Artist Wayne Power overcomes agoraphobia battle to perform at Electric Picnic

Waterford artist Wayne Power spent three years of his life completely housebound due to the debilitating anxiety disorder known as agoraphobia. 

Last weekend, he performed at Ireland’s largest festival.

“I could never have imagined that I would be able to do this. For me, it marks recovery” he said.

'Ready to move forward'

Power is a Waterford based playwright and poet. His original plays have sold out local venues, and his regular Slip of the Tongue nights of spoken word, poetry, live music, drag, and comedy have become widely popular in the city.

This momentum hasn’t gone unnoticed, as Wayne first caught the eye of Electric Picnic organisers in 2024, who invited him to perform at the festival’s spoken word tent.

It wasn’t to be however, as Wayne cancelled the performance in 2024, and a subsequent scheduled performance in 2025, due to the “overwhelming and insidious condition” known as agoraphobia.

Agoraphobia is a type of anxiety disorder characterised by the fear or avoidance of places that might cause panic and feelings of being trapped. The condition can naturally lead to the inability to leave environments that feel familiar or safe.

“I have suffered from agoraphobia for about thirteen years, and I was completely housebound for three years” Wayne said.

“It was hell on earth. It kept me away from holidays, concerts, and gigs that I was offered in Dublin by people that I really respect. It was heartbreaking and I did a lot of crying in private.

 “I recovered about seven years ago, but getting out of Waterford still remained a huge issue for me.” 

Following his Electric Picnic cancellation, Wayne said to this newspaper in 2024: “This hurts a lot but you have to dust off and keep going. It’s something I’m still working on and working towards so I can go and represent myself and Waterford as best I can and be the best artist I can be.” 

He kept his word, and told us this week that performing at the festival has remained "an obsession" for him over the past two years.

“I made a lot of changes in my life since pulling out in 2024" he said this week.

"My turning point was seeing a therapist, which has been amazing for me. I decided to stop drinking too, not because I had a problem, but because it really didn’t help my anxiety.

“Those things helped me a lot, as did my really good circle of friends who said to me that they’re going to get me to EP and get me on that stage this year.” 

Bit by bit, Wayne started to traverse outside the confines of his locality, taking day trips with friends outside of Waterford.

“We went to Kilkenny together and after that I said you know what, I think I can do this now, I can go to Laois, I feel ready to move forward.” 

How did it go?

Wayne took to the stage at Electric Picnic’s arts and culture hub 'Mindfield' over the weekend.

He described the moment as “the final death knell for anxiety and panic.” 

“On the journey to Stradbally that morning I was definitely emotional. I was just thinking back on the last twenty years and how I got here. But when I went into the tent I just couldn’t wait to get up there onto the stage. It was pure excitement, it was unbelievable.”

“Ten years ago when I was walking around my own neighbourhood because I couldn’t even bring myself to come into town, I could have never imagined that I’d be performing at Electric Picnic. It’s crazy, absolutely crazy.” 

 “I’m at my happiest when I’m performing, with the mic in my hand, or just sitting down scribbling ideas for a poem or plots for a play, that’s when I’m at my most comfortable. So to get to Electric Picnic and perform the work I’ve been creating in Waterford was just incredible."

There is more coming down the pipeline for Wayne, and he now plans to continue performing across Ireland and abroad. 

His next Slip of the Tongue event takes place at Theatre Royal on Culture Night, 18 September at 10pm.