The Curraghmore estate in Co. Waterford was the green, undulating backdrop for the fourth iteration of the All Together Now festival this past bank holiday weekend, offering a stellar lineup of Irish and international acts.

After a chaotic sequence of train rides, a misdirected taxi, a hitchhike (cheers John!), and an inquisitive undercover officer, I was greeted with the aftermath of the previous night’s rain.

Tents lay in ruins and the ground was a muddy mess. Despite all this, the spirits of festivalgoers were undeterred.

Having arrived a day late, I was keen to get the thoughts of attendees who braved the night before. The consensus for Friday was remarkably positive, with the likes of Lankum, Overmono and the Trad Rave getting high marks in particular.

Lankum at All Together Now 2023. Copyright Trevor McGrath.

Tent pitched and wellies equipped, it was time to see what all the fuss was about.

The Sugababes proved they still got it with an hour-long trip through early noughties pop nostalgia at the main stage. Following them in the Something Kind of Wonderful tent was The Scratch, whose fast-paced acoustic shredding impressed and energised the crowd.

Caribou were second to last to take the main stage on Saturday with their feel-good indie grooves. A special shoutout goes to frontman Dan Snaith, who gathered the stamina to play a two-hour long DJ set under the alias Daphni later in the evening.

Closing the main stage that night was Jamie XX, who offered a typically heavy yet varied electronic set accompanied by a stupefying lightshow. The music didn’t end there, as LB aka LABAT took us into the early morning at the AVA rave in the woods.

Jamie XX at All Together Now 2023. Copyright Trevor McGrath.

Sunday saw an array of talent on display. Dublin rapper Kojaque kicked things off with a high voltage set at the Lovely Days stage, followed by yet another striking showing from Bangor rock outfit Jealous of the Birds at the main stage.

As the patchy rain ended and the sun appeared, Saint Sister’s atmosfolk provided one of the weekend’s highlights. An ethereal display which included a touching tribute to the Sinead O’Connor, as Morgan McIntyre and Gemma Doherty sang a harp-accompanied duet of the late singer’s hit ‘Mandinka’.

They closed their performance with another cover, LCD Soundsystem’s ‘All My Friends’, leaving the audience in high spirits.

One of the more intriguing acts on the list was Max Richter and his orchestra. I was curious to see how classical music would fare at a festival and his adaptations of Vivaldi didn’t feel a touch out of place.

Max Richter & RTE Concert Orchestra with Solo Violinist Mari Samuelsen at All Together Now 2023. Copyright Trevor McGrath.

Walking out to the sounds of the timeless Four Seasons, I hurried downhill to the Guinness Lovely Days stage to catch Wunderhorse, who were having quite the fuss made about them at the campsite earlier on.

It was clear to see what the hype was all about. Wunderhorse were amongst the best up-and-comers at the festival. Their tunes were tinged with early 2000s alt-rock influences and a sprinkle of Pavement, yet they still managed to carve out their own distinct sound.

A lot of the crowd were singing along, and those who were unfamiliar with the lyrics head-banged accordingly, myself included. Bright signs for a young band that are clearly building a dedicated following.

Kerry’s Junior Brother showcased his wonderfully experimental alt-folk before the masses migrated to the main stage for the first of two massive headliners.

Lorde went through her catalogue of chart-topping anthems kicking off with the mammoth hit ‘Royals’. Each of her songs flowed effortlessly into the next during a fun and well-executed display.

Lorde at All Together Now 2023. Copyright Trevor McGrath.

There was time for a quick interlude over at TV Girl, who charmed the audience with their summery indie-electronica. My time at this show was brief though. A once-in-a-lifetime performance beckoned, and I wanted the best patch of mud in the house.

Part of me was still in disbelief that Iggy Pop himself would be taking centre stage. There was a palpable excitement across the Curraghmore estate as the Godfather of Punk’s set drew closer.

His band of world-class musicians came out and kicked things off with a dramatic rendition of  Noveller’s ‘Rune’. There was no sign of the main man as the bassline of ‘Five Foot One’ started to rumble.

All of a sudden there he was. He burst onto the stage, bouncing around like an atom. The Iguana lasted a full 30 seconds before getting topless, which was greeted with roars from the crowd.

Iggy’s performance was probably the most energetic of the weekend. I couldn’t wrap my head around how this 76-year-old could sprint, scream, and spit with such fervour.

A lot of the time you see older artists slow things down adhere to their own, or the audiences, limitations. Iggy Pop showed no signs of pulling such punches and the crowd matched him, with pockets of mosh pits springing up across the horde of onlookers.

The show was a mix of his solo material as well as some of the heavier Stooges stuff. The latter was intense and fast paced, rife with extended guitar-solos and breakdowns.

‘The Passenger’ made its appearance early, the la la la las bounced back and forth between the stage and audience and the slight downturn in tempo provided some rest bite that the crowd needed more than the singer.

Iggy signed off with another Stooges facemelter in ‘Search and Destroy’, to cap off an unforgettable experience worthy of headlining any festival.

Iggy Pop at All Together Now 2023. Copyright Trevor McGrath.

While I would have been satisfied with never seeing another show again in my life, I capped the weekend off with a boogie at James Murphy’s DJ set. The LCD Soundsystem leader showed his musical prowess with a smartly devised playlist of grooves, much to the appreciation of attendees.

All Together Now 2023 was a brilliant weekend of live entertainment. The diverse range of world-class performances and friendly, unifying atmosphere will certainly have thousands looking forward to making the trip down to Waterford again next year.

Catch our photo gallery from the weekend here.