I was a judge at this year's Choice Prize, the eighth installment of the award for Irish album of the year. As you've probably heard, Delorentos took home the gong for Little Sparks, their third album. Installed as favourite from the outset, I don't think it was a surprise to [Read more]
There's been a huge increase in the number of bands on Facebook announcing gigs, releases, videos, new websites, festival news etc etc. There's an air of positivity out there which is great to see and is reflected in the number of superb gigs around the country that you could get to in the coming week. Here's the best of the bunch! Thursday 24th Jan The Purple Sessions in Boyles of Slane ..... details here: http://2uibestow.blogspot.ie/2 013/01/2days-tune-peter-fitzpa trick-this.html ---------------- The Blue Choir - Whelans [...]
Here's the ten albums up for this year's Choice Music Awards sponsored by Meteor! Wallis Bird – Wallis Bird (Rubyworks) The Cast of Cheers – Family (Schoolboy Error) Adrian Crowley - I See Three Birds Flying (Chemikal Underground) Delorentos - Little Sparks (Delo Records) Damien Dempsey – Almighty Love (Sony) Julie Feeney – Clocks (Mittens) Heathers – Kingdom ( Warner Music) Mumblin Deaf Ro – Dictionary Crimes (Popical Island) Two Door Cinema Club – Beacon (Kitsune) Windings - I Am Not The [...]
If you wanted an indication of just how broad the State church has become, this next selection of our writers' favourite albums of 2012 hammers it home. From electro to alternative, indie pop, stark acoustic songwriting and acapella pop covers, all of life is here. 30. Actress - R.I.P. Football / electro crossover gets its first star. 29. The Futureheads - Rant One time Brit Poppers swap electric guitars for acapella harmonies. 28. Hundred [...]
It’s that time of year when every music website, publication and blog (including this one) are busy compiling end of year lists. This time around, I thought I’d shift the focus to the bands and artist’s who’ve played a ‘BarryGruff Presents’ show this year and ask them for their ‘favourite album of 2012′, ‘favourite song [...]
Prepare for poppers and streamers further north tonight as Dublin promoters Hefty Horse help Camden Street's Anseo celebrate ten years of open-doordom in the capital. Hefty have invited Hello Moon , Biggles Flys Again (who recently featured on AYCD #5 ), Mumblin' Deaf Ro and Drunken Boat to the certain joyous party atmosphere and it's all happening for FREE! If ever there was an excuse for [...]
Acid Week is the third album from Brooklyn based Dubliner John Cathal O'Brien released earlier this Summer. It's a fine lo-fi album of well written tunes which reveal a new layer of meaningfulness on every listen. Acid Week is a little country-folk singer-songwriter album which if released with a campaign in Ireland wouldn't be out of place next to the new albums from Adrian Crowley , Mumblin' Deaf Ro or Owensie . Acid Week reminds me of the [...]
Ronan Hession, or Mumblin' Deaf Ro , has just released his third album, after a break of five years in which real life took over. In the space between 20072s The Herring and the Brine and 20122s Dictionary Crimes , he became the dad of two boys and his mother, Angela, died of cancer. If it seems intrusive to open a feature with this level of detail about an artist's life, it's also impossible to write about Dictionary Crimes , autobiographical as it is, without doing so. Indeed, on the blog that accompanies [...]
Mumblin’ Deaf Ro's The Herring and the Brine album is one of the finest Irish releases of the last 10 years to my mind. It's just turned 5 years old and rather than give it a cake and a badge, Ronan Hession has marked the occasion by making the album free for download. Here's what I said about it back in 2007: A lo-fi folk release with a distinctly Irish story-telling slant, Ronan Hession’s second album is tale-driven with meditations on drowning, priesthood, presidential regret, murder by two sisters [...]
Part Three of my countdown of the Best 50 Irish Acts today. The only requirement for entry is that the artist must have played live or released something in the past twelve months. 30. Lisa Hannigan The former cohort of Damien Rice decided to go it alone, and his music suffers as a result. The lack of her vocals on most of 9 was the reason it wasn't as good as O . Her debut album was a consistent record, but not amazing. However, we know from experience that she definitely [...]
Nearly a year ago to the day inspired by The Irish Times compiled best 50 Irish acts at that moment in time I posted my Top 50 of Irish Artists. The only stipulation was that the artist had to gig or release an album in the last 12 months prior to the compiled list. My choices last year were based on bands and artists who I connected with at the time. 1. The Swell Season/Frames/Glen 2. Terry Sutton 3. Martin Finke 4. Pony Club 5. Lisa [...]
Foggy Notions has organised two benefit concerts for Haiti, which take place in February. There's fantastic line-ups at both shows, and tickets are €15 for each. Sunday February 14th Whelan’s 8pm Andy Irvine (Planxty), The Spook of the Thirteenth Lock, Mumblin Deaf Ro, The Hounds & Big Monster Love Wednesday February 17th Whelan’s 8pm David Kitt, Jape (solo electronic), Legion of Two, Patrick Kelleher & Goodtime John They’re collaborating with Concern on both shows. Tickets are €15 from www.tickets.ie or WAV box office [1890 200 078]. Both ticket agents will donate booking [...]
This gig would be worth a mention if only for the fantastic poster. Not only that, there's also some great acts playing at the Lower Deck in Portobello tomorrow night (Friday 22nd of January). The line-up is fantastic with Spook of the 13th Lock, Mumblin' Deaf Ro, Groom and Owensie all appearing. Even one of those great acts would be worth the admission price alone. Tickets are €10 and doors are at 9.
At very short notice Foggy Notions have organised two cracking gigs to be held at Whelan's on Wexford St, Dublin in aid of Concern's Haiti Crisis Appeal . "The appeal is seeking emergency funding for desperately needed food, water, shelter and medicine." More information below David Kitt's brilliant cover of Womack & Womack's 'Teardrops' from his last Whelan's show. Sunday February 14th - Planxty's Andy Irvine will bring some folk to the stage supported by The Spook of the Thirteenth Lock , Mumblin’ Deaf Ro [...]
This Sunday Glen Hansard will be performing in Whelans for a special charity gig for Haite. There's more .... Sunday 14th Feb sees this .... HAITI BENEFIT featuring ANDY IRVINE (Planxty, Patrick Street, Mozaik) THE SPOOK OF THE THIRTEENTH LOCK MUMNLIN DEAF RO' THE HOUNDS & BIG MONSTER LOVE There's more Weds 17th Feb..... DAVID KITT JAPE (solo electronic) LEGION OF TWO PATRICK KELLEHER & GOODTIME JOHN ..... I'll have to make [...]
So next Friday in The Lower Deck you will have the pleasure seeing four of Ireland's best acts. The Spook of the Thirteenth Lock Mumblin' Deaf Ro Groom Owensie Alternatively I might pop up to Drogheda for the first Purple Session of the year including Hugh Patrick, Stephen J Smith, Heirs to Nothing, Bobby Noonan and Mister Ebby. Difficult choice!
It does seem in Ireland that this year's Halloween is being celebrated like never before and I'm loving it. Here's an Irish Halloween mixtape! Some of the tunes are technically not written about Halloween but are included for atmospheric qualities. 1. And So I Watch You From Afar - Set Guitars To Kill 2. Ham Sandwich - Running Up That Hill [Live] 3. Pearse McGloughlin [...]
i, at one time, wanted to start my own label, but i had to be honest with myself and admit that i dont have that kind of freakin time to dedicate to something like that. as much as i would love to venture into something like that, i just dont need another distraction that could lead to another mild obsession. i still may try to put out a few things here and there, but nothing like the scope that i would ideally like to get into. some of my fellow constituents have done just that, parlayed their respective [...]
'Fading Fast' is my album of 2009 so far. I want to end the review at that but I'll do my very best to tell you why Garret Baker's debut album is rated so highly by this blog! Garret Baker's album is full of chilling atmospheric moods with simple folk songs encircling enriched lyrics. We have love songs, songs of friendship, songs of Dublin and songs of desire. This album is all about the songs and the lyrics. It's about the places the songs bring you to! When I listen to this I am brought to a Parisian [...]
Great news, that whistling guy from Naked Camera is to support, oh sorry, it's Michael Stevens, not Jake Stevens. Sorry. Michael Stevens from the excellent Groom is to support Mumblin' Deaf Ro at a very special intimate gig in Bewley's Cafe Theatre on Grafton Street. For those of you who haven't been there, it's a lovely little room upstairs from the cafe itself. The show takes place on May 15th at a cost of €10. Tickets can only be bought in Road Records on Fade Street, and just 50 are available. Told you it [...]
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