One of Ireland’s must-attend festivals, All Together Now returns to Curraghmore Estate in Co. Waterford for the Bank Holiday weekend, with arguably its best lineup to date – The Prodigy, Jorja Smith, The National, Future Islands and Paul Kalkbrenner are just some of the artists set to perform at the picturesque venue between 1 and 4 August.
To discover the full lineup, or to purchase tickets, click here.
Ahead of this year’s All Together Now, Emer O’Connor caught up with Pod Events’ Will Rolfe, the festival’s lead curator and promoter, to get the inside track on what to expect over the three days.
Hi Will, you’re smack bang in the middle of a jam-packed festival season with several roaring successes behind you, including the Dublin city stalwart Forbidden Fruit and the more esoteric gathering In The Meadows, which had its cherry popped too. What were your thoughts following those two huge weekenders? Do you allow yourself time to enjoy the fruits of your labour, or do you simply plough on through to the next extravaganza?
I think it was a really positive start to the summer. Forbidden Fruit was a sellout on both Saturday and Sunday. We had some really strong production values across the show, several standout performances, the weather was sublime, and the audience was the best we’ve ever had. The feedback was glowing; many remarked that it was a step-up for the festival.
There are, of course, more improvements we want to make, but in terms of the programme, there wasn’t much we could fault. I think it was one of the strongest line-ups we’ve ever had, filled with overriding positives.
Two festivals back to back was ambitious, but Into The Meadows the following weekend, in its first year, was also a success. We lucked out with the weather again, and the audience was made up of real music fans. You could tell because everyone was in early to see the new bands starting at 3pm, which set the tone for the event, where nearly every performance was well attended.
Lankum to close was so special; it feels like the start of something really interesting.
Excellent stuff! But on a more personal note, did you get the chance to enjoy either festival yourself?
Well, I’m always working and thinking about the next show. It’s hard in the summer not to look past what you have coming up. Yes, of course, there are the fun shows that go well and the strong performances that you can’t help but admire, but you’re still working.
It’s not like going to a festival elsewhere; you’re very much in the thick of it. Usually, I’m running from one stage to another, catching little bits here and there, and the odd time, I actually get to enjoy a whole show.
Let’s take a trip down Curraghmore House memory lane to 2018, the year of ATN’s inception. The formidable John Reynolds was its founding father, and although Pod Events had a great track record of setting up super successful festivals since the late 90s—like the original Electric Picnic, the Garden Party, and even back to the infamous giant raves in Mosney, Homelands, and the Winter Party between 1999-2000—what were Pod’s original aims for ATN under John’s lead?
It was to create something new. I think we wouldn’t be the only ones to admit that the festival scene in Ireland at that time felt a little stagnant; it hadn’t changed in a couple of years. The audiences and artists were crying out for something new.
One of the main things All Together Now aims to do is offer choices for people who are fans of music, not just specific genres, but across the board. It was created with a real collaborative approach. We’ve worked with different collectives like Arcadia, AVA, and Global Roots, and over the years, we’ve expanded that, which always brings a unique flavour to any show.
Curraghmore is such a rare and beautiful site, probably one of the most unique in Europe, let alone the world. It’s a real pleasure and privilege to curate a festival there. It would be a real shame for a place with that natural beauty not to host an event like All Together Now. I don’t think any other event in Ireland really offered that.
You’ve worked as a curator and promoter with Pod for over a decade now, Will. When you first joined the crew, it must have been an eye-opener to see one of Ireland’s musical pioneers in action. What was the greatest insight or advice John Reynolds gave you in relation to putting on a gig?
Jesus, that’s a tough one… don’t book people you’re a fan of.
Why would that be?
Well, you might not be a fan of them at the end, haha. I’m just saying that in jest—I’ve booked lots of acts I love. But you shouldn’t just book something because you like it yourself; you need to understand what other people like as well.
You can’t be selfish in that department. You’ve got to start by thinking objectively and consider how that music sounds and what people want to see.
In saying that, where do you get your inspiration for your acts from?
Oh, lots of different places, literally everyone. I think when you truly understand the different people in your life and the various relationships you have, you can gauge audience engagement with an artist through those different relationships.
Whether it’s siblings, friends, neighbours, or people you know who may not be avid music listeners, if they’re talking about something from a niche area or something new that’s just started, you know there’s something more bubbling underneath. It’s actually everywhere.
Do you come from a musical background yourself?
Yeah, my family—my dad and my brother—were heavily involved in music through their work. I grew up with a lot of different music in the family home and in the car.
My dad wrote and produced his own music, and my brother JJ was a DJ in the 90s and early 2000s. I probably grew up stealing my brother’s CDs and records, and I’m still stealing his records.
It’s in the blood then. Since John’s passing within months of the inaugural ATN, Pod Events has continued to carry the torch. Over the years, you’ve increased your portfolio and scale of operations, which is highly admirable and probably challenging at the best of times. The main question from my festival pals is: how did ATN not have a contingency plan in place for the forecasted storm conditions of last year, and what corrective and preventative actions do you have in place now to ease people’s fears in advance of this year’s festivities?
Well, I think one of the major changes this year is the addition of a lot of stone paths in Curraghmore. Last year wasn’t the first time the festival had a torrential downpour over the weekend, and we prepared for the rain as we have in previous years. But the one major change last year was the impact of that continuous rainfall throughout July, which compounded the effect on the ground with the accumulation of water over the month.
The challenges you see during the show can only truly be understood when you’re in the middle of it. We had extra bales and woodchips put down, but when 25,000 people are walking across well-worn paths on a month’s worth of soggy ground, you just can’t compare. So, the only way to actually solve that is to lay solid stone paths.
That’s a great idea, and hopefully, the weather will be glorious this year in any case! You did have one other serious quibble from some music aficionados: an issue with some of the sound systems. Though this seems to be a constant complaint for many Irish festival-goers, can you explain the root cause for this, especially when international festivals like Sónar always manage to get it so right?
Well with Sónar you’re in a contained indoor environment, it’s far easier to get right in that kind of space and the acoustics are usually much better than in a tent. This year at ATN, we went underground and did a complete evaluation of the sound across the site and made adjustments to both the main and second stages.
So, we’ve taken that feedback on board, and we want only the best for the audience and of course, the artists. There’s also the fact that many touring acts use their own engineers. In a festival environment, usually only the headliner will have the opportunity for a full sound check. Someone coming in dry might find the sound brilliant front of house, but they might not have checked the rest of the environment.
I’m not saying that’s what happened in this case, but people can come in cold to a system they’re not used to, and human error comes into play; people can’t always get it right. Other shows are far more down-tempo and sensitive, with lower-level acoustic moments that festival audiences might not fully appreciate in the moment. You can’t push the system to accommodate 8,000 people during nuanced moments of certain music.
The difference in Lankum’s performance at In The Meadows this year compared to ATN is notable—at Kilmainham, you could hear a pin drop at times during their spellbinding performance.
I understand that some things may be works in progress and lessons learned, but one area where you continue to excel, of course, is music selection. Can you name some of the glittering highlights you’ve had as curator of ATN? Who are some of the special guests you’ve managed to lock in, and how have they surpassed all expectations?
Well, every year there are many to choose from, but off the cuff, maybe Nils Frahm in year one, Jimmy Cliff, and Mos Def were really special. I think the headliners are going from strength to strength; it was unreal to have Iggy Pop last year.
I think The Prodigy will be an incredible way to close out the festival this year.
There’s always new bands coming through that you see rise after the show. For example, Barry Can’t Swim performed live for the first time in Ireland at the festival last year, and he’s coming back for the main stage this year. It’s great to see artists develop in such a short space of time and have the opportunity to do so.
Of course, all the Irish acts are advancing by leaps and bounds as well. Lankum and The Mary Wallopers, who are returning this year, and CMAT, who I think we gave her first-ever main stage performance at an Irish festival. We try to bring a balance of big names with artists who’ve never been here before and some of the best of Irish talent coming up through the ranks.
And what about the more obscure ‘ones to watch’ at this year’s ATN?
I would say the Melbourne band Glass Beams, known for hypnotising world music lovers with their textural psychedelic sound that blends Indian heritage with Aussie surf-rock vibes, are making their Irish debut on Friday.
RnB and homespun funk artist Yaya Bey from New York is also set to pplay for the first time on Irish soil.
There’s an Irish trad supergroup called Biird, emerging from London and led by Lisa Canny, a seven-time All-Ireland harp and banjo player.
Pals with Fred Again, dynamic duo Joy (Anonymous) will be performing one of their live “meetings” on the Lovely Days with Guinness stage on Saturday.
The eight-piece jazz fusion-afrobeat band Kokoroko will be playing on Sunday, and they’re probably one of my favourite bands, so I’m looking forward to that.
Muireann Bradley, a young singer from Donegal, will be opening the second stage on Sunday afternoon. I think that will be my choice for the weekend.
Fantastic. By the sounds of everything, you’ve really put the work in, and we all know that despite whatever unpredictable Irish weather may throw at you, everyone has a deep-rooted grá for All Together Now.
Yes, there are challenges, but you only see the impact when the show takes place. When you count it up, the festival has only happened for twelve days since it started. You can implement as many preventative actions as financially you can afford to do, but some things can only be learned when there are 25,000 people on-site.
We’d like to think that the weather we had last July was the worst Irish summer weather we could ever encounter, so now we’re set up to be prepared for that.
Thanks so much for your time, Will Rolfe, and ádh mór i mbliana.
Thanks Emer, we look forward to having you.
Words by Emer O’Connor. All Together Now takes place at Curraghmore Estate in Co. Waterford from 1 to 4 August. More information at www.alltogethernow.ie.