The band members wore gorilla masks, a humanoid security camera, an athletic boxhead, a storm trooper wielding a smoke cannon, and a choreographed dancing robot.
Where else would you see it but at a King Kong Company concert?
After entertaining the masses at recent All Together Now and Spraoi festivals in Waterford, King Kong Company rocked the unique Ballykeeffe Amphitheater earlier this month. They are without a doubt one of Ireland’s most dynamic electronic dance groups. The songs, sounds, lasers and lighting are designed for a live show and the South East legends did not disappoint, delivering an unrestrained set that had all present in the glorious atmosphere of the amphitheater. pierced by their sonic boom.
The venue was at capacity when the band took the stage and the high temperatures sent the crowd to a fever pitch before a single note was played. Once the music started, the atmosphere immediately transformed as the usually seated stadium jumped to their feet, throwing off any inhibitions they were clinging to. Taking influences from reggae, drum and bass, trance and ska into the relentless electronic groove, King Kong Company have created a sound that is almost entirely their own. Each track is a hard-hitting yet melodic feast that is impossible not to dance to.
Over the spectacular ninety minutes, we were treated to a full hit list including ‘Harvest’ to ‘Forest’ and ‘All Been Done Before’ with Aisling Browne on lead vocals. All of this, coupled with Trish Murphy’s multiple eccentric costumes and frenetic projected visuals, makes for an experience that unabashedly relies on creating an atmosphere as unique as the location itself. As the evening light began to fade and darkness descended, it only intensified the scene culminating in a musical, laser and lights extravaganza with an encore of ‘The Crab’, ‘Zoids/Pol Pot Rock’ and closing out a brilliant night with ‘Get A Way’.
What an amazing place Ballykeeffe Amphitheater is and it is maintained on a voluntary basis. Nestled at the foot of the former Ballykeeffe Quarry, Kilmanagh, it brings the unique atmosphere of an open-air Italian theater to the scenic countryside of Kilkenny.
In the late 1990s, a team of dedicated volunteers recognized a unique potential that was realized through hard work, and in 2000 the amphitheater proudly hosted the first of many shows.
The KBK Company (Kilmanagh, Ballycallan and Killaloe) which operates the Ballykeeffe Amphitheater was founded in 1986 by a group of local people to develop and promote community development. The Enterprise Group is a company limited by guarantee; with charitable status. According to the rules of the organization, no individual can profit from the organization and there is no private gain.
Currently, the group of companies has a board of directors of 10 people and a composition of fifteen to twenty people. Expenditure to date is €250,000, of which €200,000 has been funded by various bodies such as the Department of Arts, Culture and Heritage, BNS Leader and Kilkenny County Council.
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