Dysart Festival announced

Cacalaca

DYSART FESTIVAL 2008
www.dysartfestival.com

Saturday 9th & Sunday 10th August

Dysart Castle, Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny


LINE-UP INCLUDES

JOOLS HOLLAND, JOHN MARTYN, MARC ALMOND, KATHERINE JENKINS, REPUBLIC OF LOOSE, THE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA, LUAN PARLE, GEMMA HAYES AND MANY MORE


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Inaugural Dysart Festival Announced



Ireland’s newest music festival – Dysart Festival – will take place in Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th August in the breathtaking wooded valley at Dysart Castle.

On Saturday, the unique boutique festival will be headlined by music legend Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, John Martyn, Marc Almond and the Blind Boys of Alabama. They will be joined on the line-up by the best in young Irish talent including Republic of Loose, Luan Parle, the Flaws and Ham Sandwich whilst Mercury Music Prize nominee Gemma Hayes and Clive Barnes complete the initial line up.

On Sunday, kick back and enjoy a bucolic day with picnic-rugs and hampers as the wooded valley plays host to the Dysart Picnic Concert featuring an array of classical and orchestral performances headed by Welsh opera phenomena Katherine Jenkins. Other performers on the day will include Irish bluegrass maestros Prison Love and Dakota 66.

On both Saturday and Sunday, the Dysart Comedy Tent will feature a selection of comedy acts from The Laughter Lounge. Hosts of the this stage will be The Rock & Roll Rescue Squad, purveyors of the Dublin’s ‘only credible karaoke’, Songs of Praise in the Village, according to that authoritative organ, the Irish Times.

This year the festival will exploit the unique nature of the venue, with two stages in spectacular natural amphitheatre settings, one an enclosed, festoon-lit glade in a grassy bowl which will host the second stage – a timber craftwork installation and the main castle arena – a huge, curving natural bowl framed by ancient Irish forests and the bend of the River Nore.

At the centre of the site lies Dysart Castle, the birthplace of Ireland’s greatest Enlightenment philosopher George Berkeley, who asked the question: “If a tree falls in the woods and no-one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?”

This year the woods he grew up in will host some sounds even the good Bishop couldn't help but get his groove on to.


TICKET INFORMATION
Early Bird catches the worm - €55
Advance Tickets - €75
Gate - €85

Completely Different Tickets - €140
Completely Different 2 Day Tickets - €240

Unit
Market Cross, Kilkenny
Phone +353 56 77 95955
www.dysartfestival.com

PRESS INQUIRIES: press@dysartfestival.com
GENERAL INQUIRIES: info@dysartfestival.com



FURTHER INFORMATION ON HEADLINE ACTS



Jools and the Rhythm & Blues Orchestra play to audiences in excess of 500,000 each year and are fronted by popular bandleader Jools Holland (OBE), presenter of the hit music show ‘Later…with Jools Holland’. As well as his formidable live performances and television show, Jools has maintained a prolific recording career since signing to Warner Music in 1996, which includes the multimillion selling Jools and Friends series. Notable 'friends' have included Sting, Chrissie Hynde, George Harrison, Norah Jones, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, Bono, KT Tunstall, Robert Plant, Smokey Robinson, Sugababes, Ringo Starr, Peter Gabriel, Solomon Burke, and many more.


Katherine Jenkins is redefining Classical Crossover, and is pioneering a new genre of Opera superstar. She is the only singer in musical history to simultaneously hold the number 1, 2 and 3 position in the classical charts which she did with her 3 albums ‘Premiere’, ‘Second Nature’, and ‘Living the Dream’ in 2005. Katherine is also the only female artist ever to win two consecutive classical BRIT awards, two years running, for ‘Second Nature’ and ‘Living The Dream’. She has sung at some of the most prestigious venues in the world, ranging from the Sydney Opera House, the Albert Hall London to the Millennium Stadium Cardiff – where she has performed on at least 12 occasions at events that include FA Cup Finals, Rugby League Challenge Cup Finals and Welsh International Rugby matches.




Marc Almond first came to the public eye as one half of the innovative electro duo Soft Cell, which had a string of top 10 and top 20 hits in the early 1980’s the biggest of which was ‘Tainted Love’, a song listed in the Guinness Book Of Records as the record that spent the longest time in the American top 100. Marc has pursued a successful and diverse solo career making over 15 albums and has worked with many great, diverse artists such as Nick Cave, Antony and the Johnsons, Siouxsie, P.J Proby and of course Jools. In 1989 he had another international number one hit with, a duet of ‘Something’s Gotten Hold Of My Heart’ with the late Gene Pitney.

The Blind Boys of Alabama are a gospel group from Alabama that first formed at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in 1939. The three main vocalists of the group and their drummer/percussionist are all blind. As of 2008, they continue to tour nationally and internationally, led by the soulful Jimmy Lee Carter singing lead vocals. Carter is one of the original members from the Alabama Institute for Negro Blind and the Happyland Jubilee Singers (the precursor to the Blind Boys of Alabama). They have collaborated with numerous artists, including Ben Harper, Aaron Neville and Mavis Staples and have joined Tom Petty and Peter Gabriel on tour. In a surprise to both the band and the audience, the Blind Boys were joined by Prince on stage in a March 7th, 2008 show at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood, California.

John Martyn was once described by Eric Clapton as "so far ahead of everything, it's almost inconceivable”. John has been a musical pioneer since his debut album in 1967, regarded as a folk, jazz and soul genius, and the father of trip-hop. Over a forty-year career he has released twenty studio albums, produced with artists including Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, and Phil Collins. Last February John was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2008, presented by long-time friend and collaborator Phil Collins. He performed Over The Hill and May You Never with special guest John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin playing mandolin.

Republic Of Loose have developed a reputation for mesmerising live performances which have led to tour supports with The Neville Brothers, The Thrills, The Zutons, Scissor Sisters, Alabama 3, Snow Patrol, The Roots, and Dilated Peoples, plus festival appearances at Glastonbury, T In The Park, The Fleadh and Reading. Fronted by Mick Pyro, The Loose have been working hard over the last year rounding up new converts include the likes of Bono, Sinead O’Connor and Irvine Welsh. They have just released their third album ‘Vol IV Johnny Pyro and the Dance of Evil’ which shot to number one in the Irish charts in May.

kittytwister

Dysart is not going ahead my firends

cabrwab

Such a shame, i went to buy my tickets at the weekend!
Is it true there was rumours of other gigs taking place in KK city?!
Hope there is being refunds offered?! I know people coming over from london to go to this

samadhya

Is there any official announcement of the cancellation? I can't seem to find one anywhere. There is talk of it on The Irish Times blog but that's all I can find and most of the acts still have it listed on their tour dates...

cabrwab

the official satement on kilkennymusic.com, and with all the bad feelings around thomstown at the moment its true!

Apparently there was a huge argument on local kilkenny radio on friday over it!

samadhya

The Irish Times Blog and Kilkennymusic.com have the full story on the festival now and apparently it's relocating to Kilkenny city for the weekend.
Fair play to them for finding a venue, considering the arts festival is also on next weekend! Jools Holland and Katherine Jenkins have cancelled (although Holland has yet to announce this on his own site...) but everyone else is game and if you already have a ticket you are entitled to either bring a mate or go to a second day with the same ticket which isn't so bad...

Still, I had a conversation with friends earlier about the lack of a vetting process for festival organisers. It seems anyone with an idea and some contacts can throw a festival together these days and often to the detriment of the festival (this coming from a lady who is planning on putting together a festival herself next year (although I have enough festival management experience to run one at this stage ) - watch this space!!!)

ByrdsFan

Chap i know who lives in Thomastown was telling me poor ticket sales was the reason it was cancelled.
Such a shame though, would have been a fantastic festival.

samadhya

Yeah, it's a shame alright, I love the idea of a castle festival. Still, it might be good in Kilkenny and the Blind Boys of Alabama are great, whatever the venue!