The second day of the festival arrived and given a changeable whirlwind of weather patterns had been promised, I was prepared for all situations, and evidently so was everyone else. Unlike the Friday, a swarm of punters descended on now muddy festival grounds from the early morning. Standing amongst a sea of cowboy hats, wellies and Lidl ponchos, the day promised to deliver the energy synonymous with the quintessential Irish festival; muck to the eyeballs, rain pouring, drinks consumed and an unwavering will to have a good time.
Dodging rain showers allowed for a dispersal of the crowds who retreated to the covered stages across the grounds and no doubt provided patrons the perfect excuse to watch the performances of someone not on their radar, whether that be dancing out to the drum sensation Osees or pop by the Strawberry Fields to bob for apples or purge the memories of your childhood nemesis all while learning the history of Charli XCX, before her concert in Marlay Park this week. Rain or no rain, there was nothing going to stop the crowds gathering for the headline set of Dublin trio Le Boom. These lads delivered in every sense of the word, their set was energetic, poetic and overall just incredibly impressive. Highlight performances of the day however for me were the Sugarhill Gang and Roisin Murphy. Two completely different styles of performance, equally as amazing to witness.
The Sugarhill Gang brought the nostalgia, Roisin brought an intensity, just a perfect balance to the day, and as an Arklow women, it was pretty cool to see one of our own headline this festival and get such an unwaveringly positive response.
Day two photos in order:
Big Sleep
Boney M
Church Of Brat
Halina Rice
La Boom
Osees
Pastiche
Roisin Murphy
Sofia Kortesis
Sugarhill Gang
Yune Pinku
Photos & Words – Lisa Hamilton @lisahamiltonphotography