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Vantastival 2018 - Saturday Review

  • Published in Live

 

We’ve arrived by the banks of the Boyne in perfect tent pitching weather. The skies are cloudy. There’s a pleasant breeze. But it’s still very warm. Now in its ninth year, Vantastival is the unofficial start of summer festival season in Ireland. The June bank holiday wouldn’t be the same without it. Featuring a fully home-grown line-up and independently run (with sponsorship from some big brands), it’s established itself as the true home of quality independent music in the country.

With the tent up, food is the first priority and it’s great to find Lala Poutine set up here. The Canadian dish is hard to find in Ireland, so it is a genuine treat to dig in to the many variations of chips and curds. King Kong Club contest winners Where’s Luke kick things off on the Firestone stage with some accessible but earnest rock. Amid the rough hewn planks of the Woodland stage, Kilkenny’s The Southern Fold blend bluegrass and southern rock to great effect. The lead singer’s ZZ Top beard matches his gruff bluesy voice. They have a sweet, soothing sound accentuated by the male/female duo on vocals. It’s only when the pair duet on a cover of ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night?’ that I realise I’ve seen them before.

The sun eventually emerges and soaks the Boyne Valley in baking heat so we skedaddle to the shade of the Woodland again. The festival’s recycling drive is being ably assisted by a troupe of children in hi-vis vests walking around with plastic bags and encouraging the grown-ups to finish their beer so they can take the empty cans. MG favourites Nix Moon played a storming set here last night, if the videos on Facebook are anything to go by. They’ll have won a few more fans in the run up to the release of their debut album. The band are still here and looking remarkably fresh as Sun Mashene hit the stage. The five piece play some loud rock with noticeable influences of ‘90s Manchester guitar pop and undertones of shoegaze.

Back in the Firestone tent, Navan’s Chinese Newspaper are immediately the most impressive act of the day so far. A four piece guitar band who have mastered all the tropes of rock 'n' roll, their songs are packed with ideas and creative play. They are by turns light and tuneful, then crushingly heavy. In his shorts and funky shades, the lead singer is the spit of a young Olga from The Toy Dolls. It’s quite fitting too, as both bands have a similar magpie approach to music, even if they don’t sound alike. The drummer may resemble a hipster Trump but he has the chops to get away with it. He switches from funky to double-bass-pedal insanity with the twirl of a stick. Chinese Newspaper’s energetic and original music draws in an enthusiastic and eclectic festival crowd. They sound like the finished product already. If they can transfer that industry and inventiveness to the studio, they’ll do well.

Elephant take to the main stage. There’s a Future Islands vibe from the music. Front man Shane Clarke sings in a falsetto to a guitar he wears “Beatles high”. He and the guitar are engaged in a duet, and the band fill out the sound to main stage proportions. This band, that he refers to as “the next stage in the evolution of the group: Elephant 2.0”, are unobtrusive but essential to the big sound. It’s simultaneously familiar and different: very much in the vein of Future Islands so.

And that’s the end of a very hot summer’s day outside Drogheda. Tomorrow, we have Exiles, Thumper and our old friends, Makings to look forward to. Goodnight!

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Vantastival 2017 - Day Two

  • Published in Live

Sunday morning and the sun is still shining. The switch from the May Bank Holiday weekend to the one in June has really benefitted Vantastival. Unfortunately the power has gone so we've no proper breakfast. We have to eat fruit like a sham, or a vegetarian. There's a generator running for the coffee machine to keep things running, and together with the BYOB policy means that no one is going thirsty.

It should be a good day for music with Musos’ Guide favourites Mongrel State, Makings and Nix Moon all playing later. With the power back on, and real food in our bellies, it's time for some music. Suso Youth Choir get things started on the main stage. The 20-odd kids look delighted that they are getting away with singing the swear words in Radiohead’s ‘Creep’.

Before singing ‘Like A Prayer’ Roisin reminds us that many of them are sitting their Leaving Certificate exams (A-Levels) in three days, “so make it worth our while”.  Vantastival’s family friendly ethos extends to pets. There must be a hundred dogs here so when an announcement is made that a German shepherd is over heating in a car, the choir lead the chant to “break the window”.

Meanwhile, Modern trad group Al-Fi are entertaining the Firehouse. They banter with the crowd, invite hurts onstage and give us ne interpretations of traditional folk tunes. They incorporate bluegrass and seanchaí music with band leader Fiachra switching between uilleann pipes and flute, and the banjo and fiddle dropping in and out of the mix as appropriate for each song.

The much anticipated rain finally arrives just in time to drive the crowds under the shelter of the tent for one of our own favourites. If you're not already familiar with Mongrel State, the Italian /Irish / Spanish /Argentinian group play southern/western/ latin rock with country rockabilly, blues and the harmonies of The Bellamy Brothers . Their sound has really developed and mutated since the recording of their debit album Mestizo. To the extent that it seems incredible that it was only release last year.

That rain turned out to be a brief shower so the sunlight has returned and Pine The Pilcrow take to the Firestone. Their mournful folk played on fiddle, cello and piano is accompanied by a witch dancing at the foot of the stage. Their inventive and percussive playing elevates their songs above their peers. A cover of Elbow’s ‘A Day Like This’ really suits them.

The final run of three bands in the Firestone is pure gold. Local garagepoppers The Periods are up first . With songs about orgasming while giving birth amongst others, their bockety lo-fi electro pop makes up in charm and catchiness what it lacks in professional sheen. The sextet crammed on to the small fire stone stage embody the creativity and disregard for convention of first wave punk. A bunch of blokey types run in from the rain just in time for the sampled loop of “What is the definition of sexual harassment?” and they immediately look uncomfortable. They're one of our new favourite bands.

And two of our old favourites are next, starting with electro rockers Makings. Their 2015 album Cognition was an assured debut but they're not playing any of it here. Their set tonight is entirely made up of unreleased material from their forthcoming album. The emphasis with this collection of tunes is definitely on the electro side. If they were American they'd surely christen it EDM. The new set goes down a storm with the Vantastival crowd and the sweat rolls like a warehouse rave.

For most bands it would be an impossible act to follow but Nix Moon receive a heroes welcome. They narrowly beat Makings in the final of the Battle Of The Bands to land this coveted headline spot. As they take the stage for line check the crowd chant their name. The celebratory mood continues as they finish their check and “One more tune” breaks out. We're only short of John Terry appearing to complete to congratulatory picture.

The incredible high standard of the bands on show, particularly considering that this is the second stage displays the strength and depth of live music in North Leinster. It's the relaxed atmosphere that everyone talks about but the line up of this wee fest is superior to some larger, more expensive, booze schilling events. See you again next year Vantastival!

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