All Together Now (ATN) returned to the Curraghmore estate this bank holiday weekend, with 27,000 people flocking to Co Waterford for three days of music, culture and good craic. Here are some of the highs and lows of this year’s event.
HIGHS
Welcoming vibes
It was hard to feel out of place at Curraghmore this year. The festival doesn’t have a type. Attendees young, old and somewhere in the middle mingled with good cheer. Festivals are often aimed at a specific demographic, but ATN felt it was for everyone.
A line-up with something for everybody
ATN had all bases covered this year, from the stomping retro rave of The Prodigy to the thinking person’s doom pop that is the forte of Saturday headliners The National. In between there was lots of alternative rock (Slowdive), gothic folk (Øxn) and chin-stroking electronica (Kiasmos). Mad for it, sad for it or trad for it, ATN hit the spot.
[ The National at All Together Now: A sad-dad singalong to cherishOpens in new window ]
Natasha Bedingfield in the Saturday sun
As it turns out, Ireland was the first country where the 42-year-old English singer-songwriter ever scored a No 1 hit. Single was Natasha Bedingfield’s debut single, taken from her staple 2004 record Unwritten (and we all know how huge the title track became). So she holds something of a candle for Ireland, and her energy on the main stage in Saturday’s 5pm slot was unmatched. Throwing in vocally brilliant covers of Purple Rain and The Scientist alongside her original pop anthems – she belted out These Words, Pocketful of Sunshine and Unwritten in the beaming sunlight – she created outrageously fun moments.
The smoking-belching dragon in the Arcadia area
Banging electronica, a DJ installed in a cyberpunk trunk and an animatronic techno Smaug spouting flames and throwing menacing poses. The late-night Arcadia dance zone brought a vibe all its own.
Barry Can’t Swim: ‘Irish crowds are just unmatched’
The trending producer Barry Can’t Swim (real name Joshua Mainnie) is Scottish, so he’s presumably used to performing in the rain. Sunday evening’s misty downpour made sure there wasn’t a dry face in the field. The determination of ATN’s audience to throw shapes to shimmering tunes from the Edinburgh DJ’s Mercury-nominated album, Where Will We Land?, was special to behold. It didn’t go unnoticed. “Irish crowds are just unmatched,” he said, grinning at the anorak-cloaked fans smiling back. “They always show up.” A fan in the crowd holding up a “Daniel Wiffen CAN swim” sign also earned plenty of laughs.
Irish talent was inescapable
It was hard not to feel a glow of pride passing through the various stages and smaller tents, witnessing some of the nation’s brightest names showing their stuff. From The Mary Wallopers thrashing out trad tunes – surrounded by Palestine flags and giving the finger to the far-right gatherings in Dundalk – to Kojaque’s wonderfully packed-out performance in the Something Kind of Wonderful tent: if anyone was unsure of Ireland’s ability to produce stellar musical artists, they’d be certain after this weekend. Gemma Dunleavy, NewDad, John Francis Flynn, Chalk, Morgana and The Scratch were just some of the standouts.
Daytime activities
The atmosphere and energy around the grounds during the family-friendly hours of ATN added up to one of the highlights of the festival. Flaked-out twentysomethings were doing yoga to clear the negative energy (among other substances) from their worn-out systems; more energetic types were taking part in glassmaking and craft workshops; and the panel discussions and talks were open-minded, engaging and thoughtfully chosen. Seanchoíche’s storytelling tent was especially heartwarming.
LOWS
Confusion about Saturday’s headliner
Festivals can’t avoid a headliner needing to pull out at the last minute, but there was confusion around the campsite about whether Róisín Murphy, who had been due to top the bill on Saturday, would be replaced by a new act or if an artist from the existing line-up would be given the Wicklow performer’s coveted slot. The National were already billed to appear immediately before Murphy; a nice touch from the organisers would have been to offer another Irish act such an opportunity. Getting musicians and their gear down to Waterford on time would have been a nightmare to arrange, of course; our money would have been on Kojaque – see above – nailing the upsized stage.
People carrying decorated sticks to the main stage
We haven’t reached Glastonbury levels of annoying festivalgoers blocking your view with their wittily captioned flags, but the trend of people holding ornate sticks so that their friends can find them continues to creep into Irish festivalgoing – and it’s starting to become annoying. Can we stop before it actually becomes a thing, please? We just want to see the stage.
Rock’n’roll (down the path)
It’s next to impossible to ensure an entire festival site is easy to walk on. The Curraghmore estate is beautiful, but it wasn’t uncommon over the weekend to see people trip on stones and for trolleys to be overturned by the giant rocks at the ticket-scanning entrance. Accessibility was said to have been put under “full review” after complaints at last year’s edition, but more could be done (as with pretty much every music festival in Ireland).
The weather
You can hardly blame the festival, but for the second year running ATN’s luck ran out weather-wise. There was a downpour early on Friday, and although conditions were borderline balmy on Saturday, by Sunday we were back to the traditional Irish summer: grim, overcast and damp.
