Sunday
Somadrone (Electric Arena, 12:30)
Dr Tunes and the boys are back in town with a new album of punchieravant psychedelic pop. (SW)
Goodtime (Body & Soul Main Stage, 15.00)
Immeasurably well respected amongst his peers, the man formerly known as Goodtime John is an undoubtedly talented and engaging songwriter. Bringing together the naturist mysticism of some-time collaborator Phil Elvrum with the economic story-telling knack of Bill Callahan, GOODTIME shows the value of patience and consideration in music, drawing the listener in with crooked harmonies and chords that just seem to fall together in their own brilliantly ramshackle way. (IM)
Adebisi Shank (Cosby Stage, 15:15)
Be-masked adventurers, squiggly instrumental rock leviathan, spaghetti legged noise goblins. Adebisi’s stage show has an energy and agility that would see them get into Trappatoni’s midfield, but an imagination and flair that would get them right back out. Having seen them at Castlepalooza, I can confirm they owned the tent, expect them to do the same here.
Reason not to see them: you’re an idiot. (HG)
Great Lakes Mystery (Body & Soul Love Letter Stage, 18:00)
Great Lakes Mystery trades in brooding electronic pop reminiscent of 70’s and 80’s sci-fi film music. Gareth Averill’s music often sounds menacing yet there’s always something pretty sounding in the mix to stop the mood getting too heavy. (IW)
Rollers/Sparkers (Body & Soul Love Letter Stage, 20:00)
On leave from their continuing excavations into the deepest lunar tropics of your favorite invisible cities. (SW)
Patrick Kelleher & His Cold Dead Hands (Body & Soul Main Stage, 21:00)
Paddy K’s cold dead hands are so hot right now, what with the release of his second album recently. Bona Fide pop brilliance, created with humour rather than irony, intelligence, rather than a sneering disdain. The tonic for these cynical times.
Reason to see him: he’s great. (HG)
The set of “box social” bands is the most inspiring and admirable thing to happen in Irish music in the past while. A group of people collaborating and experimenting as part of Children Under Hoof who also help each other out in their other, more singular, projects (Catscars for example, which is mainly Robyn Bromfield’s thing, are also playing in Stradbally this weekend). Of them all Patrick Kelleher’s kraut pop stylings are probably the most accessible. (IW)
Neu goth death disco for the hypnagogic generation. (SW)
Bob Geldof (Crawdaddy Stage, 21:30)
Brad Gandalf has more number ones than most of this line up combined, certainly, by Irish Standards, his Pop Method should be highly respected. But it’s not. Probably because he packed in to concentrate on self righteousness and money. Here’s the man who riled up this country and garnered for himself many miles of vitriolic front page ink, before becoming beknighted and sainted and disappearing from music altogether. Except that he didn’t. He ‘s been knocking around festivals peddling his shit for years now. God knows why he’s doing this, surely if he wanted to feel bad about himself he could just eat some cakes while watching a famine on tv. There’s loads going on, right now.
Reason to see: to see if he still does the fist in the air during I Don’t Like Mondays (HG)
Nightcycles (Love Letter stage, 1.15 AM)
Sunday night sees a rare outing for krautrocking power-trio, Nightcycles. Featuring the twin talents of Patrick Kelleher and Gerard Duffy of Cold Dead Hands and School Tour renown on bass and oscillations respectively, they are propelled by the exacting rhythms of Cullen Camic. Formed at the last minute to play at the Thread Pulls album launch last year, the trio operate in a heady whirlwind of improvisation. Whilst drawing on the undeniable pulse and motion of Neu!, there is still space for anything to happen in this music and that’s where the excitement comes from. No matter how many times you’ve heard it, you don’t know what is coming next. (IM)
