Knockanstockan (Saturday)

Although the weather had looked uncertain in the days leading up to the festival, revellers need not have worried as, come the weekend, the sun was beaming down.
At Faerie Field the amazing Liza Flume was on stage. Charming, with confessional lyrics, she was a big hit. Up next were Wyvern Lingo, a Bray trio who specialise in sweeping harmonies and evocative songcraft.
It was back to the Sun Stage for Mikey and the Scallywags, an energetic and irreverent crew of punk rock newcomers. In the Dimestore Tent, The Urges were doing their psychedelic garage band thing – no wonder Steve Van Zandt’s such a massive fan – while Corner Boy treated the Shack of Diamonds to a Mumford-esque nu-folk knees-up. It’s a crowded genre, but head Boy Michael D’Arcy definitely has the songwriting chops to make a mark.
With the sun setting on the lakes, Raglans arrived on the main stage, delivering a barnstorming suite of bittersweet indie pop. Closing out a fantastic day’s music were boogie boys The Hot Sprockets who were the perfect way to bring down the curtain on an event that combined killer tunes with a laid-back atmosphere. Knockanstockan has to be on your list of go-to festivals for 2014!

Knockanstockan (Sunday)

Cute isn’t a word you’d use to describe Knockanstockan festival. But cute is exactly what we got as Nursery Crimes’ nine-year-old vocalist and percussionist Radzee incites the first mosh of the day, screaming out Rage’s ‘Fuck You, I Won’t Do What You Tell Me’ to a packed Dimestore Tent. At least he had ear protection.
Most of the early afternoon was spent dashing between Dimestore and the nearby Jimmy Lee’s Juke Joint in order to avoid a right soaking.
The latter proved to be a massive hit, with plenty of fun, games and impromptu performances. Liza Flume and Conor Linnie were among those dropping by. Ghost Estates impressed, too, with their brash and boisterous indie-tronica.
Over at the Faerie Field, Mumblin’ Deaf Ro reeled us in with some infectious tales and ramblings from his 2012 Dictionary Crimes album. Apparently delayed by technical issues, Slow Skies eventually followed and impressed with their dreamy ambient pop. The star of the show is Karen Sheridan whose breathy vocals are equal parts Beth Gibbons and Alison Goldfrapp. The Faerie Field would work its magic later as husky songstress Cat Dowling and Donegal’s In Their Thousands, another Mumford-y outfit, played fantastic sets.