Knockanstockan - Friday | Review

Knockanstockan – Friday | Review

Words Stephen Byrne and Frank Hughes

Now in its seventh year Knockanstockan festival is a feast for the eyes and the soul laid out in the tranquil surroundings of the Blessington lakes. The boutique arena comprises four stages each with its own rustic style. It’s a pleasure to just get something to eat or drink, grab a bench and watch the bands without having to trudge too far and the major festivals could learn a thing or two from the natural ebb and flow of the site. Beyond the main arena a feast of nooks and crannies open up delivering more stages, art, and areas for rest and relaxation. Quite an achievement for a group of volunteers.

Real Horrorshow

One of the first bands on Friday was Real Horrorshow. The ten piece band just about managed to squeeze on to the Shack of Diamonds stage. There is a manic energy in their playing but it is sometimes more Benny Hill Show than Real Horrowshow. Their saxophone stylings will for better or worse inevitably draw comparisons with Madness. Over the course of their set it all becomes a bit samey, with the exception of the hooky guitar ska-stomp of Honey, their standout song. With some more variation in song structure and tempo, this band have the energy to impress, but are not yet the finished article.

Overhead, The Albatross

Given that a lot of music magazines and websites, including GoldenPlec, had picked Overhead, The Albatross in their ‘Ones To Watch at Knockanstockan’ rundowns, the big question was would they live up to the hype on their Knockanstockan début? Defacto frontman/bass player Joe Panama was certainly ready for the occasion drawing the crowd’s attention before the first note was even struck, taking centre stage covered in warpaint. They delivered an impressive set of expansive post-rock which focuses on the collective sound rather than any showy individual elements. Highlights included the epic Pigonometry and Think, Thank, Thunk. which deliver tense and exhilarating flashes of sound. Having safely answered the question of could they live up to the hype, the only remaining question is will they be on the main stage next year?

LaFaro

Belfast quartet LaFaro brought the thunder and lightning that the weather God’s had threatened but failed to deliver to the main stage. Songs such as Tuppenny Nudger delivered the kind of bite that Luis Suarez can only dream of as the band spat out the type of riffs Josh Homme has built a lucrative career upon. Bassist Herb Magee like Joe Panama before him was the visual focal point of the group striding the stage striking suitable rock ‘n’ roll poses as he went. It would seem that LaFaro are the natural successors to Therapy? while traces of Mudhoney, Stone Temple Pilots and Nirvana are also present in the band’s volatile material. If only Soundgarden had returned with an album of ground-shaking material like this.

Enemies

Purveyors of post-rock perfection Enemies delivered a sonic masterclass during their headline performance on the main stage. Intricate waves of sound simultaneously jumped genres and time signatures with such ease and physical dexterity that many a musician in the audience must surely have felt like frauds in awe. Songs from the band’s new album ‘Embark, Embrace’ such as Executive Cut were exquisitely delivered and brought the opening night of the festival to a close with a vibrant flourish.