Westmeath group supporting The Killers at Malahide Castle this week

The Academic say it is “an honour” to be one of the support acts for The Killers' two open air Dublin shows this week.

They were added to the bill for the two gigs in Malahide Castle tomorrow night and Wednesday night after English singer songwriter Sam Fender pulled out last week due to “scheduling issues”.

The Academic tweeted that they are thrilled to have been added to appear alongside one of the most successful rock acts of the past two decades.

“Over the moon to be joining The Killers at Malahide Castle, Dublin on June 14th and 15th! We've loved this band for as long as we've been playing music. What an honour.”

This week's gigs are part of a busy summer on the festival circuit for the critically acclaimed four piece, who earned rave reviews for their performance at the recent Lakeland Sessions in front of an appreciative home crowd.

This weekend they play the Isle of Wight Festival in England, while next month they play the Big Top at the Galway International Arts Festival on July 21 and the Indiependence Festival in Mitchelstown on July 30.