Verve
• Kings of Leon
• Rage Against The Machine
• Kaiser Chiefs
• The Prodigy
• The Fratellis
• Interpol
• Chemical Brothers
• Ian Brown
• Counting Crows
• Stereophonics
• Editors
• The Raconteurs
• Aphex Twin
• Justice
• Panic at the Disco
• The Zutons
• Hot Chip
• The Feeling
• Scouting for Girls
• Roisin Murphy
• The Hoosiers
• Battles
• Kate Nash
• Newton Faulkner
• Band of Horses
• Seasick Steve
• Alabama 3
• Lightspeed Champion
• Pendulum
• Bowling for Soup
• Future Kings of Spain
• The Courteeners
• David Jordon

Is it just my grumpy mood or does the whole Summer music scene for 2008 feel a little tired and worn out?

Prince to play Croke Park (Dublin, Ireland) Monday 16th of June 2008.

Saw Prince play in the O2 in London last Summer and it was an unbelievably good gig, so I am well tempted to go see him in Croke Park in Dublin this Summer. Allegedly playing his greatest hits for 'the last time' (does anyone believe that, really?), and one of only three European Dates, this could be a serious Summer gig to go to.

I've never actually been to a gig in Croke Park, what's it like? What's the sound like?

The sound in the O2 in London was unbelievable, and I know Prince has high standards when it comes to things like that, but at the O2 I may have been miles away from the stage, but I had a comfortable seat, a good view and great sound... at Croke park will I be miles away, standing uncomfortably with crap sound?

Tickets go on sale Wednesay the 5th of March. Tickets from €66.50 (including booking fee).

Last year: Faithless, Antony & The Johnsons, Comedy Circus featuring Jason Byrne, Adam Hills and PJ Gallagher, Cascada, Podge & Rodge Live, Duran Duran and Lionel Richie, Slayer, The Who, Bell X1, Status Quo, The Flaming Lips, Madness and Christy Moore

This year, so far: Shayne Ward, Eric Clapton , Dolly Patron, Christy Moore, Tommy Tiernan, Paul Weller.

Maybe they're going for a different audience, or maybe some kick ass acts to be announced. So far I am completely unthrilled.

Oh FestivalShirts, how I have neglected you. Yes, it was snowing today, but the warm weather is just around the corner (who am I kidding) and the Festival season will be coming around before we know it.

Already, MCD have announced that as part of Heineken Green Energy Festival 2008 Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds will play Dublin Castle on May 3rd! Tickets go on sale tomorrow morning (Sat 2nd Feb 2008) at 9am. It's Saturday morning for crying out loud - and we're Nick Cave fans! Do you think we get up early on Saturday morning??? Bastards.

Got an email from Sean to let me know that loads of people commented on, and asked about, his blogging t-shirt when he wore it to Podcamp Ireland.

The t-shirt reads 'I can't wait to get home (and blog about this)' - the one Sean is wearing in the photo above is a glow in the dark t-shirt, but it's also available in our distinctive bright colours.

Check 'em out!

Thanks a million to Sean for emailing us and sending us the above photo. And because we published the photo on our site Sean can get €5 off his next FestivalShirts purchase - and that stands for anyone who sends us a photo we publish!

PS - I can't believe I haven't had time to write up my EP07 experience, but things have ben crazy... apologies, I know I promised... I might still reminisce one of these fine days...