Irish gigs of the week

Ho99o9, The Workmans Club, Dublin, Monday
Pronounced ‘Horror’, rap duo Ho99o9 are one of the most confrontational hip-hop acts in years, while still being relatively easy to digest.

Equal parts horrorcore rap, hardcore punk and industrial, New Jersey-based theOGM and Eaddy are touring on the back of their debut album United States of Horror, whose crude sleeve has a zine-style cut-out of an infant over a crucifix.

They’re not too many degrees of separation from Death Grips, but while DG’s white noise assaults and lyrical nihilism have a steep learning curve, United States of Horror is an immediate jolt of feral electronics, punk riffs and hardcore ranting.

Their gigs have often been cut short in the US venues because of near-riots, but hopefully it’ll be contained in the Workmans till the bitter end.

THE 1975, Ormeau Park, Belfast, tonight; Malahide Castle, Dublin, tomorrow
Over the last few years The 1975 have got a lot of stick from critics and musos claiming they’re like a slightly highbrow boyband phoning it in with their Duran Duran notions.

But when the new Guardian recently asked if Harry Styles was the new David Bowie, the goalposts are shifting hysterically, so the. The snottiness around the 1975 is probably based on their millions of young female fans and the social media blitz, but their sleek synth-rock is just the right side of poppy, with pretty interesting production.

They seem to have a bit of fun with it to, you can’t call your album ‘I Like It When You Sleep For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of I’ and not have a whack of self-awareness. Catchy!

CREAM CLASSICAL, Ormeau Park, Belfast, tomorrow
The cynic in me suspects the latest trend of 90s dance hits being re-scored by orchestras is just a chance for aging ravers to get one last night out. Speaking to The Star last year, Peter Hook admitted as much, before the Hacienda Classical gig: “When you get divorced, when you have your midlife crisis, all these songs are still there!”

Aside from the Hacienda project, Pete Tong’s Ibiza Proms, Jenny Greene’s 90s Classics and Jeff Mills’ more highbrow experimental projects, Cream Classical is another more refined way to experience some of dance music’s all-time anthems.

Along with the 50-piece orchestra, Cream legends Judge Jules and Tall Paul and local hero Robbie Nelson will be spinning classics like Strings Of Life by Rhythim Is Rhythim, Underworld’s Dark and Long and Daft Punk’s One More Time.

THE AVALANCHES, Olympia Theatre, Dublin, Thursday
I was at the Avalanches’ Irish gig in 2001, in that big horse shed that used to double as the dance arena at Witnness, that morphed into Oxegen. It was around the time of the Aussie’s breakout hit Frontier Psychiatrist — one of the simultaneously catchiest and annoying songs of the decade, with its “boy needs therapy” hook the sound of every crap student disco for half a decade. That shed was pretty wedged.

Their 2000 album Since I Left You ended up on plenty of end of decade lists, on the back of its impeccable sample-mining and turntablism, but it maybe gained cult status because the Avalanches seemed to disappear. They finally returned last year with their follow-up Wild Flower and the suitably grating single Frankie Sinatra.

Still, they’re an impressive live prospect, with a clash of synths, samplers and guitars, and MCs and guest vocalists — Spank Rock appeared on their home dates at the start of the tour in Oz.