Saturday brought sunshine and a flurry of new acts ripe for the, eh, reviewing at Mitchelstown’s Indiependence. With revellers describing it as one of the best years at the festival, weather-wise, Saturday’s artists provided the perfect backdrop against the sunny skies. Again, Fionnuala Jones and Ben Panter are given the ball and a yard of grass.

Hunting The Brave.

For a band that is getting a lot of support and promotion from The Coronas, the warm up promised anything but, as Rage against The Machine attack chords set spines tingling as a few revellers, The Coronas’ Danny O’Reilly among them, settled down at the Main Stage.

A very similar sounding band to their stable-mates, though slightly more inclined to rock out, Hunting the Brave are a good band but are following a path well-travelled; something which may or may not make it easier to break out. A higher billing would have helped. No doubt a crowd would have enjoyed the duo of John Sadlier and lead guitarist Hughie Devine, who tried his best to squeeze distortion, Hendrix style, out of his white Stratocaster. BP

Codes

The sound of synth-rock evolving into heavy metal gives this band an edge that will surely see them rise up the billing at future festivals. Powerful, at times feminine, harmonies coupled with a high range from lead singer Darragh Anderson, ably supported by fellow members Eoin Stephens, Niall Woods and Raymond Hogge, are reminiscent of Suede, while powerful bass lines rattle the rib-cage in finest live fashion.

After running through the best of their tracks stretching back as far as 2009 the guys finish on some newer stuff including newly released Australia. The set is good enough to bring the punters who had begun to recover from the previous night’s exertions, likely drawn in by the electric metal chords filtering outside of the main stage, no doubt carried by the refreshing breeze.

For a band that has been recording for five years now it is a shame that they haven’t yet cracked the mainstream. BP

Findlay

Despite drawing a meagre crowd, Findlay is a firecracker on stage. She delivers her most famous track Greasy Love early in the set – perhaps to keep the few spectators sweet – with her signature screeching rock vocals. “’Cause I work like a woman/And he sweats like a God …” she moans. Admittedly a little rough around the edges when it comes to performing, the singer’s potential for greatness is still plain to see.

She throws herself head first into Off & On and Your Sister – both are strong efforts vocally, backed by her incredible band. However, the magic is lost at times in the frenzy of the performance. Vocals sound static-like in parts, and the crowd comes and goes in drips and drabs. You get the impression that despite still being relatively unknown, Findlay thinks she’s a bit too good for such an early slot in the Big Top.

She hides behind sunglasses for entirety of the set, and is disconnected from the audience, until she high fives the front row, before leaving abruptly. Following this, a member of her team arrives on stage to record the crowd saying “get well soon children of Gaza”. A bizarre half an hour, all in all. FJ

Hudson Taylor

Hudson Taylor arrive on to the Main Stage with the boundless energy that youth provides. The duo – otherwise known as Harry & Alfie – are grinning like quiffed and coiffed Cheshire cats, as they lay in to hits Battles and Weapons. The surprise hit of the set comes in the form of their cover of Eminem’s Lose Yourself.

Mayhem descends in the tent as the crowd slowly realises what the folk twosome are covering. The percussion is persistent and helps maintain the momentum, as well as the sound of the piano being played unmercifully. At times, however, the sound is poor, and vocally they can be incomprehensible. Still, the crowd are rowdy, and security is required several times in order to maintain order. FJ

The Coronas

Saturday’s special guests The Coronas cause a stampede to the Big Top, requiring security to limit the number of people coming from the campsite into the arena. It was impossible to get anywhere close to the stage as the crowd squeezed into the Big Top. Still, The Coronas can be heard throughout Deer Park – Danny O’Reilly is faultless on Dreaming Again.

Addicted To Progress sends shockwaves beyond the Big Top, compelling people left and right to bust a move. Someone Else’s Hands is a welcome surprise. Again, Danny O’Reilly delivers. One gets the impression, though, that when you’ve seen The Coronas once, that’s enough. A good performance from the boys, not an outstanding one, that left hardcore fans and passers-by satisfied. FJ

Dolerentos

After Hudson Taylor and The Coronas, these guys had the privilege of playing to an already buzzing crowd. It was getting to the dusk part of the night where festival magic really begins. The failing light added to the effects of the lighting. S.E.C.R.E.T was obviously a nailed down favourite.

What is perhaps less obvious is the influence Morrisey has had on the band. The content of the songs are heartfelt reflections of the hard times most of us are unfortunate to go through in our lives. Eustace Street is a typical example.

There is great crowd interaction as lead Ronon Yourell split the crowd into sections and had a go and being an orchestral conductor. They have been around ten years now but show no signs of stopping, treating the crowd to their latest song Everybody Else Gets Wet. Definitely the set of the day so far – headliners White Lies will need to pull out something special to top this. BP

Sultans Of Ping

Sultans Of Ping are also plagued with poor sound and technical issues. Frequently, the songs are indistinguishable due to muffled vocals. But this is made up for in masses of energy – just about.

“We don’t necessarily endorse all the products our music is used to sell”, singer Niall O’Flaherty growls between drinks. Whether he’s referring to jumpers or films, or Vodafone, isn’t made clear. The first half of the set is lively and full of banter. O’Flaherty discusses the incoming water charges, and is met with boos and chortles alike.

However, soon, spectators grow weary, and despite relentless chants for Where’s Me Jumper? the band soldier through the set, with Let’s Go Shopping. As chanting persists, the band interact less and seem a little peeved. The atmosphere becomes a little tense, and almost awkward. However, they do eventually unleash their most famous hit, resulting in pandemonium at every end of the stage. FJ

White Lies

Under the cover of blue lights, White Lies emerge on the Main Stage. A moody, sombre set is expected. A powerful, joyous dance-off ensues instead. Opening with the track that broke them – To Lose My Life – seems risky, but the crowd’s reaction proves it has paid off.

They are ravenous for more of the same, and that is what follows. There Goes Our Love Again and A Place To Hide are given new life in a live setting – percussion fuelled and fun, contrasting with singer Harry McVeigh’s deep vocals and bleak lyrics.The crowd mellow out for Streetlights, as the band cut strong figures on stage.

They look confident, and as a result, perform confidently. Light cues mirror the drum beats during Fairwell To The Fairground. Again, the band seem to make the song seem much noisier and sprawling on stage than on record. The crowd continue to jostle as the sound gently expands throughout the tent, with the synth heightening the tension of the track.

The band call E.S.T. their favourite track. McVeigh moves to the centre of the stage in order to lap up the crowd’s attention. The performance is dramatic and over the top, but what else would you expect from a band so influenced by Joy Division and Talking Heads?

White Lies’ limited crowd interaction is made up for towards the end, as huge balloons are released into the throngs of people. Encore Bigger Than Us is wall-to-wall danceable, indie goodness. White Lies brought their back catalogue to life effortlessly, as the sun set on Saturday’s proceedings. FJ