The sun breaks on the Sunday of Indiependence, as last minute dashes are made for breakfast rolls and cheap vodka. The night promises a robust line-up of both urban and indie acts alike – let’s just hope the crowd can last to see them. As usual our Ben Panter and Fionnuala Jones stuck it out to the bitter end.

The Vincent(s)

The Vincent(s) deliver a rip roaring set on the Main Stage Sunday evening, albeit to a lacklustre audience. Guitars and drums trembled ferociously at the Cork band’s very capable hands. It is immediately obvious that we are in the presence of fledgling rock stars. Asked Her To The Dance is the set highlight, with grunge-inspired vocals and catchy lyrics.

The band are very in tune with one another and have a great connection on stage. The baritone vocals are clearly the band’s unique selling point, and they save their last bit of magic until last, with Who’s The Boy?;  the guitars sear as the band flail around with their instruments. Expect more great things in the future from these guys. FJ

The Minutes

“We are The Minutes … Have you ever heard of this band called The Minutes?” Singer Mark Austin (of The Minutes, believe it or not), is funny and charming as ever on stage. Dressed slickly in braces, leather and double denim (miraculously, it works), the band are ready to rock. “Pretend it’s raining outside – let’s get this shit going.”

Timing and pacing issues interrupt the techno-sounding guitars, but the classic rock influence is still easy to hear. Cherry Bomb and Heartbreaker sound great – however, the disconnection between the drums and the guitars is noticed all too frequently. The band never let up though, and are insanely energetic. Their desire to put on a good show is apparent, and despite the lack of synchronisation among the instruments, the band members are perfectly in tune with each other.

There is a sense of urgency throughout as Austin spits and throws menacing glances to the crowd.  An aggressive finish sees drummer Shane Kinsella butchers his drum kit, standing on it and demands attention as he violates the cymbals. FJ

The Academic

The Mullingar lads – who GoldenPlec heart-warmingly overheard were excited to “Live the dream” earlier in the weekend – have built a small, but loyal following as a crowd of about two dozen hugged the rails and worded their way through every song.

Lead singer Craig FitzGerald has plenty of energy and by the end of the playlist the small but growing audience are chanting for an encore of Werewolf. These guys have radio potential. They are genuinely down to earth people, although they might need to work on their originality factor. They release their new EP in September. BP

Hozier

Man of the minute Hozier draws the biggest crowd of the entire weekend. Opening with Real People Do, backed by a battalion of female vocalists and a cellist, he grins, no air of shyness surrounding him whatsoever. It is the perfect opener; his angelic voice is carried throughout the arena.

There is no containing the sizeable crowd. They are oblivious to his microphone and ear piece issues early on, as he signals to someone backstage.

Angel Of Small Death and the Cocaine Scene comes in bluesy, warbling waves. For one person, he is completely captivating. Appearing nervous as he introduces every song – “some of you might know it – if you know the words, sing along” – for To Be Alone, he cuts a tall, intimidating figure.

The track incites an intense audience reaction, despite its sombre nature. As he plays guitar delicately, the percussion is jarring and electric in contrast. No recording of this song can compare to hearing it live and in the flesh. The switch between the man and the musician is apparent, as he laughs between tracks. He cannot match the pace of the crowd during Take Me To Church, as he is repeatedly beaten to the choruses and ‘amens’.

Someone New is a great balance of jazz and pop – serene and saccharine against the backdrop of the setting sun. The melodies are stunning throughout, but his female vocalists’ falsettos can be distracting at times. Again, Hozier expresses issues with the bass line, telling backstage he can’t hear it.

“It sounds better when you clap along”, he mumbles before Work Song. Low and behold, it does. Here, his backing vocalists provide the perfect accompaniment to his sincere vocals. He seems confident and at ease here, but bass and earpiece issues persist, and he backs away from the mic during the second verse. The busy stage activity compliments the rapturous crowd, and the band are never overwhelmed.

The surprise of the night – his cover of Amerie’s 1 Thing – adds another dimension to the R&B track. Again, however, he struggles with his earpiece. His vocals rival that of Amerie’s, especially paired with his backing chorus. He introduces his band mates, with sly smiles here and there.

“You’re great to sing along,” he says, as if it’s a chore for the throngs of festival-goers. Closing with From Eden, vocally he is not as consistent. However, his guitar solo is unparalleled: he is keen to prove he is talented beyond his young years. Staccato bursts of guitar and effortless vocals make for a neat finish. FJ

The Frank and Walters

Undoubtedly the heroes of the weekend were Cork veterans The Frank and Walters. Drafted in at a moment’s notice to replace the cancelled Fun Loving Criminals their 25-years of professional gigging showed. It is a tribute to both their musical ability and impressive back catalogue, that allowed them to play a blinder and leave a crowd expecting to be fed on Scooby Snacks, more than impressed.

Only a great band could manage the logistics of getting on stage at such short notice, during such a crucial spot and pull of one of the best sets of the festival. With so many songs for the crowd to sing along to, this eccentric band go down as true Irish folk heroes.

The band are working on new material, as  keyboardist Cian Corbett told GoldenPlec. “We have been demoing songs now for the last couple of months, we are going to take those demos and work on them so it’s a lot less stressful way than booking a very expensive studio; we are taking our time with it making sure we are happy with all the songs.”

Here’s to more material lads. BP

Public Enemy

Here was the band many had waited the whole weekend to see. Circa 1989 onwards these guys were at the cutting edge of a pioneering genre. Tonight a new generation of young adults were about to get a cultural history lesson.

Back in the day Chuck D’s intelligent, political, poetry, constructed out of some of the cleverest wordplay anyone could hear, the now retired Terminator X turntable skills and the mayhem that still is Flavour Flav, pushed the envelope. The big question was are they still relevant? After all, Chuck latest rant is that ‘Most Of My Heroes Still Don’t Appear On No Stamp.’ We can safely say that’s true for a lot of us, Chuck.

The warm-up was a set in itself, as hip-hop antique Chuck Chillout thoroughly enjoyed the attention, milking it for all it was worth as the crew bestowed a hip-hop history upon the crowd.

Professor Griff, spiritual advisor to the band, lurked menacingly in the shadows, like a wise owl selecting prey. Luckily for his targets they were to receive a lifetime opportunity. This warm up section of the set was like a stage version of ‘We Will Rock You’ – if ‘We Will Rock You’ was any good and retained any surviving members.

After driving the crowd wild with free gifts and a medley of old school hip-hop, from Will Smith to Naughty by Nature, it was time for the main event. Ironically it was We Will Rock You that announced the main bands arrival, sealing Queen’s unlikely induction into hip-hop folklore.

Middle age as not decreased the energy of Chuck D, who playfully fumbles with his microphone, or the effervescent Flavour Flav. The menacingly dressed DJ Lord is an adequate replacement for Terminator X. Flavour Flav continually informed the crowd that “we are hip-hop” and it’s hard to argue with that.

Classics such as 911, Bring the Noise and the song that is a likely contender for Rage against the Machines’ inspiration, Fight The Power, are as fresh as ever; aided and abetted by that classical instrument of nineties rebel music, the air raid siren. It’s even moving to hear them sing a hip-hop eulogy to Michael Jackson.

The unbridled joy on the faces of the lucky youngsters selected to dance and jump around on stage with the former masters of hip-hop in a raucous finale was a thrilling sight to behold.

Flavour Flav’s anti-war and anti-racism messages gave the leaving certers in the crowd causes to care about and they even backed Anti-Fracking as a worthy environmental cause. The politics may have changed but they are still doing what they always did; preaching messages of unity and strength to a generation, some of which may linger in the audience’s consciousness forever. They are still, very much, a relevant force for change.

What a brilliant way to leave the young hearts and minds of the audience. Without a doubt the best was saved till last. BP