If you haven’t heard about the Glasgowbury festival yet then you have to check it out. It started back in 2000 when Paddy Glasgow got a few local bands and singer/songwriters together to perform a concert to raise awareness for the Ulster Cancer Foundation. It’s turned into a great showcase for bands and musicians from all over Ireland and has grown a fair bit since its humble beginnings when small venues were still enough to accommodate everyone.
Last year it was relocated to Eagles Rock in the Sperrin Mountains, just a few miles outside Draperstown, at an equal distance from Belfast and Derry. And what a setting it is for a festival! Beautiful countryside and not a soul nearby (apart from a few sheep). Here’s one of the views from the campsite:
Last year was my first time and it was pretty amazing. It was one of the most laid back festivals I’ve ever been to and with a very friendly crowd. You can find my writeup about last year on my last.fm blog and my Flickr set.
This year there’s even more bands than last year. The lineup is as follows:
Duke Special, Oppenheimer, In Case of Fire, Mojo Fury, The Delawares, Beat Poets, And So I Watch You From Afar, Triggerman, Paul Casey, Junior Johnson, Paddy Nash, Barefoot, Inishowen Gospel Choir, Delorentos, Jane Bradfords, Superfreakz, Fighting With Wire, Skruff, Farago, Superjimenez, Mantic, Black Tokens, Triggerman, Swannee River, Freerider, Susan Bluechild, Cat Malojian, Joe Echo, Oonagh Clarke, Ard Ri, Desert Hearts, Robyn G Sheils, Coda, King Coma, Furlo, Scary Biscuits, General Fiasco.
Derry’s Deep Fried Funk will be providing additional entertainment on decks, there’s a movie house, circus performers, street theatre, arts & crafts stalls, and – for the first time – food and drink stalls.
And if there is another aftermath party in the Cellar Bar in Draperstown then make sure you don’t miss it. It really finished the weekend off nicely last year!
