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Ward Park 3 in Northern Ireland - 25 May 2019
Let's cast our minds back to the bucolic days of 2007. Northern Ireland's Snow Patrol had four albums under their belts and had conquered the globe with "Chasing Cars". The band were also vocal supporters of their country's music scene. So they created the first Ward Park festival, set in the band's hometown of Bangor. That first edition in 2007 attracted 30'000 people, so a second festival was put on in 2010, also to great success.
Cut to 2018. On 25 May, Snow Patrol released "Wildness", their first album in seven years. The idea of doing a third Ward Park festival came up.
Singer Gary Lightbody said: "Every time I go out in Bangor, the only question I ever get asked is, When’s the next Ward Park?".
And so it came to pass. One whole day with an all-Northern Irish bill. The music scene in the country is thriving at the moment; in these fraught times, a celebration of that scene seems only right.
Young indie rockers brand new friend kicked off the festival on the main stage with a fun, high-energy set. Jealous Of The Birds showed star potential and charisma, playing interesting, unusual melodies and rhythms - definitely a musician worth keeping an eye on. SOAK's vocals rang bright and clear, despite the band having to overcome technical difficulties at the start of the gig.
A second stage, curated by Snow Patrol and Gary Lightbody’s NI artist development company Third Bar, showcased up-and-coming artists. ROE was an instant hit with the audience and The English Show; the multi-instrumentalist created appealing and immediately accessible soundscapes - another one to watch out for.
Kitt Philippa's lovely, delicate offerings were contrasted by the throw-a-pose rock of the hugely entertaining The Wood Burning Savages.
Judging by the screams coming from the front rows, JC Stewart is a heartthrob in the making; he already proved his considerable musical chops when he supported Snow Patrol on their tour earlier this year.
Back on the main stage, the mighty Ash delighted the crowd with "Girl From Mars" and "Shining Light", while the great, raspy-voiced Foy Vance turned a huge field of people into an intimate pub sing-along.
Clad in the most vibrant outfits of the day, Two Door Cinema Club launched right into the funky "Talk" from their new album "False Alarm" and never put a foot wrong, leading the audience through songs like "Undercover Martyn", "I Can Talk" and the insanely catchy "What You Know". A stellar concert.
Headliners Snow Patrol walked on stage with huge grins on their faces, local boys made good. Their setlist ran the gamut from early hit "Run", with its indelible "light up, light up" chorus, to new songs "Life On Earth", "Heal Me" and the beautiful "What If This Is All The Love You Ever Get?".
In between, you had the hypnotic "The Lightning Strike" and sing-along favorites "Shut Your Eyes" and - of course - "Chasing Cars".
The theme running through "Wildness" and throughout Snow Patrol's tour has been the longing for more humanity and kindness, both on a personal and political level. "Make This Go On Forever" includes the appeal to "please just save me from this darkness". The political came through when the band paid tribute to recently murdered Northern Irish journalist Lyra McKee during "Take Back the City".
Lightbody also mentioned the beauty of the Irish music scene as a whole, North and South: "There's an awful lot of songs from the Republic of Ireland, but there was only one song that we could think of that said everything that needs to be said in these heady times. Just one song." The band started playing a cover of U2's "One" - and, in the biggest surprise move of the festival, Bono strolled on stage to join in. The screams in the crowd when everyone realised that the U2 frontman was there in the flesh - what a moment! Such a lovely thing to see the awestruck grins on the faces of Snow Patrol themselves and to hear those two voices blend together.
It was the biggest highlight on a day full of memorable moments. 35'000 people in a local town park, singing along and celebrating music. What a joy to have experienced Ward Park 3.
- Anna Wirz
More photos by Anna Wirz right here on Flickr.
Here's our interview with Gary Lightbody back in February 2019.
