The Irish Youth Music Awards is returning to Croke Park this year on Saturday, April 21st which also marks the launch of Youth Work Ireland week which will see various events taking place around Ireland.
Some of Ireland’s top music industry professionals will be coming together on the awards day that will also feature masterclasses and workshops in songwriting, music video making and DJ scratching from Little Green Cars, director Bob Gallagher and Orla Gartland, RTÉ 2FM, DJ Mo-K, DJ Tando, BIMM Institute Dublin, a marketplace with information for attendees on the creative and music industries, performances from musicians aged 12-19 across two stages and more.
“A big focus of this years Irish Youth Music Awards National Day is to create a festival for young people to come and learn new skills around the creative and music industries, by getting hands-on experience, advice and skills to further support them whether that’s in life or playing in a band. We are very excited to reveal the industry professionals who are involved in the education hub and marketplace this year, as well as creating an event to showcase the brilliant up and coming talent from across Ireland all under one roof and at one of Ireland’s most iconic venues” said Irish Youth Music Awards Director, Barry Lennon.
The overall winner of the Irish Youth Music Awards will win recording time in a professional recording studio, a recording session in RTÉ 2FM’s legendary Studio 8 and a full backline provided by Music Maker Dublin. They will also produce an album of their own original tracks released on physical CD with a professional design.
Tickets priced at €20+ are available via Eventbrite.ie. Group tickets priced at €120 are available now until April 11th here.
Musictown, a 10-day musical celebration taking place from April 13th to 22nd 2018 have announced that Little Green Cars will be collaborating with painter Andrew Vickery for a special performance at The Abbey Theatre on April 19th.
Devon-born artist Andrew Vickery’s paintings are photographed and projected as slides onto screens with narratives loosely based on reality, on recurring themes of culture, nature, sex, and travel.
After this past weekend, where Ballymaloe hosted the food and drinks-focused Litfest (which takes a break next year), another festival weekend is set to take place there from Friday 30 June to Sunday 2 July.
The Ballymaloe Malt & Music Weekend takes place in the Big Shed in Shanagarry, East Cork and the music lineup features will be headlined by Little Green Cars on Saturday 1 July at 9pm and Jerry Fish on Friday 30 June at 8pm.
Also playing on the weekend are R&B electronic band Shookrah, country band Hurricane Highway ,‘transatlantic soul’ act The Niall McCabe Band, Hank Wedel with his five-piece band, alt-roots/blues band One Horse Pony; burlesque performer Foxy P. Cox; and a Soul Funktion set by DJ Dr. Quigley.
Expect decent food and drink stands including craft beer and cider from Lough Gill; 12 Acres; Blacks of Kinsale; Stonewell Cider; 8 Degrees; Rascals; Arthurstown; 9 White Deer. A selection of boutique Irish gins and whiskies will also be on site.
Tickets range from €10 for a Sunday ticket to €56 for an all-weekend pass. See Ballymaloefestivals.ie for a complete schedule and to book.
Culture Vultures, Tony Clayton-Lea and Andrea Keogh’s salon-themed pop culture event will celebrate its 3rd birthday at The Sound House (upstairs at The Wiley Fox) on Monday March 6th.
Lined up for the event are Little Green Cars, author John Boyne (The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas)
Typically, Culture Vultures features music performances, chats and spoken word.
Tickets priced at €14 go on sale this Wednesday February 15th from Ticketmaster.
The video for ‘Easier Day’ (track review) was made by Adam O’Regan of the band with the help of Hugh O’Conor and stars Faye O’Rourke, the main singer of the song.
“[It] was inspired by the Faye’s opening lyric “I’ve been away for a long time” and it was shot over the course of three days in Tokyo, in the quiet neighbourhood of Hatsudai, the bustling ward of Shinjuku and the dark underbelly of Golden Gai. We wanted to show a very real side of the city, in order to create a believable sense of life. It was important to us that the story is never fully disclosed, just hinted at.”
Little Green Cars’ new album, Ephemera, which is released on 11th March on Glassnote.
One of the supreme attractions to the music of Little Green Cars is the powerhouse voice of Faye O’Rourke.
On the band’s debut album on songs ‘My Love Took Me Down to the River to Silence Me’, ‘The Kitchen Floor’ and ‘Please’ O’Rourke brought a strong feminine vocal and a dramatic urgency to those songs that lifted the subject matter.
On the band’s new track ‘Easier Day’, the followup to ‘The Song They Play Every Night’, she’s repeating that skill with a vocal performance that dominates the song. O’Rourke kicks the song off a capella and is ably supported by the harmonies of the boys in the band.
The track is taken from the upcoming album Ephemera due March 11th on Glassnote.
It’s been a couple of years since we heard some new music from Little Green Cars. The Dublin band blew up with the release of their debut Absolute Zero came out in 2013 and remained on the road for most of the time since.
They were a young band then, and they’re still young, in their early 20s. New album Ephemera documents that time of growth into young men and women addressing two close deaths, relationship breakups and that time spent touring in between. The album, co-produced with Rob Kirwan gets a release on March 11th.
Promising a dozen songs of harmony-soak rock, principal co-songwriter Stevie Appleby says “it’s a transitional album. Lyrically, it’s all about change – the end of some eras, new beginnings, learning from the past and looking to the future. Ephemera means things that are important to you, but only for a short time. That could apply to music or relationships or even a particular day.”
‘The Song They Play Every Night’ certainly suggests an introspection with gently-formed acoustic instrumentation forming most of the sonics with lyrics culminating in “if you don’t love me now / you didn’t love me before.”
Little Green Cars play the following dates:
March 11th: Hoxton Bar and Kitchen May 14th Cork Opera House – on sale today. Sat July 23th – Iveagh Gardens Dublin
The Pixies started announcing some European shows yesterday and today, the news reaches that Irish gigs are included, specifically
13 July 2016 – Live at the Marquee, Cork 14 July 2016 – Iveagh Gardens, Dublin
Tickets on sale Monday 21 December at 9am, priced at €53+ fees from Ticketmaster.
Mike Patton, Tunde Adebimpe & Adam “Doseone” Drucker aka Nevermen have announced a gig at the Olympia Theatre on 15th February. Tickets are €35.50 + fees on sale now.
Shearwater will play Button Factory on Saturday 23rd February 2016. Tickets €15+fees from Ticketmaster.
More Iveagh Gardens gigs?
Richard Hawley is playing Friday July 22nd (€40 + fees) – on sale today. Little Green Cars are playing Sat July 23rr (€33 + fees) – on sale now.
The Max Richter Ensemble are playing National Concert Hall on Sunday May 29th. Tickets €35-€40 + fees on sale now.
He will be performing From Sleep, a new piece drawn from his eight-hour piece of music designed to send people to sleep (pillows not included). The other half of the concert will feature a performance of The Blue Notebooks, which Pitchfork described as ‘a gigantic beacon for composers searching for ways to introduce dance music’s visceral qualities into the classical sphere.’
Neil Young + Promise Of The Real (featuring Willie Nelson’s sons Lukas and Micah) will play will play The SSE Arena, Belfast on 7 June and 3Arena, Dublin on 8 June as part of the Rebel Content Tour. Tickets go on sale from €65-€80+fees Friday 18 December at 9am from all usual outlets.
The 2FM Xmas Ball takes place in the 3Arena on Wednesday December 23rd and Hozier will headline the show which will also feature sets from Little Green Cars, Gavin James, The Riptide Movement, Ryan Sheridan and Hudson Taylor. It’s all in aid of The ISPCC – the national child protection and welfare charity in Ireland.
It will be hosted by 2fm presenters including Nicky Byrne & Jenny Greene, Eoghan McDermott, Bernard O’Shea, Jen Maguire and Keith Walsh, Tracy Clifford and more.
Tickets are €45+ on sale this Friday at 9am from Ticketmaster in shops and online but you can win tickets right here by entering below:
You can listen live on Thursdays to the show on 105.2FM, online, the iOs app, Android app or if you missed it, along with all the other shows, via the listen back section
How to enter ticket comp – Email [email protected] with the gig above in the Subject line you’re entering for along with your full name and phone number in the body of the message. Full info on each show below. Draw closes at 6pm the day before the gig or Friday 1pm latest for weekend gigs.
Guts late night launch @ Bar Tengu, Yamamori (Free, 9pm) [DJs] Launch of new magazine with DJs Buffalo Woman, Donal Dineen, Homebeat’s Emmet Condon and Nialler9
Doveman’s Burgundy Stain Sessions @ National Concert Hall (6:30pm, €25/€30) [Perspectives 2014: Brassland ]Thomas Bartlett with Glen Hansard, Paul Noonan, Lisa O’Neill, Anna Calvi.
Glen Hansard @ Vicar Street (€30) [Singer-songwriter] All in aid of Peter McVerry Trust.
Ré @ Unitarian Church (€20) [Trad] Hothous Flowers’ Liam Ó Maonlaí and Peter O’Toole along with Cormac Begley (concertina), Eithne Ní Chatháin (aka Inni-K on fiddle and voice) and Maitiú Ó Caiside (whistles and uilleann pipes)
Oxfam on Francis Street will host a takeover by three of the curators reprising their Oxjam at Electric Picnic roles this weekend. Friday.Homebeat, Abner Brown and State.ie will host Friday, Saturday and Sunday respectively with the lineup featuring Elephant, Floor Staff, Let’s Set Sail & Ye Vagabonds (Friday); Soldiers Can’t Dance, Jemson Green, We went Down (Saturday); Booka Brass Band, Rocstrong, Come On Live Long and Amidships (Sunday).
Tickets are €6 a night or €12 for a weekend. BYOB too. Oxjam started in 2006 and has raised over £2 million. You can donate here.
Hidden Agenda are bringing Erol Alkan over along with Ghost Culture to Opium Rooms on Saturday October 25th for a late show. Tickets €10 plus fees on sale from RA.
U:mack are bringing the idiosyncratic rock band Liars to Dublin for a Button Factory show on Bank Holiday Sunday October 26th. Tickets are €18 from www.tickets.ie/umack.
More for Halloween?
Abstract presents a Groove Armada DJ set at Opium Rooms, Dublin on Friday October 31st, 2014. Tickets from €20 via Resident Advisor + Fatsoma.
Dub legend Mad Professor has an Irish tour coming up in late November. The dates are Wednesday 26th November in Cyprus Avenue, Cork (Tickets €17/20); Thursday 27th November in Monroes Live, Galway (Tickets €17/20); Friday 28th November in Button Factory, Dublin (€17/€20). Support from Mama Kasbah on all dates.
Harmonic have booked the lead singer of The Walkmen, Hamilton Leithauser on Monday November 10th at The Sugar Club, Dublin. Tickets €22 plus fee from Ticketmaster.ie.
Is there any chance Mark Kozelek’s stupid beef with War On Drugs won’t define his year? Maybe by Tuesday December 9th, when Sun Kil Moon play Button Factory with emphasis on the acclaimed album Benji. Tickets are €24.50 plus fees on sale tomorrow from Ticketmaster.
Little Green Cars have a Christmas tour to close out their two-year touring schedule around their successful debut. The dates announced are are a big standing Dublin show followed by piano / acoustic tour of theatres.
How to enter ticket comp – Email [email protected] with the gig above in the Subject line you’re entering for along with your full name and phone number in the body of the message. Full info on each show below. Draw closes at 6pm the day before the gig or Friday 3pm latest for weekend gigs.
Sweeneys 5th Birthday with the Strypes @ Sweeneys (Free) [Rock] Kicking Bird, Richie Farrell & The Last Tribe, Betty Swing Machine, Redwoods, Leading Armies, St. John The Gambler & Conor Linnie & special guests.
City Spectacular: Go Metro Music Stage @ Merrion Square (Free) [Live] Fox E and the Good Hands, Interskalactic,Colours Afrobeat Foundation, Booka Brass Band
Friday June 20 – Sunday June 22 A growing reputation as the best boutique festival in Ireland that draws in a serious lineup into its eclectic programme. Caribou, Darkside, Goldfrapp, John Grant, Shabazz Palaces and Mount Kimbie are the big name draws but there’s plenty of Irish talent with the likes of Young Wonder, Colm Mac Con Iomaire, Come On Live Long and DJ night lineups curated by Mother, Nightflight and Hidden Agenda.
Sunday June 29 Reflektor, the latest album from Arcade Fire, is a double release, that at 75 minutes took weeks to unlock its best moments. But now that its been digested some highlights are obvious: We Exist, Reflektor, Here Comes The Night Time, Afterlife to name several. The band’s live show has been trucking around playing songs tied to the city they’re playing in. My guess for June 29th? U2? Too obvious? The support band Pixies are on a second or third reunion at this point (sans Kim Deal of course) but their discography is loaded with classics enough to make you forget about those new unrequited songs. You can also catch the Pixies Live At The Marquee in Cork on June 30th.
Wednesday July 2 An odd pairing at first glance but for the price of €59.50, one that’s pretty economical. On the one hand, Pharrell’s latest album Girl is a bit lightweight but he has the prescience of his audience to include a smattering of hits like Frontin’, Hollaback Girl, Drop It Like It’s Hot and Beautiful. As for Kanye? Well a lot has happened for him since Yeezus (baby, marriage, going to the cinema in Portlaoise) dropped but it’s unlikely that there’ll be any letting up in the spectacle department as the Yeezus tour is his most ambitiously staged yet.
The Prodigy @ The Marquee, Cork (€60)
Wednesday July 2 If you’re of a certain age, enough time has passed without you losing your shit to the sound of Liam, Keith and Maxim that it’s probably time to worship at the firestartin’ altar once more. You’ll be rewarded with a heavy dose of raved-up punk classics: Voodoo People, Breathe, Smack My Bitch Up, Their Law and Out Of Space. That’s hard to say no to.
Friday July 4th Seven Quarters is a new club night which happens four times a year in Whelan’s with a limited seven inch vinyl from each band given to the first 150 members of the audience. The second edition sees the alternative pop of Patrick Kelleher line up alongside the synth electronics of Magic Pockets.
Saturday July 5 I always associate the summer with the sound of A Tribe Called Quest so this is an appropriate use of the season. Kicking off at 6pm with a screening of the Beats, Rhymes & Life documentary, the night continues with Joints&Jams DJs playing some Tribe music and related-material. The Big Blue Bus will also be putting on a special themed pizza , The Ham N Eggs (roast organic ham, free range egg & spinach) named after their 1990 track.
Little Green Cars @ Iveagh Gardens, Dublin (€28)
Saturday July 12 Watching the rise of LGC has been fascinating, not least because I first saw the band win a battle of the bands competition as a group of raggle-taggle 15 year-olds. They’re now in the world-class league thanks to heavy gigging and a collection of harmonic indie-folk songs that have found a rightful sizeable audience. This is their biggest headline show in Dublin but it won’t be their last.
Hall and Oates @ Olympia Theatre (€33)
Tuesday July 15 Daryl and John are still some of the biggest hitmakers in the business, and remain the top selling duo in U.S. chart history. That’s because of the HITS: I Can’t Go For That, Maneater, You Make My Dreams, Rich Girl, She’s Gone and others. Classic pop music and a rare chance to see the creators in the flesh.
The National @ Iveagh Gardens / Live At The Marquee @ Cork City / Big Top, Galway
July Mid-July is all about the maudlin indie-rockers from New York who play four different outdoor gigs in Ireland. Kicking off at The Marquee in Cork on July 14th, the Big Top in Galway on July 16th and two nights in Dublin’s Iveagh Gardens on June 18th and June 19th. Phosphorescent support on all dates except the 19th where Owen Pallett steps up. I recommend an advance watch of The National film Mistaken For Strangers, a fascinating and funny documentary about lead singer Matt Berninger’s brother Tom, who comes on tour with the band.
Longitude @ Marlay Park, Dublin (€149 for weekend / €59.50 per day)
Friday July 19 – Sunday July 22 Last year’s Longitude established the festival as an essential part of the summer calendar and while this year relies more on the new names than the big names there’s plenty to recommend spending time in an suburban park with: Haim, Disclosure, Massive Attack, John Talabot, James Vincent McMorrow, Chvrches, Hozier, Le Galaxie, Talos, Banks and Roosevelt.
Saturday July 26 Maybe it’s a bit silly putting an invite-only event on a guide but Mountain Dew is doing something different and deserves some kudos. Events like this should be encouraged. Run by Colm O’Herlihy from the garden of his family home, the musical lineup includes Talos, Slow Skies, Stevie G, Samaris, Meltybrains? Daniel Martin Moore, Conor Walsh and there’ll also be some Jim Carroll-hosted Banter and good food by The Rocket Man. Besides, maybe if you ask nicely, he’ll invite you along. Or maybe you should start your own small festival?
Wednesday July 30 This Toronto Jazz trio who play hip-hop instrumentals for the head-nodders have worked with Tyler, The Creator and most recently, Ghostface Killah on the superb Six Degrees. They’ve already played here in May but they, and we, liked it so much they’re coming back.
Friday August 1 – Sunday August 3 If you’re the kind of person that gets lost at a festival then the walled garden of Charleville Castle where Castlepalooza is set is for you. Pitch your tent around the back of the (haunted) castle and make the short jaunt to see the likes of Gruff Rhys, Giles Peterson, Andrew Weatherall, Daithí, Meltybrains?, Norman J and Ships.
Friday August 29 – Sunday August 31 Now in its eleventh year, EP continues to set the bar for a combination of eclectic programme, some big big names and a plethora of stages featuring food, discussions, trailer parks and stranded boats. The marquee names include Outkast, Beck, Portishead, Pet Shop Boys, Foals, St. Vincent, Lily Allen, Chic and Blondie. I’m also looking forward to seeing Jungle, Omar Souleyman, Twin Shadow, FKA Twigs and Kaytranada. Electric Picnic remains the biggest and best festival in Ireland.
