Last December The National were the hottest ticket in town, playing three sold-out shows at the Olympia Theater. Last weekend they played to dozens of passersby at this year's Oxegen, check out pics here. Obviously you're average Saturdays and Black Eyed Peas fan seem to be less keen on the Ohio boys.

With all the talk of poor festival ticket sales in the UK and Ireland it makes you wonder how many punters have been forking out €240 for September's Electric Picnic?

After Arcade Fire's post-Jay-Z Oxegen flop last year and The National's this year, will MCD go even more Top of the Pops with Oxegen and see Festival Republic/POD beefing up the Electric Picnic line-up with the overflow? The National would have been one of the bigger acts had they played this years Electric Picnic, and they went down a storm at EP last year.

With the surge in smaller festivals, Forbidden Fruit, Body and Soul ect. eating into the market that has been traditionally held by EP, and the increasing migration to Primavera and other European festivals you have to wonder what the uptake for EP 2011 will be like.

Even the likes of Glastonbury are worrying about their sustainability, it looks like something has to give around here. You have to wonder what the festival circuit will look like in these parts this time next year? Will punters decide to keep funds for an annual blow out at the Electric Picnic, or decide to shun it in favor of smaller cheaper affairs, or head off to even more alternatives on the continent, leading to Electric Picnic's annual outings being eventually discontinued?