Tyrone acts play North’s largest camping arts festival

A number of Tyrone acts took to the stage alongside artists from across the globe at the North’s largest three-day music and arts festival, Stendhal, last weekend.

Headline acts Mark McCabe, The Orb, Mr Scruff, Kate Nash, comedian Ed Byrne, and the Lightning Seeds were amongst some of the larger acts that graced Ballymully Farm as nearly 10,000 people braved rainy and blustery weather to enjoy themselves across the weekend.

Now in its 15th year, Stendhal Festival is an annual event just outside Limavady in Co Derry featuring music, comedy, dance, poetry, workshops, and family-friendly fun.

Its name is a reference to Stendhal syndrome – a psychological condition resulting in dizziness experienced by people exposed to things of great beauty.

Every year there is a strong contingent of Tyrone acts who help make up the lineup, and 2025 was no exception.

Some of the Tyrone acts on display included Oasis tribute act Roll With It, who played to a large crowd on the Henry McCullogh stage on Sunday, and modern folk group All Folked Up, which features members from both Fermanagh and Tyrone, who replaced scheduled act Lisa McHugh on the Main Stage on Sunday evening.

This was my tenth time attending the festival, and as a Stendhal veteran, I have to say that this year was one of the festival’s best years, despite challenging weather conditions and line-up changes due to illnesses, which saw Sunday’s schedule heavily change due to both country star Lisa McHugh and headline act Dublin post-punk band Sprints having to cancel their appearances.

Despite these changes there was an excellent blend of both old and new performers from Ireland and further afield. Some of my personal favourite acts included Irish traditional music group Réalta from County Antrim, who were the perfect act to listen to on a Sunday afternoon on the main stage. They play a blend of modern folk and traditional Irish music and are excellent multi-instrumentalists. The highlight of their set was a fantastic and poignant cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’ which reflected modern events.

On the opposite end of the musical spectrum, another highlight of the festival was Belfast-based feminist punk band Problem Patterns, who are a staple of the North’s music scene. The band set started late at around midnight on the Henry McCullogh stage, and the band were at their energetic and frantic best. They had a large crowd, which was impressive due to their stage time and terrible rainy conditions, but the band was raucous fun.

This year’s festival had an undeniable political element, with a number of acts pledging solidarity with the Palestinian people. This included Friday headliner Co Down singer-songwriter Joshua Burnside, who played a new song titled ‘Throw a Brick at a Factory’ in support of the BDS Palestine movement.

Popular British singer Kate Nash also had a politically enthused set, which included her latest song, ‘GERMS,’ which is a song written in support of trans people in the UK and Ireland. The popular singer-songwriter also talked about the increase of violent attacks on women and her support for the people of Gaza.

A number of artists across the weekend also used their performances to voice their support for the group ‘Palestine Action,’ who’ve been named as a terrorist group by the British Government, and it has been made a criminal offence to support or to be a member of the group.

Kate Nash’s performance was undoubtedly, the festival’s highlight. Her politically driven performance was fantastic, and she brought an amazing energy to the stage. She even entered the crowd and sang with fans. The star also stayed and signed t-shirts and set lists for the very young audience and was generous with her time speaking to fans, as she watched other acts throughout Saturday. The set also featured a huge sing-along rendition of her massive pop hit ‘Foundations.’

She was followed on the Main Stage by Saturday’s headline act Brit Pop icons The Lightning Seeds, who played all their biggest hits (with the omission of ‘Three Lions’, which they only play in England).

The Scouse band’s crowd was the largest of the weekend, and the loudest singing was heard during their 26-year-old hit ‘Lucky You.’

The North has seen significant decreases in arts spending over the last few years, which has led to the closure of live music venues and theatres, including the Waterside Theatre in Derry and the Riverside Theatre in Coleraine, which is to close next month.

Places like Stendhal Festival are becoming even more vital for nurturing the next big stars from the six counties.