DAMO SUZUKI, Grand Social, Dublin, tomorrow, €18.
Japanese artist Damo Suzuki is on a never-ending tour as a ‘sound carrier’, summoning decades of experience on the fringes of experimental music.
Best known as the vocalist of Can in the early 70s on the band’s most iconic albums Tago Mago, Ege Bamyasi and Future Days, Damo was part of the legendary line-up that inspired literally thousands of bands — notably Can disciples like John Lydon, Mark E Smith of The Fall and more recently James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem.
The former busker was recruited off the streets of Cologne to weave his non-linguistic abstractions between the band’s cosmic jams, and he still employs this improvised freeform method. His ‘Sound Carriers’ in Dublin include members of This Is How We Fly, 3epkano and Beautiful Unit, and others dipping in and out for the psychedelic voyage.
LEFTFIELD, Vicar Street, Dublin, tonight, SOLD OUT
Pioneering dance act Leftfield are back on the road after their Leftism tour last year — a celebration of their 1995 debut album, one of the most revered electronic music albums of all time.
In an interview back then, kingpin Neil Barnes told me after that tour he was done with nostalgia, and his new material was techno aimed at the club, so this District 8 gig makes sense.
Leftfield’s euphoric mix of dubby house, techno, hip-hop and electro is timeless anyway, with tracks like Open Up, Space Shanty, Phat Planet and Afrika Shox all hall of fame records, that’ll still sound as fresh as the new material.
GAME OF THRONES LIVE CONCERT EXPERIENCE: SSE Arena, Belfast, tonight, SOLD OUT
If you’re a Game of Thrones disciple, you can treat this as the ultimate recap/trailer while you wait for the final season of the Westeros fantasy drama.
There’s already been a Rave of Thrones tour, with DJ Kristian ‘Hodor’ Nairn playing house and remixes of the themes, with dressing up capers and a general anarchic buzz.
But this is a more reverential tribute, with series composer Ramin Djawadi conducting an orchestra through the score, with iconic scenes projected on giant screens.
It won’t be a fully refined affair, though – expect plenty of hollering during the Battle of Blackwater, the Red Wedding, Cersei’s Wildfire and anything to do with Daenerys’s dragons.
THE BREEDERS: Vicar Street, Dublin, Sunday, €35
Back in Dublin for a rescheduled gig after Storm Ophelia rained on everyone’s parade last year, alt-rock legends The Breeders have the advantage of a new album that’s sunk in with fans.
All Nerve is the Boston band’s first album since 2008’s Mountain Battles — but crucially it’s the same line-up as their 1994 calling card classic album The Last Splash, featuring Kim and Kelley Deal, Jim MacPherson and Josephine Wiggs.
They reformed after a hiatus for a nostalgic Last Splash tour, but like frontwoman Kim’s former band Pixies, The Breeders had to record new songs to excuse the comeback. After a series of 7-inches, All Nerve is an alt-rock triumph, all noise-rock rough edges and those all-important stop-start dynamics.
FATHER JOHN MISTY: Vicar Street, Dublin, Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday, €36.50
Josh Tillman must be due an arena show in Ireland at some point, but he’s keeping it ‘intimate’ with a three-night run at Vicar Street, the scene of his last sold-out shows here.
He’s recently drip-fed two songs from his upcoming album God’s Favourite Customer, with a hint that maybe he’ll get more introspective as he uses his real name on the track Mr Tillman — after his offstage persona gets muddled up in his trolling of Taylor Swift, Game of Thrones fans, music bloggers, Kanye West, in an ongoing list.
He’ll be filling the Vicar Street stage with a bulging cast list of musicians, allowing him to throw widescreen arrangements to his proggy folk and psychedelic pop songs.
Moo Kid 