So, ‘BarryGruff Presents’ returns to Flanagan’s Bar, Newbridge for its sixth instalment on Friday, May 25th.
The first 5 shows have been fantastic & ‘BarryGruff Presents’ #6 promises to be no less impressive, with the delectable talents of Sive, Padraig McCauley & The P Affection and Sea Area Forecast on show.
Sive, the brainchild of Naas musician Sadhbh O’Sullivan, who’s recent debut album We Are Moving was greeted by rave reviews. Drawing from a wide variety of alternative rock, jazz and folk influences, Sive’s gorgeous sound fuses these influences, with excellent musicianship and charm.
Accompanying them on the bill are Naas-based Padraig McCauley & The P Affection, whose genre hopping sounds of their debut album received notable acclaim last year. Meanwhile Newbridge based Sea Area Forecast take time out from prepping their debut EP, indie, folk and rock sounds. It is going to be yet another memorable night.
Entry is FREE as always and starts at 9.00pm Friday, May 25th. More info & Facebook event here.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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’.
So, it’s gig #5 for ‘BarryGruff’ Presents’. This Thursday (April 26th) we’ve got The North Sea & Death In The Sickroom, entry is FREE as always and judging by the previous gigs, this is going to be a great night!
Dublin 5 piece The North Sea made quite an impression over the past 12 months which has seen them playing shows across Ireland and the UK including Indiependence, Knockanstockan, Whelan’s One To Watch and supporting Whipping Boy. They are currently prepping the release of their brand new EP and having already witnessed comparisons to The Wedding Present, The Stone Roses and The Smiths.
Accompanying them on the bill are fellow Dubliners Death In The Sickroom, whose own happy-go-lucky jingle-jangle indie-pop is worthy of huge praise too.
Over the past few months we have been lucky to witness some or Ireland brightest emerging musical talents and this will be no different. The show takes place in Flanagan’s, Newbridge on Thursday, April 26th and kicks off at 8.30pm. More info & Facebook event here.
As it has been well publised elsewhere, Record Store Day takes place this Saturday, April 21st. It is a day when people celebrate and support their local independent record store, as stores across the globe reciprocate the feeling by hosting live music, offers, exclusive and limited edition releases for the day.
This year ‘Record Store Day’ is coming to Newbridge for the first time. It’s taking place in Top Twenty from 2pm and I’m delighted to be involved in helping host a special set of live in-store performances from Captain Moonlight, Sive, Appo, Sea Area Forecast, Substance and Paul McCormack. As well as great live performances, to celebrate Record Store Day and 25 years in business, the guys in Top Twenty will be offering 10% off all stock (excluding tickets) for one day only.
There’s plenty happening elsewhere too, so if you’re not in the area you should check out what’s happening in your local store and pop by, listen to some music and maybe buy a record. More info & Facebook event page.
So, it’s gig #4 for ‘BarryGruff’ Presents’ in Flanagan’s, Newbridge on Easter Sunday, April 8th. Entry is FREE as always and judging by the previous gigs, this is going to be one hell of a night!
Dublin 5 piece Ghost Estates made quite an impression in the past 12 months. A number stellar singles and storming live shows, including Electric Picnic and Hard Working Class Heroes, earned them a lot of praise from this blog and earmarked them as definite ‘one’s to watch’.
They are currently readying their debut album for release in June and the band brings their delectably tight indie sound to Newbridge for the first time. Accompanying them on the bill is Thomastown band Neon Wolf, whose own unbridled feel-good indie-pop has caused more than their fair share of a stir and they left quite an impression the last time they were in town.
So, forget about those Easter eggs, this is going to be a great night and one not to be missed! Entry is FREE as always and starts at 8.30pm, Easter Sunday, April 8thth. More info & Facebook event here.
Normally I tend to give the nod to an odd few gigs throughout the year but with so much happening over the next few days I decided to do up a list of recommended events.
I’m not a big fan of Paddy’s Day so any musical distractions are most welcome. To be fair, I would love to be able to make most if not all on the list, but, that’s never going to happen. The Mighty Stef in Newbridge is a definite and the Lightbox Tour and all day ‘Reggae Bashment’ in The Black Horse could be winners too.
All venues in Dublin unless stated & some links ‘borrowed’ from Nialler 9‘s excellent weekly gig guide. Some music after the listings.
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 11th – Saturday 14th January in Whelan’s & The Village. Doors 7.30pm & tickets €5 per day or €10 for a festival ticket.
Looking for relief from the January blues? Well, I can’t recommend this one highly enough.
The Mighty Stef will be performing a special solo show in Flanagan’s, Newbridge on Wednesday this week. Stef will be playing, amongst others, songs from his debut The Sins Of Sainte Catherine. Having not played a show in Newbridge in 2011 Stef has made it his first order of business in 2012, before heading out on a European solo tour.
Over the past few he’s consistently been one of the most impressive Irish musicians with a string of superb releases and his live performances are always top notch. With support coming from Tallaght folk duo The Brothers Mulligan & Newbridge’s very own Ciaran Dwyer, it’s going to be a welcome midweek distraction.
Entry is FREE as always and starts at 8.30 pm, Wednesday, January 11th. More info & Facebook event here.
So, it’s gig #3 for ‘BarryGruff’ Presents’ in Flanagan’s, Newbridge on Wednesday, December 14th. Entry is FREE as always and judging by the gigs #1 and #2, this is going to be immense!
Now based between their native Dublin and Berlin, The Last Tycoons have taken time out of their busy schedule for a headline show in Newbridge. The Tycoons’ debut album was one of last years top albums, armed with this, their southern roots Americana tinged alternative rock sounds and some new songs (hopefully), it is going to be a fantastic show.
On the bill too are Kildare musicians Sive and Ciaran Dwyer. Sive are fronted by songwriter and musician Sadhbh O’Sullivan, who along with her band, has been busy gigging around Ireland this year. Meanwhile Ciaran Dwyer of Band on an Island will be showcasing material from his debut solo album, which is due out in March of next year.
Entry is FREE as always and starts at 9pm, Wednesday, December 14th. More info & Facebook event here.
Last month, October 22nd to be precise witnessed the second ‘Barrygruff Presents’ show in Flanagan’s, Newbridge.
It was another huge success on all fronts. The place was packed to the bloody rafters, it was hard to believe it was only a Thursday night. Both performances from No Monster Club and We Are Losers were fantastic, it is not often you get to experience their music stripped back so wonderfully. There are a couple of videos below so you can see and hear for yourself. There’s no definite dates or acts booked for #3 yet but were working on it and when we know, you’ll know.
A massive thank you to Stephen Connelly for all the hard work, Tim Crowley for the sound/recording, Joe Dunne for the videos and to everyone who came down on the night (and anyone I’ve missed out).
I saw Modeselektor a few years back at EP and they absolutely blew me and the rest of the crowd away. Never before or since have I witnessed a set like it, anyone who’s seen them knows what I’m talking about. It’s a full-blown sensory overload of dubstep, electro, techno, hip hop and a touch of avant-garde experimentation.
The German duo are so good; while yet to hear new album Monkeytown, previous efforts Happy Birthday! and Hello Mom were stunning. I’m really excited about this one, here’s a quick reminder of the sheer brilliance that is Modeselektor.
They play The Button Factory tomorrow (Saturday) night. Doors @ 11pm. Tickets €21.
Now in it’s ninth year, Hard Working Class Heroes hit venues across Dublin over the weekend (October 6th – 8th). As well as many of Ireland’s best and brightest emerging talents playing there was a whole host of panels, talks and free shows but for me, it’s about the gigs.
On Thursday Sounds of System Breakdown kicked things off in The Button Factory with a solid set of genre hopping electro. Spies were next to take up the mantel. Even if the sound seemed a bit off to begin with, their was no holding them back. Epic is a much over used word these days but that is surely the best way to describe their brand of rock. Thursday’s high point was undoubtedly We Cut Corners. The Dublin duo are stunningly tight performers, what they lack numerically they make up with volume and excellence. It is indie-rock done right while flirting with post punk, hearing their new single ‘Leopard’ live is quite something. With an album due soon these guys are definitely ones to watch out for.
Friday began back at The Button Factory with Tenaka. Opening a perfectly tailored set of soft ambient beats and atmospheric sounds before taking things up a notch with bigger thumping beats from his stunning EPhemeral EP. Next up was No Monster Club a short distance away in The Workman’s Club whose lively to the point speedy punk sound draws quite heavily from The Strokes and The Libertines, but if they were much cheerier. You can’t help but love this Dublin trio and hearing the likes of ’The Last Bottle In The World’ and ‘Electric Picnic’ is always a treat.
Staying put in the Workman’s we awaited We Are Losers. They have steadily grown into one of the best live bands in Ireland since their debut live show at last years HWCH. While that was a nervy (but impressive nonetheless) this was an assured and impressive show, proving bands need time to grow. ‘Cheerleader’ and ‘Sunset Song’ went down particularly well with the packed crowd. What makes Losers different to most of their contemporaries is they can take things to another level, and they aren’t finished yet.
Saturday and it was back to the Workman’s to see The Depravations who were the new discovery of the weekend. The soothing sounds of their rootsy indie folk had me gripped, echoes of ’50s/’60s masters at play with a touch of more modern acts like The Coral. It was back to The Button Factory for Ghost Estates where the Dublin 5 piece’s tight indie sound took things up a notch with singles ‘Paris’ and ‘Forever or Never’ being notable high points. They have presence and a well honed sound, it is going to be interesting to see what direction they take over the next twelve months or so.
Saturday was turning out to be a ever improving feast of new music and House of Dolls were it’s (and possibly the weekend’s) pinnacle. Their’s is a mixture of dark, dirty and atmospheric psychedelic rock played with a confidence and maturity of a world conquering group. Their set was stunning and with a debut album promised soon, expect to hear much more from these guys. Next it was over to the Mercantile sharpish to see Ginola who didn’t disappoint. Short, sharp and to the point punk with a serious bite is what they do – it’s loud, feisty and shout-a-long punk at it’s very best. If you get the opportunity to see these guys, do your a massive favour and do! A scintillating performance to bring the curtain down on another glorious HWCH.
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