Playing live is the best part of being in a band - this is according to Gar Byrne of The Riptide Movement who spoke to The Avondhu ahead of their performance in Rocky Mayhem in Kilfinane on Saturday.

The festival went off to a flying start last weekend, as comedian Brendan Grace had people in knots with his hilarious quips and fantastic stories, followed by a night of classic rock.

Over the past few years, The Riptide Movement have become known for their fantastic live performances and now that is being recognised widely, as they will follow on from a bout in Glastonbury with their Kilfinane performance before performing with The Rolling Stones in July.

Speaking about how far they have come, Gar simply said that "it's pretty insane".

The lads have just finished recording their newest album and Gar said that they feel as if it really captures the energy and atmosphere of the live performances.

"It sounds monster, the songs just jump out at you and we hope to release it next year."

Gar said that they have always set themselves goals and next year they hope to break into America more, as they will tour in LA and New York, release the album and get their sound around the world with tours.

In the past, Malachy would have done a lot of the song writing, but for their new material, which they will be testing out in Rocky Mayhem, all four of them wrote it together. Gar said that because of this, elements from all of their lives were intertwined into the songs bringing four different sets of experiences and four ideas into one song.

"There are elements from all of our lives. It's a lot easier and more fun to write them together and we would be comfortable enough with each other to tell someone that something doens't sound good," he said.

When they got the call to perform with The Rolling Stones, the boys felt that it was all a bit surreal, as they never thought that they would be on stage with such legends. This weekend however, it will be all go as they are performing in Glastonbury on Friday night, in Rocky Mayhem on Saturday and then off to Westport on Sunday.

"We are at our best when we get a run at it and afterwards we'll all be sitting on the couch for a week watching DVD's," Gar said.

Tickets are €20 for Saturday night with performances from The Riptide Movement, Damien Dempsey and Cast of Cheers, while Jimmy Buckley will perform on Friday night, with camping for €5 and they are available from www.rockymayhem.ie, from sponsors Mitchelstown Credit Union and from local outlets in Mitchlestown and Kilfinane.

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