All Together Now review: Nick Cave the star of a fine weekend in Co Waterford
Gemma Dunleavy at the All Together Now festival in Co Waterford. Picture: Roisin Murphy O'Sullivan
Some 35,000-plus music fans flocked to All Together Now, near Portlaw, Co Waterford, and Independence in Mitchelstown, Co Cork, this bank holiday weekend as a packed-to-the-gills summer festival season continued for the first time since 2019.
That was the last time ATN took place and was marred by traffic chaos on the first day, drivers stuck in cars for hours on end. There are no such issues three years on, as punters sailed into the site from around the country.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Underworld, and UK dance group Jungle were the headliners across the weekend at a festival that offered something for everyone.
For foodies, the Grub Circus tent, curated by Irish Examiner Weekend columnist Joe McNamee, featured speakers and acclaimed chefs such as fellow Weekend columnist Darina Allen, her brother Rory O'Connell, and locals like Sarah Richards from Seagull Bakery in Tramore.
One of the themes that emerged from the food talks across the weekend was the drought-like conditions that have affected Ireland this year. We might not have noticed it on our dinner plates yet but we will soon - an important reminder that no matter where you are, let alone a music festival where you let loose for a couple of days, climate change is ever present.
At the All Curious Minds stages, literary events and talks with intellectuals like Emma Dabiri took place alongside numerous live podcast recordings, including James Kavanagh's What Did You Eat This Week? and interviews with big names such as Aidan Gillen and Jim Sheridan.
There was also some mild controversy as it emerged that some speakers who have caused anger in some quarters over their views on trans issues had been booked to appear.
Singer CMAT, who played the main stage in glorious sunshine on Sunday afternoon, issued a statement over Instagram saying she was "extremely sad and angry" about the booking.
ATN also issued a statement as the controversy swirled online. It said the speakers "do not align with the views of ATN Festival. We wholeheartedly and unreservedly apologise to all our festival community, artists, and supporters for any hurt or anguish caused. We support trans rights. It is as simple as that."
As for the music, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds towered over the weekend, their first show in Ireland in four years coming just over two months since the death of Cave's son, Jethro, the second son he had lost in tragic circumstances in recent years.
It was an emotional two-hour-plus performance that took place amid intermittent showers. Does it look apocalyptic? Cave asks, explaining: "We dig the apocalypse." Simply put, one of the best performances ever seen at a music festival in Ireland.
But ATN is built on a strong backbone of up-and-coming and established, experienced Irish acts. From Altered Hours early on Friday to Limerick's Denise Chaila on Sunday evening and the likes of Galway's Niamh Regan and Dundalk's Pogues-channelling Mary Wallopers, we've never had it so good. That the sun finally emerged on Sunday was simply the cherry on top of a fabulous weekend.
In Mitchelstown, meanwhile, it was a similar story, Bastille, Rudimental, and Sunday headliner Fatboy Slim the main draws, ably assisted by a strong Irish support card of Cork pop star Lyra and the Academic. Erica Cody, one of the standouts on Dancing with the Stars and host of RTÉ's The Main Stage, summed it up succinctly during her Saturday slot: "From the bottom of my heart, you’ve been the best crowd we’ve ever had." It's a sentiment felt at both All Together Now and Indiependence and by performers and audiences alike.
After the Covid-hit summers of 2020 and 2021, it feels like a warm welcome home at your music festival of choice.
