When I arrived to site first, things were a bit chaotic with staff hurriedly pulling together last minute jobs like erecting tent signage, securing tents to the ground and putting crowd control barriers in place. However, minus an unexplained issue which saw a delay in punters entering the festival grounds, the first day of the festival was kicking off without any major hitch.
The aforementioned delay meant a tent void of festival goers when Telebox started their set, which meant I got an almost private viewing of this energetic group. It took a few hours for the grounds to fill out, presumably due to campers setting themselves up for the weekend which made for venues slightly lacking in energy at times. However, that was not a reflection on the acts billed for the first night. Personal highlights for me were Dublin band Soda Blonde who attracted in a lively crowd to the mainstage during the day. Phoeno and Fizzy Lemonade were two bands I hadn’t heard of previously, but whose sets stood out to me massively, with pairings of great visuals and a good variety of upbeat tracks. Negro Impacto, a band originating from Dundalk, had impressed me when they played the 2FM Rising stage at Forbidden Fruit,so was chuffed to be able to see them again in the Selective Memory tent, although I think they fell victim to the lower turnout during their mid-day slot.
The Strawberry Fields tent became a fun stop of mine across the weekend, boasting a wide array of acts. The Wild Geeze, a comedic cabaret duo featuring Breda Larkin and Miss Lavelle was a standout show to me on the Friday night. Having been a fan of Larkin’s solo work prior to this, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her do her best Joleen Dolan impression. Definitely a show I would love to see as a punter one day.
I also believe they are featuring in the lineup for the upcoming Paddy Power Comedy Festival at the end of July so would recommend checking it out if you’re up in Dublin at the time. On my way back to the main stage, I was passing the Bulmers stage and got drawn in by a big crowd that had gathered. Onstage was Blue Slate, an alternative rock band from Naas. This group had an unmatchable energy with frontman John Harney, pulling shapes left right and centre across the tiniest of stages, it truly was a captivating watch.
As the night drew in though the crowds started to pick up and area in front of the main stage substantially filled out in anticipation of the night’s headliners Jon Hopkins and King Kong Company. Beyond the Pale was Hopkin’s only scheduled Irish show this year, so fans had flocked to fill every last inch of space to dance to his set. Unfortunately, I ended up missing King Kong Company’s set, due to the onset of a migraine that cut my night short.
Day one photos in order:
Blue Slate
Fizzy Lemonade
Grooveline
Hotgirl
Jon Hopkins
Negro Impacto
Phoeno
Soda Blonde
Telebox
Wild Geeze
Photos & Words – Lisa Hamilton @lisahamiltonphotography