Thrills, Mills and rocking out – Battle and band are ready for action

​Friday night will be a historical homecoming of sorts for Cormac Battle.

The city native will break new ground as he leads his band Kerbdog on stage as the opening act of Live at Castle Mills, two nights of shows which will be held in the shadow of Kilkenny Castle.

While Kerbdog have played shows all over the world, they’ve never had one on this scale in their own backyard. Naturally, Battle is all set for what promises to be a night to remember.

“It’s been a long time coming,” he said of the show, which will see Kerbdog, Ash and Public Image Ltd take to the stage this Friday. “I wish there had been something like this here 30 years ago when we were starting out.”

The band are no strangers to festivals, but there’s something about the Castle Mills show that will be different from anywhere else they’ve played.

“The thing about festivals is that they’re generally on greenfield sites,” he said. “They’re outside the towns - you have to get out to them; they’re a bit of hassle - you can’t have a pint in a pub and then walk to them. Here, you could just walk from any of the beautiful places in Kilkenny City and, four minutes later, you’re watching Matt Berninger from The National playing. From something that seemed so unthinkable years ago, it’s very special to be a part of the bill, down by the Nore.”

While Battle and fellow bandmates Colin Fennelly and Billy Dalton just have to roll up and perform on the night, Kerbdog drummer Darragh Butler has been hard at work behind the scenes. His efforts haven’t gone unnoticed.

“I’m not an expert in this field, but doing this kind of stuff, it takes an awful lot of work, a lot of commitments, a lot of people giving out their time,” Battle said. “A lot of people do it for the love of music - I think the shows are motivated through the passion for music and bringing that up a level in Kilkenny.

“It’s coming from a very, very good place, so on that note, I really wish it well. And, I think that for a first shot to have PiL, Ash, Matt Berninger, Lisa O’Neill and Engine Alley playing as well - I thought that was a magic touch.

Full circle

“There’s a feeling of a full circle moment with us and Engine Alley playing,” he added. “Hopefully it launches this ship and off we go; maybe in 25 years’ time this is a fully established part of the music world and everyone knows what it is.

“These things are very, very hard to do, so hats off to people who have rolled up their sleeves and done it, because it ain’t easy.”

The Castle Mills show will be followed by an appearance at Forest Fest, before a gig in the Olympia at Hallowe’en, where Kerbdog will play all the songs from On The Turn, their second album.

“Some of those songs, we never played live, so we’ve got a lot of homework to do - but there are worse hobbies you can have,” he said.

However, the big draw will be this Friday, when the band plug in and strike the first chords of what Battle hopes will be the first of many Castle Mills events.

“Here in Kilkenny we have had a lot of festivals over the years,” he said. “We’re the best inland place in Ireland, and that’s just a fact of life. This festival moves into that kind of rock ‘n’ roll indie world that has been empty on a bigger scale for a long time. It’s mad that Matt Berninger is a singer in The National who headline huge festivals all over the world - and he’s playing in Kilkenny next weekend. We’re only playing a small part, but we’ve been spreading the word about Kilkenny for years since we started. Everything we’ve ever done, whether it was in the UK, Europe or America, Kilkenny has always been a very big part of our story. The music scene in Kilkenny, when we were growing up, was very strong. And I think now these shows offer a chance to represent Kilkenny as a place of talent. Hopefully it will give the young bands of Kilkenny a platform, then build bigger and better things.

“I’ve spent a lot of time down there,” he said of the concert’s setting. “It’s woven into the fabric of my youth, so just to have an event like that is amazing. Hopefully this is the first of what will become the permanent fixture on the landscape of the Irish music scene.

“If it works out, which I’m sure will, it’s going to be great,” he added. “I’m just proud of it.”

The inaugural Live at Castle Mills brings two distinct line-ups to Kilkenny City, with John Lydon’s Public Image Ltd. leading the charge on Friday with special guests Ash and Kerbdog. On Saturday, The National’s Matt Berninger will bring his only Irish solo show this year to the venue and will be joined by special guests Lisa O’Neill and Engine Alley.

Gates for both events open at 5pm, with tickets on sale from www.castlemills.ie and www.ticketmaster.ie