Get lost in music at Stendhal

Partygoers to next week’s Stendhal Festival will be treated to an iconic headline act when American disco divas Sister Sledge take to the stage to get lost in music – even if they’re not the greatest dancer. The band, who can comfortably sit in the ‘legendary’ category of artists, will grace the northwest with their unmistakable brand of disco tunes.

Having enjoyed a meteoric rise in the 1970s at the height of the disco era, Sister Sledge blazed a trail with hit song after hit song, capturing the ‘70s zeitgeist and creating something timeless. While disco would eventually burn out, the Sisters remained, initially as a quartet then a trio, with their anthemic music rediscovered by future generations.

The band has undergone an evolution since those days, with original members Debbie and Kim joined by Debbie’s children, David and Camille, and Thaddeus son of another original member Joni, who have helped reinvigorate hits like ‘We Are Family’, ‘He’s The Greatest Dancer’ and ‘Lost in Music’, ensuring the group continue to remain perennial floor fillers at discos, nightclubs, weddings, and parties all around the world.

Debbie Sledge says this evolution has been instrumental in revealing further dimensions to the music.

She explained, “It’s been a fantastic journey, very tough to sum up in just a sentence but if I had to it would simply be, love, joy, and positivity.

“The great thing about this new evolution of the band is the fact that within this new dynamic we all feel there is so much more to be revealed in terms of the artistry, music, talent, and performance elements within it.

“The addition of the Sledgendary band and family members to the group has opened up new aspects and doors of artistry, given us new personalities with new ideas, all waiting to be shared and discovered.”

The band has played in some iconic places, in particular the iconic Zaire ’74 concert with luminaries such as Bill Withers, BB King and James Brown, which accompanied the Rumble In The Jungle fight between George Foreman and Muhammed Ali, but Debbie says that Ireland is always one of the band’s favourite places to play.

She explained, “At festivals everyone is in party mode for real, they are always such fun. We love it in Ireland. It’s such a beautiful country, so much nature and beauty to discover and appreciate.

“We’ve had loads of great gigs there but one that stands out for us as part of our new band was our gig alongside Bruno Mars in Dublin when we all found out that Thaddeus has a big fan base over there, it was great fun.”

Looking forward to the band’s return to Ireland and their headline set at Stendhal, Debbie added, “We are really excited to have been able to get back on stage after what the world has been through in these past two years.

“It’s wonderful that the stages of the world have been opened back up to performers and audiences alike, so everyone coming to see us at Stendhal should be prepared for us to bust loose. We can’t wait to see everyone at the festival.”