Operating Theatre, the experimental duo of composer Roger Doyle and actor Olwen Fouéré will play a rare show as part of the 5-day programme.
Musictown runs from June 14th to 18th 2025 with a series of multi-room live collaborations.
On the lineup this year, Crash Ensemble will be paired with performers Anna-Mieke, Bren Berry, Róis and Goldbug with Glasshouse Ensemble performing the music of Scott Walker, Cellist Eimear Reidy and experimental producer Natalia Beylis will perform together and Operating Theatre, the music/theatre group formed in the 1980s by godfather of Irish electronic music and renowned composer Roger Doyle featuring acclaimed actor Olwen Fouéré will perform.
The duo’s track ‘Spring is Coming with a Strawberry in the Mouth’ was recently covered by Caroline Polachek, leading to a renewed interest and appraisal of the band.
An all-ages daytime event curated by DIY Dublin promoters Swimsuit Issue featuring emerging l Irish bands, Makeshift Art, Hotgirl and Softdrink Millionaire also takes place.
Crash Ensemble’s collaborations will see them perform with different vocalists featuring interpretations of existing and developing work.
Eimear Reidy and Natalia Beylis come together in The Kevin Barry Room for a matinee performance of She Came Through the Window to Stand by the Door and other works for piano and cello.
Irish/French artist Goldbug will be joined by Crash Ensemble for a special showcase of music from his forthcoming album, co-produced with Chris W Ryan, and mastered by mastering engineer Heba Kadry – which follows an art rock tradition, with a sound that nods as much to the lo-fi sampling of downtempo electronic music as it does to the orchestral compositions of old Disney soundtracks.
Musictown programme at a glance
Saturday June 14th – Main Auditorium – 8pm
Bren Berry x Crash Ensemble
Saturday June 14th – Kevin Barry Room – 3pm
Natalia Beylis & Eimear Reidy perform She Came Through the Window to Stand by the Door & other works for piano & cello.
Saturday June 14th – The Studio – 4pm
Swimsuit Issue presents ALL AGES feat. Makeshift Art Bar, Hotgirl & Softdrink Millionaire
Sunday June 15th – Main Auditorium – 8pm
Anna Mieke x Crash Ensemble
Sunday June 15th – The Studio – 6pm
Goldbug x Crash Ensemble
Monday June 16th – Main Auditorium – 8pm
Glasshouse performs Scott Walker (feat. Simon Morgan & Adrian Crowley)
Tuesday June 17th – Main Auditorium – 8pm
Róis x Crash Ensemble
Wednesday June 18th – Main Auditorium – 8pm
Operating Theatre – Roger Doyle & Olwen Fouéré
June 14th – 18th, 2025
Tickets on sale Friday May 9th from 10am from nch.ie
“Collaboration stimulates creativity and generates new work. Even the most solitary musicians can benefit from sharing ideas, stepping into someone else’s perspective,” says Leagues O’Toole of Foggy Notions.
“Writing, producing and performing music in the modern world isn’t always easy. A lack of venues, facilities, and platforms from which to be heard amongst the ever-accumulating mountain of work hosted online can be disheartening, and counter-creative. Artists will often find their greatest allies are other artists, people they can relate to, work with and, in some cases, build a community with.
“This year’s programme feels particularly exciting to me; It can be fascinating to catch artists outside of their release cycle. For instance, it’s been a while since we heard from Anna Mieke and perhaps a while before she releases again, so perhaps we’ll hear developing work. Bren Berry has made a really inspiring and heart-warming debut solo album long after he considered his career as a musician to be over. He wants people to turn his music inside out and explore new perspectives so his collaboration with Crash Ensemble is perfect. Operating Theatre were active throughout the 1980s as a vehicle for experimental theatre but they subsequently made some incredible music which has stood the test of time. It was so rewarding to see someone like Caroline Polacheck pick up on it.
“Glasshouse recently performed a set of Ryuichi Sakamoto that journeyed throughout his varied career so we thought we’d challenge them to do something similar with Scott Walker’s musical journey, which is fascinating to say the least. As I’ve often said, Crash Ensemble are a national treasure in my mind, their insatiable appetite to collaborate with different musicians and styles of music. They never back down from a challenge and I’m excited to see them work with two of Ireland’s most exciting young artists, Róis and Goldbug.
“Nataia Beylis and Eimear Reidy made this incredible work a few years ago called She Came Through the Window to Stand by the Door that I feel hasn’t been heard enough so I’m excited to see them perform this and other works for cello and piano. Swimsuit are DIY promoters presenting exciting new Irish artists every month in a tiny room above the Anseo pub. This is an opportunity for them to curate in a new space and for a younger all-ages audience. The country is bursting at the seams with brilliant new music but we need kids to hear it too. Music can and is as important to a 13 or 14 year old as it is to someone in their 30s.”
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005 . He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Cara Magazine, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, founder of Lumo Club, club promoter, event curator and producer of gigs, listening parties & events in Dublin.
