Lofty Reviews: Sunday at Indiependence 2016

The Lofty boys went for round two, the Sunday at Indiependence and it didn’t disappoint

After the feast of music laid on for us Saturday the final day at Indiependence had a lot to live up to but it certainly did not disappoint. Quality offerings are on show from the very onset with August Wells opening on the Main Stage. Fronted by Ken Griffen the man with the smoothest voice in Irish music, August Wells are the perfect way to kick off the day. However, they deserve a much bigger audience and an early evening slot in the Big Top might have been far more suitable.

And it’s to the Big Top we go next for Dundee lads Model Aeroplanes with a lively brand of indie rock not too dissimilar to their fellow hometown mopsters The View. They are soon followed by one of the best vocal performances of the weekend delivered dramatically and passionately by the talented Bairbre Anne – think Regina Spektor with an edge and you’re getting close.

I mentioned in my Saturday review that local band Mindriot are usually the loudest act at Indiependence but this year that particular accolade has to go to Bitch Falcon; who raise the roof on the Big Top. I’m not sure what is more impressive the wailing of lead singer Lizzie Fitzpatrick or her wild guitar play but she is ably assisted by the cool Naomi McLeodon on bass and Nigel Kenny on drums to making Bitch Falcon a perfect musical combo.

Coasts and a mighty fine 10 hour pulled beef BBQ wrap from Hell’s BBQ allow us to recover our senses somewhat before being sonically pummelled again this time by Fang Club. Iit’s a joy to finally witness “Bullet Head” in all it’s live glory.

It might be 8pm on the final day of Indie16 but there are still a host of highlights yet to come, kicked off by Cork legends and heroes of Indie14 (when they stood in last minute for the Fun Lovin’ Criminals) – they are, they are, they are, they are The Frank & Walters!! Resplendent in their orange shirts, they are small on chat but big on catchy tunes with a set that strikes the right balance of recent material and classic hits, “We are the Young Men” and “This is not a Song” are particular highlights.

A quick dash back to the Big Top gets us a healthy helping of Wyvern Lingo who have really grown into a very tight live unit and “Subside” certainly packs a punch.

Then it’s time for Ash who make a return to Indiependence after last year’s episode when poor Tim Wheeler tried manfully to perform despite a serious throat infection which cut short their set after 5 songs. And for a little while it looked like the gremlins have struck again but a couple of PA outages aren’t enough to stop our Irish rock powerhouse this year. Like their contemporaries from Cork, Ash’s set has a well blended mix of old and new with the epic “Oh Yeah”, “Goldfinger” amongst the highlights of a set that is brought to tumultuous close with a scorching rendition of “Burn Baby Burn”.

Then it’s back to the Big Top for a band who opened the Main Stage to a sparse crowd last year. Twelve months on Otherkin have built on their reputation as an exciting live act. With some excellent releases it’s no surprise that its a sizeable congregation that has come to witness what is one of the best performances of the entire weekend. The band are relentless for their entire set especially front man Luke Reilly who dives into the crowd and sings a full song from there much to the joy of the sound engineer and security no doubt. These lads are destined for bigger things.

After such boundless energy Editors over on the Main Stage seem almost sedentary. Their sound certainly fills the tent and they have a raft of hits to draw from but one never gets the sense that the set is ever going to reach any dizzying heights despite the efforts of Tom Smith who is a magnetic presence with his on stage ticks and faultless vocals.

Despite Tom’s best attempts to keep us we have to make one last trek to the Big Top stage for King Kong Company who promise to bring Indie16 to an epic close. And they do not disappoint, from the very off when they take to the stage in their gorilla masks there’s a sense that this band want to entertain whilst pushing themselves and all those packed into the tent to the very edge.

The tunes such as “iPop”, “Game Over” & “Scarity Dan” are huge and hypnotic as the throng of heaving bodies delight to a sound that carries them to a place where all thoughts of festival fatigue are instantly forgotten. “Space Hopper” brings the carnage to a glorious conclusion and confirms that King Kong Company are this summer’s MUST SEE Irish act.

Its a perfect way to close out Indiependance 2016 as the first rain of the weekend falls on the very tired but very satisfied revellers.

We’ll take more of the same next year!

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