This year’s Rockfall Festival gets underway tonight, Friday with a feast of great music promised over the Bank Holiday weekend in venues all over Kilkenny city.
With over 70 acts performing the organisers are promising something for everyone at this year’s festival.
Friday kicks off with a leg waxing in Biddy Earlys with a host of celebrities taking part in what promises to be a great party night. The party atmosphere will continue in the Clubhouse Hotel Ballroom with a Dance and Dine Elvis-style night (10pm ) with the Memphis Cats. Punters can enjoy some of the king’s favourite foods while dancing to songs like the thundering "moody blue" or the soulful "love me tender".
This night is in conjunction with the Savour Kilkenny Food Festival. Tickets at €10 can be bought on the door. Also on Friday TV Jones and the Tomahawks play Ryans, The Hujas are in Billy Byrnes, The Gypsies are in Matt the Millers, while Rhythm ‘n Roots favourites, Tupelo play Kytelers courtyard bar.
Saturday will see eight of Kilkenny’s finest young bands perform on the Set Theatre stage in a special afternoon of music.
Rockfall all-ages gig which will be hosted by Martin Bridgeman of KCLR with the first band on stage at 2.45pm.
Performing will be Pyrotechnix, Johnny Scribble, Rescue Remedy, Side-tracked, Raising Cain, Deleted Scenes, Injustice, and Ob Swagger Boy. The Set Theatre will also host the Kilkenny Session’s Concert at 8pm that evening with the cream of Kilkenny’s trad musicians.
On stage will be Anthony McAuley, (fiddle ), John Tuohy, Mick Foley, (uileann pipes ), Liam Moore (guitar, vocals ), Tommy Lanigan (bodhran, vocals ), Paddy Cleere (bazouki, banjo, vocals ), Mickey Ramsbottom (vocals ), Michael O’ Kelly (flute, tin-whistle ), Willie Delaney and friends and Jim Maher (storyteller ). There will be a few surprise guests on the night and it is rumoured that acclaimed virtuoso box player Mick McAuley will be one of those. MC for this concert is Malcolm Noonan and tickets are €10.
Thin Lizzy fans are in for a real treat in Kytelers top bar with the Shane O’ Dwyer-led Black Rose playing a special tribute to the great rockers. Cleeres has a double bill on Saturday with Willie Meighan’s Rockfall mix in the bar while Little Black Wren and Bone are in the theatre with a 9.30pm start.
Down the road in Annaconda, Carlow band, Freefall Angel play at 10.30pm. Hotly-tipped Dublin band Von Shakes who are currently on tour in Russia are in the Pumphouse on Saturday where they will be supported by The Kapitals. This gig has a 10pm start. Over in Billy Byrnes, The Last Tycoons will take to the stage at 10pm while bluegrass/country favs, The Wildwood Boys play O’ Gormans. Dj Amos will "improve your groove" in Egans. The Uptown band will be in that great music mecca, Ryans, Johnny Hillman in Little Andys, The Buddys in Pat Carrolls, The Memphis Cats in the Clubhouse hotel bar, Sean Kelly in The Black Cat. Blue Jacuzzi play an early gig in The Field 6pm — 8.30pm and there will be music at the Tholsel from 11am — 5pm. Saturday ends on a high note with the excellent David Hollands Soul Kitchen in Set Theatre at 11pm.
Sunday gets going with the O’ Dwyer brothers in Kytelers top bar for the early gig at 6pm. The River Valley band and Canice Keneally are in the Pumphouse at 9.30pm with the White Liars and Deetrick also on this bill. Maurice Ramsbottom brings his new band No Pillars on Neptune to Cleeres Theatre for there first Kilkenny gig with Captain Moonlight supporting.
Up in Ryans Rockfall favs Backdoor Blues will rock the house while Blame the Chef are next door in Rafter Dempseys.
Simon Fagan and his band, fresh from their latest tour, play Billy Byrnes at 9.30. Silvertape are in Egans, Johnny Hillman in Leydons, Larry Dowd in Pat Carrolls and Mick Leech is in O’ Gormans at 6.30pm.
Sunday also hosts two contrasting but eagerly awaited dance nights. The Mayfair Anniversary Dance is in Hotel Kilkenny at 10pm with Showband legends Paddy Hanrahan, Art Supple, Sonny Cullen and The Marble City Sounds.
Elvis (Kevin O’ Dwyer ) will be special guest for this night of nostalgia. Tickets are €12.50 and a DVD of the Last Dance in the Mayfair which was held in 1998 will be shown.
Set Theatre will host a night of rockabilly mayhem when those great rockabilly rockers TV Jones and the Tomahawks complete with dancers take to the stage. And if that is not enough Johnny Blaze and the CDJ,S and Johnny Jukebox will also be there to entertain the masses. This night kicks off with a classic rock ‘n roll movie at 10pm — €10 entry.
The festival fever continues into bank holiday Monday with Tomas Jackman’s sixth annual marathon gig in Kytelers courtyard starting at 4pm until close. Taking part here are, Frantic Jack, The Fundamentals, The Accousticats, Pete Fagan, Pink Floyd Xperience, Road Trouble, The Barley Mob, Abbey Folk, The Quare Hawks, Tom Kirwan, Eva Queen, DJ Amos and more.
Tynans will have Wexford’s Stephen Murphy and Spin the Wheel with Liam Phelan where there will be lots of valuable prizes to be won from 9pm.
All of the pub gigs are free of charge with raffles and collections being taken up. Proceeds of Rockfall go to Enable Ireland at the O’ Neill Centre in Kilkenny.
