10 great acts you shouldn’t miss at Castlepalooza

Castlepalooza kicks off this August Bank Holiday weekend. There’s a sweet selection of new music, rising stars and stomping headliners on the bill. Here’s my pick n’mix.

See also: Castlepalooza lineup, stage times and sitemap

10. Liza Flume – pure porcelain vocals, quirky folksy silky arrangements. If her set at Kncokanstockan is anything to go by, prepare to fall under her spell. Catch her at 3.30 on the main stage on Saturday.

9. O’Emperor. I missed this impressive Waterford five piece at Knockanstockan. They are known for their clever dynamics, indie flavours and witty lyrics. Apparently they did a top notch cover of Bowie’s “Let’s Dance”. They can be rich, dramatic, solemn and glossy. Here’s hoping they lash it out at 9.15 on Saturday night on the main stage.

8. The Clameens. Edgy, indie pop rockers The Clameens bring their effervescent guitar driven energy from Derry to the main stage at 7.30 on Sunday. Slick on the riffs, with lingering bass lines and hooked up melodies to marry it all together. Catch them now before they spiral into stardom.

7. Sleep Thieves. Well if you want your sleep to be stolen, then this band are the ones to take it. They will replace your sleep with laid back, electro, synth simmering energy. Pure rising vocals, layers of pop opulence wrapped in a genre defining performance. Loose your snooze on the Metro Stage at 7.30 on Friday.

6. The Pale. Ahh, The Pale. If you remember indie Ireland in the early nineties, then you will have retro love for them. Classics like “Dogs With No Tails” and “Butterfly” are much hugged alt indie rock. Their style ranged from pure indie melodies to guitar chaos at times, they were known for their difference, witty lyrics and social articulation. They bring it all back to the main stage at 6.30 on Saturday.

5. Ghost Estates. Prepare yourself for indie, echoing, extended melodies and Gibson gazing when you see Ghost Estates. They have a range of desirable, addictive indie pop. Easy to consume influences like Electronic, New Order, Johnny Marr and a wealth of nineties riffs come to fruition with a youthful, jingle jangle, rushed up, fast paced feeling. Catch them on the main stage at 4.30 on Sunday.

4. Daithi. Daithi is a massively talented music producer, songwriter, fiddle player, dance music dream boy. He had a brief fling with fame shows, shot to the top of Sky 1’s “Must Be The Music”, remixed a Liza Flume track “Poison” and another single “Chameleon Life”. He has supported the greats like Tod Terje and De La Soul. See him trance his own followers 11pm on Sunday at the Metro Stage.

3. SlowPlaceLikeHome. Sleek and groovy electropop. Donegal atmospheric synth pop wizard Keith Mannion brings his uber cool electronic orchestra and addictive chill out vibes to the Metro Stage at 5.30 on Sunday.

2. Land Lovers. Uplifting indie charmers delivered a considerable set of popped up, melody curling, riff laden tunes last week at Knockanstockan. They rolled out “Band Apart”, “Vittima Di Cucina” and a host of other ear tweaking tunes. Expect no less at 3.45 on Sunday at the main stage.

1. The Young Folk. Charming melodies, uplifting layered crescendos, an abundance of cute percussion and foot thumping tunes are their trademark. They’re on at mass time. 6pm, main stage on Sunday.

Must see mentions to Conor Linnie, Otherkin, Kammerpop and Enemies, if you get the chance.