The only word I could describe day one of the inaugural MONIO festival (that’s Music of Northern Irish Origin to you and I) would be “unexpected”. From the “festival marquee” that was in fact an indoor arena to the ever changing line up, this reviewer simply didn’t have a clue what was going to happen next.

The sound of Farriers is one of an amalgamation of Irish traditional and American folk music. There’s clear chemistry between Rachel Coulter and Stephen Macartney and a great appreciation of harmonies. ‘The Last Long Evening’ featured one of those irritatingly simply melodies that are just impossible to get out of your head, while the soft and tender vocals of Rachel and Stephen at the end create this warm and rich sound. A thumbs up for sure.

We were treated to nine tracks from Gareth Dunlop and his band –  a strong Joe Cocker vibe throughout the set and clearly that was the impression he sought to leave us with. The accordion is a rare instrument to see on stage these days and a harp is even more unusual, but the two combined well with those soulful vocals from Gareth on ‘Firefly’. Perhaps one or two filler tracks could have been left off that setlist, but with ‘Lady Luck’ we have our first “moment” of the day.

LaFaro’s performance was ridiculously tight – tracks like ‘Leningrad’ sounded better than ever with Herb Magee transforming into a bass-playing deity on stage. It’s dirty and brutal rock but there’s something oddly enticing about it – a sweaty energetic set featuring the unstoppable track that is ‘Chopper’. The upcoming album material sounds exceptionally strong (especially ‘Party Hardy Marty’) and who knows, in a few months they might not even have to play ‘Tuppenny Nudger’ in a set at all.

Ed Zealous were armed with some great new material for this gig: the first track resembles the lovechild of Smashing Pumpkins and synths in my eyes. We got the old favourites such as ‘Talk With Your Hands’ and ‘The Mothership’: there’s some great guitar work from Andrew Wilson while the keyboard riffs are swirling and twirling all over the place. It’s ominous, poppy and movement inducing at the same time. A Glasgowbury performance and this gig show they’re picking up where they left off.

It was a pretty bizarre ten or so hours before Wallis Bird took to the stage and to be perfectly honest that feeling didn’t disappear. The words “female Irish singer songwriter” seem to be a curse around these parts, so it’s probably best to describe her and her band as free spirits. Her sound changes from song to song. At one moment it’s a confessional folk ballad, at another it’s pop punk, but it’s always entertaining. ‘Lala Land’ isn’t lyrically deep but it provides for a great bassline and a ska breakdown towards the end of the track. There’s an intense and deep energy running through this band: Wallis is moving around stage like a hyperactive KT Tunstall, the drummer is giving it his all while the bassline is bouncing all over the place. ‘Measuring Cities’ slows things down a bit with tinges of Gemma Hayes emerging on the track, but it’s the more upbeat numbers where Wallis shines. ‘When We Kissed’ is a song that seems to be destined for a Disney soundtrack, a short but sugary sweet pop number that can’t help but bring a smile to your face. A quick wit and Wallis’ soulful, almost Carole King-like voice means that there’s substance behind the jangly pop tunes. However – the set time is simply too long: the extended tracks and rambling chats are nice, but it’s clear to see the band is playing for time. And that ten minute jam session right at the end of the set taking a little shine off a memorable performance.

It had been a long day.