Subsounds Youth Music Festival rocks for the third year

“I heard about SubSounds through my older brothers; they participated back in 2008 when it was formerly known as Rock School,” begins Lara Fleming, a South Dublin-based singer-songwriter.

She became a SubSounds participant back in 2014 when she was 14 years old and continued with it until 2017.

She then went to BIMM, keeping in touch with everyone from SubSounds. She later returned as a mentor after she graduated in 2021, and she is still there to this day.

When asked about what kind of work went into the recent SubSounds Youth Music Festival on July 5, Lara responds, “The fun part for me was definitely designing the elements of the festival branding, engaging on social media, and collaborating with others.”

This was the festival’s third year in production, and each year, the SubSounds group meets with Music Generation South Dublin to see how they can improve.

This year they added an extra stage, a sensory area, outdoor games, and face painting, which all turned out to be very successful.

The festival went “very well” this year, and all performers were “phenomenal.”

Lara would like to give a special shoutout to headliners ‘The Hit Machine,’ who coaxed a conga line during their crowd work.

According to Lara, the feedback they received was great, and “we can’t wait to improve even more for next year!”

In addition to already beginning to prepare for the 2026 festival, Lara is personally working on her second single, ‘Small Talk,’ to be released later this year after releasing her debut single, ‘Gabriela,’ in December 2024.

She would like to thank the Annette Halpin Award for giving her the opportunity to fulfil the more fun, tongue-in-cheek pop vibe on ‘Small Talk’ compared to her previous single.

She would like to thank Martin Moran from Alternative Entertainments, who has supported her throughout her music career, from taking lessons at Des Carty Music School to mentoring her to working on the SubSounds Youth Music Festival with her.

“He has helped not only me but also many other musicians with their careers, and for that, I’m extremely grateful.”

She also credits Grainne Walker with being a “powerhouse” behind the scenes and thanks Jeanette Keane for her help with the festival.

She appreciates the support of the Arts Council, South Dublin County Council, Dublin Outdoors, ThisIsMe Sensory Explorers, TUD Tallaght, CONTACT Studio, Alternative Entertainments, SubSounds, Music Generation Ireland, and Music Generation Wicklow, Kildare, Meath, Fingal, Dublin City, and South Dublin.

She wants to thank all of the “amazing” artists, DJs, performers, headliners, ‘The Hit Machine’, and Sarah Crean who played that day.

“They all did amazing jobs at engaging the crowds, and it was such an inspiring, energising day watching all the young upcoming musicians.”