Mike Ryan continues his three-parter reporting back from this year’s All Together Now, with Day Two highlights from The Mary Wallopers, Rachael Lavelle, Soda Blonde, Kojaque and more
Photos by Ian Davies
The sunny day two of All Together Now kicked off with Dublin-based music ensemble Glasshouse performing the music of the late, great Ryuchi Sakamoto. The Lovely Days stage, miraculously recovered from Confidence Man’s blistering set the night before, now resembled a park amphitheatre, with revellers sitting or lying, easing their way into the day.
Next up was a Main Stage performance from Sing Along Social. Easing is over. Now we dance. The Craic Mechanics are a truly special Irish phenomenon. Rocking the main stage with a mix of Irish classics, and pure pop bangers, their 11 strong-ensemble are experts in getting young and old dancing and singing along. At one point during what must have been their attempt at the world record for faux-Riverdance, the Irish dancing in the crowd almost became dangerous, leading to some gentle words of caution from the stage.
Over in the Something Kind of Wonderful tent, BIIRD, who describe themselves as an all-female “Irish trad superstar collective”, attempt to bring Enya out of retirement with their version of ‘Only Time’. Fronted by the mighty Lisa Canny, the eleven-piece band have little trouble luring in unsuspecting passers by, and bringing the tent down with their near-riotous set of original arrangements and traditional Irish tunes.
Soda Blonde are no strangers to this festival, but they still seemed surprised by both the size and enthusiasm of the crowd gathered back on the Lovely Days stage. Faye O’Rourke continues to evolve and come into her own as a frontwoman, with a commanding stage presence both with and without the guitar, as the band put in a killer set.
Back over to the Main Stage for Natasha Beddingfield, and it somehow feels like the ‘Unwritten’ singer is only now at the height of her powers. Opening her set with ‘Love Like This’ before taking a video of the enthusiastic crowd. She tells us that Ireland was the first place she had a number one hit before launching into a cover of ‘Purple Rain’ by Prince. Not many people have the vocal range to really pull off a Prince cover, but Bedingfield manages it easily. The set also featured heartfelt covers of ‘The Scientist’ by Coldplay and ‘Blinding Lights’ by The Weeknd, before closing with her own modern pop classic ‘Unwritten’.
Over in the Jameson Circle stage, Rachael Lavelle capitalises on the Main Stage exodus after Bedingfield. Much of the crowd didn’t seem to know what to expect, wandering in based more on geography than musical taste, but they were quickly enamoured with Lavelle’s surreal and sonorous soundscapes. It felt like a well-needed moment of pause and respite before the frenetic night ahead.
One of the best things about All Together Now is stumbling across new Irish acts while wandering between the various smaller stages hidden in the woods of Curraghmore Estate. Ellie O’Neill, performing in the Hidden Sounds stage really blindsided me. Enchanting and understated, coupled with an incredible voice and formidable fingerstyle guitar playing, O’Neill is a terrifying talent. She tells us it’s her first time playing with her band live, providing bass and drums, but it really doesn’t seem like it. They’re a very tight unit, with rich harmonies from all three serving to elevate her immaculate songwriting. Definitely an act I’ll be watching out for going forward.
Back over on the Main Stage, The Mary Wallopers are in their natural state, riling up the crowd like it’s their last night on earth. They dedicate their song ‘Building Up and Tearing England Down’ to the far-right, saying “If you’re Irish, and you’re complaining about immigrants, when the Irish are the biggest immigrants in the world, I’ve got only one thing to say… Fuck you!” No Irish band since the Pogues have added so many impeccably authentic Irish folk songs to the canon. Palestinian flags fly throughout the maximum capacity crowd as they claim the Main Stage as their own for the first time.
Kojaque packed out the Lovely Days stage with his last-minute surprise set last year, but he’s totally at home in the massive Something Kind Of Wonderful tent this year. The sound issues from last year have, thankfully, been resolved in the big tent. I’m really enjoying the new theatrical version of Kojaque, as he walks onstage in a suit, tie, glasses, and bucket hat, even though there’s no doubt in the audience that he’ll be shirtless by the mid-set. Nobody in Irish rap is doing it like Kojaque is doing it. The energy, the message, and the performativity puts him clear in the top tier of our rapidly expanding hip-hop scene.
Headliners The National open their set to a surprisingly small crowd. With Matt Berninger hiding away in the corner at times, or standing, staring down the crowd, with his hands in his pockets. But as they move into the more recognisable parts of their back catalogue, the crowd swells and comes alive. The set continues to grow with frenetic energy, with the band’s slick visuals and Berninger’s trademark crowd interactions all adding to the spectacle. Throughout the gig he exchanges an assortment of headwear and clothing with the audience, at various points wearing a light up flower crown, a glittery cowboy hat, and a pair of steampunk goggles. I have to say, I was a bit of a sceptic heading into the gig, but as their marathon two-hour set continued to build momentum, I felt a profound sense of being converted.
The night finished with Waterford natives King Kong Company closing out the Main Stage. They received a well-deserved hometown welcome, having been bumped up from the Something Kind Of Wonderful stage as a last-minute replacement for Roisin Murphy. They were joined at various points by their newest collaborator, and veteran festival hype-man, Bobby Fingers (AKA Mr Chrome from Rubberbandits) who stormed around stage even with a broken leg. I can’t possibly imagine day two ending in any better way than their recent single ‘Wrecked With God’. Mike Ryan
Check out Day One here
