Interlude – RHA – Live Review – 25-10-15

It was very early in the night that I realised Interlude was not like other festivals. Gone are the portaloos and mile long queue for the bar, to be replaced with tables, moody lighting, waiters and interesting nibbles. Yes, Interlude was an altogether more civilised affair! We could expect no less from the RHA.

The festival used the majority of the spaces in the RHA, with the main upstairs gallery converted into a cinema/ live venue. The downstairs Gallery II was converted into a club, a dark space with DJs performing through the evening. The Ashford gallery was now a trendy cocktail bar. The drink was provided by the Porterhouse, with their craft beers and ales. There was also food available from Coppa, the regular cafe at the RHA. There seemed a small crowd at the event. It was a surprise as the tickets were not expensive, but I would imagine if the event is repeated word of mouth alone would increase the numbers.

The selection of films at the event were real crowd pleasers, with a focus on music documentaries/ live performance. The last film of the evening was Stop Making Sense, which could possibly have sold out the space in its own right. Once the selection of films ended, there were a number of live performances. The bands were mostly young and Irish with a couple of albums under their belts. The only annoying feature were the sound checks between the short sets, but you could always seize the chance to check out the club on the floor below. The first of the evening was Paddy Hanna, who had a four piece band playing a selection of new songs. Carriages have long been one of my favourite Irish bands, and they were next up with another short set. Little Xs For Eyes then took to the stage before Tom Middleton and Elko closed out the night.

The festival had a nice buzz around it, with lots of spaces to wander through. It is an impressive event, a mini festival without the hassle attached, that will hopefully be repeated.