Dublin Digital Radio’s annual of the experimental and grassroots currents in contemporary Irish music returns from May 1st to 4th.
Alternating Current is indicative of the community radio station’s nine years of interest in Irish experimental music.
This year’s programme takes place in a few locations, at their broadcast home at Flux Studios with talks, broadcasts and artististic interventions, live music performances at Pepper Canister Church on May 2nd and then The Complex on May 3rd & 4th.
This year’s theme is ‘Urban Scores’, drawing from Elena Biserna’s writing on sound in urban environments.
“This year’s festival considers our relationships to the city, both in the context of Dublin City and cities more generally. Through sound, we want to underscore the complicated and often contested ways we relate to cities culturally and spatially.”
Across the programme this year are performances from E the Artist, GÉIS, Gliogar, Ian Nyquist, JWY, Landless, Lara Gallagher, Louise Gaffney, Lúnasa, Mel Keane, Mohammad Syfkhan, Odd Ned and Wastefellow.
Between 1-4 May, broadcasts, talks and artistic interventions will be presented at Flux Studios & Gallery. On 1 May, the exhibition of a specially commissioned artwork by Cian McCarthy will launch at Flux Gallery. On the 2, 3 and 4 May, artists and collaborating organisations will present workshops, talks and/or broadcasts provoked by the festival theme.
These contributions will be delivered by International Community Radio Network (Europe), LOOM (Netherlands), Radio Solstice (Cork) , Reset! Network (Europe), Seán Finnan & Jane Deasy, and Tadhg Kinsella.
Beyond the announced participants to the programme at Flux Studios, there will be further ‘informal’ and community-led broadcasts and interventions throughout the weekend at Flux Studios. These special contributions will reach into ddr.’s immediate community and beyond to present energetic and grassroots approaches to the Urban Scores theme. The details and participants involved in this novel aspect of the programme will be announced at a later date.
Line Up
- Cian McCarthy
- E the Artist
- GÉIS
- Glíogar
- Ian Nyquist
- ICRN
- Jane Deasy
- JWY
- Lara Gallagher
- Landless
- Louise Gaffney
- LOOM
- Lúnasa
- Mohammad Syfkhan
- Odd Ned
- Radio Solstice
- RESET!
- Tadhg Kinsella
- Wastefellow
- … More collaborators TBA
Alternating Currents Tickets
Weekend tickets start at €45, with 20% for ddr. Patrons and members – Tickets include all performances from the 1st-4th May. You can sign up to Dublin Digital Radio’s Patreon here. Tickets are available to purchase via RA. Tickets on sale now.

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.