OF ALL the cities in Ireland, Belfast is really going all out for the last hurrah of the summer. Last week tens of thousands headed to the Laganside Custom House Square for the seven Belsonic gigs, […]
Author: Conor McCaffrey
Gigs round-up: August 20-26
JUNGLE BROTHERS, Sugar Club, Dublin, tonight. The Jungle Brothers are in that long list of hip-hop contenders who helped plenty of others along the way. A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul got a leg […]
Dancin’ in the street: Belsonic 2015
THERE’S nothing like a street party to change the buzz in a city — especially if the party is in the city centre and goes on for over a week. OK, we’re not saying Belsonic […]
Gigs round-up: August 13-19
TWISTED PEPPER CLOSING PARTY, Twisted Pepper, Dublin, tonight-Tomorrow. If you’ve lived in Dublin any time over the last seven years, chances are you’ve stumbled upon the Twisted Pepper on a late-night caper. And if you’re […]
Gigs round-up: August 7-13
SUMMER HOOTENANNY WEEKENDER, Pacino’s, Dublin, tonight-Sunday. Pacino’s is the smallest venue claiming to be running a three-day festival, when it’s really just a glorified weekend session, one step up from a rollover in your mate’s […]
Oliver Cole: It’s a love album… like 80 per cent of albums
OLIVER Cole is telling me that his second solo album is part of his “late Beatles phase”. But before he’s accused of blasphemy on John Lennon’s ‘bigger than Jesus’ scale, he’s not pretending to walk in their […]
This turntable kills fascists: Buck 65 interview (2006)
“Anyone can talk shit and make it rhyme”, claims Buck 65 on the last line from his 1996 album, Language Arts / Part 1. You’ve heard this one before through dismissive indie-rock creationist dogma, or maybe your […]
Gigs round-up: July 31-August 6
VINCENT CROSS, Cobblestone, Dublin, Tonight Smithfield’s home of trad and folk is hosting New York-based singer-songwriter Vincent Cross, after a week or so gigging in Ireland as part of his European tour. A prodigal son of sorts, […]
Bank holiday festival round-up
BEATYARD, Dun Laoghaire, tomorrow & Sunday For years the Beatyard was an umbrella festival in Dublin city centre clubs and venues, showcasing left-field electronic and hip-hop acts and plenty of exclusives. It filled a hole left by […]
‘Go with your instinct… the brain often gets in the way’: Neneh Cherry interview
I‘ve been on the phone to Neneh Cherry for nearly an hour before realising that I haven’t brought up gold discs, Manchild or Buffalo Stance. Generally, when 80s pop stars go ‘underground’, they’re on the […]
Gigs round-up: July 24-30
Folkfest Killarney, INEC, tonight-Sunday If you’ve no love for banjos and mandolins, the best advice is to stay out of Killarney this weekend. With a tagline of “folk, from dusk til dawn”, the first ever Folkfest is […]
Still bringing the Noise: Dave Clarke interview
IT’S hard to single out anyone in the last 20 years who’s done more for underground techno’s onward march than Dave Clarke. While some veteran DJs coast along, dining out on their classics and releasing […]
Gigs round-up: July 17-23
AFU-RA, Voodoo Lounge, Dublin, tonight As a New York rapper who’s obsessed with kung fu movies and chess, Afu-Ra must be pissed off that Wu-Tang Clan membership was full by the time he got round […]
All the people: Catch the Park life at Longitude
WITH Forbidden Fruit, Body & Soul and a load of outdoor gigs already consigned to the memory bank and blurry Facebook photos, this year’s festival season is chugging along nicely. And as we near the […]
Gigs round-up: July 10-16
Lubomyr Melnyk with Otto A Totland, Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire, tonight Ukrainian composer Lubomyr Melnyk holds the record as the world’s fastest pianist — set in 1985 with 19.5 notes on each hand per second. But […]
Moo Kid 