Another Love Story
We are bursting at the seams with intrigue about this lovely little festival called “Another love story” happening this weekend in Killyon Manor, a love child brought to life by the happenings and Homebeat. Emmet Condon from Homebeat was kind enough to take a moment out to answer some questions about the event this weekend with us.
This is a collaborative festival between the happenings and Homebeat. Could you tell us a little bit about more about what both of the collectives do/ host. How did you come together to work on such a project?
Well Homebeat has been spinning along for the past 3 years with the main aim of putting on music in non traditional spaces. This has branched out from the original idea of just house concerts (hence the HOMEbeat) into slightly more left field places like Granby Park and most definitively Mabos. Like Hunt & Gather’s relationship with Moxie and other spaces, you just can’t underestimate the opportunity that it is to have had a place like Mabos (or Granby Park for that matter) to do stuff in, not only does it give you the chance to do things on a larger scale but it also brings you into contact with some incredible people who in turn shape what you do, Â I miss it (Mabos) dearly now that it is in forced hibernation somewhat, but it has inspired me to keep pushing things into the interesting spaces that exist often between the cracks of what we expect, Â want and what’s unused.
Happenings are masters of instant, social media driven, heartfelt events such as outdoor cinema and music, and are almost single handily responsible (in my view!) for driving a new impetus to open up public park spaces as well as being a business with a very real social conscious. They are going from strength to strength at the moment, fair play to them!
I’m good friends with Peter and Sam from Happenings for a few years and I think we always felt we’d like to do something together as we share a lot of values in what we do. Essentially, I think it’s the heartfelt part of what we both do that made it clear we wanted to create something that represented all of what we do independently, but believe in together. Hence Another Love Story was born!
While reading through the about section the gathering is described as a lush summer love affair in the wistful beauty of nature, we’re completely sold. Sounds like our kind of gathering. Where did you get the inspiration for such a weekend? Is this something you were imagining for a while?Â
Well, as I said, the core of the idea was to do something based on heart and softness, this was almost an unsaid between us, but once we stumbled upon the incredible surrounds of the venue (Killyon Manor) and the beautiful people that inhabit it, it added a physical setting to the concept. I think of Killyon as the Macondo in 100 Years Of Solitude – it has the same sense of magical realism, so in designing the weekend I basically just sat down and wrote a very whimsical essay based on the themes of what we had in our minds – love, joy, happiness, excess, frivolity and a little dash of darkness too. All the high speakin’ aside, we just didn’t want to do another event in a bunch of tents in a field, that’s not what we’re about in any way. The amazing design work by Steve McCarthy really helped solidify the idea visually too, which was fantastic.
It seems to be a bountiful experience from the on-line descriptions. Care to indulge us on what to expect over the course of the weekend?Â
Ha, well let’s hope the reality of the weekend lives up to the on-line description!! I’m certain it will! The main thing to say is that the weekend takes place very much inside the Manor home – there just so happens to be a beautiful ballroom attached to the back of the house which will house the main music offerings but we’re somehow allowed to use the other rooms in the house in proper Homebeat style for the other smaller musical happenings and other occurrences.
Musically there’s great mix of top class Irish artists (whom we genuinely believe are just as good and better than any international head-liners) such as Donal Dineen, Lasertom, Katie Kim, Little Xs For Eyes, Chequerboard not to mention our VERY SPECIAL SECRET GUEST (who we’re not allowed announce as they are playing the Picnic – shhhhhh!) and so  on, while other occurrences and affairs include spoken word from the LINGO crew and a bunch of mad cap things like the guerilla aerialists and Cosmic Claire’s Caravan Confessionals, and stuff like Yoga and Qi Gong all fuelled by food from the amazing Happy Pear.
Could you tell us a little bit more about Killyon Manor and the grounds? We’ve never been and were very intrigued.
Like I mentioned, Killyon Manor is a place very much with magic in its walls and trees. It’s an 18th century Manor home resplendent is leafy surrounds and complete with the most amazing family of free spirits living there. It has to be seen to be believed really.
Do you have another other inspiring projects happening for the rest of the year?
On the Homebeat front we’re of to The Picnic next weekend where we curate the small but very mighty Oxjam Tent on the Friday night from 6pm – 4am with a bunch of our favourite bands and DJs. Then it’s back to normal service of gigs in and around Dublin, and then we’re off of the festival trail again with our other little adventure – Fading Light – which we put on in a tiny village in Kerry called Caherdaniel every October Bank Holiday. But for now, it’s all about the Love!
You can still pick up tickets to this magical weekend on their site.
Words: SBK Fox