Body&Soul, Ireland’s most beautiful and culturally pioneering midsummer festival, will bring together a host of exciting, homegrown Irish creative talent to this year’s programme, alongside internationally acclaimed names such as Fever Ray, Chronixx, John Hopkins (Live), Baxter Dury and James Holden, all of whom perform in the stunning grounds of Ballinlough Castle, Co. Westmeath, from 22 – 24 June.

Body&Soul 2018 offers audiences an opportunity to discover a different, contemporary side to Irish culture, bringing bubbling and emerging creative scenes and new cultural industry into its creative fold for the weekend. A varied programme including Louise O’Neill, Blindboy Boatclub, Pillow Queens and Waterford Whispers News will join some of the country’s most innovative musicians across the festival site.

Experimentalists such as Pitchfork-favourite Davy Kehoe will expound his ‘adrenaline-fuelled krautrock’, BBC6 Music DIY darlings Pillow Queens take on toxic masculinity and anxiety, brazen and bold all-female Limerick punk outfit Pow Pig have a bright future ahead of them, along with improv pop-outfit The Bonk from Waterford. BBC2 Folk Award winners Lankum reinvent the folk music tradition with their raw, urgent sound that has mesmerised Guardian critics, and newcomer ROE’s self-described ‘grumpy electro-pop’ as featured on ‘Made in Chelsea’ and ‘The Only Way is Essex’ will delight the Body&Soul Stage.

Galway-native Anna Mullarkey creates her own genre-bending ethereal solo show, dance-focused electronica duo PrYmary Colours combine deep, soulful vocals and exalting beats and rising stars from Cork Shookrah’s uniquely Irish neo-soul that has garnered them the title of ‘Best Irish Band of 2017’ from the Irish Times.

Meanwhile, Wonderlust, the little stage of curiosities will host outspoken, feminist writer and activist Louise O’Neill. Frequently heralded as the voice of a new generation of Irish women, her recent release Almost Love, navigates the minefields of relationships with a uniquely difficult female protagonist

The Library of Progress will champion critical thinking at the festival with some of the country’s sharpest minds. Blindboy Boatclub of the Rubberbandits – whose Blindboy Podcast has swiftly garnered a million listeners for his unique introspections on mental health, racism and history in modern Ireland – will host a series of events that probe this current moment in history, and everything from alternative facts to creative production are faring on this island. Meanwhile, legendary satirists, Waterford Whispers News will debut a new show, playing in the world of ‘fake news’ with their characteristic biting social commentary.

The 2018 edition of the festival, which is now in its ninth year, has the theme of Alchemy – and attendees are encouraged to interpret what Alchemy means to them, be it through their mindset, energy, costume or ideas. With great projects, relationships and concepts evolving out of conversations had and moments shared over the three days at Ballinlough, this is the audience’s chance to harness this energy and become the change they want to see.

Tickets for Body&Soul are on sale via Ticketbooth. Tier 3 tickets are now on sale at €199. Sunday only tickets will be available from mid-March for €70.

http://bodyandsoul.ie/