Gig News

Galway International Arts Festival – and Róisín Dubh announce an Irish Exclusive! The Flaming Lips

Galway International Arts Festival and Róisín Dubh today announced that The Flaming Lips will make a triumphant return to the Heineken® Big Top in July 2026, their only Irish gig next year, with support from indie rockers Mercury Rev.

Renowned for staging one of the most extraordinary live shows in the world, the six-time GRAMMY®-nominated band promise another night of dazzling colour, euphoric sound and unbridled joy.

Formed in Oklahoma City in 1983, The Flaming Lips have become one of the most influential and inventive forces in American alternative rock. Their surreal, high-energy performances, complete with giant zorbs, confetti cannons, and kaleidoscopic visuals, have earned them global acclaim and a place on Q Magazine’s list of ‘50 Bands to See Before You Die.’

Audiences can expect much-loved anthems such as Do You Realize?? and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1, alongside songs from their critically praised albums King’s Mouth and American Head.

With their unique blend of creativity, theatricality and heart, The Flaming Lips’ return to Galway promises to be one of the most spectacular nights of the summer.

Formed in 1989 in Buffalo, New York, Mercury Rev are celebrated for their kaleidoscopic blend of indie rock, psychedelia, and orchestral pop. Forever evolving, the band has drawn on jazz, folk, funk, and electronic textures to craft what The Guardian called ‘music that pushes the boundaries of what rock means.’ Their 1991 debut Yerself Is Steam introduced their dreamlike sound, while 1998’s Deserter’s Songs, featuring the soaring singles Goddess on a Hiway and Holes, became a modern classic, topping NME’s Album of the Year list and inspiring a new wave of chamber-pop experimentation. Later releases such as All Is Dream and The Secret Migration cemented their reputation as one of America’s most imaginative and enduring alternative bands.