Always keeping us on our toes, the Irish weather veered between blistering sunshine and random rain showers in the run-up to Body & Soul. Luckily in the end, the warm sun – enjoying its summer solstice on Sunday – beamed down pretty much non-stop on to Westmeath’s Ballinlough Castle.
Now in its sixth year, the little festival with the big heart has grown in size, but still retains that intimate charm. Most visitors arrived on the Friday evening, set up camp and promptly made their way to the arena for their musical fix. Waterford-based dance act King Kong Company set the tone with their disco-tastic live show, featuring drums, guitar, brass and everything in between. Inimitable electro wizard Dan Deacon then kept the party going on the Main Stage with a good old-fashioned mass interpretive dance session. As you do. With the sun now set and the party really kicking off, it was time for some darker tech house in the Midnight Circus tent, courtesy of Talaboman, aka John Talabot and Axel Boman, and then into the magical, twinkling forest for random DJ sets and mischief galore until the wee hours.
The balmy heat transformed cosy tents into scorching saunas next morning, sending fragile bodies blinking into the Saturday sunshine. No better way to recover than with a cocktail or two in the gorgeous Walled Garden; home to quirky stalls, tasty food offerings and a Kids’ Soul Festival for those who’d chosen to indoctrinate their offspring into the festival lifestyle.
Saturday highlights included Dublin-based experimental Meltybrains? on the Main Stage, fellow Dubliners Little xs For Eyes at Tree Haus in the forest, and Canadian electro act Austra. Despite some technical difficulties which singer Katie Stelmanis happily laughed off, the band’s chilled brand of shimmery synth pop was perfectly suited to the laid-back evening Main Stage atmosphere. Goat were up next, and the Swedish world-music-meets-psychadelic-rock act were truly mesmerising, leaping around in slightly terrifying masks to their irresistible tribal beats.
As the sun set, Super Furry Animals nonchalantly made their way onstage to the crowd’s delight and launched into their first festival show in six years. Though understated, the Furries’ psychedelic sound went down a treat with fans who’d no doubt grown up with Gruff Rhys and co. The heavier techno beats of Shit Robot took us into the night at Midnight Circus, while Ozzie duo Flight Facilities played a tasty mix of house, funk, electro and disco to a now-heaving Main Stage. The entire festival then squeezed into the forest for the iconic Mother DJs, but not before Drogheda man Andrew Kearney treated punters to a blistering ‘90s set at the My Haus stage. ‘Set You Free’ by N-Trance? Don’t mind if we do!
Glorious sunshine continued on Sunday, as did the fantastic range of eclectic music. Seeing us out in style were funky rhythm and blues Mali act Songhoy Blues, slick, blippy Dublin producer Clu and beardy Virginia man Matthew E. White (pictured), whose post-Gospel rock ’n roll gently soothed some seriously sore heads. Canadian DJ/producer Tiga proved very popular indeed at Midnight Circus, bringing the now slightly weary crowd back to life with a dancefloor-filling set.
Finally, Sunday headliners Leftfield took to the Main Stage, for a powerful, bass-heavy show that featured mainly newer tracks from latest release Alternative Light Source. Nonetheless, the crowd were enchanted by the legendary house act’s performance, and happily headed away for one last visit to the B&S forest, not wanting this truly magical festival to ever end.