Mayo band to make their return to Electric Picnic

Mayo band Billow Wood is set to perform at Electric Picnic.

The band put on a fantastic performance at last year’s festival in Stradbally, county Laois, and this year, they are set to do the same on two stages over the weekend.

The Ballina act Billow Wood will return to Ireland’s biggest music and arts festival on both the Hazelwood Stage and The Word Stage.

Made up of founding members Mark O’Donnell and Harry Lawlor, alongside Andy Dempsey, Emily Donoghue, and Aodan Cronin, the five-piece band seamlessly blends multiple genres of music such as folk, traditional and mainstream music, with lavish vocal harmonies and instrumentation.

The band’s former member, Brid O’Donnell, will also perform with the band for their Electric Picnic appearances.

The highly successful band played two rare home gigs last month, including a performance in St Michael’s Church, Ballina, and an open-air appearance on the main stage for Ballina Heritage Day.

Billow Wood’s music was featured earlier this year at Folk Alliance International in the US. A major showcase event in the folk genre attended by some of the industry's top names.

Electric picnic doesn’t make the group's last show on home turf as on August 25, they will play the Clare Island Folk Festival before jetting off to Switzerland for another gig.

The Hazelwood stage (An Chollchoill) is the festival's Irish language stage.

Partnered with Conradh na Gaeilge, the programme, ‘Croí na Féile’, brings the Irish language to centre stage.

Set in a secluded woodland haven amongst a circle of traditional horse-drawn caravans, the stage is centred around a crackling campfire and adorned with a beautiful array of visual art. 

With a mix of traditional music agus cultúr Gaelach, acts take to the stage every night from 7pm to after midnight. 

For more information on Billow Wood, see their Facebook page, and for more information on The Hazelwood stage at Electric Picnic, see their website.