AS the rare sun beats down, festival organisers have begun rolling out the necessary precautions needed to formally open their campsites and stages for the summer.
With the very curious position the North finds itself in with regards to the easing of restrictions, outdoor entertainment will prove to be a litmus test for what sort of gigs we can expect in the winter.
In the South, Electric Picnic is postponing its opening by three weeks, but the bravado of their press statement suggests that bookers view this as a temporary setback rather than a death toll. Meanwhile, in Limavady, the mighty Stendhal Festival announced on Friday that they are confident that Stormont will stick to their guns and announced a further run of acts taking to their Karma Valley stage – bringing the total line-up to 200 bands and comedians. I’m not a spiritual man, but I do believe Karma would find us all in credit over the next few weeks.
Festivals are not the only ones rolling out dates, however. A tour was announced for Belfast alt-jazz cult Robocobra Quartet, 25 million euro were doled out to the live music industry in the South to support events in the summer and Dublin's Button Factory announced a series of events that will inject some life back into the city.
Socially distanced shows will begin inside the venue from July 5. With capacity capped at 85 tickets per show, these will be the first series of indoor gigs in over 18 months on the island. With performances from the likes of Melina Malone, Aonair, Alex Gough, Local Boy, Scattered Ashes and more, it’s a unique collection of Irish talent that already has several sold-out shows. With a blueprint for providing this sort of entertainment in a confined, controlled area, the Button Factory sheds some light on a return of normality that will ultimately lead to brighter, better places.
Further congratulations also need divided out. Irish Women In Harmony are a year on from the release of their cover of The Cranberries ‘Dreams’, which saw them raise over €230,000 for Safe Ireland – a charity that protects women and children from abuse. A smash hit in the Irish charts, YouTube and streaming services (over 6.6 million listens), IWIH deserve all the praise that the industry and public heaped upon them. Dani Larkin’s essential new album has echoes of a number of Irish performers past and present
Meanwhile, new projects continue to crop up for all you new music lovers. 49th & Main, the favourite dance producers you didn’t know you had, have released a new EP featuring the likes of KEHLI, Khakikid and Fynch. Combining their signature summertime production with lo-fi production tricks, 49th bring out the best in their collaborators for a stunning electronic EP. Tracks ‘Takeaway Pints’ and ‘Summer Lovin’ are winners, all sunshine rhythms and wavey vocals. Get it online everywhere now.
Further releases come from Northern Winds veterans Denise Chaila and Kojaque, the former with a new medieval video and the latter with a Maverick Sabre collaboration ahead of his second album, but as always we turn the spotlight on to some of the best new releases by independent artists to round out the column.
Emily 7 are responsible for a brit-pop/indie rock-infused single ‘Somebody’ which is drenched in summertime riffs and delicious grungy backlines. The aforementioned Melina Malone (whose single Ti Ein Afto blew my socks off in 2020) gets stylish with the grainy, soul-pop of ‘No Better Place’. Loose percussion and liquid rhythms abound on this late-night groover. But most notable is the debut album from Dani Larkin. The folk trickster has elements of Sinead O’Connor, Paul Brady and Clannad in her vocals, and her songs yearn for both an ancient and modern Ireland. Essential listening is her debut album ‘Notes For A Maiden Warrior’, which is available everywhere now.
