Nine Crows Guide to Body and Soul

What To Do 

There is so much more to do at Body and Soul than just the music acts, ranging from spa treatments to film screenings. So if you feel like taking a break from dancing with your mates, check out one of the other unreal experiences Body and Soul has to offer.

Photo from bodyandsoul.ie

→ For some pampering; If the festival living is starting to take its toll and you feel like being pampered, Body and Soul has the Second Nature area where you can do just that. The Sanctuary Therapies offers loads of treatments including acupuncture in case you’re feeling a bit stiff from the weekend’s antics, an Indian head massage to help relieve any sore heads and reiki, perfect if you’re in need of some healing. If you’re feeling a bit grubby and want to get clean as well as relaxed, try the Immerse Spa Experience, which offers a range of water-based treatments including Epsom salt baths, seaweed baths and hot tubs, perfect for washing away the festival grot and relaxing you at the same time. The Naked Juice tent is offering a range of events from exercise classes to motivational talks and there’s also a range of workshops, meditations and classes including yoga and hula-hooping, so you’re sure to find something to interest you.

Photo from centrestage.vodafone.ie

→ For some laughs; Maybe you’re in need of some chilled comic relief after all the non-stop partying, Body and Soul has you covered with the Vodafone Comedy Tent. This is the tent’s third year at the festival and it has an exciting mixture of Irish and international comedians, including Al Porter, Joanne McNally and Fred Cooke. The comedy tent is always a highly anticipated aspect of the festival and you’d be mad to miss it, so make sure you head over and have a few laughs.

Photo from independent.ie

→ For some chill time; The non-stop partying at a festival can be draining and sometimes you need to just chill out and relax and where better to do just that than chilling in front of a classic film? For the third year in a row, the Light House Cinema is back at Body and Soul, showing a classic range of films, including My Girl, The Neverending Story, Spiceworld, Stop Making Sense and The Lost Boys. So take some time to rewatch an old favourite or catch a classic that you’ve never seen before, and how cool is it to be able to say you’ve watched Spiceworld outside at a festival? The films will be shown in the Library of Progress Tent every night from 9:30pm.  

Photo from bodyandsoul.ie

→ For some new experiences; Festivals are known for being the place for a cool new experience and as always, Body and Soul is delivering on that promise. This year they have invited you to “play the forest” with the new technology Mogees. Mogees is an exploration of noise making, currently exhibiting at the Science Gallery at Trinity College and will be at Body and Soul. It is a technology that turns anything into a musical instrument, so you simply tap on any of the marked trees and Mogees will magically turn this into a brand new sound. So you can tell your friends you took part in a scientific experiment and get to become one of the performers, even if it’s only for a few minutes.

 Photo from Facebook.com/bodyandsoulireland

→ For some culinary fun; As always, Body and Soul is delivering loads for the foodies amongst you. Along with the usual unreal set of food trucks, including the famous Big Blue Bus, they also have Food on Board, which is bringing in plenty of food experts giving talks on topics such as how to stop food waste, a permaculture approach to making recipes and the world of The Happy Pear, among many others. So whether you want to eat some food, get some recipe ideas or just learn more about food in general, Body and Soul has it all.

Who To See

Body and Soul is fast becoming one of Ireland’s best festivals and always has an unreal line up, but this can make it hard to know who to go see, so we’ve rounded up five acts at Body and Soul that you shouldn’t miss, enjoy!

Photo from bodyandsoul.ie

→ RÜFÜS; These lads from Sydney have been taking over Australia, with both of their albums, Atlas and Bloom, going to number one over there. Australia has a tradition of producing a number of amazing dance acts, including Jagwar Ma, Empire of the Sun and Cut Copy, and these boys are certainly following suit. They deliver an atmospheric, indie, electronic vibe, with an almost Chemical Brothers feel and are guaranteed to put on a good show, so head down and see what the fuss is all about.

Photo from facebook.com/bodyandsoulireland 

→ La Femme; Another overseas act, La Femme are a French act who went on tour in the States in order to make it big in France, leaving the French (and everyone else) wondering how they had never heard of this band before. The band describe themselves as influenced by the Velvet Underground and Kraftwerk, with a blend of krautrock and psych sounds and are about to undergo a round of French festivals and an Asian tour so be sure to catch them at Body and Soul first.

Photo from residentadvsior.net

→ King Kong Company;  Last year saw King Kong Company sell out The Academy, receive Pure M’s ‘Best Live Act of 2016’ award and release their self-titled debut album, and now they’re back after a few months break from touring to work on their music and improve their live shows, with what promises to be a knockout performance. The Irish electric group have played at Body and Soul before, in 2014 and 2015, and this year’s set is sure to be just as much of a success.

Photo from bodyandsoul.ie

→ Bonobo; Body and Soul themselves say that Bonobo aka Simon Green, personifies their “laidback atmosphere and surging energy” so you know his set is going to be a good one. The Brit performer released his sixth album, Migration, this year, which went to number one in the US dance/electronic charts, following in the steps of his last album The North Borders. He has been all over the world delivering a number of amazing performers and for Body and Soul his live band are coming along so the performance is sure to be mind bending. Definitely not one to miss.

Photo from facebook.com/bodyandsoulireland 

→ Metronomy; Initially a solo DJ act, founding member Joseph Mount eventually asked his cousin and friend to join him for live performances, though he continued writing and recording on his own. Metronomy released Summer ‘08  last year, recorded solely by Mount. The album is full of funky tunes featuring acts such as Robyn and Mix Master Mike. Metronomy will be fresh off the stage at Glastonbury when it comes to the time for Body and Soul, and with a live show known for unreal light shows, you know this will be a good one.

What To Wear

Festivals are always an excuse to take risks with your style and with this year’s theme for Body and Soul being ‘Second Skin,’ it gives you the perfect excuse to embrace your ‘most creative self’ and step into a second skin. Don’t worry if you’re not sure what to wear, we’ve rounded up some of our cutest pieces in store to give you some inspo so be sure to pop into us for all your festival needs.

Baja Babe;

A baja is a festival classic and we have tons of cute ones in store at the minute, including this gorge grey one, ideal paired with some cute vintage sunnies for a casual laid back look. We also have this STUNNING candy striped piece which is perfect for throwing on when the temperatures start to go down and staying festiglam. And for those gals who want to stand out a bit, why not go for our cute short sleeved baja, with some classic denim shorts and some funky sunglasses. Perfect for being a Body and Soul babe.

Get Hot in Hawaiian;

Hawaiian shirts are one of the biggest festival trends this season, they’re unisex, versatile and gorgeously effortless. One of the best things about Hawaiian shirts is the amount of ways you can wear them. They look super cute buttoned up with some shorts, with one of our stunning bralettes underneath or casually tied up. We also have this stunning Hawaiian print t-shirt which looks gorge with some boots and a denim skirt. Rock one of these shirts at Body and Soul and you’ll feel as if you’re on a tropical island, even if it is pouring down.

Halter Top Heaven;

Our halter tops are an absolute essential for any glam festigal. They keep you looking fab, even when you’re roughing it at a festival, and go with absolutely everything. We have some outfit inspo here to give you gals some ideas, will you rock your halter with a studded belt and some leather? Or maybe go for a more boho look with a cute hat and some glam sunnies? For the more daring of you, go full on cowgirl-chic with some of our fab cowboy boots and suede fringed skirts. Whichever way you choose to style them, a cute halter will make sure you’re one of the most glam festival goers in Ballinlough.

Kill it in Crochet;

Another festival essential is crochet, perfect for all you boho babes out there. Crochet always looks cute and is perfect paired with some vintage Calvin Klein denim and a shirt for a very 90’s inspired festival look. Or embrace the creative theme of this year’s Body and Soul and throw a funky colourful waistcoat on top of a crochet top and some shorts, with some colourful sunglasses to perfect the look. Outfits like these will make sure you’re absolute boho festigoals.

Two Piece Dreaming;

You can’t go wrong with one of our amazing two pieces for a festival. Wear them together for a cute coordinated festival look, or mix and match them with some other pieces to change things up a bit. This gorge colourful one gives us major festival vibes and is perfect for looking glam while staying comfy at Body and Soul, perfect for grooving the night away.

Whatever you wear or do or whatever acts you see, just remember that festivals are a place for fun, a place where you can go all out with your outfits and completely be yourself (or step into a ‘second skin’ and be someone else) but most of all where you can have a laugh with your mates and forget about everyday stresses. So be safe, have an unreal time and be sure to catch us at the Dark and Stormy bar between two and four on the Sunday!