Body&Soul Announces Second Nature, a new arena in a festival full of surprises.

June 17 – 19, 2016 | Summer Solstice Weekend – Ballinlough Castle, Co. Westmeath

Body & Soul have just announce a new area called Second Nature, which will have Immersive Theatre, Spoken Word, Cinema and… a whole lot of music. It promises to be good fun, so check out the full details below…

Body&Soul today announced a new arena set to enthral and inspire guests this Summer Solstice weekend: Second Nature, an enchanted menagerie of lush music, contemporary performance, immersive, nature-based art and Zen-like pockets of peace, nestled among the centuries-old oaks, pines and ash trees of Ballinlough Castle’s forest. This otherworldly woodland cocoon takes Body&Soul back to its lo-fi roots, celebrating ideas, intimate moments and the beguiling indulgence of chilling out.

At the heart of Second Nature is The Woodlands Stage, hand-built and repurposed using timber taken from Body&Soul’s old Main Stage. Imbued with the legacy of hundreds of performers who have played Body&Soul, the stage is custom-designed by Christy Collard and complements its backdrop of towering pines. Sun-dappled by day, and lit with intricate installations by night, the stage’s music programme complements the arena’s intimate mood. It pulses with intricate, ambient and classical overtures, lush layered beats, acoustic folk and ethereal vocals from early until late. Second Nature will also play host to The Sanctuary, Solas Bath House, Light House Cinema, the Pagoda Stage, art installations, theatre and performance, interactive experiences and festival favourite, Arbutus Yarns.

Newly announced acts include Æ Mak, comprised of song writing duo, Ellie McMahon and Aoife McCann, electronic group Ocho, the musical vehicle of Dundalk based multi-instrumentalist Shane Clarke, and Elephant, who will wow the audience with an intriguing set of looping guitars and vocals creating lush, layered music. Accordion player Mario Batkovic will transfix with his performance as a one man orchestra and folk vocalist Niamh Regan will bring her sweet and pure folk sound.

In a glade deep in the woods, music video and documentary-filmmaker Myles O’Reilly hosts The Arbutus Yarns Front Porch, a down-home, rustic den of dozens of sofas and armchairs, honouring the acoustic genres of folk, trad and spoken word.

Returning to the woods is Light House Cinema with a pop-up cinema taking over our Sanctuary Healing area by night. From 9pm till 1am, their programme is packed with music, gas craic and timely tributes, with a special screening of Prince’s Purple Rain, alongside Stop Making Sense, Labyrinth, The Life Aquatic, The Big Lebowski and a Sing Along screening of Grease!

One of the hottest spots to catch tomorrow’s stars, Body&Soul’s Pagoda Stage has a new home in Second Nature. The glittering timber Pagoda, where the best local talent and up-and-comers are showcased will once again awe crowds with theatrical magic and infectious beats. Highlights include Daniel McDermott, an Irish composer, guitarist, pianist and producer whose music fuses elements of jazz, classical, world, minimal techno and electronica; Dreamy lo-fi analog techno from beyond the astral plane by PolyGlove; We Eat Electric Light (Bio- Ógy Collins and Seán Mc Cluskey) debuting new material and Hot Press Award nominee Aine Cahill.

A pioneer of incubating and supporting visual and installation artists, Body&Soul’s landscape will be the canvas for leading artists such as Felix Power, Aoife Banville and Jane Groves – three ‘imagineers’ who have been commissioned to create installations specific to the Woodlands Stage area. Incorporating, complementing and reimagining the woods is central to their pieces, all of which fuse the Body&Soul identity into tangible, accessible artworks.

In Second Nature, the woods becomes a stage for immersive theatrical interludes and interactive experiences. Anu Productions, the company behind the most searing and innovative theatre productions of the past decade, present Rebel Rebel, a powerful evocation of the minds of two passionate souls torn in various directions, but incapable of turning their backs on each other or the 1916 Rebellion. Specially commissioned by Body&Soul, Every Morning I Wake and Seem to Forget, will take participants on a mystery journey through the festival grounds, as they participate in an unfolding story. Created and conceived by theatre producer Matt Smyth (Anu Productions, Dead Centre) and director Hugh Farrell, this immersive experience blends interactive theatre with the magic of a festival where anything can happen.

Music Network, Ireland’s national music touring and development agency, will present a programme of traditional music. Acts include Irish percussion group, Bangers and Crash, who deliver an eclectic sound of exotic timbres, pulsing rhythms and interwoven melody lines; Irish squeeze box maestro and raconteur Séamus Begley will be joined by Scottish duo Catriona McKay and Chris Stout in an exhilarating celebration of traditional Irish and Scots music; The Carducci Quartet, one of today’s most successful string quartets, with their interpretation of a contemporary repertoire; award-winning Irish vocalist Christine Tobin’s authentic, rich and expressive sound and Dublin electro acoustic quartet OKO, who draw on a wealth of influences from vintage TV to  dubstep. Wrapping up The Music Network’s programme is a dream team brought together by Music Network first in 2013 – button accordion master Máirtín O’Connor, fiddle player Zoë Conway and guitar and bouzouki player Donal Lunny.

Lineup –

BODY&SOUL STAGE  / MIDNIGHT CIRCUS

The Gloaming / Santigold / St Germain / Hudson Mohawke / Floating Points (live) / Mercury Rev / Neon Indian / Girl Band / BadBadNotGood / Wolf Parade / Sun Kil Moon / Junior Boys / David August / Cassy / Optimo / Gold Panda / Mbongwana Star / Ibibio Sound Machine / Tanya Tagaq / Slow Magic / Jambinai / Ho99o9 / Ninos Du Brasil / NAH / Brian Deady / Bleeding Heart Pigeons / Rusangano Family / FJAAK / EMBRZ / Bitch Falcon

ON THE WOODLANDS STAGE

Holly Macve / Talos / Saint Sister / Elm / TooFools / Forrests / Mario Batkovic / Daithí / Somadrone / Myles Manley / Plutonic Dust / Loah / Ocho / Aine Cahill / ÆMak / Elephant / We Eat Electric Light / Ailbhe Reddy / Ollie Bell / Niamh Regan /  PRESENTED BY MUSIC NETWORK:  Séamus Begley, Catriona McKay & Chris Stout / OKO / Christine Tobin / Bangers and Crash Percussion Trio / The Carducci Quartet / Donal Lunny, Máirtín O’Connor & Zoë Conway

ON THE PAGODA STAGE

Daniel McDermott / PolyGlove / BARQ / Auxiliary Phoenix / The Ocelots / Joni / Tracy Bruen / Katie Laffan / Shrubs Duo / Farah Elle / Feather / Apollonia Tribal Bellydance / Floating Ballroom / Publicity Machine / Johnny Rayge / El Grey / Roisin El Cherif / Candlelit Tales & Infinity Program: The Story of Eithlinn / Marangvla A&V / Arash