The Jameson Connects: The Circle stage returns to All Together Now Festival this weekend, with a lineup that is considered, varied and drawing from local and international talent.
The Circle also hosts teeth gems, Jameson Album Cover Studio photoshoots and there’s also a mystery act playing that only those who pick up a ‘pager’ from The Circle Stage area can get to see. When the pager buzzes, the time and location of the secret performance will be revealed through an exclusive WhatsApp group only those with tickets will have access to.
Here are some key Nialler9’s picks from the Jameson Connects: The Circle area this year.
For more on the artists playing:
God Knows on the Nialler9 Podcast: on his debut album, family, friends and connecting with new audiences.
Shampain on the Nialler9 Podcast: A Galway connector, cutting hair and creating his own music story.
DUG on their current obsessions ahead of Jameson Connects The Circle All Together Now show
Adore on music they love ahead of Jameson Connects The Circle All Together Now show
1.
Sister Nancy
The surprise guest has been revealed.
One of the pioneers of Jamaican dancehall both as a DJ and singer, Sister Nancy is known for her long-time standing smash hit track ‘Bam Bam’, released in the golden era of dancehall in 1982, as sampled by Lauryn Hill, Jay-Z, Gang Starr, RUN-DMC and Beyoncé.
Recent live performances in London proved the 63 year-old hasn’t lost the fire to perform, as she lit a legal battle to receive royalties for her most well-known song, which she finally won 32 years after the song’s release.
Sister Nancy plays Jameson Connects: The Circle stage on Sunday August 3rd.
2.
Maria Somerville
The Connemara artist trades in shoegaze ethereality.
Luster, long-awaited second album from Connemara artist and NTS radio host Maria Somerville was released in April, and finds the Galway artist’ music moving further into a fog, a shoegaze, nu-gaze dreamy pop style that recalls the best of the label she now calls home – 4AD.
It’s all beautifully misty stuff, white flashes of swirling pedal rock texture with layered ambient choral undulations from one of the most unique artists out of Ireland.
Maria Somerville plays Jameson Connects: The Circle stage on Sunday August 3rd.
3.
Dry Cleaning
We love this band.
The South London four-piece Dry Cleaning have cultivated a spoken word and guitar rock combination that has surprising resonance and longevity – their sound is triumph of Florence Shaw’s stream-of-conscious-but-not monologue set to the band’s art-rock post-punk sonics.
Dry Cleaning play Jameson Connects: The Circle stage on Saturday August 2nd.
4.
Sloucho
The enigmatic avatar Irish producer Sloucho returns to the Connects Stage to close out the festival on Sunday.
Expect fizzing upbeat electronic music firing on all cylinders with hyperpop, bass music, Latin dance and garage rap.
Live shows have featured close cohort guests Emby, Curtisy, Vaticanjail and Lil Skag.
Sloucho plays Jameson Connects: The Circle stage on Sunday August 3rd.
5.
David Holmes
A Belfast legend and selector.
Holmes may be more frequently known for composing and producing film and TV soundtracks and score for Ocean’s 11, Killing Eve, Out Of Sight, ’71 and Kin, not to mention producing albums for Sinead O’Connor, Noel Gallagher and Manic Street Preachers among his own seminal work.
But real ones know Holmes has been DJing and picking out great tunes for dancing and clubs for over 30 years.
His recent God’s Waiting Room club night is a torchbearer for old school curated dancing with selected guests.
David Holmes plays Jameson Connects: The Circle stage on Saturday August 2nd.
6.
Curtisy
The Jobstown rapper is one of our favourite Irish artists period.
After the breakthrough event of the Dublin rapper’s debut album What Was The Question, many people cottoned on the self-deprecating charm of Curtisy.
A Choice Music Prize nomination followed along with some prolific collaborations and live acclaim, but Curtisy kept it moving with the release in May of Beauty In The Beast, his latest mixtape made with producer hikii – “about finding hope in the hopelessness”, and with it, a growing fanbase.
Despite these accolades, the live show is where Curtisy is at his most natural.
Curtisy plays Jameson Connects: The Circle stage on Sunday August 3rd.
7.
Róis
No two Róis shows are the same as the Fermanagh artist has evolved so much over a short year.
It started with the brilliant EP Mo Léan, a short release about death or “hymns based around the concept of death, life, mourning and catharsis” that placed highly on my Irish albums of the year.
Since then, a Róis live show could feature electronic trad keening songs, a set drawing from EMB and industrial music, a composer-led contemporary soundscape or a set of flaming red heathen electronic pop music.
That variation is an indication of why Róis is one of Ireland’s most interesting artists.
Róis plays Jameson Connects: The Circle stage on Saturday August 2nd.
8.
Kofi Stone
A Birmingham artist on the slow and steady come up.
From the time in his teens doing rap battles and pushing his CDR recordings, Kofi Stone lives and breathes this music thing, with second album A Man After God’s Own Heart drawing on diverse sounds like boom bap, lo-fi jazz blunted beats, poetry (his grandad was one) and soul music sampling.
By way of co-signs, Stone has collaborated with peer luminaries Loyle Carner and Maverick Sabre.
Kofi Stone plays Jameson Connects: The Circle stage on Friday August 1st
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005. He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Cara Magazine, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, co-founder of Lumo Club, event curator, Indie Sleaze club promoter, and producer of gigs and monthly listening parties & events in Dublin.
