Stout it from the rooftops
With performances by Delorentos, Fight Like Apes and Ham Sandwich, the Guinness Indie-Pendence Festival promises to showcase the best of Irish rock.
Kevin Sheeky, 23 Jul 2007
It’s always nice to get something for free – CDs with music magazines, the Paddy’s Day Parade, oxygen... but free music festivals are pretty hard to come by. That’s where Guinness Indie-Pendence comes in.
Taking place in Mitchelstown, Cork, over the August Bank Holiday weekend, the festival features the best bands on the Irish indie scene as well as some music from further afield. And the best part is that it won’t cost you a cent.
hotpress got a few independent spirits together to chat about the festival, the life of an unsigned band and the contents of Corn Flake packets.
This is only the second year of Indie-Pendence in its current guise. Níal from Delorentos remembers when it was still just the plain old Mitchelstown Music Festival: “This used to be a real pop festival, but these guys took it over and resurrected it last year. I think it’s a reflection of how much good music there is in Ireland right now.”
Delorentos are very much to the forefront of this new wave of Irish bands, having just supported the Arctic Monkeys at their two Malahide Castle shows.
“We arrived early both days and got to spend some time with all the acts,” he beams. “We played football with them. Everyone was really friendly. It’s always a surprise when these bands you’ve heard so much about turn out to be really nice people as well. It was a great experience.”
But the experience wasn’t so great for Delorentos’ drummer Ross, who’s been busy recuperating from a repetitive strain injury to his foot.
“It’s been about six weeks since he’s played so he’s in a race to get back for Oxegen. He couldn’t play at the two Arctic Monkeys gigs; he was there with us, but it’s just not the same. But he’ll be back – if not by Oxegen, then definitely by Indie-Pendence.”
The line-up for the weekend is like a Who’s Who of Ireland’s indie music scene: from headliners Delorentos, Republic Of Loose, Director and The Sultans Of Ping right through to new bands just starting to make a name for themselves such as Fight Like Apes, The Aftermath, Vesta Varro, The Flaws and Ham Sandwich.
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