Dublin’s week of gigs features New Music Dublin 2026 – Ireland’s foremost contemporary music festival, running Wednesday to Sunday across the NCH and Project Arts Centre – alongside a stacked run of live shows and club nights. Dry Cleaning bring the Secret Love tour to Vicar Street on Friday, Peaches plays The Academy on Wednesday, David Keenan takes Whelan’s for two nights, Madra Salach sell out the Workman’s Club twice over, and James K closes the week at the Workman’s on Sunday via Foggy Notions. Saturday is Record Store Day, with Hen’s Teeth hosting Awesome Tapes From Africa, plus Tori Amos at Bord Gáis on Sunday, Christy Moore at Vicar Street and Octo Octa going all night long at Tengu on Friday.
Dublin Gig Guide Highlights: James K, New Music Dublin, Octo Octa, Dry Cleaning, Tori Amos, Madra Salach, O’Flynn, Awesome Tapes, Record Store Day, Jinx Lennon, How I Became A Wave, Peaches, David Keenan, David Kitt Listening Parties, Revolve with For Nina, Burglar & Nialler9.
It’s the Nialler9 Dublin gig guide
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Tuesday April 14th
Rick Astley @ 3Arena
Rick Astley brings The Reflection Tour to 3Arena with Gabrielle as special guest. The original meme singer remarkable second chapter has seen him graduate from nostalgia act to genuinely beloved live performer, and this arena run is his biggest Irish headline yet.
Maggie Lindemann @ The Academy
Los Angeles alt-pop and rock artist has built a substantial following through sharp, emotionally direct rock-adjacent pop that sits somewhere between Paramore and dark bedroom-pop.
David Keenan @ Whelan’s
Dundalk singer-songwriter David Keenan and his poetic, folk-rooted songwriting plays the first of two Whelan’s shows on the Modern Mythologies Tour.
Wednesday April 15th
Peaches @ The Academy
Berlin-based Canadian artist Peaches plays The Academy. A genuinely singular presence in electronic music and performance art for over two decades, whose confrontational, body-politics-forward electro and punk has influenced a generation of artists from Grimes to Charli XCX.
David Keenan @ Whelan’s
Dundalk singer-songwriter David Keenan and his poetic, folk-rooted songwriting plays the first of two Whelan’s shows on the Modern Mythologies Tour.
YUNGBLUD @ 3Arena
Doncaster rock pop artist marks his full graduation to arena-scale anthemic rock. Sold out. Two nights.
Jacob Alon @ The Button Factory
Scottish singer-songwriter Jacob Alon plays the Button Factory. His music draws comparisons to Jeff Buckley and Rufus Wainwright – haunting vocals, intricate guitar playing, deeply introspective lyrics. Sold out.
Henry Moodie @ 3Olympia Theatre
UK bedroom-made pop singer-songwriter Henry Moodie plays 3Olympia on the mood swings tour.
Press Play: Kraftwerk ‘Trans Europa Express’ @ The Big Romance (7pm)
Shrem’s Press Play series turns its attention to Kraftwerk’s 1977 landmark Trans Europa Express – the album that laid the groundwork for electro, hip-hop and pretty much all electronic dance music that followed. A listening event for the record in full.
Diatribe Stage: Sophie Cooper + Eimear Reidy // Strider @ NCH
Ireland’s foremost contemporary music festival – New Music Dublin.
Thursday April 16th
David Kitt: The Big Romance Album Listening & Solo Live @ The Big Romance (7pm)
Kittser presents an album listening event and solo live performance of The Big Romance after last weekend’s lovely two nights at NCH – video.
Bill Orcutt @ Bello Bar
San Francisco avant-garde guitarist Bill Orcutt plays Bello Bar. One of the most distinctive voices in contemporary American experimental guitar – raw, fractured, intensely personal playing that sits somewhere between blues decomposition and free improvisation.
Bayvin @ Whelan’s Upstairs
22 year old emerging Irish female artist in the world of alternative cinematic pop, inspired by artists such as Daughter, London Grammar, Freya Ridings, and Florence + The Machine.
Ensemble Musikfabrik: No Salt @ NCH Main Stage (7pm)
New Music Dublin 2026 continues with German collective Ensemble Musikfabrik presenting No Salt – Irish premieres of works by Georges Aperghis, Jessie Marino and Ailís Ní Ríain, exploring breath, resonance and radical transformations of sound. One of the festival highlights.
Danzi @ The Cobblestone
Irish alt-pop artist.
Revolve ft. For Nina, Burglar & Nialler9 DJ Set @ The Grand Social (10pm)
The Grand Social’s Thursday late night series returns with Dublin electronic artists For Nina and Burglar, followed by a DJ set from yours truly. Running until 2:30am.
Friday April 17th
Woozy Takeover @ Carhartt WIP Dublin (6pm – 9pm)
EMA has curated a lineup of talented locals as well as linking with SCARLET for a bespoke installation. EMA, JWY, Laurence Kapinga, Lúnasa, Emby
Slán Solas x Sunflower Sessions @ IMMA (6pm)
Yoga, breathwork and live music from KK Lewis and Mila Gratzer.
Dry Cleaning @ Vicar Street
South London post-punk band Dry Cleaning play Vicar Street on the Secret Love Tour. Florence Shaw’s deadpan spoken-word delivery over Tom Dowse’s jagged, restless guitar lines is one of the most distinctive sounds in contemporary indie-rock. Irish support from Search Results.
How I Became A Wave @ Dublin Unitarian Church
The is the project of Pat Carey, formerly of Cork band The Hard Ground – blending folk, ambient and chamber pop plays the Dublin Unitarian Church with his full band, with special guests Alannah Thornburgh and Polina Cosgrave.
Madra Salach @ The Workman’s Club
Singular Artists presents Madra Salach at the Workman’s Club with support from Child of Prague. Two nights – sold out.
Better Joy @ Whelan’s
A UK vivid indie-pop guitar project. ‘Plugged In’
Shortwave Orchestra @ Kirkos
Experimental with Bryan O’Connell, Dennis McNulty, Si Schroeder, Anthony Kelly David Stalling and Aileen Wallace.
New Music Dublin: Diatribe Series @ Project Arts Centre (9:30pm)
New Music Dublin’s Diatribe Records curated series continues at Project Arts Centre with evening double bills featuring experimental music, improvisation and cross-genre performance. Artists across the week include Garth Knox, Zoë Conway, Sky Rivers, Patrick Zimmerli and Satoshi Takeishi among others.
Ghost Trance Music @ Kevin Barry Recital Room, NCH (3:30pm)
This multimedia tribute to Anthony Braxton’s Ghost Trance Music draws on material from approximately 150 individual works, which function as pathways between Braxton’s musical systems and place performers at the centre of decision-making in real time. New Music Dublin.
Jinx Lennon w/ wasps vs humans @ Curveball
Sold out show from Dundalk alternative auteur.
Club
Mo Cultivation @ Curveball (11pm)
Bi-monthly party playing world music, alté, hip-hop, R&B, remixes, latin and baile influences.
Octo Octa @ Tengu (11pm)
All Night Long with Maya Bouldry-Morrison’s sonic electronic explorations in house, techno and breakbeats.
Maya Jane Coles @ block. (11pm)
London DJ and producer Maya Jane Coles, one of the most respected names in house and techno with a career spanning two decades of consistently excellent records and sets.
Robbie Doherty @ Index (11pm)
Northern Ireland native Robbie Doherty is an artist flourishing in the house music scene by his early twenties. Inspired by the diverse sounds of late 90s house, prog and trance music.
Radikal Guru @ The Bernard Shaw (11pm)
Bristol-based dub and reggae producer Radikal Guru plays The Bernard Shaw. Known for his deep, heavyweight dub productions and strong roots in the European underground.
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Saturday April 18th
Record Store Day Events
Junior Brother, Cormorant Tree Oh, Ger Eaton and Loah @ Freebird (2pm-6pm)
Each will also have rare physical releases of their own music available in very limited quantities on the day. Free entry.
Record Store Day @ The Bernard Shaw / Racket Space (noon to late)
RSD 2026 Record Fair with label stalls and vinyl DJs.
Hen’s Teeth: Awesome Tapes Pop Up & DJ Set @ Hen’s Teeth (6pm)
For Record Store Day, Hen’s Teeth hosts Brooklyn-based tape deck DJ Awesome Tapes From Africa and a pop-up record store. An afternoon and evening event running until 12:30am – one of the more leftfield Record Store Day happenings in the city.
Farah Elle @ Project Arts Centre (3pm)
Invited by curator Fatoumata Gandega, Farah Elle will perform a special piece responding to the current exhibition Daria’s Night Flowers by Maryam Tafakory.
Madra Salach @ The Workman’s Club
Singular Artists presents Madra Salach at the Workman’s Club with support from Child of Prague. Two nights – sold out
New Music Dublin: Old Segotia / Land of Winter @ NCH (7pm)
The New Music Dublin 2026 highlight double bill – Crash Ensemble perform Donnacha Dennehy’s Grammy-winning Land of Winter alongside Old Segotia. As the Nialler9 guide notes, this is the pick if you’ve gone down a Rosalía LUX rabbit hole.
Sleeper @ Opium Rooms
UK Brit-pop band led by Louise Wener.
O’Flynn @ The Grand Social
British producer O’Flynn shared ‘Kelsier’, the latest track from his third album Kairos out in July.
Teallach @ The Four Provinces
A night of folk, trad and ballads in Kimmage.
Diatribe Stage: Shelta // Insufficient Funs @ The Studio at NCH (9:15pm)
Shelta explores parallels between Traveller / Mincéir uilleann piping traditions and experimental turntablism / Insufficient Funs sees bass saxophonist Sam Comerford and drummer Matthew Jacobson perform improvised music that has been described as operating at the outer reaches of contemporary sound. New Music Dublin.
Dún Laoghaire Music Book & Fanzine Festival 2026 @ Volume Records & Books
Part one of the Dún Laoghaire Music Book and Fanzine Festival takes place at Volume Records & Books. An evening of music writing, independent publishing and live performance. Runs until 10pm.
Red Line Jazz @ The Circular
Live jazz band in the Other Hand.
Club
Umwelt @ Yamamori Tengu (11pm)
French rave hero from France plays big industrial electro stompers.
Disorder @ The Workman’s Club First Floor (11pm)
The Workman’s Club’s weekly Saturday indie and alternative club night. €5 on the door.
Real Talks Art x Sounds of the Streetz: Pat Hyland @ Opium Garden (10pm)
Welcoming the Irish DJ and Fantazee resident.
Spás: 1st Birthday @ Bad Bob’s (8pm – 3am)
Prøwl (Reclaim the Mainframe), Toni Groove (Sounds of the Streets/S.O.T.S Recordings), Benjy, Davie S. Fede Silveira
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Sunday April 19th
Honeypot @ The Grand Social Beer Garden (2pm)
Summer series of day parties with Governess, Rhyzine and E l ö – expect anything from house, garage, baile funk and footwork.
Patrick Stefan & Band @ Anseo (4pm)
Irish singer-songwriter plays the tiny room upstairs with his folky-trad-jazz band.
Organ Freeman @ The Big Romance (6pm)
Live Jazz every Sunday. Breffini (DJ) from 9pm.
James K @ The Workman’s Club
Presented by Foggy Notions, Experimental pop artist James K plays the Workman’s Club. I loved the album last year calling it “Caroline Polachek if she made an ambient shoegaze record”.
New Music Dublin: Final Day @ NCH & Project Arts Centre
If you’re a fan of Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s quieter passages, the sound design of Cornelius’ Point album, or even the textural guitar work on Lankum records – the closing night Crash Ensemble programme deserves your attention. Full programme at newmusicdublin.ie.
Tori Amos @ Bord Gais Energy Theatre
Eminent American singer-songwriter.
Christy Moore @ Vicar Street
In Support of Women’s Aid.
Zevra @ Gem Beag Anseo
Zevra is an international quartet uniting artists from Taiwan, Iran, Germany, and the United States dedicated to the evolution of improvised experimental music.
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Monday April 20th
Tilt #40 @ The Button Factory
The long-running Tilt night returns to the Button Factory for its 40th edition, featuring BABYRAT, Maicín, and Avenue 68. One of Dublin’s most consistent platforms for emerging Irish acts since its inception.
Skye Newman @ 3Olympia Theatre
English singer-songwriter from South East London.
dawghouse, Bedstraw, Child of Remorse, The Threads, Dead Manifest @ Fibber Magee’s
A five-band bill.
Song Cycle @ Whelan’s
Whelan’s informal weekly singer songwriter night
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.
