Indiependence 2023 Review:

Although the weather wasn’t what you’d want for a festival the lineup certainly didn’t disappoint. Irelands music scene is thriving at the moment and Indiependence showcased some of our best artists last weekend in Mitchelstown County Cork. I got to see some of my favourite artists such as Inhaler, Still blue, Post-Party, New Rules, Nell Mescal and many more.

It was my first time attending Indie so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from the festival but I knew the music was going to be phenomenal.

First up is Indie-Pop band Still Blue. The group is led by vocalist/songwriter Nicole Lyons with Ruairi Forde on lead guitar and drums by Greg Kearns. The band took to the Imro stage on Saturday evening in the beer hall. I had seen them before so I knew I wasn’t going to be disappointed by Nicole's breathtaking vocals and Ruairi's guitar riffs. The crowd bopped along to songs such as ‘Fuzzy’ and ‘Honeysuckle daydream’ from their debut EP ‘All over the chip shop’. My personal favourite song from their set was ‘Lace’ which is also a track from the EP. I have no doubt Still Blue have big things coming for them in the future and I will be attending another gig of theirs soon!

Next up is Dublin indie rock band Inhaler. Taking to the stage on Saturday night in the Heineken tent I made sure to get there early to get a spot at the front as I knew their set was not to be missed. Inhaler took the Heineken tent by storm with frontman Elijah Hewson on guitar and vocals, Robert Keating on Bass, Josh Jenkinson on lead guitar and Ryan McMahon on drums. Inhaler proved that they give every performance 100% performing hits from both of their albums such as ‘It won’t always be like this’, ‘My honest face’, ‘Dublin in ecstasy’, ‘These are the days’ and ‘Love will get you there’. My personal favourites were ‘Dublin in ecstasy’ and ‘Just to keep you satisfied’. They captured the audience for the entirety of their set and played to a full tent. The band will play a headline show in the 3Arena on November 11th and I highly recommend grabbing a ticket before they’re gone for a show not to be missed.

Opening the main stage on Sunday evening was Dublin base Indie Rock band Post-Party with Keelan O’ Reilly on lead vocals and guitar, Matthew O’ Reilly on lead guitar and vocals, Colin Peppard on bass and Peter Toal on Drums. The band opened with ‘June’ which didn’t disappoint as it’s one of my personal favourites. Their heartfelt energetic songs were sure to get the crowd going and they were ecstatic to be on stage. Frontman Keelan knew how to get the crowd going and Matthew didn’t fail to impress the crowd with his guitar solos. They performed hit songs from their debut EP ‘We’re not getting any younger’ such as ‘Kimbo’, ‘Talkin about’ and ‘Turn to gold’. Finished their set with hit single ‘Love you everyday’ which got the crowd going. Post-Party are definitely a band you should keep an eye on!

Indiependence certainly did not disappoint and the Irish music scene is definitely on the way up so be sure to catch any artists if you ever get the chance!