“I smell something burning… are you on fire?!” Grace Jones’ intro at Exit Festival in Serbia last weekend was less stage banter, more a strict command from the fiercest woman in pop history. The short […]
Author: Conor McCaffrey
Here’s your top 10 Longitude acts for this weekend
One of the funniest Twitter rage storms of the year was the huffing over the Longitude line-up — with the ‘real music’ brigade moaning that there were no proper bands on the bill. These lads […]
Paul Simon’s Homeward Bound for good
Paul Simon’s latest tour hammers the point home that this really is the last time. If he’d just called it the Homeward Bound tour we’d get it, but Homeward Bound: The Farewell Tour spells out […]
Kraftwerk still charging their batteries
The Live at the Marquee series has brought many acts to Cork over the years, but none as important as Kraftwerk. The German electric pioneers could well be the most influential act of all time […]
At the Drive-in lead the Irish gigs highlighter
At The Drive-In Vicar Street, Dublin, Tuesday, €47 At The Drive-In are now over two years into their reunion tour, and it never ruined their legacy after all. When the El Paso post-hardcore act split […]
The balls you’d need to replace Freddie Mercury
It takes some balls for a band to carry on losing a singer, fighting a relentless niggling feeling that you’re always being held against the original. Even if it’s a success the spectre is always […]
All the right noises: June 2018 in 21 tracks
This is generally the time for halfway-point albums of the year, but let’s not panic yet, and stick to the standout tracks of June 2018. Oneohtrix Point Never, Nine Inch Nails, Freddie Gibbs and Death […]
It’s Showtime at Sea Sessions
AS IRELAND’S only surf and music festival, expect the average punter you meet at the seaside bash to have a lot more stamina than your regular session rollover head covered in grass stains and last […]
Roger Waters leads the Irish gigs highlighter
ROGER WATERS, 3Arena, Dublin, Tuesday (only €131 tickets left) & Wednesday,€76-131 Former Pink Floyd legend Roger Waters’ 2013 visit to Dublin to perform The Wall was one of the most visually stunning gigs in recent memory, with […]
Steve Davis leads the Irish gigs highlighter
STEVE DAVIS, Cyprus Avenue, Cork, tonight, €15 ONE of my favourite gig memories of recent years is seeing Steve Davis – yes, that Steve Davis – play a four or five-hour set at Tengu in […]
It gets you right down to your soul: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds at Kilmainham
I’m going in for a hug with Nick Cave and I’m pretty sure he could use one. We all could, it’s been one of those nights. I’ve just crashed the stage with 50 wannabe Bad […]
This week’s Irish gigs highlighter
A-HA, Live at the Marquee, Cork, Tuesday, SOLD OUT Norwegian icons A-ha pop come to Cork armed with some timeless classics. Over the band’s 10 albums since 1985, the band have flirted with blues, rock […]
In this together: Nick Cave’s growing bond with fans
When our rock stars hit 60 it’s usually time for retrospectives, best-ofs and classic album tours, but Nick Cave is an artist who’s continually raging against the dying of the light. Cave turned 60 last […]
Black rain come down: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds in 10 songs
There’s a case to be made for Nick Cave being a rock’n’roll shape-shifter of David Bowie’s equal, even if he’s looked like a spindly Thin White Duke in a black suit for 30-odd years. I’m […]
AVA Festival: It’s all about the Belfast crowd
AVA creator and organiser Sarah McBriar was boasting in the Irish Times this week about the festival’s USP — the unpretentious up for it Belfast crowd. If you’ve got that as a base for an […]
Moo Kid 