There is a certain school of thought that says you should never go back to places that you’ve had a great time at. The reasoning is that second time round it might struggle to live up to your high expectations and may even taint your memories from the first time round.
Stendhal holds many fond memories for me and it had been a regular fixture in my calendar for a number of years. To my shame I discovered that between covid and a number of family commitments, I hadn’t made it to the festival since 2018. Determined to put that right, it was time to journey back to the Limavady countryside in the hope that the festival would be everything I remembered and hopefully more.
In 2018 the Wood Burning Savages closed out the festival with a barnstorming performance on the Stevie Martin. Fast forward to 2025 and the band are one of the Saturday morning openers on the same stage.
Time of day and type of stage is of no consequence to the four piece who deliver a typically impassioned set. A showcase for their sophomore record ‘Hand to Mouth’, it hits all the right notes with ‘Climb the Ladder’ sounding particularly imperious and no doubt waking a few late sleepers in the campsite.
There is time for a few from debut record, Stability including an emotional rendition of ‘Lusitania’ dedicated to the late Stevie Martin. The knockout punches comes from 1-2 combo of ‘I Don’t Know Why I Do It To Myself’ and ‘Lather Rinse Repeat’, reinforcing their reputation as festival favourites.
From festival favourites to festival newcomers, our attention switched to the MacIvor’s Homegrown stage for a debut appearance from Madams Last Discovery. The opening wall of distortion sets the tone for an unrelenting performance that turns quite a few heads.
New single ‘Waste’ and its predecessor ‘Champagne’ encapsulate their sound perfectly; youthful exuberance wrapped up with a brooding intensity. A band you need to see live and make no mistake, they are going places.
With ringing in our ears and the woods behind us, Winnie Ama’s set offers up a more relaxing vibe. The sun may not be shining but Winnie oozes class with her band offering up a sprinkling of soulful joy. From singing about home on ‘Daisies’ to the funk inspired ‘Don’t You Want It’, her performance is breezy and well received particularly by those partial to a bit of Earth, Wind & Fire.
Our first visit of the day to the Henry McCullough stage, finds the Screaming Eagles in great form. Their sound doesn’t reinvent the wheel but it is damn fine rock n roll. The riffs are mighty and echo round the valley with ‘All the Way’ and ‘Heart of Stone’ proving popular. Chris Fry delivers on the vocal front and the frontman is full of warmth and cheeky remarks to keep the crowd engaged.
A return to the MacIvor’s Homegrown stage leads us to AOIBHA. Flanked by Sarah McCreedy & Sarah Ann Réem, it is a different sound than her recent Gifted performance but a special one to behold. The stripped back sound fits perfectly with the picture-esque surroundings.
Whether it is for old favourites ‘Take Me Home’, new release ‘Saturn’s Return’ or a handful of covers, AOIBHA is rewarded by complete silence. It takes a lot to quiet a festival crowd, but the stunning vocal harmonies leave an audience captivated and fully engaged in the moment.
Our first trip to the Karma Valley stage is for mercurial talent, Duke Special. Accompanied by long-time collaborator Chip Bailey, the pair draw an adoring crowd. Despite an extensive back catalogue, Wilson opts to focus on music from his seminal record, ‘Songs From The Deep Forest’. A wise choice for an early evening slot at the festival.
The set is a perfect mix of tender and upbeat moments. On the softer side you have the haunting ‘Ballad of a Broken Man’ and the mournful ‘No Cover Up’. On the flip side the infectious ‘Digging an Early Grave’ and ‘Salvation Tambourine’ see plenty of energetic engagement from the crowd.
Bailey’s drumming and percussion elevates the set and also brings light relief. A special rendition of ‘I Let You Down’ sees Chip utilise several kitchen utensils and some squeaky pet toys for a unique and entertaining sound.
There is time for a poignant David Bowie cover of ‘Quicksand’ before a slow burning version of mega hit ‘Freewheel’ that soars even without a full orchestral accompaniment. Although Neil Hannon doesn’t make an appearance, ‘Our Love Goes Deeper Than This’ is the perfect way for the duo to bow out.
It was seen as quite a coup to get Kate Nash on the bill and a sizeable cloud gather at the Karma Valley stage for what should be one of the highlights of the weekend. Things get off to a good start with ‘Millions of Heartbeats’ which sets hearts racing and when Nash ends up in the middle of the crowd for ‘Misery’ only 2 songs in, it hints at a memorable night. Sadly that isn’t to be the case.
Artists should use their respective platforms to highlight and raise awareness of issues but at a festival, you expect to hear the hits with the chat kept to a minimum. Nash is a well-known advocate and outspoken critic on a number of issues, but the choice to deliver lengthy monologues in the early evening at a family festival was perhaps a mis-step.
We drift away and end up back at the Henry McCullough stage where PREYRS are kicking up a storm. Freshly signed to German label, Pelagic Records, the band will shortly release their debut album but for now this is a noisy and full throttle celebration.
Frontwoman Amy Montgomery prowls the stage with purpose and her vocals leave their mark. Their heavy alt rock sound is punctuated by a typically stellar performance on the drums from Michael Mormecha. ‘Nova’ sounds the business and we look forward to hearing the recorded version.
We’ve reached the stage of the night where some hard choices need made due to clashes. We dash into the woods on the hunt for Lurgan duo The Bonnevilles. We find the Craic Inn area but due to a large crowd, we can barely make out frontman Andy on stage. No matter, the important thing is that we can hear them.
The duo are well renowned for their electric live sets and their gritty blues based sound shows no sign of abating whether on new material like ‘Age of Monsters’ or old favourites like ‘Good Suits and Fighting Boots’.
After heckling the Wynona Bleach gang earlier on, it seemed rude not to catch their set on the MacIvor’s stage. With six unreleased tracks in the set, it is a welcome glimpse at their sophomore record. On first listen ‘Shrink’ and the life affirming cat rescue based ‘Binx’ are the standouts and demonstrate that despite shifting to a four piece, they are still a force to be reckoned with.
The quartet try to leave on ‘I Deserve That’ but with a riff that sets off a wild mosh pit, the band aren’t allowed to escape without delivering an encore. Thankfully they’ve the perfect tonic in ‘Eyes Burning’ to quench our thirst for more.
Polar Bolero are still something of an undiscovered gem in the wider music scene but stellar performances at the festival in previous years sees the band draw one of the biggest crowds outside the main stage. We are lucky to squeeze in for the final three songs of their performance.
By this point the party is in full swing and the woods are alive with dancing and swaying as the crowd soak up the soaring alt folk. Forthcoming single ‘Soar’ is always a highlight of their shows and in truth it is one of the best moments of the whole weekend. It feels like Polar Bolero could continue playing all night but they finish up with a cover of ‘The Weight’ by The Band, allowing us to sway and sing proceedings to a close.
Back to mainstage for Saturday night headliners The Lightning Seeds who put on a short but sweet set with all the big hits on show. Playing for just over an hour, the English rockers understand the brief perfectly. They transport us back to the 90s and deliver a welcome dose of nostalgia into the night air.
They save the best for the back half of the show and rattle through ‘Lucky You’, ‘Pure’ and ‘The Life of Riley’ sending the Limavady faithful into raptures. The only notable absence from the show is ‘Three Lions’, probably the greatest football song ever written. With the focus of the song on the England International Men’s team, it is probably a wise move to keep it back.
We pay a final visit to the MacIvor’s stage to catch Leo Miyagee welcome in the darkness. Joined by an extensive band that features the likes of Ben Flavelle-Cobain, Clara Bella & Eva Kearney, they battle through technical issues to deliver an accomplished set.
Despite the hour, a healthy crowd surround the small stage and are entranced by everything Miyagee offers up. It doesn’t matter if is a fan favourite like ‘Bills’ or unreleased tracks like ‘Odyssey’, a collaboration with Balcony Sunrise, the appreciation is the same.
With that my visit to Ballymully Cottage Farm was over for another year. The drive back home offered up plenty of time for reflection and it is safe to say I needn’t have worried about going back. Fifteen years in, Stendhal remains an incredible weekend of music and community. There is nothing more magical than watching your favourite bands in the company of your friends and family and I’m yet to find many better places to do it than in the Limavady countryside.
