One of the key draws of this year’s All Together Now Festival, happening in Curraghmore, Co. Waterford very soon from August 4th to 6th, is its significant strand of Irish artists who integral to the lineup.
ATN’s Irish acts never feel like filler, and there’s a great range of genres and sounds drawing from this island on the stages of Curraghmore this coming festival weekend.
It’s a testament to the curation this year, that I left out some of the bigger Irish names, or a couple I’ve recently featured in the 10 acts you can’t miss at this year’s festival piece.
Here’s ten Irish acts of different stripes, who could be your festival highlight this year…
1.
Fight Like Apes
The return of the Irish buzz band to festival stages.
Fight Like Apes return to a live stage at 3Olympia earlier this year was a triumphant display – a long overdue celebration of a weird, cool, idiosyncratic pop-cultural referencing synthpop band who did things their own way.
Songs like ‘Lend Me Your Face’ and ‘Battlestations’ are modern Irish classics and the opportunity to see Fight Like Apes in a field is one for the Irish music bingo card.
Christy Leech’s DIY indie electronic music has long been able to stretch and fill itself out on any festival stage, and the Le Boom reputation is built on its live show.
Now with a new lineup of a four-piece, Le Boom’s show continues to thrill with big electronic pop moves, whether it’s small-room secret raves or big crowded tents.
3.
Sarah Crean
Time to see this Dublin singer-songwriter before she blows up?
Clondalkin artist Sarah Crean has made some big strides since last year’s ‘2:00am’, a pretty song, which absolutely went stratospheric on Spotify after it was featured on the US Spotify viral chart.
That lead to the song hitting over 4 million listens, and Crean has built her team around her to the point where she is only going to support Blackpink at Hyde Park and Bombay Bicycle Club on their UK dates this year.
‘Wasted Youth’ is Crean’s newest track, and it sounds like ATN will be a chance to see the artist before she gets even bigger stage opportunities.
4.
Saint Sister
The reliably brilliant duo.
Seeing an act when they are between albums can sometimes be the best time to see them. Morgana MacIntyre and Gemma Doherty are between albums two and three at the moment, having released their excellent second album Where I Should End in 2021, and more recently followed it up with a batch of remixes from pals this year.
In between Morgana has been playing some solo shows and Gemma was playing with members of U2 in recent appearances. When the pair come back together to play these swelling anthemic soft songs, a melodic magic can happen, that’s worth recommending, no matter how many times you see them.
5.
Yard
For those with a heavier edge.
Yard are a Dublin-based techno-noise live band who came to my attention with their collaboration with Belfast artist YingYang, a
‘Ecdysis’ is a clash of techno and lo-fi-hip-hop, a true mind melt of both their styles. On their own, Yard’s music leans more industrial and atmospheric with stated influences including Death Grips, Suuns and Gilla Band.
Yard have recently supported Shame and Scalping in Dublin and you can find them on Insta and Spotify. You can spot them live easily as there’s usually a bucket on stage with Yard written on it.
6.
EFÉ
Anita Ikharo had a breakout year in 2022.
EFÉ is the 22-year-old Irish artist Anita Ikharo whose summery bedroom pop was encapsulated in The VITAMIN C EP last year, and songs which served as an affirmation for the artist to listen to herself, while navigating a confusing industry.
When you’re able to make tunes as good as ‘Kiwi’ then that’s a good shout to trust the process.
7.
Lisa O’Neill
The Cavan singer-songwriter keeps deeping her craft.
Lisa O’Neill has put in the work, with recent fifth album All of This Is Chance confirming her as one of Ireland’s finest contemporary folk artists.
O’Neill’s music is an exquisite blend of storytelling, raw emotion, and poetic imagery. Recent songs, such as ‘Old Note’ and ‘Silver Seed’, are evocative and thought-provoking, with insights that has come from life experience and understanding.
Lisa O’Neill continues to deepen her craft, delivering stirring meditations on nature, love, and the human condition.
8.
Sally C
Sally C likes her dance tunes chunky.
Sally C is a Berlin-based Northern Irish producer whose star has been on the rise. With her latest release, the full-bodied track ‘All Love,’ Sally C showcases her love of electro-house, released in the third in the series of dancefloor weapons – Big Saldo’s Chunkers.
Sally is currently holding a monthly residency on BBC Radio 1 every Thursday of the month of July.
9.
Cruel Sister
Dublin alt-rock project of Faith Nico.
Faith Nico is the songwriter, producer and engineer behind the project Cruel Sister who has spent the last couple of years honing a live show with her band playing her particular brand of low-fi shoegaze-leaning rock with nods to Wolf Alice and Sister-era Sonic Youth like ‘too much’ and ‘my forever’.
The recent girls my age EP showcases some of that throwback ’90s alt-rock sound that Cruel Sister is all about. A new tune ‘Hands’ is out today ahead of a new EP called Turgid in September.
The electronic duo of Delac will released their new EP Beyond The Clouds on the week of All Together Now, which will serve as a culmination of the London-based James McAdam and Stephen Dooley’s music to date.
So far, Delac have shown to be adept at creation shimmering house music, lo-fi electronic, and indie electronic styles, with the latest music leaning into the house side of things.
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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 cohost of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Cara Magazine, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, founder of Lumo Club, event curator and producer of gigs, parties & events.
