Castlepalooza
Charleville Castle, Tullamore
Celina Murphy and Maeve Heslin, 24 Aug 2011
When we land on the doorstep of Charleville Castle, the home of Ireland’s friendliest little festival, Castlepalooza, everything is just as we remember it. Bands are getting acquainted over cans, festival virgins are breathing a collective sigh of relief and everyone and their dog seems to be marveling at the largest Long Island iced tea in the known universe. Instantly, real life seems a thousand miles away and the only thing anyone’s interested in is making the most of their weekend at Indie Summer camp.
Of the few acts on Friday night’s bill, the brilliant Attention Bébé are the most fun. Specialising in ska-infused interpretations of ‘90s theme tunes and one-hit wonders, the 15-piece band have no trouble Boom! Shake Shaking the early comers.
On Saturday, the Main Stage boasts a tasty early morning line-up, kicking off with Breakfast With The Inkspots, the excellent Maud In Cahoots and six (yep, six!) piece The Dying Seconds. Dublin bluegrass act Tupelo really get things going though, with a fiddle-heavy set which temporarily transforms this sleepy crowd into a frenzied, straw-chewin’ hoedown.
Meanwhile, over on the Big Top stage, Tarantella Fall are showcasing their debut album and earning many a brand new fan. And for the rest of the day, it’s a race back and forth from stage to stage in an effort to keep up with the quality performances taking place. The Danger Is, aka Niamh Farrell puts on a stellar show on the Main Stage, followed by dreamy synth popper Waterford man The Casanova Wave, and the very-impressive-indeed No Monster Club. CODES, The Minutes and the excellent Le Galaxie keep the momentum going, with the latter throwing glo sticks into the eager crowd. Woo, free stuff! Jape is our worthy Main Stage highlight, and Mr. Egan’s set, as ever, goes down a treat with fans.
Dublin duo We Cut Corners are among the Big Top highlights, with things taking a turn for the dancey as the sun sets – DJ Baz, Hudson Mohawke and Big Dish Go keep the beats going well into the wee small hours.
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