GP - Knockanstockan 2013 - Abe Tarrush - SATURDAY (29)-banner

Day two of Knockanstockan 2013 began with the sun  beating down upon a tired, hugry, and hungover festival crowd wornout by the likes of Enemies and LaFaro the night before. The picturesque vista and fresh coffee re-energized both body and mind for the day ahead.  

The Radioactive Grandma

There really was no better band than The Radioactive Grandma to kick-start the day. The Cavan trio hurtled through their set of bouncy, sunny material taken from their critically acclaimed début album. There is a certain DIY vibe to The Radioactive Grandma, totally in keeping with that of the festival. Addictive song Don’t Look Down, a cross between The Beach Boys and the Futureheads was the highlight of their performance. They sent us on our way with the equally impressive Waves closing the set and setting the bar upon which the rest of the day would be judged. 

Liza Flume

Songstress Liza Flume was ideally located in the charming Faerie Field stage for a Saturday afternoon slot. With the sun beaming down a sizeable crowd had turned up to witness her mix of a cappella, loops, and fingerpicking acoustic guitar. Flume has a likeability about her that permeates her songs, none more so than on the outstandingly forlorn What We Called Love. Flume was joined on stage by Brona Keogh and Katie Lynn from Gypsy Rebel Rabble for or an a cappella version of Poison and the resulting harmonies are outstanding. It’s easy to see why such big things are expected of her in the future.

Rufus Coates And The Blackened Trees

One band that benefitted greatly from an additional musician on the day was Rufus Coates And The Blackened Trees, who added a keyboard player to their line-up. Think Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds and you are the right track of what Rufus Coates And The Blackened Trees sound like. There is a sombre dread pervading throughout their songs, with Rufus Coates gravelly voice intertwining with Jess Smith’s wailing vocals. The songs which are normally bass and acoustic guitar led, were given a new lease of life by the extra dimension provided by the keyboard, bringing out those subtle differences which stick in the mind; none more so than on Taken For Granted. This was a case of right band, right stage at the right time.

The Barley Mob

Closes your eyes and imagine Bob Marley collaborated with Aslan and the results may prepare you for an afternoon with The Barley Mob’s brand of reggae. Their uptempo sounds are wrapped in lyrical anger and resentment towards the sins of the few, hoisted on the masses by our so-called leaders. A continuous message of hope, perseverance, and survival threads the songs together as the Barley Mob attempt to make you think about the big things in life whilst having the time of your life. And a good time is exactly what was had on the main stage as The Barley Mob delivered a rousing which was eagerly received by the largest crowd of the day so far.

Raglans

Heaven help the bands that have to follow Raglans at upcoming festivals. It was truly barnstorming stuff. On the back of a series of successful UK dates, Raglans came on a high and absolutely nailed it. White Lightning, High Roads, and Man From Glasgow were dispatched with surgical excellence. The crowd was buoyant and eagerly spilled on to the stage during Digging Holes refusing to leave like sniffer dogs on Bieber’s tour bus. The band clearly didn’t want the fun to stop embracing their sudden swell in numbers and vocalists with visible glee as security chased the perpetrators around like Wile E Coyote after Road Runner. Raglans finished their set with a fantastic cover of Len’s Steal My Sunshine as the great fireball in the sky started to descend for the evening. There wasn’t a dud moment in what will arguably remain the highlight of the festival.

Sounds Of System Breakdown

In the run up to Knockanstockan Sounds Of System Breakdown released Neon Contrails as a single and what better way to raise anticipation levels ahead of their Saturday night slot in the Dimestore Recordings tent. The retro futuristic electro rock sound is remenisent of Hot Chip, but with an extra ingredient a big dollop of vigour. Tear At The Seams, King of Reptiles, the aforementioned Neon Contrails, and old favourite Vinegar Joe had the large crowd busting some serious drunken dance moves which was an awesome sight. This was easily one of the best sets from any band at the festival.

Vann Music

There is something undeniably ’80s about Vann Music. Aside from looking like stunt doubles for Keanu Reeves in Point Break, they have a sound quantum leaped straight from that era. Vann Music have some attention grabbing songs in the form of Life In Real Time, Into The Night and Tina, but their set lacks a couple of quality tunes necessary  to maintain that standard throughout. They are clearly moving in the right direction though and certainly know how to enjoy themselves. There is an element of cheesiness in their crowd interaction, i.e. saying this song is for all the girls in the crowd; but it sits just on the right side on endearing. Towards the end of the set, they deliver a cover of David Bowie’s Let’s Dance which perfectly sums up where Vann Music are presently.

The Hot Sprockets

The Hot Sprockets burst on to the main stage a respectably rock n roll 15 minutes late for their headline performance but after seven consecutive festival performances they’ve earnt more than a little leeway and quite a few followers more than happy to wait. Feel-good hit of the summer Soul Brother was the obvious highlight but the band proved that they have much, much more to offer than a single slice of radio gold. Their Rolling Stones-esque blend of country blues rock offers more than a little homage but it’s never anything less than genuine and authentic in spirit and delivery. An encore rendition of The Beatles classic Come Together featured guest performances by some of Ireland’s brightest up and coming musicians and perfectly summed up the culture and spirit that the organisers of Knockanstockan have bred in to the Irish music scene. You get the impression that international success be damned The Hot Sprockets will be here every year until death do us part.

Knockanstockan – Saturday Photo Gallery

Photos: Abe Tarrush