This weekend will mark the 14th edition of Stendhal Festival. What started out as a family and friends affair has grown into one of the largest independent festivals in Ireland.
The festival and its organisers have been vocal about the challenges they’ve faced and the continued lack of support and funding available in Northern Ireland for arts and culture. It is a continuing theme that our politicians and local government are keen to big up the benefits of art but are unwilling to take any positive steps to cultivate the sector here.
Ross Parkhill was particularly scathing, “Funding is another bug bear, particularly in Northern Ireland where our government spend far less per head on the arts than any of our neighbours, in a post conflict society – is somewhat dumbfounding. Luckily our team and others continue to rise to the challenges year on year in bringing some colour and joy within the country – we will keep fighting for the value of arts and culture and the respect it warrants – who doesn’t need more colour, sound and joy in their life?”
With another 10,000 people scheduled to hit Ballymully Farm, it seems that there is a real appetite for the festival and the festival continues to grow regardless of the barriers put in its way.
We are buzzing and can’t wait to get back up the road to Limavady so with stage times being revealed, we thought we’d pick out a few of our must see artists across the weekend.
Thursday 4th July 2024
The Thursday of the festival tends to be a quieter affair with the main focus being on home grown talent with things kicking off in the early evening. We are a little bias having hosted them both recently in the Empire but Polar Bolero and PORTS are unmissable.
Polar Bolero are an incredible live band and their current recorded material doesn’t do it justice. We’ll be very surprised if we don’t see and hear a lot more from them as word gets out. For PORTS, it has been a long wait for new material but the second album is in the can and being prepared for release. Expect a set full of sumptuous new material and a few old favourites too.
Friday 5th July 2024
Lunchtime on Friday marks the first full day of the festival as proceedings kick off just before lunchtime.
Conchúr White is one of the earlier performers and with an incredible debut record under his belt and a support slot for Elbow at their sold out show Trinity College Dublin show, he is a cut above. Make sure and take a trip to the Radio Ulster stage to check out our most recent Kickstart winner, Moon Landing. His latest single ‘The Last Two People On Earth‘ was a great addition to an already prolific collection of songs.
For the early evening, bring your ear plugs to catch the rather raucous Problem Patterns. The band know how to put on a live performance and after several sets at Glastonbury last weekend, this will be a homecoming not to be missed. If you need a fix of shoegaze, a trip to the Henry McCullough stage is in order to catch Virgins. They’ve been a permanent fixture of the Belfast live scene over the last few years and their debut record was critically well received.
As the evening draws on and people start to gravitate towards the main stage, we’d recommend Wooly Woodland for two sets in a row from two of Derry’s best bands. Parker have perfected the punk rock anthem and hold nothing back on the live front while their compatriots CHERYM will offer up their fun & energetic brand of pop punk with a set that is sure to leave you in high spirits.
Saturday 6th July 2024
Hopefully the hangover isn’t too bad and you managed to get some sleep as the final day of the festival is going to be a busy one.
The early risers should make for Wooly Woodland where Cathal Francis will be opening the stage. The talented songwriter hasn’t released much music but this developing talent is an engaging listen. In a similar vein RUÁ will also offer a welcome haven for indie/experimental folk aficionados. If you need something with more of a rock vibe to shake off the cobwebs, young up and comers Klyda are worth checking out.
Early afternoon offers up quite a few treats. Talented songwriter Rory Nellis will be front and centre on the Stevie Martin stage and if you missed Polar Bolero on Thursday you have a second chance to catch them. Reevah is a firm favourite at Stendhal and you should just have enough time to catch Nathan O’Regan if you’re quick between stages.
The evening is full of hard choices but there is a real amount of hype behind new alt rock outfit VERA so they should be the first pitstop. That should leave you time to catch Gomez before another trip to the Woodland for the welcome return of The Wood Burning Savages. Most will likely hit up the Zutons for a nostalgic set and a huge singalong to ‘Valerie’.
Scottish indie rockers Fatherson are a very appealing prospect with a string of great albums ensuring a hit packed set. If you’d rather stick local Esmeralda Road should be your destination. The band is so big they’ll struggle to fit them all on the stage and genre wise, they’re hard to pin down which makes it all the more exciting. Finally close out your packed weekend with Hot Chip, a rare opportunity to catch such a prolific outfit in the wilds of Limavady.
Tickets
If you haven’t got your ticket yet (why not!?!), you can still purchase them online via the Stendhal Festival website.
