CASTLEPALOOZA MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL

CHARLEVILLE CASTLE, TULLAMORE, CO OFFALY. 3rd, 4th & 5th AUGUST 2012 

BRITSH ROCK ICONS THE CHARLATANS TO HEADLINE

IRELAND’S BEST VALUE FESTIVAL OF 2012! 

The much-anticipated boutique music & arts festival, Castlepalooza, is back with a bang this summer for its 7th year running and this year it is proving to be Ireland’s most exciting and best value festival of 2012. 

The festival has just launched its line-up for the August Bank Holiday weekend at Charleville Castle, Tullamore unveiling British rock icons The Charlatans as its headline act in their only Irish show this summer along with extended arena camping & parking - and a three day ticket launch price of only €50! 

Playing alongside The Charlatans in the haunted Charleville Forest will be Castlepalooza’s trademark mix of hip up-and-coming acts including Ghoestpoet; King Charles; Jape; Donal Dineen’s Parish Project; Solar Bears; Jon Phonics; Mmoths; Little Green Cars and many others. 

Castlepalooza - known for its laid-back & friendly atmosphere - is also unveiling extended arena camping and parking this year to cope with demand for the popular festival that boasts 50 acts over three days along with a Day Spa for those who party hard; dance & craft workshops; art exhibitions; festival market plus the Festival Food Fayre. 

“The bigger festivals can't change with the current market & can't adapt with their massive overheads and hefty ticket prices,” said Festival Director Cillian Stewart.  

“Because Castlepalooza is a smaller festival we can adapt & launch with our best line up to date while also offering the best value ticket in Ireland. Three days & nights including camping is only €50 plus booking fee if you grab a ticket during the week after we launch. That works out at less than €1 per act and is one fifth the price of the larger festivals. With The Charlatans headlining, it’s a complete no brainer.” 

For more than two decades now, The Charlatans have been an inspirational force in British rock. Having celebrated their 20th anniversary in 2010, they remain as exciting and relevant now as when they first broke through to the immortal strains of ‘The Only One I Know’. 

The Charlatans will be performing their celebrated Number One album 'Tellin' Stories' live in its entirety at Castlepalooza along with their most loved hits. This critically acclaimed album features singles 'North Country Boy'; 'One To Another' and 'How High' marking 15 years since the album was released. 

Ghostpoet, the soft-spoken 24-year-old, has already won over BBC Radio 1’s foremost taste maker Gilles Peterson with a handful of off-kilter, loopy electronic ditties with his delightfully rambling musings on modern life.  

Fresh from a performance on ‘Other Voices’ and also winning over press and radio DJs across the UK & Ireland is King Charles. He has released a quite extraordinary record that draws down influences from Afro-beat; rock and roll; glam; folk; hip-hop and country and is set to electrify the crowds at Charleville Castle. 

Donal Dineen’s Parish project – which is due to release an EP ‘Notes’ in July - has chosen Castlepalooza as one of a small selection of festivals to play this Summer. Aminah Dastan from the group Madu will be on vocals with Parish along with Congolese guitarist Niwel Tsumbu taking the team captaincy once more. 

Castlepalooza is also bringing Jape back for the second year running - the only artist to twice win the Choice Music Prize. Jape’s music blends meticulously crafted lyrics with upbeat electronic rhythms. Using an innovative mix of live instruments hardware samplers and sequencers; the band create a sound that encompasses many different styles and spans genres - a sort of gothic pop.  He delighted audiences with his main stage madness last year and organisers are looking forward to seeing what he will bring this summer! 

Solar Bears released their debut EP ‘Inner Sunshine’ and album ‘She Was Coloured for Planet Mu’ to worldwide critical acclaim in 2010. Both received global praise from Pitchfork, Gorilla VS Bear, Rough Trade, NME and The Irish Times.  Close to finishing their new album, fans can’t wait to hear it live. 

Since he first emerged on the industry radar in 2008, Jon Phonics has steadily been building himself a reputation as one of the UK's leading beat producers. His latest single 'Bruck Out/The One' has been receiving major support from radio 1's Gilles Peterson & Benji B.  With a clutch of remixes and a new EP set for release this autumn, Jon looks set to continue his success. 

He’s come a long way since his first ever live performance which was at Castlepalooza last Summer, Mmoths will be back showcasing a uniquely ethereal sound that’s entirely his own and showcasing his self titled 2012 EP. 

Another band which has come a long way are Little Green Cars. Benefiting greatly from production from David Kosten, their sound draws from folk-rock which seems to draw inspiration from artists like Tom Waits; Fleetwood Mac and Arcade Fire. 

All will be playing on the ‘Metro Herald Main Stage’, ‘Deezer Stage’ or ‘The Courtyard Stage’.

 In addition Castlepalooza is thrilled to announce:

The Ambience Affair; The Altered Hours; Arman Georgio; Automatic Tasty; Baz Hickey; Big Dish Go; Bouts; Cat Dowling; Cloud Castle Lake; Diamond Dagger; DOGS; Djs Double Agent 7; Hush War Cry; John Blek and the Rats; J Roots; Katie Kim; Le Galaxie; Maria V; Melodica Deathship; MissEalayneous; Monto; North Strand Kontra Band; REID; Shadowplay; Toby Kaar; Tu-Ki; The Violet Roadkills; Windings and Young Wonder. 

For the first time ever, Castlepalooza organisers also did a call-out through Breaking Tunes for Irish bands to apply for a festival stage spot. They were inundated with applications and have over 300 to go through, so will be announcing these selections and more over the coming weeks. 

This year Cherrycool Promotions is launching the best value festival ticket this summer - for one week only from 9AM on Friday 27th April you can buy a 3 Day Ticket including camping for €50 plus booking fee - with over 50 acts performing over the three days, this is definitely the best value 3-Day Ticket this summer! 

Tickets are limited & there’s some available right now so get yours before they’re gone, HERE  or from usual outlets. 

Castlepalooza supports the Charleville Castle restoration project. A portion of each ticket will go towards the ongoing work carried out on one of Ireland’s most historic landmarks. 

Castlepalooza 2012 is proudly sponsored by: Metro Herald, Erdinger, TV3e, RTE Radio 1, Red Bull, Deezer, Aer Lingus, entertainment.ie and the Offaly Local Development Company.