Kings of the Castle: Lord Henry Mountcharles on the Foos and Hozier at Slane

All roads lead to Slane Castle on the Banks of the Boyne for the first big outdoor show of the year, which takes place on May 30. The honour of headlining at the most spectacular open-air venue in the world this year goes to the mighty Foo Fighters, who’ll be joined on the day by man-of-the-moment Hozier and a bill that includes The Strypes and The Kaiser Chiefs. According to Lord Henry Mountcharles, it’s a back-to-basics rock and roll kind of line-up.

“It’s a big decision to make when it comes to who should headline Slane each year,” he explains. “2015 has parallels to where my head was for Guns ‘n’ Roses back in 1992. After the disastrous fire that we had in the castle in November 1991 Denis [Desmond] and I got together at the time and said, ‘We’ve got to go again as soon as possible’. We wanted to make a big statement that we were back with a bang and so we chose Guns ‘n’ Roses for ‘92. So this year, we wanted a traditional rock and roll act and Foo Fighters fit the bill. That show took place in May as does this one.”
Mountcharles has had his own more personal battle to fight in recent times and this, he says, informed his choice of headliner.
“Well, it’s widely known that I got lung cancer last year and that I’ve been through a very strange journey in recent times,” he says. “In every sense this is the kind of gig we wanted to have this year. The band are really terrific and Dave Grohl is an incredible talent. There are not many people who do vocals, drums, and guitar – the whole thing. He’s a one-man-band all on his own but with the rest of band it’s something else and it ticks all the boxes. Also Foo Fighter is another name for a UFO and I’ve gone on record as saying that I’ve actually seen a UFO (laughs).”
Apart from the headliners he is equally enthusiastic about the rest of the line-up.
“We have some really good support acts this year. The meteoric rise of Hozier is jaw-dropping. I spend a lot of time in the US and it’s amazing how often you hear ‘Take Me To Church’ on the radio and in the shops. While I haven’t seen The Strypes yet my accountant has, and promises me they’re going to be just terrific.”