Cork X Southwest Festival

It’s got fine headliners, excellent weather and great vibes. Most importantly the festival introduced the lucky attendees to artists we’d never heard of, but who still managed to blow our minds.
Playing in the Horse and Hound pub on Friday, Triple Drop demonstrated this superbly. Sounding like a mix of Jamie T and The Pogues, they got even the oul’ lads in this very flat-cap type pub jumping around the place.
On Saturday, Canadian singer Joel Plaskett embodied the chilled vibe with his catchy, acoustic tunes, and after our own The Frank and Walters gig on the Main Stage, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy played. His musicians were borderline insane and was incredible. As indeed was Martha Wainwright who followed him...
Another must-see was Brian Deady, who really should have been born black and anointed the Reverend Brian Deady, funk guru that he is. For me, however, it was Jinx Lennon who stole the show. Morrisey said that Damien Dempsey was the conscience of Ireland, and if that’s true then Jinx Lennon is its dark underbelly. His astute lyrics about council estates, Irish hospitals and the Celtic Tiger both shocked and delighted the audience. Long may he rant...