Tonight’s the end of normality for anyone heading to Punchestown this weekend - you can even head down now, grab a good pitch for the tent and enjoy pre-fest entertainment from circus performers - who’s going?

Over a dozen Irish performers lead a home-front invasion on the Kildare site from the IMRO New Sounds Stage on Saturday and Sunday. A direct move by the Irish Music Rights Organisation to define exactly the hottest bands of 2008, the line-up includes C O D E S, Crayonsmith, Dry County, Fighting With Wire, Halves, Oppenheimer, New Amusement and Televsion Room. A truly legendary experience in the making, there won’t be a lull in schedule for anyone who finds themselves present.

Several other Irish bands pepper the Oxegen schedule - Paddy Casey, The Blizzards and The Coronas play the main stage while the Green Room tent looks very inviting with performances from Bellx1 to The Kinetiks. Republic of Loose will seriously fuck shit up at the O2 stage on Sunday as US hip-hop legend Styles P joins them live for I Love Music. Delorentos and God Is An Astronaut are set for the Pet Sounds stage, Derry’s dance power represents via The Japanese Popstars and Future Chaser on Saturday while the2FM NEW BAND STAGE / FUTURES stage promises Kill City Defectors and Fight Like Apes. With such an impressive whack of talent it’ll be a miracle if you manage to drag yourself away from Dry County’s Sunday night headliner to check out RATM.

People come up to me every now and then, saying “hey, I found your blog, it’s great but I’ve never seen these bands live!” Now’s the chance to get your fill of Irish at its tantalising best. I’ve laid out the full stage-times and line-up. Feast yo eyes…and ears!

FULL OXEGEN 2008 LINE-UP AND TIMES:

Friday 11 July
MAIN STAGE:
23:30 KINGS OF LEON
21:55 INTERPOL
20:25 EDITORS
19:05 PADDY CASEY
18:00 THE CORONAS
17:00 AMY MACDONALD

Read on for the full list….

THE O2 STAGE:
23:35 GROOVE ARMADA
22:00 GO! TEAM
20:45 BEN FOLDS
19:30 DEUS
18:15 SUGABABES
17:00 FUTURE KINGS OF SPAIN

GREEN ROOM
23:40 BELL X1
22:10 MUNDY
20:45 ASLAN
19:30 THE SAWDOCTORS
18:15 THE KINETIKS
17:00 DIRTY EPICS

PET SOUNDS
23:50 CAT POWER
21:50 APHEX TWIN
20:25 TRICKY
19:10 BATTLES
18:05 CAPTAIN
17:00 GOD IS AN ASTRONAUT

2FM NEW BAND STAGE / FUTURES
00:30 WHITE DENIM
23:30 THE RASCALS
22:30 FRIENDLY FIRES
21:35 THE METROS
20:40 NOAH & THE WHALE
19:45 BRYN CHRISTOPHER
18:50 LIAM FINN
17:55 SPARKADIA
17:00 LEOPOLD

DANCE STAGE:
23:50 CALVIN HARRIS
22:00 UNKLE
21:05 ANNIE MAC
20:10 MSTRKRFT
19:20 KOZE
18:30 KOSHEEN
17:45 SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM
17:00 BURNS

Saturday, 12 July 2008

MAIN STAGE:
23:40 THE VERVE
21:50 REM
20:15 STEREOPHONICS
18:45 AMY WINEHOUSE
17:15 COUNTING CROWS
16:00 NEWTON FAULKNER
14:45 SCOUTING FOR GIRLS
13:30 BOWLING FOR SOUP

THE O2 STAGE
00:00 THE PRODIGY
22:25 THE ZUTONS
21:05 FEEDER
19:50 PANIC AT THE DISCO
18:35 THE ENEMY
17:30 THE HOOSIERS
16:25 THE WOMBATS
15:20 POWDERFINGER
14:25 ONE NIGHT ONLY
13:30 LITTLE MAN TATE

GREEN ROOM
23:50 MANIC STREET PREACHERS
22:20 THE CHARLATANS
21:00 PENDULUM
19:45 ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN
18:35 VAMPIRE WEEKEND
17:30 BRITISH SEA POWER
16:25 THE TING TINGS
15:20 BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE
14:25 DELAYS
13:30 CONCERTO FOR CONSTANTINE

PET SOUNDS
23:45 THE NATIONAL
22:15 HOT CHIP
20:45 RICHARD HAWLEY
19:40 SEASICK STEVE
18:30 DECLAN O’ROURKE
17:15 PAUL HEATON
16:10 MY MORNING JACKET
15:15 THE MUSIC
14:25 CAMILLE O’SULLIVAN
13:30 JACK McMANUS

2FM NEW BAND STAGE/FUTURES
00:15 ELLIOT MINOR
23:15 ROYWORLD
22:15 JOE LEAN AND THE JING JANG JONG
21:10 BLACK KIDS
20:15 ALPHABEAT
19:15 IDA MARIA
18:15 YEASAYER
17:10 HOLY FUCK
16:15 MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE
15:20 GENERAL FIASCO
14:25 OFFSHORE
13:30 KILL CITY DEFECTORS

IMRO NEW SOUNDS STAGE
22:15 BLOOD RED SHOES
21:15 C O D E S
20:15 GARY GO
19:15 OPPENHEIMER
18:15 SONS OF ALBION
17:15 NEW AMUSEMENT
16:15 THE GOLDEN SILVERS
15:20 THE CADES
14:20 THE RED LABELS
13:30 FUTURE CHASER

DANCE STAGE
23:45 JUSTICE
21:45 BOYZNOISE
19:45 SLAM
17:45 MICHAEL MAYER
16:30 STREETLIFE DJ’S
15:30 KAVINSKY
14:30 JAPANESE POPSTARS
13:30 CHEMISTRY DJ’s

Sunday, 13 July 2008

MAIN STAGE
22:35 RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
20:45 KAISER CHIEFS
19:10 THE FRATELLIS
17:35 THE KOOKS
16:00 THE BLIZZARDS
14:45 THE FEELING
13:30 EDDY GRANT

THE O2 STAGE
22:30 CHEMICAL BROS
21:00 THE RACONTEURS
19:35 REPUBLIC OF LOOSE
18:20 KATE NASH
17:05 PIGEON DETECTIVES
15:50 WE ARE SCIENTISTS
14:40 THE COURTEENERS
13:30 THE SUBWAYS

THE GREEN ROOM
22:50 IAN BROWN
21:20 THE POGUES
20:05 TOM BAXTER
18:55 REVEREND AND THE MAKERS
17:50 JACK PENATE
16:40 ALABAMA 3
15:25 THE STRANGLERS
14:20 THE HOLD STEADY
13:30 THE WHIGS

PET SOUNDS
22:45 THE SWELL SEASON
21:15 ROISIN MURPHY
19:45 BAND OF HORSES
18:30 MGMT
17:15 DELORENTOS
16:00 LIGHTSPEED CHAMPION
14:45 DAVID JORDAN
13:30 RYAN BINGHAM

2FM NEW BAND STAGE/FUTURES
23:20 LOS CAMPESINOS!
22:20 CAJUN DANCE PARTY
21:20 FLOGGING MOLLY
20:20 FIGHT LIKE APES
19:20 GLASVEGAS
18:20 THE SCRIPT
17:20 TWISTED WHEEL
16:25 IN CASE OF FIRE
15:25 JAGUAR LOVE
14:30 WHITE LIES
13:30 SCHMACKEY AND THE SALADS

IMRO NEW SOUNDS STAGE
22:15 DRY COUNTY
21:15 TEAM WATER POLO
20:15 HALVES
19:15 CRAYONSMITH
18:15 THE ROCKET SUMMER
17:15 THE BROTHERS MOVEMENT
16:15 THE HAZY JANES
15:15 FIGHTING WITH WIRE
14:20 ARNO CARSTENS
13:30 TELEVISION ROOM

DANCE STAGE
23:00 DAVID GUETTA
21:00 LUCIANO
19:00 MYLO
17:30 CARL CRAIG
16:30 CROOKERS
15:30 RADIOSLAVE
14:30 DOES IT OFFEND YOU, YEAH?
13:30 QUIET VILLAGE

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 10th, 2008 at 11:46 am and is filed under Unsigned Bands, Music, Festivals. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.