Stendhal Festival of Art
Ballymully Cottage Farm, Limavady
Saturday 9th August, 2014
Across the Line travelled to Stendhal Festival of Art to check out some of the bands playing the Saturady of the festival.
We’re on Ballymully Cottage Farm, on the outskirts of Limavady for
Stendhal Festival of Art 2014.
ATL arrives on site on Saturday afternoon and despite evidence of the rain from the night before, it’s easily navigable and the sun is out.
The first music we hear is
Glenn Rosborough. He’s sounding and looking sharp, dressed in black with dark red braces. The band he’s assembled is sounding good too. Glenn’s vocals are soulful and as with so many of the band’s we’ve seen over the last couple of weeks, his performance comes across as being full of confidence. The tracks are big, the sound filling the marquee, it’s a good start.
As Glenn finishes we leave the main tent and explore Stendhal for the first time. It’s a big site and there is lots to see. A quick walk through a line of trees and down some steps leaves us on the edge of a small hill, looking onto more stages and a woodland walk below. We turn left and end up at Keady Corner. The band on stage are singing about spiders, leather jackets and faulty alternators. It’s fun. The humour is appreciated by the audience and the music is bright enough for the kids. What seems to be noticeable so far about Stendhal is just how many young families there are.
As we explore the site a little more we find the woodland area. Handmade bridges across small rivers. Trees covered in knitted, woollen bark and wire angels hanging from trees. It’s obvious a lot of thought and time has gone into these touches and as the name suggest – Stendhal Festival of Art – it’s about more than just music.
A climb back up the hill and
Silences are now on the main stage. The Silences songs ATL are most familiar with on record, ‘Emma’, ‘Santa Cruz’ and ‘Vancouver Aches’ among others, are all beautiful, delicate pieces. Live though, the energy is upped. While the melody is still there, there’s more volume and more edge. There’s no need to worry about the hum of the festival drowning them out. Live, the 5-piece does each track justice and there’s a familiarity to the songs, a feeling that they could belong to some of the big names in popular music. They’re strong tracks, for sure.
Across a bridge, into a wooded area, along a path and there’s a bit of a clearing with a tiny wooden hut to one side with a gathering of people. The conversation stops when
Ciaran Lavery starts to play. Ciaran’s on good form it would seem. He’s telling us how he copes with forgetting words, about pyrotechnics – an 8 shot Roman Candle – and a Catherine wheel that burnt a hole through his fence. He asks the audience to help him sing, saying it will be a positive experience, before admitting that if it were him being asked he’d be away, over the bridge and into the field beyond. But no one leaves. The audience sing and it’s great. He was right, it’s positive and fun and there are smiles all round.
We leave Ciaran to get back to get the main stage where
The Clameens have already started. On the way we pass the Inishowen Gospel Choir who are performing their own version of Pixies ‘Where is My Mind’ – showing in part the eclectic array of music at the festival. On the main stage The Clameens sound huge and full of swagger. ‘Don’t Judge’ and ‘Follow’ are played back to back. They sound powerful and the set is tight, with songs rolling into one another and no real gaps, lengthy tune ups or other distractions. ‘What’s the Difference’ is driving and even a wayward mic can’t stop it for more than a couple of seconds. ‘She’s Got My Heart’ brings things to an end, the sun is out, it’s the biggest crowd of the day so far and they’re dancing.
It’s basically a home town show for Exit Pursued by Bear. They are pushing for a grand sound, with violin bow on guitar and big, soaring choruses. When the drummer starts to work the kit the music really comes alive. The audience applause is genuine and impressive in its volume. As the set progresses the tracks are a little more immediate. Up to now frontman Michael McMacken has given nothing away as to how he might be feeling, as he’s staring straight ahead with dark sunglasses on. But as they finish a song with the front couple of rows singing along, he steps back and smiles. It’s another nice moment - in a day full of them.
There’s only the faintest light left as
Go Wolf start. The bass lines remind us a little of the Rapture in places, the synths and guitar licks nod to the 80’s and together it’s wonderful. One More Night is perfect for summer and people are getting into it, nodding along. New single ‘Talk to You’ – out via New York’s Ooh La La Label - gets people moving as well, before a slight change of pace with ‘Even God’. It starts slow, before picking up the pace again and it sounds great. The crowd is tight around the small stage, with the Clameens and Wonder Villains watching on too, as an almost full moon rises above the festival site.
Next up, all of a hundred metres away, is
The Wood Burning Savages who kick off with 'Colza Hotel'. Again this is another band that’s relentless from track to track. Even with a broken guitar strap the music keeps going. Fix it and catch up seems to be the plan, rather than stop and wait. A good tactic which keeps the energy high. Paul Connolly, whose movement reminds us a little of Elvis Costello in places, encourages the crowd to turn around and hug someone. Hugs break out, and the lyrics behind it seem sweet and heartfelt. They play ‘America’ and it’s fantastic. It makes us think of the people who have left and are leaving this island. Before the end of the set we’re told ‘If you’ve ever wanted to dance in the dark on someone else’s land now is your chance’…he’s right.
It’s the attention to detail and the obvious effort that goes into making the Stendhal Festival site that’s in our minds as we’re watching Frightened Rabbit bring things on the main stage to a close.
They’re a grand notion….. festivals. So much planning and so much risk for those who organise them. But with a day of such great music and a festival site so well thought out as this one – it really makes you appreciate the effort of every single person involved.
James Devlin
