Unique stages around Ballinlough Castle for Body and Soul

If ever there was an act that personifies Body&Soul’s laidback atmosphere and surging energy it’s Bonobo. With the release of his sixth album Migration, featuring upcoming Body&Soul performer Hundred Waters, Simon Green has distilled his ambient dance sound with beautifully woven vignettes of stories from across the globe, taken to a stratospheric level by his live band. The forests of Sweden are evoked in the music of Skott, but her folksy background doesn’t blur her edge; having won approval from the likes of Lorde with her sultry vocals and shimmering electronics, Skott looks set to leave a lasting impression on Ballinlough with driving hits like ‘Glitter and Gloss’.

A close partner of Mykki Blanco, Canadian DJ Bambii forges bonds between people, spaces and cultures with her idiosyncratic sets that feature everything from Brandy & Monica to dancehall, house and afrobeat. Dublin’s own New Jackson has just released From Night to Night, a record that saw him take out a loan to get his piece of ultimate dream kit - the SP 1200 sampler. Used by the likes of Daft Punk, Moodymann and MF Doom, New Jackson’s nocturnal house sounds are notched up even further with this new sonic addition to his signature energy and excitement which reliably transports crowds to new planes. Cork’s Talos has been making waves with his dramatic and plaintive vocals that resonate against carefully crafted beats and hooks and he returns to Body&Soul after a legendary set last year.

Alongside these music acts, Body&Soul features ten other unique stages and immersive environments dotted across the grounds of Ballinlough Castle, each showcasing a captivating and diverse array of events, including The Bulmers Lounge. The beating heart of the beautiful Orchard in the Walled Gardens, The Bulmers Lounge returns with a bustling barrel of entertainment. The inspiring line-up of hip-hop, spoken word and theatrical performances are complemented by the chilled-out atmosphere of the bespoke tent and bar. The lounge has become an annual, weekend-long party fuelled by the very best in Irish music, song, storytelling and laughter.

Spoken word superstar, poet and playwright Stephen James Smith takes to The Bulmers Lounge stage ahead of the publication of his debut collection. Having performed worldwide, from Glastonbury to the Oscar Wilde Awards in LA, Stephen’s poetry videos, including the recent ‘My Ireland’ commissioned by St. Patrick’s Festival, have amassed over one million views. OutStraight will bring the soul of high-rise flats and concrete jungles to Ballinlough with a concept spoken word theatre show sharing stories on urban experience and youth culture; while RED PILL Poetry Collective promises an artistic celebration of the imagination unleashed; and REIC brings its bilingual spoken word featuring filíocht, rap, scéalta and everything in between. Festival goers can also expect to see spoken word performances by John Cummins, The Tullamore Rhymers Club, Moth & Butterfly, and MissElayneous & DJ FunkTom.

This year, the Bulmers Lounge will welcome some of the most respected names in the domestic music scene; The Jimmy Cake’s relentless sonic wandering has secured their position as outré rock godheads and the rightfully lauded group will showcase cuts from their upcoming LP Tough Love, set for release via Cork’s consistently brilliant Penske Recordings. Fellow Penske representatives Fixity will also take their manic and amorphous take on Krautrock infused Jazz to the stage. Other musical acts who are sure to excite and entice with their performances include Cranky Face, Percolator, The Ocelots, SILLK, Character Development Cypher, Liam & Hajime with Stephen Heffernan, and The Bonny Men.

Theatrical performances feature too: Waterford playwright Conor Clancy’s ‘Will It Fit In A Van?’ about a poorly run drug distribution in a small fictional town delves into kidnappings, murder, biscuits, beloved horses, the clergy and a very important chipper!; while ‘Fizzy Drinks with Two Straws’, a play for anyone who has ever been told “you’re too young to understand”, comes to Body&Soul from Scene & Heard Festival and Theatre Upstairs.

Belinda Kelly of Bulmers said, “Body&Soul has always been about the electric and eclectic atmosphere. Festival goers looking for something really different should stop by The Bulmers Lounge. The Lounge is a little piece of festival heaven with an energetic line-up, that includes something for all tastes, best enjoyed with a Bulmers over ice.”

Body&Soul’s stage of curiosities and the exchange of wonder and discovery, Wonderlust, returns with a line-up of live music, performance, conversations, talks and workshops. Katie Kim and Crash Ensemble, Ireland’s foremost contemporary music ensemble made up of ten world class musicians, bring their collaboration “Salt Interventions”, a performance featuring arrangements from Katie Kim’s critically acclaimed, and Choice Music Award nominated 2016 album “Salt”. Women on Walls brings its movement to Ballinlough where Accenture’s Eithne Harley, Royal Irish Academy’s Pauric Dempsey and TCD’s Professor Lydia Lynch will discuss how underrepresentation of women in the RIA’s official portraits led them to take positive action and commission several female portraits now on permanent display at Academy House.

New to the festival for 2017, The Library of Progress is a positive subversion of The Library of Congress, the United States' repository of some of humanity's greatest works and the largest library in the world. Body&Soul’s Library of Progress looks to celebrate all that is good about our inquisitive nature, the scientific method and open critical thinking. Highlights include Beats and Rhymes with Emmet Kirwan, a blitz of spoken word and hip hop performances from Ireland’s hottest performers, and FACTION, hard-hitting political debate with Blindboy BoatClub of Rubberbandits.