Castle Palooza - a civilised alternative to you-know-what?

mike65

Anyone know much about Castle Palooza? I keep hearing the ads and wonder how you can possibly stage an outdoor weekender on 1500 paying guests. Is the owner of the splendid Charleville Castle a bit mad or just able to indulge him/herself and provide something a bit different?

Mike.

PeakOutput

the line up is absolutely shockingly bad thats all that matters

it includes the winner of a battle of the bands style competition on fm104 or some other crap station

mike65

I'm thinking you go not for the "happening" music, rather for the whole vibe.

Mike.

PeakOutput

mike65 wrote:

I'm thinking you go not for the "happening" music, rather for the whole vibe.

Mike.

that could be a selling point alright but lets face it its just going to be an outdoor gig with a small crowd...........

sure it has hot showers and proper toilets but other than that i cant see the vibe being anything other than a more comfortable festival with not much to listen to.

i dont know of course im just guessing

Toast

I went last year cause I got some cheapo tickets at the last minute. I wouldnt have touched it previously due to the ridiculous ticket price versus the calibre of the lineup. However it was actually a lot of fun.

The venue is lovely with a proper manicured grass lawn to camp on (its the gardens of the castle). The whole event is tiny with maybe only about 500 people there most of the time so you got to know people very quickly. There was nice beer, nice facilities and the music while it wasnt big named bands actually did have some very good irish bands there too. Its an amazingly relaxed pace compared to many other irish events and Id recommend it for a nice weekend away.

This year though that theyve gone and stuck the ticket price up again and then made one of the most ill informed/hilariously bad headliner decisions in the form of Sister Sledge has made me think that they'll get even less people this time around. A shame really because its a good bit of fun.

fits

Charleville Castle is run by its trustees. The castle has fallen into disrepair. Its caretakers are fantastic people. They run many programs for young people, and take in volunteers to help with the renovation of the place over the summer.
I was there for one of the Mor Festivals, which just had a great vibe. However due to a previous court judgement, its quite difficult to get a license to play certain kinds of music there, which is probably why they've gone in a middle of the road direction.
Definitely go for the vibe there anyway....

beans

Sister Sledge wouldn't put me off in the slightest. Good times!

Toast

Im sure they'll be fun but I dont think the organisers are doing themselves any favours wasting money on a headliner with, Id imagine, a very small amount of crowd drawing power when they could have got a decent Irish or UK band in for the job whod be at least somewhat more in line with the rest of the festival.

Im glad it wasnt just Republic of Loose again (considering a fair bit of the line up is a duplicate of last year) but someone along the lines of even David Kitt or Damien Dempsey, though not my sort of thing, would have been a better choice for getting a few more people down. Having Sister Sledge as a headliner just opens them to ridicule because it sounds like a decision made by someone totally out of touch with current music.

Anyway suits me fine if theres less people there. Im really looking forward to a nice quiet festival. Hope the weather is good for it.

CrazyTrain

I was at a wedding in Charleville castle recently, what a fantastic place. It's also supposed to be seriously haunted which adds a great vibe to any event.

Denalihighway

howdy
simple as this people - its a great way to spend a wknd, I disagree about the quality of the music, there's some really really good unsigned talent on there and yer guaranteed good laughs with the general atmosphere which is just good craic and a great alternative if going to places like 'you know where' and suffering the sh*te that goes with it makes u nauseous. Played there last year and hung around for the wknd and will be there again this year. Agree with the Sister Sledge thing though...though something tells me i'll be dancin around like a feckin eejit on Sunday night singing 'we are family..' etc etc...
ticket price is a tad steep this year but put it in context to heading somewhere and paying for accomodation for 2 nights plus entry and it aint so bad
anyways, i'm rambling...

eth0_

Denalihighway wrote:

howdy
simple as this people - its a great way to spend a wknd, I disagree about the quality of the music, there's some really really good unsigned talent on there

Sorry, but it's nothing short of insulting to charge 125 euro to see a crowd of unsigned bands few people have heard of, and some has-been bands (I defy you to name a sister sledge hit other than 'we are family'!).

Save your money and go camping somewhere nice. Whoever is running this festival must be on crack to think he'll sell out with that sh*tty lineup. Which is sad for the trustee's of the castle.

DadaKopf

eth0_ wrote:

Sorry, but it's nothing short of insulting to charge 125 euro to see a crowd of unsigned bands few people have heard of, and some has-been bands (I defy you to name a sister sledge hit other than 'we are family'!).

Save your money and go camping somewhere nice. Whoever is running this festival must be on crack to think he'll sell out with that sh*tty lineup. Which is sad for the trustee's of the castle.

Right on. The Mór Festival was great, and well worth is, because it was, like, 20 blips or something.

Castlepalooza can f*ck off.

TheBigLebowski

eth0_ wrote:

(I defy you to name a sister sledge hit other than 'we are family'!).

Lost in Music? Frankie? The list goes on...

Denalihighway

as i said lads (which u seem to have ignored), the price is steep - considering they were pushin it last year charging 75 squid when it was in its first year, but i stand by what i say about the music, do some research if yer not familiar with the bands or else it just comes down to taste which is the beauty of the game at the end o the day

Nick_oliveri

A certain amount of the ticket price goes towards the "Castle Restoration Project".

bah @ lineup.

I agree with a previous poster about Kitt and Dempsey. And maybe a little GIAA like the Mor Fest.

catch--22

Sad to see some of the negative comments here about Castlepalooza.

I went last year on a last minute free ticket. It was knocked into second place only by Electric Picnic as the best gig I was at for all of 2006! Loads of HIGH quality unsigned and indie bands. A fantastic setting....it's a very small venue so 1500 will more than make the place feel full if they get the numbers.

The line up this year is excellent if you know your bands! Neosuper, Fight Like Apes, Red Kid, The Aftermath and Star Little Things put on a great live show. And Springbreak are the greatest tribute band ..... ever!

I know the cash might sound a bit steep...but if you were there last year like me you would happily pay it (like I did this time) for such a brilliant weekend with such a great atmosphere.

About 6 of us went last year and on the back of the great time we had then there are now about 23 of us going this year! I've been looking forward to this more than I am the Picnic!

Nick_oliveri

See you there so.:)

Toast

Catch 22 I agree with you completely in that I think there are many good acts lined up, last year was a great time and I am really looking forward to this weekend.

However the price is too high to have word of mouth counter the perceived lack of value that the lineup gives. Most people are used to judging if its worth going to a festival based on whose playing. That the majority of the ticket price for Castlepalooza is going to a more luxurious camping experience isnt really sold enough or just doesnt carry enough value to a lot of people.

mylo

disagree about the line up being poor.

Fight Like Apes
The Chakras
Mainline
Neosupervital
Red Kid
Robotnik

and they are just the few im looking forward too, all class acts!

eth0_

I've heard of two of those bands.
The majority of the lineup sound like bands who are at the level of playing a ten euro gig in Whelans. The money Castlepalooza are charging is scandalous for the lineup.

catch--22

Springbreak are headlining the Sunday night .... this is worth the ticket money alone!

Toast

Someone in In Dublin must really love Castlepalooza. This weeks edition is 50% Castlepalooza related.

mikeanywhere

The event is actually not that bad and even tho the price does seem a bit steep you actually do get quite a lot for it. Access to the castle, actual hot showers, nice lawns to camp on (as already mentioned) with lots of various side shows to view not taking into account the music too. They completley sold out too so ther are defo doing something right.

I was supposed to be there to take the photos but a severe bout of bronchitis has sidelined me big time!!

Anyway, its obviously on/finishing as we speak so now doubt we will hear just how good or bad it really was from thise who were there.

Toast

Im pretty sure it wasnt sold out though there was a lot more people this year than last. The weather was unfortunate as it pretty much rained from 5pm Saturday to 2pm Sunday. Lots of people were leaving Sunday morning. Festival rallied well though and the Sunday was good however I hate to be the first to say it.... last year was better.

Number one issue was letting Heineken in. Last year we had Budvar, Krombacher and Kopparberg. This year... Heineken and Coors Light. This was on top of not letting any drink into the campsite (yes the campsite). Really ridiculous and the ONLY Irish festival with that rule. Thankfully the checks werent too thorough but the fact remains it shouldnt be a case that you had to sneak beer in... especially with such a poor selection on offer. There were some cocktails and wine there as well but the beer situation and lack of cider was in general a huge step back for the festival.

After that there were some baffling changes to the second stage area. The bar never opened there (though there was a kiosk in place for one). Last year they had loads of benchs there which were gone which removed a lot of the charm of that field. I didnt bother with them myself but I was told the hot showers were freezing cold on the Sunday morning. Also the free biscuits and sweets didnt make a return (its the little things!) On top of all that food prices were up and quality was down from last year though the pie place was a nice addition.

Having said all that the actual area was still lovely and the festival still had a bit of its charm left and had some unique elements (like a disused coach which people were allowed on to chill). They also dealt with the rain better than certain other festivals did.

I just hope that the organisers take a look at some of the criticism and try and return to what made it unique in the first place.

Denalihighway

all fair comments, was shocked at the fact you couldnt bring in your own booze for campsite etc (not that we didnt get it in eventually, where there's a will...). Choice was crap especially for us cider louts. Weather put 'dampener' on thinsg a bit on sat but the majority of people just knuckled down and a few o the softies left but overall I and everyone Ive talked to had a whale of a time. Music was fantastic, i really am surprised by the comments above about the lineup by people who supposedly have their finger on the pulse and i've no doubt in my mind they wud think differently if they were there. Or maybe not who knows, I dont really care. Hopefully in the next few days enough people will log on and re-iterate the positives. Credit where credit is due. Still think the price is steep, didnt have to pay meself which is always nice but yes its enough to put people off which is never a good idea as a festival organiser! But if I paid it, I'm sure I wud be thinking it was worth it today.

I guess the good thing is at least Castlepalooza wont start whinging and have the money to sue Boards.ie if they get a bit of constructive critisism ...

Ruthy23

I'd have to agree with 'toast' there. Based on what I was told about last year's festival, I was looking forward to checking it out but ended up fairly disappointed. The 'own drink' ban was crazy - although they were much more stringent on the Sat about checking as opposed to the sunday. and all the volunteers / band hangers on were happily wandering around with their own bottles while we were waiting for the off licence to open for an hour so we could buy a can at €3 a pop! Although we did manage to get stuff in also, but we were all a bit peeved at the rules. we brought a small disposable BBQ and braved the rain to put some sausages on it (sheltering it with an umbrella, quite pathetic but we didn't fancy a pie or crepe!) and some volunteer came over to give out about it - he then reluctantly said we could continue and 'enjoy our meat' - said in a bitter hippyish tone! anyways I won't moan anymore cos I thought some of the bands were surprisingly really good, although mainline were a tad disappointing. I think the weather made it tougher and a more likely target to be moaned at, but for 125e a ticket - you would expect a bit of freedom once inside. Also the shuttle bus scenario was madness - i really don't see why we couldn't have parked closer to the castle given all the fields nearby and the fact there was only about 40-50 cars in the carpark anyway!
ah well, p'raps next year!!

ps: I'm not just a moany festival newbie by the way - I was just expecting a bit more!

fits

Ruthy23 wrote:

I i really don't see why we couldn't have parked closer to the castle given all the fields nearby and the fact there was only about 40-50 cars in the carpark anyway!

The land under control of the caretakers of the castle is actually quite small in area (just the castle, gardens and woods).
They dont have any fields for parking. (I'm not an organiser btw, just helped out with past events there).

catch--22

They were a lot tighter at the gates this year for bringing in drink...but suppose Heineken were paying them to be...but the drink selection was very poor...thankfully I don't drink cider so I wasn't affected too much!

The weather was brutal on the sat night (shakes fist at Halfords and their dodge tents for making it all the worse) but have to laugh at the people leaving on the Sunday morning (just when the weather was picking up....lightweights).

New pie shop was excellent....great addition...but does anyone remember the stall selling potato chips from last year? Shame they weren’t back.

The bands were excellent..>Sunday being the real highlight....

Neosupervital...great again...pity not that many people turned up to see them.

Fight Like Apes..I've been waiting a while to see them live and was very very impressed and looking forward to a repeat performance at the Picnic (recently added)

Straggler’s + The Spikes .... missed them both sadly but got some very good reports back from some friends.

Noise Control....wow! Great live band really got the crowd going and I'll be keeping a keen look out for their next gig!

Springbreak...had the pleasure of meeting up with Barry (frontman) and Dancing Vin (Neosuper) on the Sat night who were a great laugh. Sadly there set was very short (i presume other bands ran on later than thought) but they gave it all as usual. Every time they play we convince a few more mates to come along to the gig (we're now up to about 25 regular followers....the band is THAT good)

Sister Sledge....I can't believe I'm actually saying this...but they were prob the highlight of the weekend! Band and crowd really got into it! Two ban-enforced stage invasions and what seemed like a bottomless collection of hits (I was a bit worse for wear at this stage so I could be wrong....and they all just sounded the same). All round great fun.

I'll be back again next year...again. It's a great warm up for the Picnic...and still worth the money (mind you I got €50 quid back by selling a spare ticket on Sat afternoon).

Mantel

catch--22 wrote:

Neosupervital...great again...pity not that many people turned up to see them.

Unfortnaly the Tassle club was preforming in the ballroom when Neosupervital where on I was convinced to go with the ballroom option, one intresting thing was they said the female members of Neosupervital would be joining them in the near future

horseboxface

I was at Castlepalooza both years. I have to say it is the best festival I have ever been to.

I guess this year, it is more organised and the security were very questionable, a bit rough and a bit rude this year. And if the organisers are to turn a profit, then maybe the have to enforce the drink-bought-on-site-only rule. We were still bring in our own stuff all weekend so it wasnt such a dampner.

With regards to the price of the ticket, it was well worth it. People who like music will be blown away to see so many promising acts over the two days. Some of the best gigs I have ever attended have been to unsigned acts. Fight like Apes, the Spikes, The Gorgeous Colours, Redkid, all amazing! (And what about Springbreak, I never liked 80's music til I saw those chaps last year). As for Sister Sledge, I guess you had to be there to believe what a great act with so many great tunes they are. I too questioned the lineup before I went this year, but musically it was great. The lad Gavin Glass has a great talent too, I loved his Southern Comfort song.

With regards to the vibe of the place, its amazing, everybody (two lads on the security at castle gates excluded) is so friendly, everybody is there to make it a great weekend, no trouble, no scumbags, just a great vibe in a great setting.

I think a big thank you has to go out to Cillian Stewart who organised it, and I just hope it runs next year and the year after. It has to be experienced to be believed, so I would urge anybody who is considering to go, to make the journey next year.

It was one hell of a party and I am already counting down the days to next year.