JIM CARROLLon music

CHANCES ARE many of you are reading this on the road to Stradbally. (With luck, you’re not reading and driving at the same time.) Electric Picnic’s clarion call has been pulling thousands of music fans and festival freaks to Co Laois at the end of the summer for the past couple of years.

As the festival has developed from a one-day affair in 2004 to a weekend-long tribal gathering of music, art and everything in between, the expectations have also grown.

You can see this in the annual back and forth over who’s on the bill. This has been going on since the festival first appeared on the calendar, as Picnicgoers argue about who is and, just as importantly, who is not playing.

As with lists of any sort, you’re never going to please all the people all the time – or even some of the more vocal people some of the time – but this year’s bill, like all bills, covers enough ground to give everyone something they’re after.

One observation in recent years has been about the ongoing changing of the guard in the audience. While there are still veterans who remember the 2004 heatwave and bar queues, or the Arcade Fire and Kraftwerk double whammy in 2005, the Picnic is now drawing a different crowd, as some fans stay at home and new faces take their place.

Before people launch into a misguided tirade about Oxegen fans moving en masse to Stradbally, remember that family groups also make up a growing part of the Picnic constituency. And it would be a sorry state of affairs if the festival were still just attracting the 2005 or 2006 audience.

One fixture at Electric Picnic since 2007 has been The Ticket @ Electric Picnic.

Containing reviews, previews, features, news updates, line-up changes some jokes and tons more, The Ticket @ Electric Picnic aims to be your essential guide to the festival. It is – and we’re fairly sure of this – the only daily newspaper produced in a shed in the middle of a big field in Co Laois.

The supplement will be available on Saturday and Sunday mornings from 10am. You can pick up your free copy from our distribution staff in the campsites and main arena.

For those of you who won't be in Stradbally this weekend, all reviews will be published online on irishtimes.com, and there will be coverage in Saturday and Monday's newspapers. And, don't forget, we'll be featuring all the postmatch reactions on the On the Record blog on Monday.

Now playing

Milagres Glowing Mouth(Memphis Industries)

Beautifully sculpted, soaring indie-pop from the Brooklyn band

John Talabot Fin(Permanent Vacation)

Baracelona producer's perfectly finessed house delights.

Jonathan Wilson Gentle Spirit(Bella Union)

Some Californian hazy sunshine from the Laurel Canyon throwback.

Van Dyke Parks Song Cycle(Bella Union)

The 1968 album remains an adventurous and audacious sonic adventure from the musical maverick who showed the Beach Boys how to Smile

Orquesta Kokomo(Meles Meles)

Mo' Beach Boys. Gorgeous vocals by Jape, Katie Kim and Kathi Burke, tropical musical vibes from Orlando Fitzgerald.

Seamus Fogarty God Damn You Mountain(Fence)

If you haven't dug the Mayoman's magical, spooky folk, make amends pronto. One of the albums of 2012.

Breton Other People's Problems(FatCat)

Another highlight from this year's crop, an album loaded with great accidental pop tunes and wayward electronic grooves.

Perfume Genius Put Your Back N 2 It(Turnstile)

Elegant, melancholic, bruised, blues songs from Mike Hadreas and friends.

Rustie AfterLight (Warp)

Rustie's max-bass delight from Glass Swords gets another level makeover with help from AlunaGeorge's Aluna Francis on vocals.

Delorentos Care For(Delo)

Radio-friendly gem from the Dublin band's damn fine 2012 album Little Sparks

For more, see irishtimes.com/blogs/ontherecord