Sunday at Temple House Music Festival is for music lovers

The Music Maker stage on Sunday was awash with lively new talent. The afternoon saw female duo Heathers take to the stage. Playing a mellow and relaxing set comprising of songs such as 'Enlighten Me Please', 'Far Away' and 'Waiter,' the crowd swayed and cheered. Highlights included a cover of Beyonce's song 'Halo' and 'Heretic Pride' a Mountain Goats cover. Both female leads possessed striking vocal talent and stage presence. It was also good to see them wandering around the festival afterwards, showing appreciation for and interest in the other acts on offer.

The crowds enjoyed a night of rock on the Music Maker stage with Oddsocks Revival, a Sligo based band. With their long hair, texan style cowboy hats and blistering musical intensity their stage presence was both fun and ferocious. Songs included 'Witchita' and 'Hanging Tough'. I would compare them to the southern American rock bands of the 70's in their musical style and make up, essentially awesome live.

The Riptide Movement continued the rock theme on the Music Maker stage. The band, formed in 2006 by Mal Tuohy, john Dalton, Ger McGarry and Gar byrne played their hits 'Alive Inside' which reached number thirteen in the Irish charts, 'Hard To Explain' and 'Bringing Down The House'. The critical acclaim they have received shone through in the performance and the crowd showed similar appreciation for the bands talents.

American sensation Andy McKee was also on offer on the Sunday. A truly unique finger style guitarist his set was emotionally engaging and entertaining. Songs included the beautifully titled and heartbreaking 'Rylynn' and a cover of the Tears for Fears' song 'Everybody Wants To Rule The World', from his 2010 album 'Joyland'. I would urge anyone reading who hasn't heard of him to look him up, you will not be disappointed.

Aslan rounded off the festival on the Bavaria main stage. Playing the hits that garnered them the critical acclaim they are renowned for including 'Crazy World' and 'This Is' they were the perfect band to end the festival. Fans of Christy Dignam and the band knew they were in for a special, intimate performance and Aslan delivered, ending the night and weekend on a high.

On the whole I had a very enjoyable weekend. I will say that Temple House festival is certainly not for everyone. It is a small festival ideal for families, couples and music lovers. As far as I know the turnout each day averaged between two and three thousand. I spoke to a number of people who said the previous year attracted larger crowds. In this respect, due to the size of the festival area, at times it felt rather empty. The camping area was relatively small, I would estimate there were no more than 300 campers, with the campsite itself providing little in the way of amenities. The grounds of the Temple House Festival are however, truly enchanting. The medieval village, woodland walk and rose gardens really helped to set the tone of the event. With art performers and sculptures there was a lot to look at and explore. Temple House, as I said earlier is suitable for families with plenty of activities to keep the smaller people of the race busy. In this respect those who are more gung ho in their approach to the festival should probably avoid Temple House and opt for one of the larger festivals.

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