Christmas came early this year for me. Never did I think that Me First and the Gimme Gimmes would be playing Dublin, and never did I ever think I'd get to shoot one of their shows! Well, that all changed last week when they played the Academy in Dublin on a cold, damp, Monday night! I've been a fan since 1997, when one of the lads I worked with, brought in a copy of Have a Ball . It was love at first listen! I did manage to catch them live back in 2019 when they played the O2 Forum in Kentish Town , London, and it was every bit as good as I'd hoped, but it paled in comparison to Monday night in Dublin. So, how did it come about? Well, back in 2013, I interviewed the band for a now defunct Irish website called Chunk.ie . Over the years, I've stayed on their PR roster, so I took a chance and emailed my contact there. Lo and behold, a few emails later and all was sorted, I was down to photograph the show. How was it? Brilliant, amazing, fantastic,...
So last weekend, I headed off to Clane for the first 'Playing Fields Festival'. I say headed off, it's only 10km from where I live, so it wasn't an arduous journey at all!
The Playing Fields Festival is a 2 day affair featuring some legends of Irish music along with some relative new comers and lesser known acts of the Irish music scene. A great mix with something to please everyone!
So, was it any good? Well, yes, yes it was. I had an absolute blast there. Bar a couple of minor issues, everything ran so smooth. The stage looked great, the sound was pretty damn good, staff and security were all friendly and helpful. Speaking with the bands after, they all seemed to have a great time, that's always great to hear.
So, just who was playing, well the Saturday line up featured:
The Sunday lineup featured:
The Playing Fields Festival is a 2 day affair featuring some legends of Irish music along with some relative new comers and lesser known acts of the Irish music scene. A great mix with something to please everyone!
So, was it any good? Well, yes, yes it was. I had an absolute blast there. Bar a couple of minor issues, everything ran so smooth. The stage looked great, the sound was pretty damn good, staff and security were all friendly and helpful. Speaking with the bands after, they all seemed to have a great time, that's always great to hear.
So, just who was playing, well the Saturday line up featured:
- Alice Lynskey
- Valhalla
- Padraig Cahill
- Montauk Hotel
- Oski Bravo
- Jerry Fish
- The Frank and Walters
- The Stunning
The Sunday lineup featured:
- The Roadworn Frets
- Empire Circus
- The Dublin Gospel Choir (no photos)
- The 2 Johnnies
- Saarloos
- Declan O'Rourke
- The 4 of Us
So, as I said, a good mix of old and new there. Combine that with great weather, easily accessible food and drink stalls, a great atmosphere and you had everything you need for a great weekend! Roll on The Playing Fields Festival 2020!
Check out the photos below:
Alice Lynskey |
Valhalla |
Padraig Cahill |
Montauk Hotel |
Oski Bravo |
Jerry Fish |
The Frank and Walters |
The Stunning |
The Stunning and the Frank and Walters |
The Roadworn Frets |
Empire Circus |
The 2 Johnnies |
Saarloos |
Declan O'Rourke |
Keith Walsh (2FM) |
The 4 of Us |