Beyond The Pale festival: Talking points from a fine weekend that almost didn't happen
Kiasmos on the main stage at Beyond the Pale 2025.
The fourth edition of Beyond the Pale took place in Glendalough Estate, Co Wicklow, over the weekend. The week preceding it was full of drama rather than excitement though as organisers were forced to come out with a detailed statement that it was not cancelled. “A festival needs significant cashflow over the festival month. It’s a huge challenge for all festivals in their first few years, and this week, an essential piece of expected finance that would have helped us through the period fell through,” said the organisers.
The Currency reported on the morning of Beyond the Pale that it had entered the Small Companies Administrative Rescue Process (Scarp) in an attempt to restructure its balance sheet and ensure its survival in the long term.
Nearly 10,000 tickets were sold for the event and amid rumours and trepidation, things went off without a hitch (mostly), much to the relief of organisers. It draws an interesting crowd, a healthy mix of young and old, for a lineup that, like an increasing amount of festivals, is leaning heavier on the dance side.
Headliners include Mercury Prize-winning London jazz act Ezra Collective, Wicklow’s own Roisin Murphy, and US indie rock royalty TV on the Radio, but below them you had house producer Berlioz, the Saturday night b2b (back to back) of Dave Clarke, Jeff Mills, and Al Gibbs, and rounding things out on Sunday night was Gen-Z fave Marc Rebillet.
Added to that was the Cirrus Gardens stage with DJs from open to close (Todd Terje, Krystal Klear, and Zero 7 all starred there over the weekend), and the picturesque Cupra Pulse area, where an incessant techno ‘thwomp thwomp thwomp’ could be heard throughout the day. There’s a verité aspect to the third stage, Strawberry Fields, which featured a DJ set from Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh, cabaret, a Church of Brat (Charli XCX plays a long-sold-out Malahide Castle on Tuesday), and Irish comedy duo the Wild Geeze.
On Sunday evening, Irish dance act HousePlants, led by Bell X1’s Paul Noonan, pay tribute to the site workers, for their hard work dealing with the rain over the weekend. The forecast was bad, there was a lot of mud, but Irish punters are accustomed to such conditions. Wellies and hiking boots did the job, though kudos to the barefoot hippies and groups playing dress up who just got on with things. Things are tough in 2025 for independent festivals - hopefully Beyond the Pale continues into next year and beyond.
Mercury Prize-winning London jazz quintet Ezra Collective get the party vibes going on Friday evening, with an intro video featuring a football-style team talk led by Arsenal legend Ian Wright (bandleader Femi Koleoso is a big Gunners fan). Things don’t let up for the next 80 minutes as even though they’re instrumental, they leave fans giddy and pulsing. After the second song, Koleoso grabs the mic and implores everyone to turn around, say hello to a complete stranger, and give them a hug. It’s oddly affecting and sets the tone for the rest of the weekend - good vibes only. It’s their fourth time in Ireland and as usual, the two horn players, Ife Ogunjobi and James Mollison, who look like they’re having as much fun as anyone, make their way into the crowd, soon joined by bassist TJ Koleoso. We’re all part of Ezra Collective now.
Peruvian producer Sofia Kourtesis has a lot more fun onstage than her records might suggest. She offers dance instructions, tells us she's going to college and working on her English, and throws some of her merch into the crowd. The only pity is it's all taking place in mid-afternoon; she’d be incredible in a dark tent after midnight. It feels like an inspired decision, though, as the sun makes its first appearance of the weekend halfway through her set. So much so that we're worried about not packing suncream. But by the last track, the worst deluge of the festival hits. As Kourtesis exits, so does the main stage crowd, in search of any bit of cover.
The unexpected winner of the weekend - and from the rain - is London producer Halina Rice, who plays shortly after the aforementioned deluge on Saturday afternoon. The tent is packed early and ready to party and Rice delivers, with a heavy techno set with mesmerising visuals. She says she creates AV shows and installations in which to envelop her audience, frequently incorporating immersive technologies such as spatial audio, 360 visuals, and metaverse environments. Despite a technical hiccup, the crowd are on her side and having the time of their lives.
Canadian indie rock royalty Broken Social Scene are playing their first Irish show in seven years. The definition of a democratic band, nominal frontman Kevin Drew begins proceedings by announcing he got engaged in Ireland earlier in the week. He acknowledges Beyond the Pale’s financial troubles, saying that even if the gig wasn't going to happen, they would be here playing someone's back garden.
“We're not here to let you down, we’re here to pick you up,” he adds, before Broken Social Scene play an hour of beloved greatest hits spanning their 25-year career. They open with and tracks from the early to mid Noughties that have lost none of their collective power. The band mutates from four members to six to double figures, with Drew running offstage for one track, and it looks like they’re loving every minute of it. Drew introduces their most enigmatic song, by dedicating it to the trans community, who he says took the track and made it into their own anthem. They bring on two women to add vocals to one of the most beautiful moments of the festival.
Brooklyn’s TV on the Radio came up in similar blog-rock circles (er, ask your dad) to Broken Social Scene and their Sunday headline slot at Beyond the Pale is their first appearance in Ireland in 17 years. That period includes a hiatus, and though Dave Sitek is still a member of the band, he’s not touring with them currently. A six piece led by core members Tunde Adebimpe (who put out a great solo album, earlier this year - Kyp Malone and Jaleel Bunton, the likes of Golden Age and Happy Idiot sound triumphant, while they dedicate Love Dog to the people of Palestine, saying it’s a fuck you to global fascism; it’s notable that Malone wears a keffiyeh and has a Palestinian sticker on his guitar. TV on the Radio wear their heart on their sleeve and are all the better for it.
Almost every music festival nowadays has a take on the ‘Glastonbury legends slot’; we won’t call it a novelty act but it’s usually a group quite a long way from their heyday. Beyond the Pale has at least three. On Saturday afternoon, the Sugarhill Gang of course perform Rapper’s Delight - which has always been a novelty song - before finishing with a curious medley that includes Bon Jovi’s Livin on a Prayer. Er, OK… A short time later, a big crowd can’t resist Boney M, who offer up party vibes as the sun shines for the likes of Hooray! Hooray! It’s a Holi-Holiday.
Samantha Mumba announces during her Sunday afternoon set that Beyond the Pale is her very first festival. She’s down on the bill as playing an hour-long set, though it’s only about half that, and with a cover of Lykke Li’s (“what song do I wish I had written”) thrown in for good measure, it’s a mixed bag. Her hits date to the late 90s, early noughties, and she was in the news earlier this year as she sought a slot at Eurovision. It’s all a bit karaoke, but during she brings out her daughter who throws some great dance moves. It’s such a lovely moment - enough to melt the heart of even the most cynical of music critics.
