Stendhal Festival

The syndrome is about to set in

@ Stendhal Festival of Art

LIMAVADY and the wider northwest is abuzz with anticipation as the first ever Stendhal Festival of Art edges ever closer.

This Friday and Saturday (August 19 and 20) will see festival goers descend on Ballymully Cottage Farm on the outskirts of Limavady to revel in what promises to be the start of something special.

30 musical acts from all over Ireland and the UK will take to four stages over the weekend, including the Murcury Music Prize nominated Turin Brakes, rising local star Rainy Boy Sleep, legendary Irish troubadour Andy Irvine, The Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland and many more.

On top of the music Stendhal Festival will also be showcasing the best in local Art, Dance, Poetry, Drama and Craft.

If that wasn’t enough there will also be a Children’s play area and Kids workshops so that the whole family can come and enjoy an event the likes of which the Limavady Borough has never experienced before.

MUSIC

Music is the most exciting aspect of the Festival, the artists performing at the Festival encompass a wide variety of musical genres and there is certainly something to appeal to all musical tastes.

TURIN BRAKES

Headlining are Turin Brakes, the modern folk duo whose critically acclaimed albums such as ‘The Optimist LP’, ‘Ether Song’, and ‘Jackinabox’, saw them lead a revival in the popularity of the folk genre.

Their spellbinding song-writing was described by the NME as: “Fully formed and brutally emotive,” and takes the listener on a journey from melancholy through hope, love through isolation and humour through desperation, and sometimes that is just in one song.

Best known for their 2004 smash hit single ‘Painkiller’, the boys from Balham have received mountains of critical acclaim and produced five outstanding studio albums.

RAINY BOY SLEEP

This summer just keeps getting better and better for Rainy Boy Sleep, aka Stevie Martin.

Not satisfied with slots at Hard Rock Calling, Glasgowbury, Glastonbury and of course Stendhal, it has been announced that Rainy Boy Sleep is to play the BBC Introducing Stage at this year’s Reading Festival which takes place on August 26-28 and is headlined by the awe inspiring Muse.

Stevie is a well known face on the music scene in Limavady and the Northwest. Over the past few years he has been honing his unique, intimate style of performing locally around the bars of the Roe Valley such as the Alexander Arms, Frank Owens and in particular the Corner Bar.

His original material such as ‘Your Face’ and ‘Manchester Post’ are fantastic examples of what he is all about, haunting vocals, clever lyrics, strong guitar work and slick production. But the people of Limavady have known that for a while now. However, those were Stevie Martin gigs, as Rainy Boy Sleep he has upped the ante and incorporates a Boss Loop Station to bulk up his sound and give his material an added dimension.

THE GORGEOUS COLOURS

The Gorgeous Colours are a five-piece from Dublin that blend countless genres together to create a sound that is very much their own. Their most recent single “It’s OK to Be Normal” - described by one blogger as "quite possibly the best track of the year so far released by an Irish band" - follows the band's critically-acclaimed The Creatures Down Below EP, which was funded by fans through an online pledge campaign. The video for the title track of the won the Viewer's Choice Award for best video at the 2010 IMTV awards.