Festival review: Body and Soul

Ballinlough Castle, Co Westmeath

The great charm of Body and Soul lies in its determination to be as different as possible from other festivals. With relatively modest capacity, crowds are not an issue. Shirtless, sunburnt men in straw hats are at a premium. You can buy beetroot-flavoured ice-pops, should the mood take you (if that feels a bit decadent there is, of course, a kale-flavoured alternative).

Amid the unabashed hippy-dippy vibes, the music could easily feel an afterthought. Fortunately that isn’t the case, with the 2015 festival featuring an enviable line-up of electronic and alternate artists, such as Super Furry Animals, Tiga, Dan Deacon, and Nightmares on Wax.

On a sunny Sunday afternoon, a large crowd had gathered at the main stage to watch Natalie Prass, a singer whose sophisticated soul-pop belies the searing pain that is the driving force behind most of her songs.

She was followed by fellow Virginian Matthew E White, whose teddy bear personality filled the intimate stage, set in a natural amphitheatre in the Alice in Wonderland-esque grounds of Ballinlough Castle.

Earlier across the weekend, trip-hop veterans Lamb and avant-rockers Savages had played to enthusiastic crowds while arriving Icelandic superstar Asgeir reminded attendees why he is the most buzzed about inhabitant of Reykjavik this side of Bjork. Throughout, intimacy seemed to bring out something special in the performers, who, perhaps picking up on the zen sensibility, were equal parts relaxed and earnest.

On the final day of the festival, it was clear many punters had come to see Leftfield, the ’90s electro crew touring a fantastic comeback album Alternative Light Source. Riskily retiring much of their arguably never-bettered 1995 debut Leftism, the emphasis was instead on new tracks such as ‘Universal Everything’ and the tremulous, lurching ‘Bilocation’. Steeped in grinding grooves and accompanied by a light show evocative of an alien invasion, it made for a surprisingly tumultuous close to an otherwise laid-back weekend.