A list of personally recommended events taking place over the next seven days in Dublin. All times are 7.30pm/8pm unless stated. Feel free to leave your picks in the comments.
It’s Christmas gig time, meaning lots of acts looking to grab one last big bag of cash celebrate their year.
As well as the usual gigs below, I’m playing some of my tunes of the year in The Cafe in Twisted Pepper on Saturday from 8pm til 11pm. It’s free.
Top 3 gigs this week:
- Thurs 16th Dec : Rubberbandits Christmas party @ Button Factory (€15)
- Sat 18th Dec: The Small Hours Christmas Party: Donal Dineen & friends, Catscars feat. Patrick Kelleher, Sunken Foal @ Twisted Pepper (€14)
- Sat 18th Dec: Somadrone – Depth Of Field LP Launch Party with Patrick Kelleher, Visionair + Skinny Wolves DJs – Block T, Smithfield (€12)
Tuesday 14th December
- Deadmau5, Calvin Harris, Steve Aoki @ The O2 (€49.20)
- Ruby Sessions Xmas Night: Heathers, The Guggenheim Grotto & very special guests @ Doyle’s Pub (€5, 9pm)
Wednesday 15th December
- The Frames @ Whelan’s (Sold out)
- Local Era, A Lazarus Soul @ Crawdaddy (€7)
- Damien Dempsey @ Vicar Street (€31)
- Lowly Knights @ Trinity Chapel (Free, 7pm)
- Banter: Review of 2010 @ Twisted Pepper (€5)
- Imelda May @ Olympia Theatre (€32.50)
Thursday 16th December
- The Frames @ Whelan’s (Sold out)
- Delorentos, Planet Parade @ The Workman’s Club (€17.50)
- Hefty Horse Christmas Bash: Crayonsmith (acoustic set), At Last An Atlas, Norabelle, Big Monster Love @ Anseo (€5)
- Rubberbandits Christmas party @ Button Factory (€15)
Friday 17th December
- Booka Shade @ Tripod (€25, 11pm)
- Republic of Loose @ The Academy (€22.50)
- Imelda May @ Olympia Theatre (€32.50)
- Delorentos, Planet Parade @ The Workman’s Club (€17.50)
- Jape, Hipster Youth @ Button Factory (€13)
- Sweet Jane, Talulah Does The Hula, Robotnik @ The Grand Social (€5)
- Toast Office Records presents: etcha , Croupier, The Summer of George @ The Twisted Pepper (€10 with EP, €6 without)
- Nightflight: Surgeon, Rob Hall @ Button Factory (€12, 11pm)
Saturday 18th December
- Electric Penguins, Great Lakes Mystery @ The Grand Social (€8)
- Nialler9 playing Tunes of 2010 @ The Cafe, Twisted Pepper (Free, 8pm -11pm)
- The Small Hours Christmas Party: Donal Dineen & friends, Catscars feat. Patrick Kelleher, Sunken Foal @ Twisted Pepper (€14)
- The Workman’s Christmas Party: Halves, Alarmist, Straight Laces (in Aid of DSPCA) @ The Workman’s Club (€10)
- Kila @ Tripod (€20/€22.50)
- Somadrone – Depth Of Field LP Launch Party with Patrick Kelleher, Visionair + Skinny Wolves DJs – Block T, Smithfield (€12)
Sunday 19th December
- Christy Moore with Declan Sinnott @ Vicar Street (€49.50)
Monday 20th December
- Christy Moore with Declan Sinnott @ Vicar Street (€49.50)
- Mark Greaney (ex-JJ72) @ The Workman’s Club (€10)

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.
I think the Rob Hall & Surgeon gig is on Friday.
Robert Hood @ Twisted Pepper should be a belter