Castlepalooza 2015

Ferris_Bueller

Castlepalooza have just revealed their line up for this years edition. Their international acts include Hercules & Love Affair, Late Nite Tuff Guy, Aeroplane, Alex Metric, Fryars, Paul White, Murlo, Alexander Nut, Of Montreal. Went for the first time last year, was a very small festival but nice in a way that you keep bumping into the same people, rain completely ruined it last year however.

Earlybird 3 day tickets start out at €94 which is great value whatever way you look at it, the grounds of Charleville castle are quite cool.

Full line up:

Adeyhawke, Aeroplane, Alex Metric, Alexander Nut, April Towers, Arman Giorgio, Baz Hickey, Benihana, Benny Smiles, Buffalo Woman, Cave Ghosts, Colour // Sound, Columbia Mills, Dear Desert, Disco Punks, DVO Marvel, Electro Sensitive Behaviour featuring Perry Blake, Elephant, Fight Like Apes, Florence Olivier, Frankenstein Bolts, Fryars, Handsome Paddy, Hare Squead, Hauer, Hercules And Love Affair, Heroes in Hiding, I Have A Tribe, Imploded View, Jape, JB The Dee Jay, Jenny Greene, Jon Phonics, Joshua Burnside, King Kong Company, Kobina, Late Nite Tuff Guy, Mo Colours, Mr Whippy, Murlo, Nialler9 (I’ll be DJing one of the nights), Not Squares, of Montreal, Overheard,Participant, Paul White, Plutonic Dust, Rocstrong, Row Hawke, State Lights, Slimzee, Synaesthete, The Albatross, The Cacks , Tu Ki, Vann Music, Voids

stitcheddepin

always good fun.
I went 3 years in a row 2011-2013 enjoyed them all.
its not really about the music , few decent acts here and there to look at, few up and coming irish bands djs etc also added to the mix.
friendly festival, small and compact with a nice setup, hope the weathers good this year.

Saruwatari

I haven't been since '12, it is still relatively the same? Would kill to see Mo Kolours

tradhead

I've been offered tickets to this but have literally never heard of a single act in the line up! :pac:

Anybody been before that could give an indication of what it's like?

Ferris_Bueller

tradhead wrote: »

I've been offered tickets to this but have literally never heard of a single act in the line up! :pac:

Anybody been before that could give an indication of what it's like?

Went to it for the first time last year as a volunteer, but it was a complete washout. Rained all weekend, hard to say what it would have been like otherwise. It was a lot smaller than most other festivals I'd been to, you could walk around the entire site in minutes, think it had about 4 or 5 stages with different acts playing on each. Good enough atmosphere though, wasn't many scumbags at it and everyone was very friendly. Line up this year is very good IMO, won't be here unfortunately but if I was I'd go - cheap enough weekend. There was some ridiculous rule that you couldn't bring drink with you though or something? Although you can buy cans there with 'beer tokens' which aren't too expensive.

Alkers

Different atmosphere to other festivals, especially if you camp in the interior campsites (can't remember their names). If you camp there you can't bring drink to your tent but can buy 2e beers. Seems expensive at first but you can bring these beers to any of the stages so you don't end up sitting in a tent for the whole time and can "predrink" while taking in some of the atmosphere

booklova

can't wait, the weather suppose to be better than last year. Tents are not for swimming.

nxbyveromdwjpg

The drink thing is ridiculous, **** this thing

Alkers

It's really not if you are camping in the castle as you can bring your 2e cans with you into any of the stages, you don't end up pre drinking in your tent like you do at other festivals

Sir Gallagher

Couple of the lads last year saud it was grand getting plastic bottles of spirits in. Carrying slabs along with your tent is brutal anyway.

booklova

some want to work it out

The simpliest is mixing stuff with juice/soda/cola and bringing it in the original bottles, I am sure they wont test it. Also naggins, naggins everywhere.

nxbyveromdwjpg

Simona1986 wrote: »

It's really not if you are camping in the castle as you can bring your 2e cans with you into any of the stages, you don't end up pre drinking in your tent like you do at other festivals

When I was there the off-licence was closed while the bar was open (so full price pints), and then at a certain time closed altogether.
Limited selection too.

Basically it's just a massive pain in the arse, especially compared to Body & Soul, Knockanstockan etc where there are free flowing booze policies now so no pre-drinking as you put it and no hassle or rip-offs either.

St. Lupulin

Timetables up.

Not many of you going?

Is there any decent house/techno djs at this?

Failing that decent disco or funk sh!t?

at1withmyself

St. Lupulin wrote: »

Timetables up.

Not many of you going?

Is there any decent house/techno djs at this?

Failing that decent disco or funk sh!t?

Sunil Sharpe & DeFekt on Saturday night for a Techno fix....

Sir Gallagher

Any idea on the walking time from the bus(town) to the campsite? Have a massive tent which we might downgrade to if the journey is to long.

Also, would it be recomended to his that off license as early as possible to get cans?

Alkers

Sir Gallagher wrote:

Also, would it be recomended to his that off license as early as possible to get cans?

Not sure but the walk from the entrance to the festival to the campsite is pretty long, a good fifteen mins along the driveway with gear. There is a shuttle bus that does this but normally long queues

pervertedcoffee

The walk from the entrance/car park to the camp site is pretty brutal alright...there were shuttles on Friday but not on Sunday when we were all hanging - which is probably when we needed them the most.

Pack light!

Maybe I'm wrong on this but the line up seems extremely DJ heavy this year? I've nothing against that; it's just not usually my thing so don't know what to check out. I'm really only looking forward to

- Overhead, the Albatross
- Fight Like Apes

and interested in seeing for the first time:

- discopunks
- Hare Squead
- Of Montreal

So any suggestions for acts to check out gratefully accepted.

I also did up a clashfinder in hopes of discovering some new stuff - but also more printer friendly than the Castlepalooza one, if it's of any use to anyone:

http://clashfinder.com/s/cplz15/

Sir Gallagher

Balls, i might just try get a smaller tent on the cheap so.

cortezfloyd

Nice playlists for Castlepalooza on soundcloud (just search "Castlepalooza 2015"). I didn't know any of the bands before listening ... Dublin band Vann Music sound great if DJ's aren't your thing, 80's style rock/pop, can't wait

TheGoldenAges

Hey guys I won tickets to this off a radio station, I was told I was on a guestlist and just have to show ID. Would this be at the front entrance when you're going in or would I have to go to the ticket office. Also how strict are the searches? I was thinking of trying to get in maybe a bottle of spirits or two

dmm82

I won tickets and am on the guest list too and was wondering the same thing??

TheGoldenAges

dmm82 wrote: »

I won tickets and am on the guest list too and was wondering the same thing??

I presume ticket office is the best bet as the entrance is probably a turnstile type entrance.

Alkers

The ticket office is at the entrance near the car park, then you have to walk to the festival

bodhrandude

I hope its not another wet one for Castle Palooza its bucketing down here in Galway as I type.

DylanB85

It was lashing down rain for most of today I don't know why Mother Nature hates festivals, always seems to rain for them :P

bodhrandude

So what are the reports for this.

Right Turn Clyde

bodhrandude wrote: »

So what are the reports for this.

It was my first time at it and I thought it was a cool little festival.

Not being able to bring alcohol into the campsite was very bizarre, but understandable considering there was no barrier between the campsite and the 'arena'. A festival like this relies on the booze sponsorship so you just have to go with the flow.

The line-up was DJ heavy, which for me is normally a good thing, but I still would have preferred more bands, especially during the day.

The crowd were decent. The only argument I seen all weekend was one I was actually a part of, which was the result of a simple misunderstanding between me and an obnoxiously drunk ape. Also, I spoke to a young guy who had a knife pulled on him, which is disgraceful.

The food was very good and it was great seeing McGargles beer being sold. That's a stout, a red ale and a pale ale at €5 a pint. And then Bavaria was being sold in cans and on draught at a cheaper price. The token system irritated me at first, but then won me over very quickly. It's a joy not having to dig for cash every time you're at the bar. It sped things up as well. And being able to pay by laser is a great convenience. Little things like that really help the weekend run smoothly.

The layout was quite cool. Everything was pretty much centred around the castle. I was surprised by that actually because I had assumed it would be in the background. But it looked great. The surrounding trees also offered a bit of natural cover, especially around the main stage.

The Courtyard stage was right up against the castle itself and it looked very classy. However, I just didn't like the vibe in there. It felt that because it was the most scenic a lot of people just went there to stand about and drink, rather than getting into the music. There's nothing wrong with that per se, as people are free to enjoy themselves as they please, but it does impact on the energy a bit. Also, I felt that the sound was crashing off the walls at times.

Bierhaus seemed to be the main dance stage, although later in the night the City Jet stage was pumping it out as well. The sound wasn't booming in either, but it done the job and I wasn't expecting anything else given the location. More importantly, it was mostly clear with good bass and a nice punchy mid-range. I'd prefer lower volume with clear sound all day long. However, there were definite tech issues throughout the weekend and some sets were almost unlistenable.

In terms of acts, Hercules and Love Affair really got the crowd going. I haven't been into them that much since they left DFA, but even their newer, house material worked quite while. Just good vibes all round and I have a soft spot for men dressed up as women.

Slimzee impressed me. I only like the UK stuff in small doses but he really sucked me in. Unfortunately there was the usual bunch of po-faced arrogant ****ers surrounding him. It seems like the minute you get away from a 4/4 beat you start coming across moody-types. One of the strange curiosities of garage/grime/bass.

Late Night Tuff Guy was what I expected. Not very original but incredibly seductive. Ditto Aeroplane. DeFeKT knocked it out of the park. I prefer his electro but it's the techno that will really make him blow up. I only caught a few minutes of Sunil Sharpe but he never disappoints, and I'm sure he didn't.

On Sunday I was just floating about. I wasn't really paying attention to who was playing but I came across some cool DJs, although things were feeling a bit samey at certain points.

I should give a shout out to Double Agent 7 who were playing old 45s, and my god there's nothing I love more than a woman spinning vinyl.

Hare Squead and Fight Like Apes were full of energy. Not really my type of sound but enthusiasm will win me over every time. I also liked what I heard from Alexander Nut. That's the diversity of sound I was looking for earlier in the day!

Handome Paddy was good fun as well. Some dodgy mixing at times but it's almost a pleasure hearing a good old train-wreck in this era of digital sync.

Also, Jenny Greene played the most commercial set of the weekend, and good on her. It doesn't all have to be about obscure gems. There's nothing wrong with getting silly for 60 minutes.

In terms of disappointments, well there were only two for me. The first was Nialler9, and I take no joy in saying that. He just doesn't strike me as a very good DJ.

The second was the one act that I'd been looking forward to more than any other. Mo Kolours. My god what a letdown. He was using a mixture of CDJs, looping pedals and hand instruments, but it just wasn't very good. His music borders on the sublime, but he really needs to re-think his show. Also, he seemed to be a bit of an arrogant tit. Either that or he was pissed. His first three EPs were so humble and unassuming. Where's that dude gone? He was nowhere to be seen last night.

Finally, the festival was either under-attended or the stages were too big. Not by much, but they never felt properly full at any point. Some people will disagree with me here, but I think a loosely packed tent is toxic for a DJ set. The music is fundamental, obviously, but it's the people that bring the energy and there's nothing better for it than sweaty bodies going shoulder to shoulder.

BananaR

Anyone see Of Montreal ?

cruhoortwunk

Right Turn Clyde wrote: »

The food was very good and it was great seeing McGargles beer being sold. That's a stout, a red ale and a pale ale at €5 a pint.

Oh no, McGargles getting their foot in the door at festivals, are they?

Right Turn Clyde

cruhoortwunk wrote: »

Oh no, McGargles getting their foot in the door at festivals, are they?

Ha, yeah I'm not a huge fan either. But it's another option at least. I really dislike lager so I was delighted to get my hands on any type of ale. Also, I think Witnness was the last time I drank a pint of stout at an Irish festival, so I quite enjoyed the few I had on Saturday.

booklova