events/gigs
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Donal Dineen, Irish music, and whether radio really matters
Does radio really matter? Does it matter to you, to me, to him, to her, to bands, to venues and listeners and dancers and writers? Of course it does, you might say. But does it really? It wasn’t that long ago when the only way you could hear a new track was to tune in…
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Focus on: Stop/Run
It never fails to amaze me how many people are creating beautiful, challenging and eye-opening music in Ireland. And in turn, it never fails to amaze me how many people get up off their arses and put on unusual gigs, or unique events, simply with the aim of bringing new sounds to people and exploring…
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Peter Delaney & Cian Nugent
I’ve seen Peter Delaney perform twice now in the past two weeks, and by gosh if I haven’t fallen tongue-lollingly in love with his music. Ukeleles can often be associated with tacky, Hawaiian pop songs or ‘quirky’ tunes, but in the hands of someone like Delaney they become a perfectly miniature way of crafting a…
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Focus on Galway: Us vs Them & the city’s hardcore scene
For part three of my Focus on Galway series (which is an extension of my recent article on Galway for The Ticket in The Irish Times), I have a longer interview with Daniel Hielscher, the man behind Us vs Them. He has brought countless hardcore bands to the city as well as playing in Only…
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Focus on Galway: Citóg gigs
For part two of my closer look at the Galway music scene, we turn to Citóg, a gig night that proudly proclaims itself the ‘home of Galway music’. One essential part of a local music scene is having a place for musicians to play gigs – somewhere that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg…
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Let’s get Popical!
Has it really been a year since the Popical Island compilation #1 was released!? Strike me down with a feather. It has been a pretty amazing year for this Dublin-based collective, thanks to a stream of excellent shows and releases and a constant focus on keeping things fun, accessible and smart. The first compilation helped…
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Focus on Galway: Rusted Rail, Brigid Power Ryce, So Cow & Yawning Chasm
Ah, Galway. I’ve had visions of this little city running through my head for the past few weeks, all because of a series of interviews I did for the Irish Times‘ music supplement The Ticket a few weeks ago. The article came out yesterday – you can read it here – but due to word…
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Concerning a Sufjan Stevens sighting, The Olympia, Dublin
Great musicians become great musicians because of one thing: innovation. Think David Bowie’s flirtation with a new musical persona; Talking Heads’ layered basslines and polyrhythmic experimentation on Remain in Light; or Tom Waits’ ability to consistently reinvent himself while staying true to his grizzly spirit. The history of artists reinventing their careers does feature some…
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State vs…Sweet Oblivion
Hey folks, if you’re out and about in Dublin tonight and hankering for some live music to go with your beer, then pop along to the Mercantile on Dame St for some State vs Sweet Oblivion action. The lovely folk at State (where I have contributed articles over the past couple of years) asked me…
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Beaucoup de fantastique musique to enjoy at le Cork French Film Festival
Malheureusement pour my corny headline, but I had to throw a little bit of my (terrible – I used to be good at it years ago!) French into the post. If you’re in Cork this weekend, there are some wonderful events taking place as part of the city’s French Film Festival, which I detail below.…
Sweet Oblivion 