All Hollowed out


A few months back my boyfriend started raving about a festival called Hollow Sounds taking part in Kilkenny and insisting we get tickets for it. It was taking place in the Ballykeeffe Amphitheatre just outside Kilkenny and he was as excited for the music as the venue, I on the other hand was going along for the nice day out. The whole event was organised by HomeBeat which is run by Emmett Condon and are responsible for many fantastic events around Dublin.The venue changed closer to the date to The Set Theatre in the heart of Kilkenny City but we were happy to be indoors for the night with the unpredictability of Irish weather. 

 We headed up just before lunch time, I was feeling spontaneous because I'd just emptied a whole lot of change into the magic change machine (coinstar) in Tescos and got some lovely real cash in return so that was lunch and dinner paid for. We were in luck as it was a lovely sunny day so ideal for wandering around a beautiful city, wasting time.

 We got something to eat and wandered around the shops, I was ready to move into Dubray books but Stephen was bored after two minutes in there. We went for a drink and chat with an incredibly drunk old man and left before finishing (mostly because of the drunk man) and then got some pricey but delicious deserts in the Kilkenny Design centre. I got a little carried away and even bought a new outfit for the night, temporarily forgetting all my adult responsibilities, then panicked later as I counted down the days until payday.

 For Dinner we decided to try La Rivista on Parliment Street. I had been told they did a gluten free pizza so we decided to chance getting a table which I know is probably a brave endeavour on a Saturday night in a popular restaurant but we like to live on the edge and we were heading before seven. Luckily they had a table for us because we had no back up plan for dinner if that fell through. The restaurant was just as lovely as I had heard, I'd walked past it a few times but never stopped to read the menu as for the most parts Italian restaurants are not overly inviting for the gluten intolerant. The staff very really friendly and gave us a table provided they had it back for a booking at 8. I chuckled to myself as that was an hour and forty minutes away so there was no danger we'd still be sitting there. I went for a gluten free margherita and Stephen got a pasta with prawns and a glass of wine. We weren't waiting long for our food and it arrived looking delicious. Admittedly the gluten free base was not the nicest I'd ever had but the toppings more than made up for it and I enjoyed every last bite. It did make me a little sad that I could not eat their regular pizza as I bet that's amazing. Stephen left no trace of his pasta in the bowl, always a good sign and we left pleasantly full. 
We moved my car and went for a drink while waiting for Hollow Sounds. I was on minerals as per usual which is probably for the best considering I was the one driving (I'm always the one driving) and Stephen was on wine because we seemed to be in the wrong spot for a good Belgian beer. We got into the Set Theatre around 9.30. I've never been to anything there before but its great venue. The stage is downstairs and there's tables and couches dotted around the room and upstairs they have a balcony/dress circle with theatre seating. Upstairs had the better view and sound but we opted for comfort and grabbed ourselves a lovely couch in the corner.
The first band up was Slow Skies. It was a really nice mellow start to the night. The lead singer had an amazing voice and sang the sort of haunting melodies that would send shivers down your spine. When the music started I knew we had made the right choice in coming to Hollow Sounds. I had never heard of the band before but then again I am somewhat an ingénue when it comes to great music. I don't know where to go to look for it or how everyone else seems to know about all these fantastic bands that I haven't heard but luckily Stephen seems to have his finger on the pulse of the music scene and I can trust him to drag me along to these kind of great music events that I'd otherwise never have discovered. I was sorry that I had spent all money on silly things and not been able to get their Ep on the night.

 I thought I had an idea of how the night was likely to be after the first act and was picturing this really mellow and relaxed night like the one we had at Twin Headed wolves and that's fine by me. I love a nice intimate gig. I realised within seconds of Neon Wolf taking the stage that I was wrong. The energy in the room changed completely and I could see they were taking it up a notch. The lead singer started to dance up on the stage and you could tell he was giving it everything and it made for a thoroughly entertaining performance. The music is sort of indie based synth pop and I found myself feeling more alert and upbeat just one song in. The guys really gave it their all and played a fantastic set. By the time Jape took to the stage the crowd was hopping.

Jape is fronted by Richie Egan and is best described as meticulously crafted lyrics with an upbeat electronic rhythms or his Facebook page says a sort of gothic pop. I usually have an aversion to electronic music because I often get bored without a band to watch, yes I'm odd like that. I wasn't feeling that last night, with the way he blended electronic elements with drums, guitar and alluring lyrics. The energy up on stage was electric. There was one bearded man in the crowd who was doing some of the happiest dancing I had ever seen and I found myself watching him when the stage became obscured by the dancing masses and just lost myself in the music.

 We didn't hang around for the Dj set because I had the drive home to face into but we left in great spirits after another great day and night in Kilkenny

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sometimes I open my mouth and my mother comes out ..

Image
I have been told on more than one occasion that I'm sarcastic. Often that I'm too sarcastic (as though there could be such a thing) and I have retort up my sleeve for such occasions which is if you think I'm sarcastic you should meet my mother. No, really you should because my sarcasm is but a pale imitation of hers. Every so often though I come out without something that makes my friends or other family members pause because sometimes when I open my mouth, my mother comes out.  It's funny how people always take the words you are turning into your mother as such an insult because the reality of the matter is it's a both a good and bad thing. Obviously there are certain qualities I am perfectly happy to emulate and others not so much and on the whole I am not entirely sure how much control I have over it. It's not quite a pick and mix counter here. I think there are some habits you are not even aware you have picked up until someone else kindly points it out....
Read more

How long does it take to learn to drive?

Image
I remember my nieces a year or so back asking me in an incredulous tone how long it takes to learn to drive because for as long as they could remember I had L plates on my car. The answer in my case is four years. Admittedly I probably could have gotten my full licence sooner if I hadn't been so hesitant to do my test in the three years that have passed since my last attempt. I get very anxious during tests or Interviews and so do not perform particularly well at either. I will put that in my list of things I need to work on in the new year. In time since I have learned to drive I feel I have accomplished a lot and yet I will go out of my way to avoid having to parallel park because I feel like its always going to be my Achilles heel. At least I have come a long way from the days when I used to feel anxious about getting into my car and was likely to bunny hop across roundabouts in third gear. The problem with learning to drive is that the older you do the harder it is and...
Read more

Burnout: the sequel

Image
  I am burnt out. Hardly the most shocking declaration given I have been saying it out loud for a while now but here we are. This isn't my first run in with burn out nor will it likely be my last. Not only am I working in a stressful job, a social care worker in residential care, which is no stranger to burn out but also I am autistic so its like I know a secret short cut to getting there. I think as bragging goes this is up there with declaring how many times I have managed to catch covid. Which is 4 at my current count and they say there are no benefits to working in Health care. If you are lucky enough to not have experienced burnout then I can tell you its not an experience I would recommend to a friend. If you have friends working in social care then you probably wont need to.  Some of the things I have been experiencing are random bouts of crying. Given high sensitivity is part of my autism profile, I am no stranger to crying and the first time I experienced burnout it t...
Read more