* Picnic picks:Another batch of acts have been added to the Electric Picnic line up. The Duckworth Lewis Method, Florence the Machine, Laura Izibor, The Big Pink, Baaba Maal, Wave Machines and Mick Flannery will be heading for Stradbally.
* Kings' Declaration: Kings of Convenience will release their third album in October. Declaration of Dependence, the duo's third LP, follows 2004's Riot on an Empty Street, and will be preceded by the single Mrs Cold.
* Kilkenny sounds:Julie Feeney, Amiina, Low, Halfset, RSAG, J Spaceman and Donal Dineen are amongst the performers at the Kilkenny Arts Festival, which takes place from August 7th-16th. See www.kilkennyarts.com.
* Hawley's Dublin date: Sheffield crooner Richard Hawley will play a fully-seated gig at Dublin's Olympia Theatre on October 22nd. His new album Truelove's Gutter is released in September.
