THE big beats return to West Cork next year and they’ll be rocking in Roaringwater Bay again on the June Bank Holiday weekend as Sherkin Island hosts the sixth Open Ear Festival.
The festival will run from May 31st to June 2nd, and features electronic and alternative electronic artists from May 31s to June 2nd.
Open Ear focuses on emerging artists and musicians and for 2024 announced a public call out, open to those who have never performed live in public before. The festival will mentor the successful artists in production and performance from scratch to the stage.
In 2024 the festival will also commission site-specific collaborative work for the first time, open to both seasoned performers and those who are newer to live performance. This initiative will be launched in the coming weeks.
Sherkin Island is an intrinsic part of the festival and this year organisers promise to bring ‘the freshest, weirdest and most exciting music that Ireland and further afield has to offer’.
Five acts have been confirmed already for this year’s festival: 7of9, Ali Morris, Brian not Brian, Gnod, and Hilary Morris. 7of9 is a duo featuring Osaro and Lizzie Fitzpatrick (aka coolgirl), 7of9 bringing together their brand of industrial pop. Ali Morris brings a set which includes garage, dubstep, bass and techno.
Brian Not Brian’s DJ sets straddle various musical genres, including jazz, cosmic disco, boogie, techno, and house Gnod R&D are an alternative outfit crossing musical divides while artist Hilary Woods work mixes music and film.
Open Ear is supported by the Arts Council of Ireland and tickets are already on sale.
The early bird price was €190 plus booking fee while the ‘mid-bird’ price is €210 plus fee with the late bird of full price €230 plus fee. See openear.ie
