The Mary Wallopers promise 'serious craic' at Electric Picnic performance

Irish trad/punk band The Mary Wallopers will take to the main stage at Electric Picnic this weekend, and the band are "buzzing."

The Leinster Express/ Laois Live caught up with bassist Róisín Barrett on the band's success, future album, and upcoming Electric Picnic gig.

Originally from Portlaoise, Ms Barrett joined the band in 2022.

"Playing main stage is gonna be great, it's gonna be class," she said. 

"I'll tell ya- Electric Picnic is getting it. It's going to be some serious craic. There will be dangerous levels of buzz in our camp!".

After two years of touring and gigging, the band have announced a short hiatus to focus on producing their third album.

The Mary Wallopers will play Electric Picnic this Saturday evening, and play one final gig at the Welsh festival 'Green Man' on Sunday.

"We're really excited for picnic because we get to play these songs and end this chapter before going in to create something new," said Ms Barrett.

"We never take time off, we haven't in the past two years. We've just been going hell for leather."

"We're buzzing for it. It's going to be one of our last gigs before we take a few months off to work on the third album.

"For some of the songs, it could be the last time you'll hear them live," she said.

The band hope to focus on producing predominantly original songs on their next album, and obviously some ballads too.

"It'll be mad to stop gigging but it'll be exciting to go into the creative process a bit deeper with each other," she said. 

"Main stage, its going to be unreal! I'm from Laois, I've only missed one Electric Picnic in my life. It was because I was bold, and my Mam wouldn't let me go. I remember how raging I was over it!".

"Electric Picnic is known all over the country, everyone knows it and everyone goes to it. To have made main stage is like a, 'wow, we've made it' feeling," she said.

"This summer has been really exciting with all of the festivals we have done. We've always either been main stage or second-biggest stage, so it's been so cool to move to these heights."

The Mary Wallopers recently played at 'All Together Now', a festival based in Waterford.

"That was chaos- it was class," said Ms Barrett. 

"It's all we're talking about right now. We're gearing up for a very, very exciting set.  the bass player finished.

Catch The Mary Wallopers on Electric Picnic's main stage on Saturday evening.