Lofty Reports: Indiependence 2017 Sunday review

If Saturday wasn’t enough for you, Lofty brings you his Indiependence 2017 Sunday review

The Lofty boys returned for another day of epic music, fun, food and entertainment! Read below for the full Indiependence 2017 Sunday review. 

It’s Sunday so it’s back to Indiependence for another day of great music and a chance to see a few bands I haven’t caught live before. However the day kicks off with a stalwart of the festival, local legends Mindriot who open the Main Stage with a blistering set. They are a band that just do what they do best, play shit kicking rock’n’roll which they did at least twice if not three times over the weekend, all on the back of their latest single ‘I See the Light’ which is a powerful thing of beauty.

Next up it’s Jonny Rep a band I have a huge amount of time for, in fact their album ‘Cold Sunbeam’ was Album of the Month on my 8radio.com show ‘Sounds from a Green World’ in February and I haven’t tired of listening to it yet. They play the Beerhall at a time when it’s pretty quiet making it hard for them to get going despite frontman Pat’s best efforts. As a result their set is a little up and down in terms of quality however ‘Continental Shelf’ & ‘Waiting Room’ are delightful to hear live.

Without pause for breath it’s straight back to the Main Stage for Columbia Mills who might be one of my favourite Irish acts at the moment (so many to choose from), anytime I’ve seen them live they have always delivered and their Indiependence appearance is no exception and leaves you hungry for their debut album which will be released in October. Hearing ‘Battles’ live for the first time was worth the trip to Cork alone.

A very tasty thai red curry settles nicely in the belly as We Cut Corners take to the Main Stage for a very impressive performance. There maybe only two of them but Conall and John pack a sonic punch with a repertoire that balances some beautifully tender moments with more direct fare, each equally satisfying and the audience response reflects that.

On my way back from a quick visit to catch Apella (who had The Big Top dancing merrily) I’m drawn to some serious beats coming from The Little Big Tent as the pied piper of the Tebi Rex crew Harry is banging out some savage tunes from his decks. Of course this is a cunning ruse to draw the crowds in before unleashing the rest of Tebi Rex and it works! The rest being Matt & Max who work brilliantly in tandem delivering lyrics at a rate of knots. The trio have great chemistry and an unquenchable positive energy that the audience feed off, turning the tent into a bouncing craic den. Definitely the most fun I’ve had all weekend.

With a bounce in my step it’s back to the Main Stage for my first international act of Indie 17 – Wild Beasts. I’m unsure what to expect of them live as their studio output is enjoyable without being unmissable listening however their material really comes to life in the live arena with a noticeable deeper, darker vibe to it. I particularly admire Tom Fleming’s refusal to play his guitar in any conventional way throughout, that and his fantastic long coat (picture the baddies in any John Woo or Tony Scott film).

Another hop, skip and jump to The Big Top is required to catch Le Boom in action and needless to say they have the place hopping, skipping and jumping. And so to the festival headliners Manic Street Preachers who arrive in town without mainstay Nicky Wire (due to an illness in the family). It’s been a long time since I last caught The Manics live (Slane ’’98) and you actually forget how many hits they have had during their career and they rip through as many of them as they can, kicking off with the one that launched them to wider public consciousness ‘Motorcycle Emptiness’. From then on it’s a perfect synergy of band, crowd and front man James Dean Bradfield with other highlights being ‘If you Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next’, ‘It’s Not War (Just the end of Love) and ‘Tsunami’ before finishing with a rapturous ‘A Design for Life’.

Did you miss the Saturday shenanigans at Indiependence, check it out here.

The post Lofty Reports: Indiependence 2017 Sunday review appeared first on Ceol Caint.