Indiependence Festival: A Weekend to Remember

Normally summer festivals are a hotbed for outlandish and inventive fashion. In Cork Co., that means the latest and greatest of rain gear. From pink llama rain jackets to ponchos decorated like watermelons, the fashion was not only appropriate for the often dreary weather, but a lighthearted nod of defiance: the rain can’t dampen our festival spirits. And that it did not!

Saturday

Saturday showcased indie, pop, and alternative artists with a range of sounds and no shortage of talent. Opening the day at the main stage was ROE, the 19-year-old Derry native who, despite being alone on stage with just a guitar, synths, and a loop pedal, commanded the energy of the entire arena. State Lights had the confidence of Queen themselves when they conjured up a cover of ‘Radio Ga Ga’. And Wild Youth got the crowd going with lead singer David Whelan gyrating incessantly to ‘Making Me Dance’.

As evening swooped in and All Tvvins took the tented stage, people that were escaping the rain realised they were in for a treat with a great rendition of 'Hell of a Party' that got the crowd to forget the rain and let loose. Irish favourite Gavin James performed a beautiful rendition of 'Coming Home' to the swooning crowd, which he dedicated to his fellow gingers in the crowd. And to close out the night, Catfish and the Bottlemen reminded everyone why they withstood the bad weather all day: our love of great music. They delivered that and more with an invigorating set. Frontman Van McCann owned the souls of everyone in the crowd, compelling them to dance along with his every strum without a care in the world.

Sunday

Our second day at Indiependence Festival started off with a lot of rain and an amazing performance by the alternative rock band Inhaler. Their frontman is Bono's son Elijah Hewson and it certainly showed. The 19-year-old clearly inherited the performance abilities of his father. Up next, Thanks Brother took the stage. The four-piece shined with outstanding vocals and catchy songs. With The Undertones, we also saw real rock legends perform. Their most famous song 'Teenage Kicks' got the whole crowd dancing.

Yet another memorable voice welcomed us at the Village Stage. Somebody's Child played well-written Indie pop-rock with frontman Cian Goddo's raspy voice as the cherry on top. At the main stage, Nothing But Thieves delivered an incredibly energetic performance that demanded everything from the audience and singer Conor Mason. Although the British band blew us away, the highlight of the day was yet to come. Biffy Clyro played banger after banger. From their more heartfelt songs to headbanging masterpieces, the audience was in for a treat. 'The Biff' closed the Indiependence with style and in typical rockstar fashion.

Check back tomorrow for a thorough review of some of our favourite acts of the weekend!