Some recent gig news from the Irish live circuit.
Jeff Tweedy is doing a rare, dedicated Irish solo run this November: four shows across the island. The Wilco frontman is touring new solo album Twilight Override and the shows will span his full catalogue in an intimate acoustic setting. Dates: Galway (Black Box, Monday November 16th), Dublin (Ambassador Theatre, Tuesday November 17th), Cork (Live at St Lukes, Thursday November 19th), Kilkenny (St Canice’s Cathedral, Friday November 20th). Presale March 25th at 10am GMT, general on sale Friday March 27th at 10am GMT.
Eagles of Death Metal are touring the 20th anniversary of Death By Sexy, the 2006 Jesse Hughes and Josh Homme record with ‘Don’t Speak (I Came to Make a Bang!)’, ‘I Want You So Hard’ and ‘Cherry Cola’ – performing it in full. A band where the live show has always been the real thing. The Academy, Dublin on Wednesday November 25th 2026. Tickets from €40.20 plus fees, on sale Friday March 27th at 10am via Ticketmaster.
Tim Burgess plays a DJ set at Connolly’s of Leap on Saturday April 18th. Burgess cut his teeth as a DJ at the Heavenly Social in London and toured with The Chemical Brothers back in the day. Northern soul, hip hop, indie and wherever else his instincts take him on the night. Tickets €28 plus fees, doors 7.30pm.
Teenage Fanclub return to Dublin for the first time in a while. Guitarist Norman Blake recently said they enjoy it now more than ever. This is part of a 35-date European run with no particular anniversary attached. Just a band that keeps delivering. The Academy, Dublin on Thursday November 17th 2026. Tickets from €33.65 plus fees, on sale Friday March 27th at 9am via Ticketmaster.
Lambchop: Kurt Wagner and close collaborator Andrew Broder are bringing their intimate duo show to Dublin. The same stripped-back electronics-and-improvisation setup they’ve been developing across recent albums The Bible and Showtunes, where songs stretch and shift from night to night. A rare chance to hear Lambchop up close in a room that suits them. The Helix, Dublin, Sunday February 21st 2027. Tickets on sale Friday March 27th at 10am via singularartists.ie and Ticketmaster.
Dexys are bringing their UK and Ireland tour to Dublin as part of a big run. Kevin Rowland’s last album Feminine Divine was as committed as anything they’ve done, so this isn’t purely a nostalgia trip, though ‘Come On Eileen’ will get played and everyone will lose their minds. 3Olympia Theatre, Dublin on Wednesday November 4th 2026. Also at Ulster Hall, Belfast on Thursday November 5th. Tickets €50.70-€61.35 plus fees, on sale Friday March 27th at 10am via Ticketmaster.
Free The Night are celebrating their fifth birthday with a fundraiser event at Ulster Sports Club, Belfast on Saturday April 11th featuring Timmy Stewart
Jordan Nocturne, Marion Hawkes, Noel Watson, Hannah and Sophie. The Northern Ireland nightlife advocacy charity is also heading to court over the NI government’s licensing decision and could do with the support. If you can’t make it, you can donate via their Ko-fi. Tickets and info at RA.
Irvine Welsh comes to Drogheda on Bank Holiday Sunday May 3rd for two events presented by External Sounds and Sound Town, timed to the 30th anniversary of the Trainspotting film. First, an in-conversation with Irish Times journalist Tony Clayton-Lea at Droichead Arts Centre, then a DJ set at The Living Room at Sarsfields Bar. Tickets €25 plus fees for both, or €15 plus fees for the DJ set only, via droichead.com.
Seamus Fogarty plays an intimate show at Bello Bar, Dublin on Thursday November 19th. He’s just released new album SHIPS to rave reviews – five stars in both the Guardian and The Skinny and this is your chance to hear it in a room that’ll suit it perfectly. Tickets via foggynotions.ie.
duendita makes their Irish debut at Whelan’s Upstairs on Friday May 22nd, presented by Foggy Notions. The Queens, New York artist trades in jazz, soul, R&B and piano all written and produced themselves amd released their album a strong desire to survive last year to strong notices. One to catch in a small room. Tickets €22.50 including booking fee via foggynotions.ie.
fakemink is the kind of artist who makes the traditional music industry look slow. {rolific, self-directed, releasing everything through his own brand EtnaVeraVela, with over a hundred tracks out and a world built around album London’s Saviour. UK underground rap that doesn’t sound like anything else right now. The Academy, Dublin on Wednesday May 27th. Tickets from €29 plus fees, on sale Thursday March 26th at 10am via Ticketmaster.
Nadia Reid plays a rare and intimate solo show at Bello Bar, Dublin on Saturday June 6th, presented by Foggy Notions. Following her show here last year, this is the kind of booking that sells out quietly. Tickets via foggynotions.ie.
GazeFest returns for its fourth year and its biggest line-up to date, now spanning two nights – Dublin and Belfast. Founded by Old Crows Promotions as Ireland’s only dedicated shoegaze festival, the 2026 edition is headlined by UK dream pop trio Deary, recently signed to Bella Union, whose debut album Birding is out April 3rd. Grand Social Ballroom, Dublin on Friday August 28th and Oh Yeah Centre, Belfast on Saturday August 29th. Tickets on sale now via Eventbrite.
A Place To Bury Strangers do a small Irish run at the end of August in support of rarities album Rare And Deadly, out April 3rd via Dedstrange – a decade-long vault of demos, B-sides and blown-out experiments from Oliver Ackermann’s personal archive. For a noise band who are considered one of the most intense live acts going, catching them in this kind of venue is the way to do it. Belfast (Deer’s Head, August 28th), Galway (Strange Brew, August 29th), Dublin (The Grand Social, August 30th). Tickets €26 plus fees via universe.com.
Rónán Ó Snodaigh & Myles O’Reilly bring together rhythm, language and immersive sound in one of the most quietly distinctive collaborations in contemporary Irish music. Ó Snodaigh’s voice, shaped by decades of boundary-blurring performance as a founding member of Kíla , moves between chant, song and incantation; O’Reilly builds spacious, atmospheric environments around it. Live performances that feel less like concerts and more like shared, attentive gatherings. Vicar Street, Dublin on Thursday November 5th. Tickets from €37.65 plus fees, on sale now via Ticketmaster.
Espresso Rave returns with a charitable edition – all proceeds from this one go to My Lovely Horse Rescue. Dance Space’s booze-free afternoon rave format, lands on Easter Sunday which might deter some but the cause is a good one. Sunday April 5th, 2-4pm, downstairs at Wigwam. Tickets and info at dancespace.ie.
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, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Cara Magazine, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, co-founder of Lumo Club, event curator, Indie Sleaze club promoter, and producer of gigs and monthly listening parties & events in Dublin.
