So what do you do when you are afflicted with Stendhal Syndrome? This summer get yourself some Therapy? at Ireland’s Best Small Festival, Stendhal Festival of Art.

Northern Ireland’s most successful Alternative Rock act Therapy? will be bringing their frantic, pulse racing signature sound to Ballymully Cottage Farm on August 12 as part of the line-up for the sixth instalment of the multi-award winning showcase of the arts.

Having notched an incredible 2 million Album sales worldwide during their amazing career, Therapy? have had numerous top ten singles and albums, while building a reputation as one of the best and most revered acts to ever emerge from Northern Ireland.

Mercury Music prize nominees, Oh Yeah Centre Legend Award Winners, Kerrang award winners, Therapy? have produced 14 studio albums, garnered critical acclaim and were the soundtrack to the lives of many a child of Generation X.

Troublegum is without question one of the greatest albums ever by a Northern Irish act, tracks such as ‘Screamager’, ‘Nowhere’ and ‘Die Laughing,’ helped cement their place in Irish rock music history.

Their most recent offering, 2015’s Disquiet saw the band back in the UK album charts and tracks like ‘Deathstimate’ and ‘Still Hurts’, show that the band are as razor sharp with their riffs as ever.

Lead singer from Therapy? Andy Cairns says that the band are eager to get to Stendhal in August as playing new venues is one of the bands favourite aspects about gigging.

“We are excited to see what Stendhal has in store for us,” said Andy. “It’s a lot more exciting for the band to come and play new places than go back to venues they have been in hundreds of times before.

“Shows in new venues and towns where we have never played before present new challenges and as a band we like to be challenged.

“Having never gigged in Limavady before we have a new crowd to perform for, new people to work with and a new experience to look forward to.”

Having toured the globe and played at all the biggest festivals around the world, Andy says that he and the band usually enjoy festival shows a bit more than their own tour gigs, simply because they feel a lot less pressure and can really let loose.

“Festivals are great because they aren’t our gig,” he laughed, “when you are not having to worry about all the things that surround touring such as ticket sales, travel, set up, promotion, introducing new tracks, playing for over two hours a night,  festivals provide us with an opportunity to just go out and perform with the pressure off.

Therapy? have played the likes of Reading and Leeds, Donnington, Download and many other huge gigs throughout the world but Andy cites the bands appearance at Monsters of Rock in Sao Paulo as a festival highlight.

“We opened for Alice Cooper and Megadeth that night,” recalls Andy. It was in the Sao Paulo Football Stadium and it was a 70,000 people sell out. It was incredible. That said, my favourite part of it all was going to watch Megadeth at the very top of the stadium. The security allowed us access to a part of the ground that allowed us to look one way and see the whole of Sao Paulo and then look behind us to see Megadeth playing in front of a monster crowd. The sun was setting and everything. It was an amazing moment and I always remember thinking to myself at the time, “You aren’t in Antrim anymore kid.”

Regarded by many within Northern Ireland as the Godfathers of Northern Irish Alternative Rock, Therapy? Have been there, done that and bought the t-shirt and Andy has high hopes that some other Northern Irish Acts can break through and achieve the level of success Therapy? has.

“Festivals are an important showcase for bands trying to breakthrough,” he said, “for such a small place Northern Ireland has so many amazing bands and musicians so events like Stendhal are a great opportunity to get noticed.

“At the minute I really like Axis Of, Goons and I think that Robyn Shiels is one of the best and most important song writers in Northern Ireland. I like Boxcutter and Space Dimension Controller too but to be fair I could name loads of home-grown acts that I have plenty of time for.”

Event director of Stendhal Festival of Art, Ross Parkhill is thrilled to have Andy and Therapy? as one of the headline acts of the festival this year, saying: “Therapy? are one of the best known and loved rock bands to ever come from our shores so we are of course delighted to be welcoming them to the farm on August 12.

“They have played all over the world at some of the biggest festival’s and have one of the most electric live sets I’ve ever seen, so they will no doubt be a real highlight at Stendhal this year.”

Tickets for Stendhal Festival of Art are on sale now. Visit www.stendhalfestival.com for details.