Indiependence Review

“A Mexican cross between Bjork and Courtney Love, she turns the Big Top into her personal stamping, strutting and crowd-surfing playground,” writes Stuart. “Best band of the day by a country mile.
“Which isn’t to say that And So I Watch You From Afar aren’t as pulverisingly wonderful as usual – this was a mosh I was delighted to be caught in – or that De La Soul didn’t deliver some joyous old skool hip hop entertainment. The former have weathered the loss of founder member Tony Wright and come out the other side arguably an even more thrilling live act, while the latter are a New York summer block party on six legs. The Long Islanders stopped being innovative around 1991, but in terms of pure entertainment, they’re priceless.”
Moving on to Day Two, and Craig Fitzpatrick writes that, “Having just impressed in the Hot Press Hot Spot, Bangor’s Foy Vance somehow fills the Main Stage with just an acoustic guitar, a voice that recalls Paul Buchanan and hymnal songs of hope. You can hear why Ed Sheeran fans fell for the Bangor man when he recently toured with the flame-haired star.
“The two final acts of the evening sum up the Indiependence spirit. Kodaline are now chart toppers and an international success story, but they’re also just four Dublin music fans who have been coming to this Cork shindig for years and seem genuinely touched to finally be playing. Say what you will about their MOR, emotive hits-in-waiting, but they make a connection with the masses. Given that they’re also camping at the festival, fans were likely treated to acoustic versions of their Main Stage set at half-three in the morning.
“Kodaline confess that, their own performance aside, they’re really just there to see Bell X1. When the Kildare act arrive on stage, you can tell they’re an act Kodaline aspire to emulating – and why. A Bell X1 Main Stage show is a communal, uplifting experience. They know their crowd, and whilst material from this year’s Chop Chop suggests they’re at the height of their songwriting powers, they also know to lean heavy on the old favourites. ‘Rocky Took A Lover’ is a case in point. A twinkling ode to love in times of extreme hardship, it arrives last and lingers long in the memory.”
And finally to Day Three, where Roe McDermott notes that despite a delay due to technical problems caused by rain, The Original Rudeboys “bounced onstage and immediately had the crowd onside, with the Indie audience jumping and singing in unison. But as the band later remarked to the crowd, ‘The weather was atrocious but yous showed up and wrecked the place!’
“It was a busker’s folk-fuelled evening as Ryan Sheridan took to the main stage while brothers Hudson Taylor brought their raw, folk-infused melodic pop to the Maxol tent. The latter’s blend of emotional, stripped back performances and catchy contemporary tracks brings a lovely diversity to their performances. However it was Sheridan who won the night with sheer showmanship: his boundless enthusiasm and fantastic new band delivered brilliant solos and involving performances of crowd-pleasers ‘Jigsaw’, ‘The Dreamer’ and ‘The Day You Live Forever.’ Guitarist Nicky Brennan and drummer Jimmy Rainsford deserve serious credit for filling out Sheridan’s sound and adding an extra depth and sense of fun to his performances.
“Bastille had the honour of filling Indiependence’s final main stage slot, and proved they weren’t resting on their laurels, adding some unique touches. Opening their set with soundbytes and the theme from Twin Peaks before launching into a rousing rendition of ‘Laura Palmer’ and giving a brilliant performance of ‘Rhythm Is A Dancer’, the London band proved they’re willing to look for musical references both obscure and old-school to craft on a damn good show.”