Thousands expected at Stendhal Festival this week

Thousands of people are set to descend on Co Derry this week for the start of the Stendhal Festival.

The three-day festival at Ballymully Cottage Farm outside Limavady kicks off today, Thursday, July 4, and runs until Saturday, July 6.

The festival, now in its 14th year, has grown since 2011 into one of the biggest independent music and arts festivals in the North of Ireland.

Among the acts playing at Stendhal include Grammy award-winning band Hot Chip and Heather Small from M People.

Hot Chip – who have produced seven albums and hits like Over and Over and Ready for the Floor — will be bringing their popular DJ set to Karma Valley on the Saturday evening, July 6.

Described as “one of the most recognisable voices in British popular music”, Small will grace the Karma Valley Stage at Stendhal on Friday, July 5.

As part of M People, hits such as Moving On Up, One Night In Heaven and Search For The Hero and albums like Elegant Slumming, Bizarre Fruit and Fresco, have ensured Heather Small has achieved massive worldwide success.

With an ever-rotating cast of co-creators, a continuous string of charting albums, numerous EPs, compilations, mix records and countless remixes since, The Orb remains a pioneering recording project and an ever-engaging live presence.

They will also be performing on July 5.

One of the pioneers of Britpop, Gomez achieved incredible success in the late 90s with their two most acclaimed albums, Bring It On and Liquid Skin.

Band members Ben Ottewell and Ian Ball will take to the stage at Stendhal on July 6, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of both the records and their Mercury Music Prize win, with a stripped back two-piece show.

Other musicians taking to the stage across the festival include Acoustic Rave pioneers The Showhawk Duo, multi award-winning folk act Ye Vagabonds, seven-time All-Ireland champion harpist Lisa Canny, Indie standouts Skinny Living, Zulu Afrorave rapper Toya Delazy and a brand-new collaboration between Pat McManus (Mamas Boys) and Cormac Neeson (The Answer) called ‘When Ireland Rocked’.

Derry pop rockers Lavengro will also make their Stendhal debut this year, while Belfast Punk rock is well represented by the raucous Problem Patterns.

Festival director Ross Parkhill says after 14 years it is becoming more and more difficult to top the line-up year on year but is confident that 2024 will prove to be Stendhal’s best and most varied to date.

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