Hard Working Class Heroes 2012 | A Brief Preview

While not without it’s criticisms (what the fuck doesn’t?) there is nothing to brighten up the onset of a dreary Irish winter than Hard Working Class Hereos. Now in it’s tenth year, HWCH, has introduced me and many others to a lot of great new Irish artists and bands year on year. 

Anyway HWCH returns to Dublin tonight & runs till Saturday with shows taking place in The Button Factory, The Mercantile, The Grand Social, Meeting House Square, Twisted Pepper and The Workman’s Club. While I wholeheartedly suggest people venture into uncharted territory in the hope of new musical discoveries, I still have a number of suggestions.

Weekend tickets priced €45 and nightly tickets are €20 (+ fees). Here’s the full schedule. 

Thursday:

SertOne (Meeting House Square | 9:20-9:50):

With out doubt one of Ireland’s most promising talents; prodigious, prolific & easily one of my favourites. SertOne’s latest EP, Shapes In The Sky, (his fifth release in just over a year & a half) demonstrated every bit of this brilliance. Armed with an astonishing array of head-nodding beats and slick samples he takes us on a journey through a subterranean world of 8 bit sounds, beats and a hip-hop influenced grooves. The live show is every bit a winner too, this Portadown-born producer is surely destined for great things.

Spies (The Grand Social | 10:30-11:00):

Dublin based five piece indie band specialize in an epic kind of indie, dramatic almost & full of feeling, emotion. If you were looking  for comparable acts it would be somewhere between Interpol and The National. Both times I’ve caught Spies’ live show, I didn’t leave disappointed.

Friday:

Kid Karate (Meeting House Square| 8:40-9:10):

Dublin ragged rock/punk duo Kid Karate are long time favourites round these parts. Over the past two year’s they’ve become such a formidable force. As a live band, few come anywhere close to their shows of gritty riff-laden rock n roll, or in terms of volume and energy. The have an unearthly knack for scuzzy rock n roll jam filled with furious riffage and thunderous drums, not to mention throat zapping vocals. Kid Karate’s debut album will soon be upon us, this is one show not to be missed!

Ghost Estates (Meeting House Square| 10:00-10:30):

Ghost Estates have already carved out their place on Ireland’s musical landscape. With three songwriters in the band, stylistically it’s diverse, taking in a mix of new wavey sounds, reach for the sky guitar anthems and straight up indie rock. This amalgam has seen them arrive at their own distinct sound of hazy electronica edged indie which send a shiver down the spine. It is said two heads are better than one, well, judging by Ghost Estates’ debut, three are certainly better than two. There self-titled debut is the best Irish indie album in a long, long time!

Saturday:

Conor Mason (The Grand Social | 7:50-8:20):

With three albums under his belt, Mason has now found his space on the musical landscape, not dissimilar to that occupied by luminaries Matthew Jay or Elliott Smith. His latest album, Standstill, is a masterpiece in song writing, flowing gently by, amid a sea of soft lilting vocals, whispering lyrical poeticisms and subtle instrumentation. His music is permeated by an air of richness, comforting tranquillity and shrouded in melancholy. One definitely not to be missed.

The Mighty Stef (Meeting House Square | 10:40-11.10):

Consistently one of the most impressive Irish musicians over the past few years, three great albums, the last of which was ambitious  and brilliant projects yet. A fiery folk-punk attitude and a predilection for the darker side of life have always permeated his songs but of late, some more uplifting nuances are coming through. Live, The Mighty Stef is different class, he approaches every show with the same intensity and dedication, punters are never left short changed.

There’s plenty more on show too. I hope to swing by and see, if possible that is; Biggles Flys Again, The Casanova Wave, White Collar Boy, Faws, Heritage Centre, CLU, Solar Bears, REID, Girl Band, Jogging, The Depravtions & We Cut Corners.

Electric Picnic 2012 | Sunday

Johnny Feeney concludes his round-up of last weekends’ Electric Picnic with his view on Sunday (his thoughts on Day 1 are here and day 2 here). A huge thanks to Johnny for taking the time to do this, I for one have enjoyed reading them & I’m sure I’m not alone.

The sun was out in force on Sunday and there were a lot of lost-looking souls around the place after two hard days of partying, some of whom I met decided to go home early, but with the influx of day-ticketers Sunday certainly felt like it had the biggest crowds of the weekend.

The first act I caught was Dublin electronic duo Forrests in the Little Big Tent. Their dreamy, ambient electronica first came to my attention only a few weeks back so I figured this would be a nice way to ease myself into the day. Their music comprises of layers and layers of sounds on top of not-too-heavy beats and is extremely easy on the ear and introspective for a nice piece of escapism. Very enjoyable and I shall look forward to more from these.

Dublin Gospel Choir are something of an institution at the Picnic who I’d always contrived to miss because of their early Sunday main stage time slot but I made the effort to catch them this year and I’m glad I did. They specialised in gospel versions of crowd-pleasers such as Arcade Fire’s ‘Wake Up’, Elbow’s ‘One Day Like This’ and the Killers’ ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’. There was a big crowd for this with most just sitting down and relaxing in the sun while taking in the performance.

Mmoths AKA Jack Colleran, like Forrests before him, is a skilled proponent of blissful, ambient electronica and his set in the Little Big Tent offered up his usual high-quality tunes heavy on dreamy synths and sounds. This is music to get lost in rather than dance to and if that’s your thing, look no further.

I was very excited about seeing Of Monsters and Men and it was clear by the packed Crawdaddy Stage that I wasn’t the only one. Opening with the joyous ‘Dirty Paws’, this was unbridled feel-good indie-folk from the off. The ubiquitous radio hit ‘Little Talks’ was always going to get the biggest reaction from the crowd but highlights for me included the slowburning ‘Lakehouse’,  ‘King and Lionheart’ and the sensational closer ‘Six Weeks’. The band seem to be as astonished as everyone else with their meteoric rise and this was obvious when singer Nanna got the crowd to sing her father a happy birthday over her phone and the drummer took pictures of the crowd on his camera at the end. Delightful.  

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, the alias of dance producer Orlando Higginbotham, tore Little Big Tent apart from the get-go. This was the set of the weekend where everything just came together perfectly. Included were a pumped crowd dancing like lunatics, outrageously entertaining female dancers and Higginbotham switching vocals with his female vocalist and dropping top-class dance tracks such as ‘Tapes & Money’, ‘American Dream, Pt II’, ‘Household Goods’ and ‘Stronger’. The album Trouble is definitely worth checking out. Head and shoulders above anything else I saw over the weekend.

Next up were Lanterns on the Lake in the Cosby Stage. Playing to quite a small crowd, this was very slow, quiet, dainty folk-pop and didn’t particularly grab the attention. I was quite taken with last year’s debut album, Gracious Tide, Take Me Home, but felt this wasn’t the right setting for them. 

Bat For Lashes’ Natasha Khan is every inch the star. Here, dressed elegantly in black evening dress and high-heels, she delivered an incredible performance. The older, more otherworldly material such as ‘Horse & I’ and ‘What’s A Girl To Do’ sounded great while the new songs left me excited for the upcoming album The Haunted Men. However it’s the more delicate piano-led songs that amazed most here. New song ‘Laura’ is just gorgeous while the impossibly beautiful ‘Siren Song’ tugged at my heart strings and left me fighting back the tears.

Festival favourites Hot Chip never fail to get the party started and here was no different as they closed the Electric Arena in style. Heirs apparent to the sadly departed LCD Soundsystem, they belted out classic tracks such as ‘Over and Over’, ‘Ready For the Floor’ and ‘One Night Stand’ while the ground underneath the heaving, dancing crowd shook. A great way to end what has been a great festival.

Electric Picnic 2012 | Saturday

While I was otherwise engaged at the weekend, my frequent gig-going accomplice and all round good guy Johnny Feeney was at Electric Picnic. Without further ado, here’s  what happened on Saturday (his thoughts on Day 1 are here).

Opening proceedings on Saturday on the main stage were the Trinity Orchestra playing Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. I don’t think there could have been a more perfect start to the day. In pleasant weather with the sun still deciding whether to come out or not, the sizeable crowd were treated to grandiose, sweeping renditions of Floyd classics such as ‘Wish You Were Here’, ‘Money’ and ‘Us and Them’. The showstopper for me was ‘Great Gig in the Sky’ – there was a serious set of lungs on the female vocalist for this one. As if all this wasn’t enough, for encore we were treated to a dose of funk with some Stevie Wonder songs including ‘Superstition’ and ‘Sir Duke’. Heavenly.

Next up was the performance of Tieranniesaur on the Cosby Stage. Annie Tierney and co really know how to put on a party with catchy songs such as ‘Sketch’ and ‘Here Be Monsters’, funky percussion that’s heavy on the cowbells and groovy basslines. If you haven’t seen this band live yet, you’re really missing out. 

Quite by accident I caught Róisín O playing the Bamboo Stage in Body & Soul. They grabbed my attention while I was passing and they were doing a boisterous cover of Florence & the Machine’s ‘Dog Days Are Over’. My interest piqued, I stayed for a few songs after and was impressed with what I saw of their country-flecked rock. They release their debut album The Secret Life of Blue later this month and it should be worth keeping an eye out for that.

Back at the Cosby Stage the Cast of Cheers were doing what they do best with their super-tight, angular indie rock. The tent was packed to capacity as the Swords four-piece blasted through songs from their debut album, Chariot, and the recently released follow up, Family. It’s always a treat to see these guys live.

Wild Beasts played to a surprisingly small crowd on the main stage for this mid-afternoon slot. I positioned myself to the side at the front near one of the speakers. The sound was once again superb and the bass was actually rather unsettling on the stomach it was that heavy. Nevertheless, this was a solid performance as they ambled through songs such as ‘Albatross’, ‘Loop the Loop’ and ‘Hooting and Howling’, where singer Hayden Thorpe’s ear-piercing falsetto is showcased to its true potential.

Not Squares’ sound has certainly changed since last year’s brilliant Yeah OK. The first half of their set in the Little Big Tent included new songs such as ‘Fall Far’. It’s got a more disco sound with really distorted vocals but it’s still highly danceable and it’ll be really interesting to hear more. Things pick up in the second half as they play the older more gung-ho electronic stuff like ‘Release the Bees’ and the excellent ‘Asylum’ with some of the best live drumming you’re likely to see. Great show.

Richard Hawley is always someone who I would have labelled a crooner but his latest album, Standing at the Sky’s Edge, is a new direction for him and an absolute treat of psychedelic rock. In the Electric Arena he played primarily new songs such as ‘Standing at the Sky’s Edge’, ‘Down In the Woods’ and ‘Don’t Stare at the Sun’ which all sounded fantastic live. There was also room for older songs such ‘Tonight The Streets Are Ours’ and ‘Open Up Your Door’. Gorgeous from start to finish.

I’ve had problems with The Horrors live in the past due to a number of different reasons mainly involving sound issues but I was willing to give them another try at the Crawdaddy Stage. While still not perfect, it was a much better show from them. They have some of the best songs of the last few years in ‘Scarlet Fields’, ‘Sea Within A Sea’ and ‘Still Life’ so it was a pleasure to hear them live and not have them reduced to a squall. The different instruments and synths were discernible throughout although Faris’ vocals were a bit low and hard to hear. The closing ‘Endless Blue’ was superb, a treat of pure space rock which sent me off satisfied.

Baxter Dury drew a rather pathetic crowd to the Cosby Stage but he was competing with the Cure so we can’t give out too much. He released a gem of an album of quirky, lo-fi pop in Happy Soup last year. His cockney-geezer half spoken-half sung tales of everyday life sounded great here with the likes of ‘Hotel Brixton’, ‘Claire’, ‘Afternoon’ and ‘Isabel’ standing out. This deserved a much bigger crowd.

I was a little bit disappointed with Grimes at Forbidden Fruit earlier this summer but once again felt she was worth giving another try. There were no excuses here – a guy helping out on a drum machine (although he seemed only to wave about a fluorescent wand), two male dancers and a packed Cosby Stage. She has the songs such as ‘Genesis’, ‘Nightmusic’, ‘Oblivion’ and ‘Circumambient’ that should really get a crowd going but, as before, there just felt like there was something missing. Halfway through a girl standing beside me turned to me and asked “Does it not get more intense than this?” I replied “No this is it”. “Oh,” she said. That sums it up really. Not bad, just slightly underwhelming.

There was nothing underwhelming about Orbital who delivered a whopper of a closing set on the main stage. A huge crowd going crazy, dazzling visuals and cracking tunes such as ‘Halcyon and On and On’ and ‘Chime’. What more can you ask for? Another triumph from the Hartnoll brothers who were similarly impressive on the late Friday night main stage slot a couple of years back.

 After this it was on to the Salty Dog with me for one more slice of funk from the hard-working Tieranniesaur. The Salty Dog is such a great stage – a pirate ship set into the forest with a band stand, sound system and canopy overhead – and was still going strong at four in the morning. Unfortunately I wasn’t and retired shortly after.

Electric Picnic 2012 | Friday

While I was otherwise engaged over the weekend, my frequent gig-going accomplice, the ever reliable Johnny Feeney was at Electric Picnic. Without further ado, here are his thoughts on Day 1.

This was my sixth time making the journey down to Electric Picnic in Stradbally. The crowd has changed somewhat over the years but it’s still one of the great weekends of the year with so much on offer and the first weekend in September is always kept free in my calendar. This year’s line-up really had me excited and the weekend certainly didn’t disappoint.

First up for me was recently reformed Grandaddy in the Electric Arena. Jason Lytle and co played a dazzling set of their distinctive, hazy electro-tinged rock, belting out classics such as ‘AM 180′, ‘Now It’s On’, ‘the Crystal Lake’ and ‘Hewlett’s Daughter’ to an increasingly appreciative crowd.  The epic closer ‘He’s Simple, He’s Dumb, He’s the Pilot’ was the set highlight for me – ten woozy minutes of jaw-dropping beauty. It was a real privilege to be here.

Grizzly Bear used their later slot in the Electric Arena to roadtest a lot of new songs that will be on their forthcoming album, Shields. As delighted as I am that they’re back with new material I was left wishing that they’d played more of their recognisable songs. The band themselves look like they’re only getting to grips with the new songs. They’re certainly more heavily layered and denser and it bodes well for the new album but this wasn’t really the time and place for them. Having said that, the closing pair of songs, ‘Two Weeks’ and ‘While You Wait For the Others’ (one of my all time favourite songs), provided redemption of sorts and this was as brilliant a ten minutes of music I experienced all weekend.

Metronomy played a barn-storming set to a packed Cosby Stage and really had the place bouncing. Perhaps a bit surprisingly, they drew more from their dancier second album, Nights Out, than from the recent Mercury Prize-nominated album, the English Riviera, but this was a terrific show.  I got in just in time for the excellent ‘Love Underlined’ with the crowd going nuts and it didn’t let up for the next 45 minutes. Standout tracks included ‘Corinne’, ‘Heartbreaker’, ‘Everything Goes My Way and the Look’. A really impressive and accomplished set.

The XX took to the main stage and opened with the sublime ‘Angels’, a song of almost staggering beauty off their new album, Coexist. The sound was superb and the band were great live but I felt the main stage at 9 on the first evening wasn’t the best place for them to perform. The crowd at the main stage were up for a party and this is certainly not party music. You could feel the crowd getting excited every time Jamie XX started dropping the beats in but just as quickly it’s back quiet again. They did a really slowed down version of Crystallised which didn’t particularly work for me and I would have preferred the original. There were moments of real beauty though such as ‘Angels’, ‘Heart Skipped A Beat’ and ‘Shelter’ but nothing mind-blowing. For me, these are a band who need a roof over their heads.

I wasn’t really sure who to choose next between The Vaccines and Mark Lanegan so I made the hard decision and did half and half. With the Vaccines, you know what you’re going to get – short, sharp indie that’s lots of fun but without much depth. They fly through songs such as ‘Wrecking Bar (Ra Ra Ra)’ and ‘Wetsuit’, really getting the crowd going. Mark Lanegan is a much different proposition – gloomy, brooding blues rock with Lanegan’s incredibly deep, gravelly voice at the centre of everything. He’s a magnetic presence on stage and it’s very easy to get lost in this music.

With Azealia Banks sadly cancelling due to exhaustion a couple of days before the festival, there was nothing else I was absolutely adamant on seeing so I spent the rest of the evening exploring the site. The great Casa Bacardi area was packed and full of dancing revellers with DJs playing house music into the small hours. From there I went into the Body & Soul area, a real favourite of mine where there’s always a hundred and one things to do with its numerous stages and nooks and crannies which really gets going when the sun goes down. All in all, a very good start to the weekend with no major disappointments.

Castlepalooza 2012 In 559 Words

Over the past few years Castlepalooza has proven itself a worthy addition to the Irish festival season. Situated in the wonderful surroundings of Charleville Castle, its relative small size means you’re never too far from anything and it also provides a chance for so many homegrown acts to perform. This year’s festival was no different; friendly staff, decent food (for it’s limited size especially) and even if you ‘can’t’ bring beer in with you, what was on offer was reasonable.

Friday had an air of ‘the calm before the storm’ to it, the lineup was a bit lightweight too. However, this and the threat of rain did little to dampen people’s spirits. Friday night’s highlight was undoubtedly Scroobious Pip. Backed with a live band his furiously frenetic rap/rock combo exploded the festival into life and his lyrical deliver was equally impressive. An inspired and extremely enjoyable performance which did more than enough to warrant checking out his debut solo album from last year, Distraction Pieces.

If Friday was somewhat underwhelming Saturday was the opposite and littered with many great moments. The first of which was Dublin band The Statics, their slick performance on the main stage was the highlight of the weekend. There was no bullshit bravado, just solid tunes in the vein of The La’s, John Power and The Coral, played with an assured sense of style. The show was an absolute joy, they certainly have a knack for decent tunes that seems to come effortlessly, hopefully we get to hear a release very soon.

Up next were two chance encounters, first was Rob Steenson at the Deezer Stage. A rapper from Dublin’s North Inner City he was accompanied by drums, accoustic guitar and two vocalists, this boy can certainly rap and worth following up. As the sun began to shine it was back to the Main Stage something completely different, The North Strand Kontra Band, who really brought the party buzz to Castlepalooza. Their fusion of traditional Balkan sounds with a sort of two-tone ska underbelly whipped people into a dance-filled-frenzy. So much fun, it was a real shame their set was cut short.

After a breather it was back to the Deezer Stage for The Violet Roadkills. The Dublin 4-piece produced one hell of a show. A powerful mix of heavy riffs and driving synths, channeled into a haze of Electronica and Krautrock, the kind of thing you would expect from Death In Vegas. Next, Monto, SertOne and REID. How often will you get the chance to see three of the most impressive new faces from Ireland’s burgeoning electronic scene in a row? Monto just keeps getting better and better, the new material sounds even meatier than before while SertOne’s DJ set was superb and it was attacked with real aggression. Both of them had the Courtyard Stage pumping. Then it was back to the Deezer Stage where REID’s deep atmospheric electronics and chunky beats had the place flying.

That was that, Sunday was not meant to be after being woken early, 6.30am in fact, by torrential rain. It wad quickly obvious my tent wasn’t designed for this sort of weather. With a tent full of water, wet and weary I headed for home, a pity really but Saturday was one of the most enjoyable days at a festival I’ve had in a long, long time.

Castlepalooza 2012 | Irish Acts Mixtape

Castlepalooza 2012 is almost upon us. The Music and Arts Festival returns to Charleville Castle Tullamore, County Offaly this Bank Holiday weekend (Friday August 3rd to Sunday 5th).

Castlepalooza is definitely one of my favourite Irish festivals, it’s in a fabulous setting, relaxed and with an admirable mix of Irish and International acts. There are so many different acts worth seeing this year, check the line-up/stage times for yourself if you don’t believe me.

Here’s a mixtape, an introduction to some of the Irish acts playing this year, which have caught my eye. There’s lot’s of great stuff on here, with plenty of diversity reflecting the festival itself, hopefully there’s something for everyone.

You can stream/download it below and the tracklisting is after the jump. Hopefully it’s useful and people enjoy it and this year’s festival too, obviously.

Camden Crawl Dublin | A Quick Preview

Camden Crawl has become something of an institution across the water since first appearing in the mid ’90s. It prides itself on giving an equal footing to both established and emerging acts and for the first time Camden Crawl is coming to Dublin.

The line-up is mightily impressive, continuing it’s mantra, it has a nice mix of homegrown and international counterparts, both established and emerging. An interesting aspect of the festival is, to encourage exploration, stage times and venue line ups are kept secret until announced at the event via the free official programme.

In keeping with the spirit and ethic of the Camden Crawl Dublin, here are a few acts, both established and not so, to keep an eye out for over the weekend. As always, feel free to give a shout out to acts you think deserve a mention.

Friday:

SertOne

Portadown-born hip-hop producer SertOne is an undoubtedly talented individual. He has a knack for skillfully weaving of an electronic patchwork of hip-hop influences and silky samples with his own unique qualities and an ear for quality beats. He is a relative newcomer but with a slew of remixes, a free album and the exceptionable EP, The View From Above under his belt, this guy is surely destined for great things.

SertOne – Astro-Bazaar

REID

REID is another electronic producer with a bright future. Since first coming to prominence just over a year ago, the Corkman  been showcasing his distinctive style of atmospheric electronic sounds with an energetic blend of slick beats. He has a remix coming on a Kitsuné collaboration and is currently working on his second EP. I managed to catch one of REID’s live shows last year and it impressed me a lot, he is another Irish producer an exciting future ahead of him.

REID – Miami

And the rest to keep an eye out for Come On Live Long, ASIWYFA, Duke Special, Jogging, Leathal Dialect, Wounds & Jape.

Saturday:

Gaz Coombes

The former Supergrass frontman has spent most of 2012 building up for the release of his debut solo album,  Here Come The Bombs. Coombes’ two tracks to date have been extremely impressive. ’Subdivider’ and ‘Hot Fruit’ both offered a sound that while sounding different it retained something very familiar at the same time. A legend in his own right, he’s proving there is plenty of life after Supergrass.

 Gaz Coombes – Hot Fruit via TheSoundfull

Mystery Jets

Mystery Jets’ last album Serotonin was something of a flat tire, one that threatened to derail them from their path to the promised land. The bands latest effort Radlands however, sees them regain the momentum of the near perfect Twenty One. These guys have everything, a blitz of wonderful indie, quirky eccentricity and psychedelia, blended with the sweet Americana sounds of their latest record. It is hard to foresee these guys not doing the business, a definite must see.

Mystery Jets – Greatest Hits

Ghostpoet

Ghostpoet is no stranger to Ireland having played a string of shows here over the past year or so, yet, somehow I have yet to see him live, something I aim to rectify. Fitting somewhere between the everyday musings of Mike Skinner and the gruffness of Roots Manuva, he charts a journey through life in modern Britain, graced with his drawl, hazy idiosyncratic slurred delivery and a backdrop of atmospheric beats and screeches. His debut Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam proved him to be one of the most unique, exciting and thought-provoking of last year.

Ghostpoet – Survive It

Simon Bird

Originally from West Somerset but now based in Dublin, Simon Bird has released five EPs in the past year and a half or so. His latest, V EP is a relaxing, thought provoking and engaging listen and one of complex layers and rich ambient sounds. I’m yet to see him live, but there have only been glowing reviews. Bird is another hot prospect, no doubt about it.

 Simon Bird – Xerox Waveform Godless Ocean

Girl Band

Dublin based four-piece punk rockers Girl Band are another ‘yet to see band’ at Camden Crawl Dublin, that said, their releases to date are enough to get excited about. They specialize in thunderous salvos of aggression fueled and high-octane punk rock. Let’s hope their live show lives up to the likes of ‘Second One’, ‘Twelves’ and ‘In My Head’.

Girl Band – Second One

And the rest to keep an eye out for: We Are Losers, No Monster Club, Lemonada, Fionn Regan, Cashier No.9 & Toby Kaar.

Ones To Watch 2012 in Whelan’s & The Village

A lot of this weeks’ attention has been devoted to dispelling the dismay and dreariness of January. How about 50 bands, across 3 stages, for €10 and a free pint to brighten things up?

Following the success of last years ‘Ones to Watch’, the mini festival returns to Whelan’s and The Village for 2012 and kicks off tomorrow. The full line-up has been announced and it features some the best and brightest new and emerging Irish acts, many oh whom have already featured here on the blog. At a glance these standout straight away; Versechorusverse, Lethal Dialect, Jogging, Reid, Tenaka, Simon Bird, Ghost Estates, Depravations, Spies, Come On Live Long, Trap Door and Raglan.

The full lineup is after the jump and it all takes place Wednesday 11^th – Saturday 14^th January in Whelan’s & The Village. Doors 7.30pm & tickets €5 per day or €10 for a festival ticket.

Hard Working Class Heroes 2011 Preview

It’s Hard Working Class Heroes time again in Dublin this weekend (October 6th – 8th), with many of Ireland’s best and brightest emerging talents playing in venues across the city. It has become an important part of Irish music now, not only for allowing artists to showcase their talents but there’s always a great buzz too.

The festival kicks off on Thursday and takes place in The Button Factory, The Mercantile, The Grand Social, Shebeen Chic, Twisted Pepper and The Workman’s Club. Tickets are still available with weekend tickets priced €45 and nightly tickets are €20 (+ fees).

Every year involves lots of new musical discoveries but I’ve taken some time to list acts to be considered. If you would like to do the same why not leave a comment or two?

Thursday:

We Cut Corners (9:40 The Button Factory)

The Dublin duo’s latest single ‘Leopard’ received many plaudits and rightfully so, it is one of the finest slices of indie rock this year. With their debut album out in November I’m interested to hear more from these guys.

We Cut Corners – Leopard

Friday:

Tenaka (7:35 The Button Factory)

Limerick producer Ronan Carroll recently released the stunning EPhemeral EP; a brooding blend of chillout electronica mixing deep and dreamy atmospherics with subtle, crisp and shuffled beats. As a recent convert to his music I’m very excited about this one.

 Tenaka - The Alaskan (featuring Sacred Animals)

No Monster Club (9:30 The Workman’s Club)

This Dublin trio are always an exciting live prospect live, chaotic, high energy performances are their forte. It suits their mixture of sunshine surf-rock and hyper rough-a-round the edges Strokes-esque sound perfectly. They took time out from polishing off their forthcoming album to play the last Barrygruff gig and lets just say no one was disappointed.

 No Monster Club – The Last Bottle In The World

Squarehead (9.35 The Button Factory)

The Dublin trio have rightly received plenty of praise for singles ‘Midnight Enchilada’ and ‘Fake Blood’, as well as their excellent debut LP, Yeah Nothing. Squarehead have something of a knack for snappy sun soaked indie pop songs which should be a treat for Friday night punters.

 Squarehead – Fake Blood

We Are Losers (11:00 The Workman’s Club):

It has been remarkable 12 months since the band’s first live show at last years HWCH, gracing stages at Leeds Festival and Castlepalooza (*cough* and the last Barrygruff Presents) and releasing their sizzling double a-side ‘Sunset Song / Cheerleader’ on Leeds Indie label ‘Dance to the Radio’. No matter how many times I see them live I keep coming back for more of their fuzzed-up lo-fi indie. With out doubt one of the most exciting emerging acts in Ireland right now.

 We Are Losers – Sunset Song

Saturday:

Kid Karate (9:50 The Mercantile):

Like you music loud? Look no further than Dublin ragged rock/punk duo Kid Karate who have impressed greatly over the past 12 months or so. As a live act few come anywhere close to their gritty riff-laden rock n roll, or in terms of volume and energy.

Kid Karate – Black + Beige 

House of Dolls (9:50 The Button Factory)

I caught these guys toward the end of last year and thought they were fantastic. So far the band have only released a double A-side single ‘Gimme Some Glory’/'Before She Wakes’, but  a debut album has been promised soon. Their sound? A mixture of dark, dirty, atmospheric and moody psychedelic rock. You won’t be disappointed.

House of Dolls – Gimme Some Glory

Moths (10:15 The Workman’s Club):

The 18 year old Newbridge native sent blogs across the world buzzing with excitement about his fresh, chilled electronica. This year has seen the rise and rise of this guy and his music. I’ve caught a couple of his shows and well, you won’t want to miss this. His is an especially prodigious talent, no doubt about it.

 Bon Iver – Babys (Moths Remix)

Ginola (11:15 The Mercantile)

Everything so far about these guys has been impressive; double a-side You Never Met Someone Like Me, split release with Turning Down Sex (who are well worth seeing too), It’s A Disagreeable Thing To Be Whipped and live. Lot’s of loud feisty shout-a-long garage punk is to be expected.

 Ginola – Dark & Handsome

You can check out the full schedule here.

Electric Picnic 2011 in as few words as possible

Photo: Aoife Byrne

The festival season is more or less done and dusted for another year. We had it all at Electric Picnic this year some sunshine, some rain and some biting cold but, most importantly we had lots of great music.

Here is my brief as possible round-up of the musical antics down in Stradbally. There’s a few videos after the jump too.

Friday:

Willy Mason: A difficult set for Mason. One man and a guitar on a Main Stage is always going to be tough but he did his best. Great to hear ‘Oxegen’ and ‘Save Myself’ in the flesh. The former NME darling would have benefited hugely from a different setting.

Onra: Really good beats with a real West Coast/G-funk vibe from the French beatmaker. It did get a little repedative but they more than made up for it finishing with their much lively Asian fusion material.

Jimmy Cliff: The Jamaican ska and reggae legend didn’t disappoint one bit. The man has been around since the ’60s but his voice is still impeccable. The show was lively and there was a really sense of good feeling in the crowd as he ran through a super set including ‘Miss Jamaica’, ‘King of Kings’, ‘I Can See Clearly Now’ and the newly adapted anti-war song, ‘Afghanistan’.

PJ Harvey: This was one not to be missed, captivating would be the word to describe the show. Amid the darkness and swirling smoke Harvey delivered the likes of ‘Let England Shake’, ‘The Words That Maketh Murder’ and ‘The Last Living Rose’s with a shrill intensity. Let England Shake is one of 2011′s finest albums and it finally got me to listen to her music. I feel back catalogue exploration coming on.

The Charlatans: Say what you like about The Charlatans but when they roll out their classics, few bands sets will come close. It was an electrifying set (pardon the pun) with standouts of ‘Forever’, ‘Weirdo’, ‘One To Another’, ‘North Country Boy’ and ‘Just When Your Thinking Things Over’. There is still plenty of life left in the old dog yet, hard to believe Burgess and Co. have been doing this for over 20 years now.

Shit Robot: Dubliner Shit Robot (Aka Marcus Lambkin) brought Friday to a close in style. The visuals, the beats and the vibe was second to none, the full Shit Robot show is something to behold. It was great to see a packed tent, he and his music finally got the crowd and respect he deserved unlike Oxegen.

Saturday:

Ghost Estates: A nice way to kick off the day with Dublin Indie 5 piece, Ghost Estates. A nice and tidy set with a sizeable crowd too.

Adebisi Shank: Easily one of the finest live bands in the business, they did that assumption no harm with a set full of that signature furiousity and intensity. On a side note ‘International Dreambeat’ has to be one of the greatest opening songs out there.

The Undertones: The legendary Derry punk outfit performed their self-titled classic 1979 debut in it’s entirety. It was a blistering set, as they launched into a show of under 3-minute perfect punk songs. Cliched as it sounds, there is something special about hearing ‘Teenage Kicks’ live. There was even time for a few non-debut-album tracks;  ’Thrill Me’, ‘You’ve Got My Number (Why Don’t You Use It?)’, ‘Get Over You’ and ‘My Perfect Cousin’. This is a band who even after all these years obviously love playing live.

Public Enemy: A powerful set from one of most important hip-hop acts ever, and my, can they put on a show. The vocals were a bit iffy at times (where I was) but it didn’t stop the crowd going nuts as they plunged into a set including ’Fight The Power’, ‘Welcome to the Terrordome’, ‘Bring The Noise’ and ‘Don’t Believe The Hype’. Next time they are in town, I’m there.

Sunday:

Lastertom & The Blast Crew: One of the highlights from Castlepalooza, they got things off to a great start on Sunday. Their slow-burning  tunes mixes an array of disco, funk, electro and gospel, very DFA-esque, went down a treat. It would have been great to see them on at a later time nonetheless. 

Moths: His early set at the Body & Soul Main stage was the perfect setting for his chilled electronica. It was made all the better with the re-emergence of the sun which, along with the music, raised punters spirits. 

Pulp: The perfect Picnic headliners to close this years festival. They hit their stride quickly opening with ‘Do You Remember The First Time?’ following with ‘Disco 2000′ soon after. Pulp may be in their advancing years but they have a tremendous amount of energy on stage. Jarvis too is a worthy frontman and can still pull off the dance moves. Even though the crowd seemed less interested in the slower and less familiar tracks like ‘Underwear’ and ’Something Changed’, the majority were up for this one. ‘Babies’, ‘F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E’ and personal favorite ’Sorted For E’s And Whizz’ made up for any lost ground. This, all before bringing the house down with ‘Common People’, a stunning finale. Is this the last we have seen of Pulp? I’m not sure, I’m just glad I finally got the chance to see them live.

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Electric Picnic: Irish Acts Mixtape

Electric Picnic returns to Stradbally this weekend and as always there is a nice balance right between international and homegrown acts.

After doing an overall preview I decided to put together a wee mix as a snap shot of some of the Irish acts playing this year. You can download the mix and listen to it before going or on the way to EP – you know the kind of thing. There’s so much quality on offer here.

The tracklisting with stages, days and times is after the jump. It wouldn’t allow me to upload ASIWYFA but you can stream it below instead. Enjoy!

Download: Electric Picnic 2011: Irish Acts Mixtape

ASIWYFA -  D Is For Django The Bastard

Electric Picnic 2011: Picks for the Picnic

No doubt you have all been busy with highlighters at the ready, making your own lists of acts to see at Electric Picnic this weekend. The line-up is pretty amazing and they have got a nice balance between international and homegrown acts.

Here is a brief run through a few of the acts I’m hoping to see. If I was to list all the acts worth seeing I’d be here till next week. Feel free to post your own recommendations in the comments below, it is always greatly appreciated.

PS – There is a special feature on the Irish acts playing coming soon too.

Friday:

The Lost Brothers (Main Stage 15:30)

Their timeless acoustic folk/roots songs are a great way to kick off the weekend. The duo of Mark McCausland and Oisin Leech have been a firm favourite since releasing the enchanting Trails of the Lonely (Part I & III) in 2008.

The Lost Brothers – Ribbons and Bows

Jimmy Cliff (Main Stage 19:15)

Ska and reggae legend Jimmy Cliff’s career has spanned over four decades. I saw him play a few years back and he was absolutely amazing, judging by his performance at Glastonbury we can expect the same. How can anyone argue with songs like ‘Wonderful World, Beautiful People’, ‘The Hard They Come’, ‘You Can Get It If You Really Want’ and ‘Vietnam’?

Jimmy Cliff – Vietnam via Paddymseventyseven7

Shit Robot (Little Big Tent 00:00)

The DFA signed Dubliner’s debut album, From The Cradle To The Rave, was one of last years standouts. Shit Robot was also one of highlights at Oxegen this year. The set, show and sound was amazing, such a shame so few people witnessed it. One must feel that his 80′s infused electro house will be much more palatable to the EP crowd. Hopefully.

Shit Robot – Losing My Patience

Others: PJ Harvey (Main Stage 20:45), The Charlatans (Crawdaddy Stage 23:00), Boys Noize (22:15 Little Big Tent)