I missed the inaugural Naas Bealtaine Festival last year, and, as luck would have it, as I was busy trying to get a suntan on the south coast of Spain. Don't judge me, it was my first chance to travel since the pandemic hit, and I was not going to miss it!
However, after hearing who was headlining this years festival, I made sure to not miss out this year! Who was headlining? Oh only one of my favourite bands ever, King Kong Company!
The Naas Bealtaine Festival is a free festival, no tickets required, all you have to do is turn up. To make sure it all ran smoothly and to fit the largest crowd in, the Main Street of Naas was closed off to traffic, this doesn't happen all that often! Up and down the Main Street was littered with food stalls, musicians and other street vendors and artists. Poplar Square, at the Dublin end of the town, was the home for the Main Stage.
I'll be honest, I didn't venture up the town to the other stages, my back was in tatters, I was tired, the sun was in my eyes and the earths magnetic forces were working against me... I stayed at the Main Stage most of the day. I say all day.
Anyway, my day started off with Gemma Cox accompanied by Emily O'Rourke on guitar. The first time I saw her perform was 5 years ago, back in 2018, and it's been fantastic to see her grow as an artist.
Next up, for me at least, was Kendal Moody. I'd seen Kendal perform for the first time only a month previous and, even in that short space of time, she's become a far more confident performing. One to keep an eye on!
Now, I'm not sure what to call this next band... Are they Kovanta or are they Veto Code, I'm not sure!!! Either way, it doesn't matter, they rocked and the crowd, including a large section of their fans, loved their set. They're loud, they rock, sure what more could you ask for?
I may, just may have accidentally missed Cher-A-Mia, a Cher tribute act, so the next act I caught was a new one to me, Lypton Village. A really enjoyable set from them, a few covers mixed in with their own material, it really got the crowd dancing. Just perfect for a festival!
The main topic of conversation in the crowd all day, apart from the weather, was 'I can't believe King Kong Company are playing Naas!' and I had to agree, there was something surreal about it!
As I've said many times before, King Kong Company are one of the best live acts out there. I've never left a gig of theirs thinking 'yeah, it was good, but...' It's always full throttle from the off and they leave everything on stage, so I was expecting a lot!
I needn't have worried, they brought the full stage show with them! The lights, the lasers, the backing screens, the flags, Box Head... They brought the lot and the crowd, and I, loved every minute of it!
If you get to see just one band this summer, make sure it's King Kong Company!
Originally published 10/09/2013 on Chunk.ie So, there I was, wandering around the Electric Picnic wondering who I was going to watch next. One of the lads said he had heard good things about King Kong Company and that we should check them out, so off we headed to the Body and Soul Arena to do just that. As I mentioned in my review of the Electric Picnic, the gig was epic. I figured we just had to interview them here on CHUNK.ie, and here it is! First things first, congratulations on a storming gig at the Electric Picnic. It completely blew me away. Was this your first Picnic experience? We’ve been to many Electric Picnics over the years but just as punters, and it’s always been a great festival, so it was a fantastic experience to play at its 10 year anniversary. King Kong Company is a rather interesting name for a band, where or how did you come up with it? The name is taken from the film Taxi Driver. If you look closely, Travis Bickle is wearing a badge which says King
I took a walk around Dublin today, thought I'd check out the buskers on Grafton Street. There's a fine history of busking in Dublin, acts like Hothouse Flowers , The Frames , Rodrigo y Gabriela , Damien Rice , Paddy Casey , Kodaline and a host of others all cut their teeth on and around Grafton Street. It stands to reason that some of those busking today will be successful in the future! So, who did I get to see today? Well, check out the photos below: Zoe Clarke Allie Sherlock Paul Jenkinson
Every now and then I have a choice of gigs to go to... This night, I could have driven into Dublin to see Meryl Streek in the Workmans Club , or I could stay local and go see Mairead Carroll in the Moat Theatre in Naas. Well, it was a no brainer. The weather was terrible and, well, I felt terrible too, so I figured I'd stay local. Mairead has played the Moat Theatre before, but always as support, never as the main attraction. Tonight, would be her debut headline performance and she didn't let anyone down! I'm not quite sure how to describe here music. It's not folk, it's not trad, it's not country or rock... It's. well, it's very light and soft and calming. Mairead is a poet who, only relatively recently, has started putting her words to music. It's a very relaxing affair! Her songs are very personal, and, at first listen, you might think them melancholy, but then you hear the joy and the love in them, and you start to see them for what they
