Wexford Echo — Rockers Ash to return for third Indiependence outing

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

By Joe Leogue

Editors, Bell X1, The Kooks, and Idlewild are among the first acts to be announced for the Indiependence music festival in Mitchelstown this summer.

Down rockers Ash are also to play the festival for the third time — and take to the stage one year after cutting their Indiependence set short due to leadman Tim Wheelers’ illness. Festival promoter Shane Dunne said the organisers are”‘delighted” to have Ash back at the festival.

“I emailed Tim to tell him to stock up on Berocca and vitamin C tablets, don’t be sick this year,” he joked.

Mr Dunne said that Ash wanted to return to the festival after making an effort to overcome Wheeler’s difficulties in 2015.

“Tim Wheeler emailed me the following week and was all apologies, he said they’d love to do it again. Long story short, we’ve been planning it since then. They really wanted to come back.”

The Strypes, Hudson Taylor, and The Blizzards will also play Mitchelstown over the August Bank Holiday weekend, as will Little Hours, King Kong Company, Pleasure Beach, Brian Deady, CC Brez, Saint Sister, Coasts, and Stephanie Rainey.

[raw][/raw]

Organisers say that discounted ‘early bird’ ticket sales are up significantly on last year, and that allocations at lower tier one and two prices have sold out before any acts have been announced.

“They’re four times what was sold last year,” Mr Dunne said.

Capacity at the festival will be increased to 10,000 per day — double what the festival numbers were when it first launched as a ticketed event in 2009.

However, following speculation that the organisers were considering alternative venues for the festival, Mr Dunne would not commit to Mitchelstown beyond this year’s festival.

[raw][/raw]