Set in the shadow of picturesque Charleville Castle, indie extravaganza Castle Palooza certainly takes place in prettier surroundings than most other festivals . Still, such events have a habit of developing into drunken mudbaths regardless of their location, so the music’s quality is the only genuine indicator of their excellence. And Castle Palooza fared quite well in this regard.
The Laundry Shop were the first Main Stage band to catch the eye on Saturday (the first of the event’s two days). The group’s languorous, melodic chug – like Pixies songs played at half-speed – provided a likeable soundtrack to the festival’s sunny opening period.
The Boudoir Stage also threw up some decent performances.Black Daisy breezed through a charming set of streamlined pop-punk originals and indie-unfriendly covers, the best of which was a spiky take on Britney’s ‘Crazy’. Still, the group’s tentative onstage presence and palpable lack of confidence undermined their music’s foxy prowl a touch.
The Main Stage provided most of Saturday’s remaining highlights. Red Kid’s frenetic set of laddish, ska-inflected rock was the first genuinely uninhibited performance of the day, while Boss Volenti provided somewhat moodier – though no less appealing – charms; the group’s wired, intense brand of hard rock jibing nicely with their solemn, black-clad stage presence.
Kormac’s nightfall set was, perhaps, Saturday’s highlight. His music is a cheery mixture of light hip-hop beats and colourful brass, but the crowd’s attention was drawn mainly towards The Fortune Cookies – the barbershop quartet that fronted the performance. Dressed like Southern gentlemen from the 1920s, The Cookies provided stylish, note-perfect vocals that were sparingly employed, but all the more tantalising for it.
Sunday provided further highlights. Singer-songwriter Paul Hourican delivered a beautifully-impassioned early-day set, while The Dirty Epics injected a little energy and pizzazz into proceedings; hot pants-sporting frontwoman Sarah Jane Wai O’Flynn providing the focal point of a set that climaxed with a storming rendition of ‘Pony’.
But it wasn’t until a little later that the festival fully sprang into life. The Chapters’ energetic brand of pop-rock and Robotnik’s onstage water-gun antics paving the way nicely for Fight Like Apes, who were Castle Palooza’s main attraction for many attendees. The Apes did not disappoint, and anticipation for their upcoming debut album has now reached fever pitch. MayKay is certainly one of the wildest, weirdest frontwomen around, and the chemistry she shares with her glassy-eyed, little-and-large bandmates certainly comes into its own in the live setting. The band’s buzzing, keyboard-driven pop is perfect festival fodder – now let’s just hope it loses none of its charm within the confines of an LP.
The Republic Of Loose’s DJ set was, perhaps, a tad anticlimactic; a sharp contrast with the brazen brilliance of their live shows. For now, Fight Like Apes are the kings of this castle.