For a small country, Ireland has more than it’s fair share of quality festivals scattered around the country every year from the big ones like Electric Picnic and Indiependence, down to the more intimate and local attempts like Clonmel Junction Festival, Virginia Pumpkin Festival, and Gowran Country Music Festival. Each one offers its own unique appeal and attendances continue to grow every year. 2018 is set to see another name added to the list of festivals, the new All Together Now festival in Waterford on the August Bank Holiday weekend.

Across the weekend, All Together Now will see a selection of fantastic music, comedy and spoken word acts perform across ten stages in the truly spectacular setting of the grounds of Curraghmore House.

This post will look at some of the music acts that you should definitely try and get to if you are fortunate enough to be attending.

Maria Kelly (Road To Nowhere Stage, Friday, 17:45)

A performer who has featured on this site before, the Mayo singer/songwriter is one of the best Irish songwriters on the go at the moment with a talent for creating heartbreakingly honest music.

Talos (Something Kind of Wonderful Stage, Sunday, 17:45)

Another artist to feature here before, the debut album by the Cork outfit fronted by Eoin French, Wild Alee, was lauded as one of the best albums of last year. His live shows are equally captivating.

Booka Brass Band (ATN Stage, Friday, 19:00)

One of the most exciting live bands on the go in Ireland at the moment.

Ghostpoet (Something Kind of Wonderful Stage, Friday, 19:30)

I first became aware of the work of Ghostpoet, known away from the stage as Obaro Ejimiwe, when he appeared on the popular BBC music show Later… with Jools Holland back in 2011. On the night he performed his single from the same year, Survive It, and there was something about the introspective lyrics and simple instrumentation that really appealed to me and he is sure to be worth catching at this years festival in Waterford.

Fleet Foxes (ATN Stage, Sunday, 22:30)

One of the main headliners across the weekend, Fleet Foxes are a band who are held in high esteem by many music fans with their glorious indie folk sound. They are sure to be one of the major draws at this year’s festival.

Basciville (Hotpress Acoustic Stage, Saturday, 00:00)

The Wexford duo are another set of Irish songwriters who have developed a reputation as having a specific ability for writing honest and interesting songs.

Tickets are still available here.

MK