It only seems like yesterday when German Dietmar Leibecke, a regular attendee at Kilkenny Roots Festival, made the brave decision to host an Americana-styled festival in Germany. Ten years later, staged at the former industrial church complex, Zentrum Altenberg, in Oberhausen, the Static Roots Festival has earned the hallmark as one of the premier boutique roots festivals in Europe. Add the words ‘independent’ and ‘non-profit’ to describe the festival, alongside the vast amounts of money raised to support Doctors Across Borders, and Static Roots deserves the accolade as ‘unique’ among music festivals in Europe.
Music lovers flock from Ireland, England, Scotland, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Canada and Germany, the majority of whom are return visitors to Static Roots to enjoy not only the music but the inclusive community spirit and meet up with old and new acquaintances. The annual lineup matches the international flavour of the audience; this year’s roster featured artists from America, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Scotland, Spain and Ireland.
In recent years, Dietmar has included a Thursday night ‘welcome’ event alongside the Friday and Saturday schedules. This year’s event was staged in the historic old town of Essen-Werden. Originally scheduled as an indoor event, the show was moved to an outdoor venue to meet demand after tickets sold out within a few days. On a beautiful, sunny, balmy evening, Kilkenny supergroup Lincoln Skins (John Gleeson, Tony Cleere, Conan Doyle and Ger Moloney) were the first band to perform, followed by The Southern Fold, returning to Oberhausen after wooing audiences at the festival last year. In a blistering ninety-minute set, the Kilkenny-based and gothic country band led by Emlyn Holden and featuring his co-vocalist and percussionist, the Mauritius-born Madeleine Leclezio, included selections from their new album titled BENEATH the BLAZE of the BURNING SUN, due for general release in October, alongside inclusions from their back catalogue.
The annual Static Roots Friday historical tour was a guided walk to the Neue Mitte area of Oberhausen before the doors of the Zentrum Altenberg opened in the late afternoon for the five Friday acts. The Americana genre has become a broad brush, encompassing acts and individuals from a wide range of musical backgrounds. The selection of acts at Static precisely embraces that wide-ranging multiplicity. Friday evening featured the smooth folk/pop crossover of Norwegian musical three-piece collective Silver Lining, which includes Live Miranda Solberg, who performed at the festival in 2024 in her other project, Louien. In contrast, Nashville-based Ben De La Cour, joined by accordion supremo Ger Moloney, played a captivating collection of dark, poetic tales before Scottish Kirsten Adamson and her band, The Tanagers, raised the tempo with a killer show, mostly drawn from her 2025 album, DREAMVIEWER. In keeping with the ideal mix of genres, Canadian Leeroy Stagger represented Americana with a capital A, with his blend of folk, country and lots of rock. The perfect Friday closing act was Sweden’s Jesper Lindell, whose Neil Young and Van Morrison influences shone brightly.
Saturday’s festivities kicked off with Enniscorthy, Wexford-born and now Canada-based Irish Mythen, who played the annual Festival’s Willie Meighan Slot in honour of Willie, a dear friend to many of the festival attendees and a huge presence at the Kilkenny Roots Festival for many years. Performing solo, Mythen’s powerful vocals, guitar skills, and passionate tales of country borders and religious/ state outrages had many reaching for tissues to wipe a tear or two.
Next up, Jerry Joseph and his band, The Dimpker Brothers, in typical Jerry Joseph style, raised the tempo with expletive-laden song introductions and a blistering set from his back catalogue. London-based and originally from Catalonia, Joana Serrat, well known to many attendees from her performance at Kilkenny Roots, had a quite unique sound that ranged from ethereal power pop to psychedelia, all delivered by her distinctive vocals. The ‘face-melding’ performance of the weekend was the set from Julianna Riolino. In another life, Julianna was a member of Daniel Romano’s Outfit, and her gritty indie-rock performance, delivered with maximum volume, was a crowd pleaser.
Toning the volume down a few notches, the melodic hook-filled toe-tapping slot that followed was by The Dreaming Spires, led by brothers Joe and Robin Bennett (Robin played the festival previously as part of Bennett, Wilson Poole). Playing the final night of her European tour, the honeyed vocalist and ever-smiling Emily Nenni with her band ticked the modern country/honky tonk slot at the festival, dipping into a selection from her latest album, MOVIN’ SHOES and a number of songs from her previous records.
The final act, Texan Vandoliers, was the fitting festival closer. With a fully charged mix of country punk and no-nonsense rock, they raised the temperature to a boiling level with their relentless playlist. Moving to the outdoor courtyard after their set and allowing us to draw breath, Lincoln Skins, joined by a number of artists who had performed earlier that day, led the annual outdoor festival wind-down into the early hours in fine style.
Hats off and big congratulations to Dietmar, his wife Marion, his M.C., Jeff Robson, the sound and lighting engineers, and the numerous helpers, who made for a weekend that was a credit to them all.
If you attended this year’s festival, no doubt we will see you there again next year. If not, a trip to Oberhausen for Static Roots is highly recommended. Tell a few friends too, but not too many; we don’t want this precious festival to get too big.
Review and photography by Declan Culliton