Fancy some intimate metalcore this August? Well look no further – Hatebreed are coming to town. MCD announced this morning that Whelan’s will host the American quartet on August 6th. Tickets go on sale this Friday at 09:00am priced €23. This show is strictly over 18′s.
| AUG/6th | Hatebreed | Whelan’s | €23 | Over 18′s show – On sale March 15th |
|---|
The wonderful TURN have announced a show in Dublin’s Button Factory for this December. It hasn’t been confirmed if more shows will be added to make this TURN’s first fill Irish tour in seven years, but they confirmed this will be their last show ever. The band announced the show through their official Facebook page. It all takes place at The Button Factory, December 21st 2012.
UPDATED (02/10):Tickets are on sale from Wednesday, Oct. 3rd from Ticketmaster.ie and all the usual outlets for €15 plus booking fees. Click here to purchase.
Last month the original lineup of TURN (Oliver Cole, Gavin Fox and Ian Melady) reformed with 2005 era bassist (Ciaran Kavanagh) to perform at Whelan’s and Electric Picnic. Fans of the band will fondly remember the Temple Bar Music Centre as being the epicentre of their early career where the band would launch their debut album plus singles and EP’s afterwards.
Re-capturing youth? Nah; TURN fans are still too young to worry about such things. It was only seven years since their last show together and most of us remember it like it was yesterday. In their time, TURN managed to release three critically acclaimed albums, achieve success both at home and in the U.K. with fiery, brooding heavy singles such as ‘Beretta’ and ‘Beeswax’, sell out almost every venue Dublin had to offer and tour the country relentlessly, assuring their place in Irish music history. Now they’re back (for a little while at least) to play a much anticipated show at this year’s Electric Picnic and tonight’s ’secret’ warm up show.
There’s not many local bands who could pack Whelan’s with an unannounced show on the starting day of the nation’s biggest and most beloved music festival; but that doesn’t seem to stop the Kells’ legends from doing just that. Taking a break from their solo ventures, Ollie Cole, Gavin Fox and Ian Melady are back together along with former bassist Ciaran Kavanagh on guitar. As the house lights go down and the excited crowd grin from ear to ear with excitement, the four familiar figures stroll on stage and kick off the show fan favourites ‘Never Needed’ and ‘Beretta’.
Turn both look and sound sharp, losing none of their on stage performance and power. ‘Anti-Social’ thrills Whelan’s with bar staff even attempting a look in for the obligatory sing along. ‘Summer Song’ and the sombre ‘You Got Style’ move us towards Turn’s seminal years before the gentle yet booming, ‘Heart Attack’, causes the band and crowd to explode to life with Ciaran’s second guitar giving the song the extra hitch it needs to fulfil it’s true quality.
As well as losing none of their power, it also appears that Gavin and (the recently married) Ollie have also retained their classic on stage quipping and banter, joking together and sharing a dedication to Ollie’s new bride. There’s a little more nostalgia when the band pause during ‘Queen of My Heart’ to allow Ian his classic live solo, aided of course by chants of ‘IANO’ before launching into ‘In Position’, one of the band’s most accomplished songs. The thundering ‘Harder’ ups the volume a few notches before the colossal ‘Beeswax’ shreds through the PA, sounding as fresh as the day it was written. Before bowing out to travel towards Stradbally, Turn thrill fans with one final performance of ‘Another Year Over’. Obviously delighted with the turnout and success of their first reunited show, the band amble off stage, ready to take on the waiting hordes at Electric Picnic tomorrow. Whatever their plans for the future, it would be a shame if this was the last we saw of them.
Never Needed
Beretta
Anti-Social
Summer Song
You Got Style
Heart Attack
Queen of My Heart
In Position
Harder
Beeswax
Another Year Over
I cannot get over this news, but on top of TURN reforming for Electric Picnic this weekend; the band have just announced a free headlining show in Whelan’s tomorrow night (yes, FREE!)
Whelan’s have just sent their newsletter out and confirmed the whole thing. TURN live on stage almost seven years since their last performance. Oliver Cole, Ian Melady, Gavin Fox and Ciran Kavanagh will revitalize the classic turn sound with a brooding double guitar density and four capable singers for harmonies…yadayadayafa – I almost too excited to write this properly (almost – feck off).
If you’re skipping the picnic then make sure you head along tomorrow night and catch one of Irelands greatest live forces tear Whelan’s apart!
Dublin trad/rock quintet, The Spook of the Thirteenth Lock will officially release the follow up to their highly praised debut album tomorrow night in Whelan’s. ‘The Brutal Here and Now’ has been picking up rave reviews recently with Hot Press even hailing it as a contender for Irish Album of 2012. The album is streaming over on Harmlessnoise for a limited time and gets its official release tomorrow night, April 13th in Whelan’s Dublin. This will be followed by several dates nationwide. Please see below for details.
Whelan’s tickets are on sale now priced €12 (plus booking fee)
12/04 Triskel Arts Centre, Cork
13/04 Whelan’s, Dublin
14/04 Bridge Brook Arms, Thomastown, Kilkenny
19/04 Boyle’s, Navan
21/04 Brandon’s, Ennis
26/04 The Róisín Dubh with Windings, Galway
27/04 Joe Lee’s with Glimmermen, Tullamore
03/05 The Menagerie with Mudbitch, Béal Feirste, Belfast
06/05 Vantastival, Louth
J
APE has announced a gig in Whelan’s for Friday, March 16th. Currently in the middle of their Ocean of Frequency tour around the country, Jape will return to the capital in less than two months to blow the roof of the legendary Wexford street venue. Tickets are on sale now priced €16.50 (€15 on the door).
Since Tickets There is unfortunately missing his Leitrim gig next week, you can guarantee we’ll be at this one! Official press release and all that jive is available on the Whelan’s site – http://www.whelanslive.com/index.php/archives/8043
Is there anything better than glam metal? Def Leppard did it best (not open for debate), Guns N’ Roses made it dangerous and Bon Jovi tried to kill it; but 2011 sees a plethora of young bands revitalizing one of music’s most infamous genres. About bloody time!
In the thirty odd years since Leppard, Mötley Crüe, Poison, Guns N’ Roses and the likes took that old blues rock n roll, dumped a tonne of eye liner, Jack Daniels and explicit west coast sex into the mix; a lot has changed in the world. Geeks have taken over, bands ware scarves, converse, recycle like Germans and …God help us, Chris Martin and Thom Yorke are even considered rock stars. Don’t panic, there’s hope! Tonight, Finland’s extremely credible successor to Hanoi Rocks; Reckless Love are in Dublin to inject a little sleaze into our cold Irish blood.
Last year the band visited Ireland on their ‘Back To Paradise tour’ in support of their self-titled debut LP. Now they’re back with a new album, ‘Animal Attraction’ and a jump in venue; going from Crawdaddy to Whelan’s. A pint of the black stuff in hand, hair down; it’s time to rock n roll with openers The Dirty Youth who, if nothing else, manage to deliver a little ‘eazy on the eyes’ warm up. Not implying anything…. While we may not speak for everyone, this concert goer found it difficult to focus on their music right off due to the sight of their lovely lead singer Danni Monroe in short shorts. Yes, Tickets There likes short shorts. So, all’s well and they don’t sound bad either.
Taking the stage shortly after, tonight’s’ headliners easily manage to jump that all important step from opening act to main attraction. Pepe (guitars), Hessu (drums, crowd control) and Jalle (bass) take positions and kick into the group’s latest single, ‘Animal Attraction’. As the slow drums and feedback guitar fill the PA, lead singer Olli Herman slides on stage, teasing the impressive array of young Irish fillies lined up at the front. Despite some worries about Animal Attraction lacking in the balls department, Reckless prove the new material has just as much umpf as their standards, Animal Attraction and following track ‘Speedin’ deliver everything that’s good about the glam scene. Guitars, solos, speed and born-to-be-rock stars. ‘Badass‘ from their début comes next giving all fans the first major rallying point of the night. As calls come from the crowd for him to remove his shirt and a degree of tension from the ladies as he ponders it, Olli endorses the sound man and a few audience members to remove theirs first and start “to have romances together”. Ice firmly broken, let’s go.
The set is mostly taken from their new record with eight tracks getting an airing tonight. Born To Break Your Heart, Animal Attraction’s first single, ‘Hot’ and ‘Fantasy’ all get the band’s special live treatment and deliver a few instantly enjoyable riffs and chorus’s. The band blaze through tonight’s show with professional ease and arena style antics. Every pose, pout and kick are reminiscent of the greats; but revitalized with youthful energy from a band with a long career ahead of them.
Romance bring things back their full fighting harmonic best before the set gets rounded off with new tracks ‘Dirty Dreams’, ‘On The Radio’ and ‘Dance’. With the band fully in form and winning the crowd over with their new material, the return to their debut for the final pounding. ‘Wild Touch’ explodes from the PA like a panther, sounding stronger and more aggressive than any recording could capture. Returning for the encore, the band demand one final roar from the crowd before bringing it home with the cock rock-tastic ‘Beautiful Bomb’ and the anthematic ‘One More Time’. That’s twice Dublin Metal Events have had them over and hopefully they’re the first visits of many. Reckless Love are not a band you want to miss next time.
Finnish sleaze rock legends, Reckless Love release their new album tomorrow. Animal Attraction follows on from last year’s self-titled debut that launched the band on the world stage after several years of EP and single releases. It’s already receiving great reviews from across the globe but much to Tickets There’s regret we haven’t gotten our hands on a copy to review….yet, keep an eye out.
Animal Attraction is officially released tomorrow. If it’s anything like their first record it’ll be one of the hottest records of 2011. If you can’t find a copy in Dublin (you’re not looking hard enough!) then be sure to check out their Whelan’s gig on December 2nd. Tickets are on sale now through ticketmaster.ie priced €19.90 – All hail Dublin Metal Events!
Check out the album’s track list and first single, ‘HOT’ below.
Animal Attraction – Track List:
1. Animal Attraction (3:26)
2. Speedin’ (3:52)
3. Born To Break Your Heart (4:00)
4. Hot (3:22)
5. Fantasy (5:11)
6. Dirty Dreams (3:31)
7. Dance (3:28)
8. Fight (3:04)
9. Switchblade Babe (4:56)
10. On The Radio (3:37)
11. Coconuts (4:05)
The good folks over at D.M.E. (Dublin Metal Events) have an savage line-up of shows ready to suit the needs of every shot downing, leather wearing, long haired legend in the country. Whether you love rock, hard rock, glam rock, heavy metal, Celtic metal, black metal, death metal or sher, unadulterated gore infestation of the most ancient, alien-enslaving nature – DME got your back ya’ll.
Kicking us off is one of the foundation stones of Irish metal, Primordial. Celebrating two decades together, Primordial will be blowing the walls of the Academy this Saturday after an incredible year that’s seen them finally earn the respect they (and the Irish metal scene) deserve. Since it’s not TT’s cup of tea, we’re not going to bandwagon jump here – but it’s great to see an Irish act get some real recognition. It’s been twenty years, but incredibly enough it might just be the beginning.
Next big one on the TT Calendar (well actually, the first one on our own gig planner) – Norwegian black metal lovelies, 1349. Named after the year the Black Death gripped Norway, 1349 intend on re-igniting the flame of Lucifer in The Pint on October 15th in what will hopefully be a full on corpse-paint blood fest. Wonder how our Def Leppard love will go down with this crowd?
Second on our own planner (all dates listed below – no need to panic), Gorgoroth & Vader @ The Button Factory on November 12th. Now, TT doesn’t know a whole pile about Gotgoroth (aside from folks constantly saying they’re frickin’ amazing!) but we managed to catch Vader’s last Irish show in Whelan’s and that’s enough for us. Without a doubt Poland’s premier metal band and one you should do anything you can to see live.
The Quireboys introduce a little good old fashioned rock ‘n’ roll into the line-up when they play Whelan’s on November 27th. Sing along with their classics and you can enjoy Belfast’s Million $ Reload, who’ll be joining them on the night as support. Both bands get a double TT thumbs up which, as you all know, is the highest mark of respect in the world!
Bringing us towards the end of 2011 will be two almost back to back hair metal bonanza nights. First up, The excellent Reckless Love who’ll be hitting Whelan’s on December 2nd for a night of hairspray, spandex and some of the best rock n roll classics ever to emerge out of Finland (Hanoi who now?). Again anyone that was at their Crawdaddy show will agree that this gig promises to be something very special. After that we get some Swedish glam rock from Crashdiet who’ll also be abringing local lads Eazy Tyger along for support. Anyone that hasn’t seen them in a while would do…alright to check out their regular show in Gypsy Rose as there’s a new singer and new sound…well, newish. Both nights promise to make for a great end to 2011 with one final surprise up DME’s sleeve…..
Beasts of the night, enslavers of men and the all-round overlords of the Universe – GWAR will be ringing in the New Year in chaotic fashion when they arrive on stage in Dublin’s Button Factory on Januray 17th to show people how gore metal and stage theatrics should be done. GWAR have always been the pinnacle of on stage extremity with January’s show promising to be one of the highlights of the decade, let alone the year. More details still to be confirmed for this one but D.M.E. are hoping to have this sorted later in the week.
So to sum up, we’re not exactly stuck are we? All tickets are on sale now from Into The Void Records and Ticketmaster.ie (and outlets nationwide) for all events (except GWAR for the moment) and you’ve also got shows from Onslaught, Christ Agony, Evile and Hail of Bullets just in case none of the above appeal to you (although you should ask yourself ‘what sort of person isn’t infatuated by GWAR?’. We say bad people!!). Full list of gigs is available below, keep checking D.M.E.’s official website for more details.
| Band | Venue | Date |
| Primordial | The Academy | 24/09/2011 |
| Onslaught | The Pint | 01/10/2011 |
| Christ Agony | The Pint | 07/10/2011 |
| 1349 | The Pint | 15/10/2011 |
| Evile | The Pint | 23/10/2011 |
| Hail Of Bullets | The Pint | 05/11/2011 |
| Gorgoroth & Vader | The Button factory | 12/11/2011 |
| The Quireboys | Whelans | 27/11/2011 |
| Reckless Love | Whelans | 02/12/2011 |
| Crashdiet | The Village | 04/12/2011 |
| 2012 | ||
| GWAR | The Button factory | 17/01/2012 |
If you read this site when any regularity you’ll no doubt have figured out that we like The Riptide Movement. We like them so much we also think everyone else in the world should like them and this summer the band are continuing their quest to tour 24 hours a day, 7 days a week which should make a dent on humanity and see a few new fans in their pocket. As well as prestigious support slots with Bon Jovi and Bob Dylan, the band have dates lined up in Ireland, England and Belgorod with slots as this years Electric Picnic, Oxegen and Independence Festivals for good measure.
Be sure to catch the lads over the next few months as they embark on one of the longest touring schedules you’re likely to see this side of U2.
The Riptide Movement: On Tour 2011
June 29 – RDS (Dublin, Ireland)
June 30 – The Ivy House (Drumcondra, Ireland)
July 01 – Phantom’s First Friday (The Academy: Dublin, Ireland)
July 08 – OXEGEN FESTIVAL (KIldare, Ireland)
JUly 09 – The Courtyard Hotel (Leixlip, Ireland)
July 19 – The Good Ship (London, United Kingdom)
July 20 – Dublin Castle (Camden: London, United Kingdom)
July 22 – Windmill (Brixton: London, United Kingdom)
July 23 – Mau Mau Bar (London, United Kingdom)
July 23 – Ben & Jerrys Festival (London, United Kingdom)
July 24 – Ben & Jerrys Festival (Manchester, United Kingdom)
July 29 – IndiePendence Festibal (Mitchelstown, Ireland)
July 30 – Spraoi Festival (Waterford, Ireland)
July 30 – IndiePendence Festibal (Mitchelstown, Ireland)
July 31 – CastlePalooza Festival (Co. Offaly, Ireland)
August 01 – Walshes (IDP Fest. After Party: Mitchelstown, Ireland)
August 05 – Whelan’s HEADLINE SHOW (Dublin, Ireland)
August 06 – The Courtyard Hotel (Leixlip, Ireland)
August 13 – Blue Breeze Festival (Co. Offaly, Ireland)
August 26 – KnockStock Festival (Dungarvan, Ireland)
August 27 – Walshes (Mitchelstown, Ireland)
Sept 02 – Electric Picnic (Stradbaly, Ireland)
Sept 02 – Electric Picnic (Stradbaly, Ireland)
Sept 29 – Hamiltons (Belgorod, Russian Federadtion)
October 01 – Hamiltons (Belgorod, Russian Federadtion)
*Stretches fingers, cracks knuckles and so on. It’s good to be back, especially since we’ve accumulated a wealth of bands we think you’re going to thoroughly enjoy. As promised, we’re aiming today’s IRISH NOISE review at Donegal locals, The Plea (as seen supporting Ash in Whelan’s). The four piece have been around for over two years and already have a debut album under belts, an impressive list of production collaborators and a very healthy looking future ahead of them. Good for them, better for us. They claim The Doors, The Beatles and The (R) Stones as influences, their sound has been polished by Cenzo Townsend (other credits include U2, New Order and Blur) and judging by their live performance, they have as impressive a catalogue of material you’re likely to find in these here parts. Ladies and gentlemen, you’re new favourite band – The Plea!
The last statement may be a bit strong from a reviewer who’s only caught one gig and listened to no less than two tracks on their MySpace (Would someone please explain the Facebook player please?) but we’re standing by it! ‘Praise Be’ is first up and it’s also the one we’re most familiar. The band recently included it on a special split E.P. with Ash and LaFarro for their recent Irish shows togeather. An excellent number rooted in psychedelic, dance-pop rock that’s centred around the vocals and a thumping drum beat. The guitar adds nice decoration against the beatin’ bass in the background. Yep, it’ll do!
‘I Am The Miracle’ is up next (very sadly the last song in the player), even better than the real thing. Style, structure and flow are much the same as Praise Be, perhaps not good to have both on the player as it doesn’t show much diversity, but; as a wise Tickets There once said, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Just as enjoyable either way and another push to get more of their material.
Great band, well worth checking out and one (never get tired of saying this) you’ll be hearing more of on Tickets There in the future. Visit their Official MySpace @ myspace.com/thepleamusic
Ash, Ireland’s favourite pop rock trio are back in Dublin tonight for a highly anticipated appearance at local indie haunt, Whelan’s of Wexford St. Excitement’s been building for weeks so it’s no surprise to see queue’s of hungry Ash fans geared up for a night of sweat, pints and tuneage. Entering the packed venue it seems tonight’s sell out crowd don’t seem concerned that they’ve lost the fashionably late edge by piling in just in time for opening act, The Plea. Fortunately it’s one of those nights you’re glad you came early as The Plea rocket through an incredibly well played set of heavy guitar laden alt-rock gems including ‘Praise Be’ from their split, special tour edition E.P. Definitely a band that requires further investigation and a great start to the night.
Belfast indie rockers LaFarro take the stage next and initially drop the quality a little. While The Plea presented themselves as well seasoned, confident performers; LaFarro singer Jonny Black looks uncomfortable, inexperienced and unexciting on stage. He stares at the floor, doesn’t connect with the crowd and lacks any energy as the band kick off their set. This drop is heightened by poor sound on the vocals which trespasses on the rest of the band’s efforts. As the set continues, Herb MaGee (the “only Catholic in the band”) begins some onstage banter that seems to liven LaFarro’s mood as well as the crowds. From there we’re treated to some great tunes as Johny finds his feet and Dave Magee’s head banging can be properly enjoyed. Nice save and another band you’ll be hearing more of soon.
As the lights go dark, the crowd erupts at the site of Ash taking the stage. On the rare occasions you get to see a band of their size take the same stage as your mates on their EP launch night, it’s hard not to feel that special tingling. ‘Lose Control’ opens the set and pounds the audience with its furious intensity. Tim Wheeler, Mark Hamilton and tonight’s stand in drummer Alan Lynn (LaFarro), all sound fantastic as they command the stage, kick ass and deliver some of the finest hits any Irish band has ever produced. Tickets There favourites ‘A Life Less Ordinary’ and ‘Dionysian Urge’ follow, immediately cementing this as a great night. ‘Twilight of Innocents’ makes an early appearance, which Tim passes off as an “experiment” and leads to mass sing-alongs from the crowd before hit after hit pile drive the crowd into submission. ‘Girl From Mars’, ‘Gold Finger’ and ‘Petrol’ bring us back to our youth while ‘Joy Kicks Darkness’ holds up the recent material’s crown for all to see.
‘Walking Barefoot’ has to be one of the highlights and it serves as a reminder of how great Free All Angels is. Again, the band are drowned out by the crowd, leaving them no choice but to rip through ‘Oh Yeah’, ‘Kung Fu’ and ‘The Dead Disciples’ which sends the pit into frenzy mode. ‘Shinning Light’, the mega-powered up ‘Orpheus’ and ‘Return of White Rabbit’ – the A-Z singles flagship dance-floor epic, finish the main set; giving all at the front a well needed chance to breath and mop the brow. Before long Ash return and bring us home with the stunning ‘Arcadia’, the punk fused classics ‘Angel Interceptor’, and ‘Jack Names The Planets‘ before calling it a night with one final blow out; the shredding ‘Burn Baby Burn’.
As surprising as it is to think Ash have been around for nearly twenty years, it’s even more incredible how amazing they are on stage. Their energy, passion and enthusiasm ensure they never lose connection with the audience and their songs sound better than ever. While the crowd leave, ears ringing and looking blown away from tonight’s amazing show, the band brim from the stage at a job well done. Come back soon lads!
To celebrate their Irish dates together next week, Northern Irish rockers ASH, LaFaro and the Plea (well, Donegal is north west!) and have released special FRR three track EP contributing one track each. For Ash’s part they added a previously unreleased (outside of Japan) bonus track, ‘Running to the Ocean’, from the A-Z series while LaFaro have added ‘Party Hardy Marty’ and The Plea have stuck on ‘Praise Be’.
All three bands will be on tour together this week when Ash roll into Dublin, Portrush and Belfast. The shows will be amazing so grab your free download, get to know the support and, ahem, f**k shit up! The EP can be downloaded for free from the following link – www.ash-official.com (Free Download)
Make sure you check out Tickets There’s interview with Ash bassist Mark Hamilton before hitting this shows, just to give you an idea of what to expect (Click Here)
Welcome back to the Tickets There gig guide. It’s been a long time since we did one of these but hopefully it’s ‘back for good’. Keep in mind, this guide will be updated throughout the month of June, so check back from time to time 
Dublin Gig Guide
Friday 3rd: Alarmist We Are Losers & Avalanche Ammo (Whelan’s)
Friday 3rd: Retarded Cop (The Workman’s)
Monday 6th: ASH & Guests (Whelan’s)
Wednesday 8th: Def Leppard, Alice Cooper, Thin Lizzy(The O2)
Wednesday 8th: Lisa Hannigan (Whelan’s)
Saturday 11th: Adebisi Shank, Heathers & O Emperor (Whelan’s)
Saturday 11th: Oddsocks Revival (The Grand Social)
Thursday, 16th: The JÄgermeister Freezer Sessions (General Fiasco, The Shoos, The Kanyu Tree, The Danger Is)
Friday 17th: Le Galaxie: plus guests. Album launch party (The Workman’s)
Wednesday 22nd: Ladydoll & guests (Whelan’s)
Thursday 23rd: Dirty Epics (Crawdaddy)
Thursday 30th: The Walls (Grand Social)
The West!
Thur 2nd: The Minutes (Róisín Dubh)
Thur 2nd: Bipolar Empire (Monroe’s Tavern)
Fri 3rd: North Atlantic Oscillation (Róisín Dubh)
Fri 3rd Imelda May (TF Royal Theatre, Castlebar)
Sun 5th Thin Lizzy (TF Royal Theatre, Castlebar)
Sat 4th: Adebisi Shank, Heathers, O Emperor (Róisín Dubh)
Thu 16th: Dinosaur Pile-Up, Zombie Computer, Toby Kaar (Róisín Dubh)
Fri 17th: Lite, Terra Melos (Róisín Dubh)
Wed 22nd: Lowlands (Róisín Dubh)
Thur 23rd: Windings (Róisín Dubh)
Fri 24th: Artful Renegade (Róisín Dubh)
Sun 26th Grada (Monroe’s Tavern)
Mon 27th: Janelle Monae (Róisín Dubh)
Thur 30th Pugwash (Monroe’s Tavern)
Festival Guide
Saturday 4th – 5th: West Fest (Co. Mayo):
FATURING – Imelda May, The Coronas, Republic of Loose, Sharon Shannon, Bagatelle, Ryan Sheridan plus more.
Saturday 4th – 5th: Forbidden Fruit Festival (Kilmainham, Dublin):
FEATURING – The Flaming Lips, Ham Sandwich, Aphex Twin, Jape, Dan La Sac, The Subs, Battles, Squarehead, The Cast of Cheers & any more
Friday 10th – 12th: Temple House Festival (Co. Sligo):
FEATURING – ASH, Stereo MCs, Something Happens, Aslan, Declan O’Rourke, Lisa Hannigan, Kerbdog, Sweet Jane, The Riptide Movement and many more.
Sunday 19th: Danny Byrnes Music Festival (Co. Westmeath):
FEATURING – The Aftermath, Sweet Jane, The Vibes, Icon on Fire, Dave Peyton, Peter Doran, Arrow In The Sky, We Go Go and Ricotta.
Friday, 24th – 26th: Sea Sessions: (Co. Dongeal):
FEATURING – The Villagers, Bell X1, Ziggy Marley, The Walls, Riptide Movement, The Go Team, The Danger Is, The Minutes and many more.
Want some great news to liven up your week? Well legendary Northern Irish pop rockers Ash have just confirmed two summer shows in Ireland. Tim, Mark and Rick will be kicking things off in Whelan’s on June 6th before hitting the road to Sligo for the Temple House Music Festival which already boasts an incredible line-up which includes The Walls, Something Happens, Andrew Strong, Kerbdog and many, many more.
Tickets for the Whelan’s gig go on sale this Thursday, April 21st @ 09:00 AM via Ticketsmaster priced €19.50. No date has been announced for the Temple House Festival as of yet but tickets are already on sale. Click here for more details.
**Ash have just announced two additional shows for this tour. The pop rock legends will play Playhouse Theatre in Portrush on Thursday June 7 before heading to Belfast’s Empire Music Hall on June 8. Tickets for Portrush are £15.00 (inc. booking fee) and the Empire Music Hall tickets are at £16.50 (inc. booking fee). Both shows are on sale now through www.Ticketmaster.ie
It’s Whelan’s birthday today and Tickets There, one of Irelands leading semi-part time, underground, can’t be bothered half the time champions of the Irish Independent Music Scene decided we couldn’t let the event pass without saying anything. Accustomed as we are to public blogging, we still aren’t any good at it, but we do our best….sometimes.
Love it or hate it, Whelan’s is one of the corner stone’s of Irish music. It’s as important to us as CBGB’s is to New York, as the Cavern to Liverpool and The Astoria to London (FYI, all three of those venues have been demolished / moved in the past three years). Like the Roisin Dubh in Galway, Whelan’s has always been a Mecca for new Irish talent and practically from the moment it opened its doors, it’s been at the forefront of the Dublin music scene. The dream of headlining or even gracing it’s stage is one shared by many and local bands such as The Frames, Paddy Casey, Mic Christopher, Josh Ritter, Mark Geary and Damien Rice cut their teeth on Whelan’s stage over the years with many of them becoming regular punters in the pub on their days off.
All ranges of Dublin music fans drink and rock out in Whelan’s on any given night. On any occasion you’ll see indie nerds, punk rock fans, emo kids, dance fanatics, traditional Irish heads and singer songwriter souls floating about the place, soaking up its boisterous atmosphere, its reliable pints, the heat from the various fire places and the music, always the music.
Tickets There has fond memories of Whelan’s from the six years we’ve been drinking there. While we wouldn’t be regulars by any standards, we’ve gotten the chance to see acts like Kevin Burke, Christy Moore, Concerto for Constantine, Humanzi, Oliver Cole, Jape, Dave Geraghty, The Future Kings of Spain, Cathy Davey, Paddy Casey, TKO, Leopold, Ham Sandwich and many, many more rocking the place to its foundations in that time. There’s lots of memorable stories like New Years Eve a couple of years ago when Jape missed the countdown because everyone on stage had forgotten to wear a watch, or when Humanzi played the upstairs venue last year and nearly made the floor collapse from the crowd going absolutely mental. The place was like a bouncing castle and I still can’t believe the wood held firm.
My fondest memory of Whelan’s was a show by an American folk singer called Jim Page, who of course shares a name with a certain Led Zeppelin member. About ten minutes into a conversation with his wife, the ball dropped. Wasn’t long after asking her if ‘Jimmy and Robert (Plant)still toured together’ that the look was given and Tickets There suddenly realized the feckin’ ejjet who convinced us to go had gotten the billing wrong…ever so slightly. Ah well, turned out to be one of the best shows I’ve ever seen in there. There’s lots more but that’s enough for now. Everyone has their own fond memories of Whelan’s and Tickets There would like to think in another twenty years, we’ll all have alot more.
Make sure you Check out their Website for a chance to win tickets to tonight’s show which features the following acts,
Luka Bloom
Maria Doyle Kennedy
Juliet Turner
Gemma Hayes
The Flaws
Paddy Casey
David Kitt
Ham Sandwich.
Happy Birthday guys!!
Concerto for Constantine returned to Whelan’s for their third appearance in the venue on Tuesday night. Previous shows included the middle band slot on the November 2007 2FM 2MORO 2OUR which introduced them to the country followed by a guest appearance at the recent School of Rock showcase for younger up and coming bands from around the country. Their third appearance marked their biggest headlining show to date. After support slots for ‘The Smashing Pumpkins, The Futureheads’ and ‘The Enemy’ along with a handful of successful shows around the country, Concerto have sharpened their sound, songs and stage presence to perfection and on Tuesday night they showed a packed crowd in Whelan’s what their years of experience and hard work have produced.
Dublin based Funk/Rock group ‘Leopold’ opened the night. Playing a truly impressive set that brought to mind ‘Soundgarden, Rage Against the Machine’ and ‘The Red Hot Chili Peppers’. Leopold have grown steadily in their two and a half years together and even managed to land support slots for late soul legend ‘James Brown’ and Irish rockers ‘Thin Lizzy’. Although it took a few songs for guitarist Stephen McHale and singer Richie Glynn to get comfortable on the stage, this didn’t manage to affect their performance. Songs such as ‘Loser, Lonely World’ and debut single ‘Subliminal Hit’ show great prospects for their forthcoming EP. Along with acts such as ‘Waiting to Explode’ and ‘Simon and the Ghost’ Leopold are adding a nice dose of Funk back into the Irish rock scene.
As the lights dimmed around 9.30, a very excited wave swept over the crowd. With Whelan’s in darkness, Concerto’s intro track came onto the PA and Strobe lights lit up from the back of the stage. Mark, Gavin and Binzer appeared to a rapturous cheer from their new fan base as forthcoming single ‘Minsk’ opened the show. The fact that Concerto have yet to release any material doesn’t seem to matter one bit to their fans collected in Whelan’s tonight. As the band tore their way through ‘WASP’S, Cats Cradle, Stand In My Way, Falling’ and future single ‘Silver’ the crowd followed every second.
Mark’s shredding vocals are a far cry from his days with ‘JJ72’ and show a new maturity and depth lacking on his previous outputs.
The show was not only a means to give fans a chance to hear Concerto live but it also served as way for Concerto to debut a lot of their unheard material in their own surroundings. This was shown even more when Mark commented his indecisiveness about one of the newer tracks. Mark and Gavin’s usual onstage banter also helped make the crowd more relaxed and the night more enjoyable as y worked their way through the remainder of the set.
After just under an hour and a half, Concerto announced their last song. Black confetti stared to fall from the ceiling as the stage lights went darker and the band played ‘Death in Lisbon’, a haunting instrumental track to round the night off. With the confetti still falling in front of the stage covering everyone in the first six rows, Concerto returned to play an encore of ‘Minsk’, “One for the road” as Mark put it.
Fans may have to wait another while before the band can release a single or an EP and Tuesdays show will only feed that hunger for a release but it’s a great sign of things to come from C4C.
Whelan’s was packed to the rafters as it hosted the ’Murphy’s Live 2008’ semi finals. Even after the doors had been opened there was still a queue of people stretching back to the front of the pub. The heat inside the venue was so heavy you could barely move without breaking sweat. The tickets hadn’t lied about having to be inside early.
Two bands were on hand to compete against each other for a place in the final round of the competition. ’Stagger Lee’ an incredibly talented and professional quartet with a sound that fuses ’PJ Harvey, Garbage and Sonic Youth’ and ’Bravado’ a fresh young band who are proving themselves with every performance they give. On first sight it’s easy to be pessimistic due to their age but once they play you can hear great potential in their future. Also on the bill, as special guest headliner, is the Award winning and extremely talented and energetic ’Cathy Davey’ who won the award for ’Best Irish Female’ and was nominated in the ’Best Irish Album’ category for her second studio output ’Tales of Silversleeve’ at last years Meteor’s.
First up was ’Stagger Lee’ who did everything in their power to get the crowd energetic from the word go. They had already upped their promotion by providing free badges at the door for all in attendance and were also selling promotional T-shirts. Everything about Stagger’s performance was tight, despite a couple of instances involving high heels and microphone cables; they had their set down to a T, delivering a nice mixture of punk esque rock songs and slower relaxed material. Donna McCabe (vocals) voice gave the songs a ’PJ Harvey, Siouxsie Sioux, Shirley Mason’ feel and the music had an overall 90’s grunge sound about it with some crunchy Bass lines. Tracks such as ’Between Control Confusion, Misery River and their debut single ’Bad shoes’ serve as a taste of thing’s to come when they release their next EP.
’Bravado’ came on second and so did their fans. One thing about being in one of these competitions, ensure your friends, family and fans are there on the night to cheer you on. The lads were a little slower to relax into their set, which I’m sure was on account of the massive crowd in front of them and their inexperience with shows this size, however lead singer Brian Whittington didn’t seem phased in the slightest as he belted into tracks from their first EP including Running, Artificial AngelsOne Day and more recent material like ’Any Other Way, Take your Pick and Too Tired to Sleep’ and
This was the second time I have seen Bravado and they have grown enormously since the quarter finals. On first sight of Stager Lee the thought passed my mind that Bravado were now out of their depth, however they once again surprised me and I’m sure many others. The judges have a very tough decision in front of them and no matter who gets through to the finals; both bands have proven they’ve got what it takes.
As the judges reconvened on the balcony to discuss Bravado and Stager Lee’s performances, Cathy Davey came on stage to a rapturous cheer. Cathy’s recent residency shows around the country, awards and recent singles are really paying off and this could be one of the last chances to see her, not only for free, but in a venue as intimate as Whelan’s. She is set to play the Olympia in June and hopefully, she will follow in the footsteps of Damien Rice, Bell X1, Glen Hansard and Paddy Casey to international acclaim and stardom.
Although this wasn’t Cathy’s night, she preformed with the same grace, power and energy she always does. Opening with ’Mr Kill’ from her new album, she played a fantastic set which included old favorites such as Swing It, Yak Yak’ and new material from ’Tales of Silversleeve’ such as ’Reuben, Sing for your Supper, Collector’ and ’Moving’ which blended perfectly with her debut album material.
Mouth pressed firmly into the microphone, covered in sweat (like every one else in the venue), Cathy closed the night with a single encore and proceeded straight to the fresh cold air awaiting us all outside. Another hugely enjoyable Murphy’s Live evening of music and certainly a reason to start applying for tickets to the final as your guaranteed at least one incredible talent to go through from tonight.
Cathy Davey
Stagger Lee
Bravado
Whelan’s was the setting for the Murphy’s Live 2008, Dublin Quarter Finals. Two Dublin groups were there to battle it out for a chance of winning the grand prize, €10,000 towards studio time, an EP launch, a record deal, a six month management contract and record distribution.
Before saying anything about either group, I have to point out that I was really only there for the FKOS, who are, without a doubt, the greatest rock band to emerge out of Ireland in many a year. Their second album ‘Nervousystem’ is a testament to their song writing skills and their live show is always something to bask in. Therefore I thought of the first two acts of the show as a nuisance I had to sit through in order to see the kings.…how very wrong I was.
Bravado were first to try their luck with the crowd and judges. A very young group from North Dublin who, despite their inexperience and youth, put on one of the best shows I have seen from an unknown group in awhile. Describing their sound would be a challenge in itself. Each song was unique while still maintaining an overall formula. Although you could hear The Clash, Artic Monkeys, The Who and the Stone Roses all dying to break out.
Unfortunately, I don’t think Superjimenez managed to pull of the same show as Bravado. Although they looked the part, were all very experienced musicians and they were much tighter than Bravado, there was something missing. They commanded the stage well, especially for a newer group and managed to really get the crowd going. Their only downfall was their songs. Although the bass lines were something special and the guitars had some shredding moments, the overall package seemed ‘done before’. The U2 and Killers influence was much too obvious. The singer was no Bono, but the Edge was casting a shadow on this group.
The Future Kings of Spain closed the night with their usual energetic performance. Joey, Karl, Bryan and Anton breezed through a great set (taken mainly from ‘Nervousystem’) with such ease and performance it served as a great example to Bravado and Superjimenez how it’s all done. ‘Guess Again’, ‘One More Mistake’, Kick in the Teeth’ and ‘Syndicate’ are all delivered with such passion, they have managed to blend in perfectly with old favourites like ‘Venetian Blinds’, ‘Meanest Sound’ and ‘Hanging Around’. Although it isn’t their show, the Kings manage to steal the night and show a few new faces why they were chosen as head liners.
Set List:
Guess Again
One More Mistake
1981
This is the End
Venetian Blinds
Upside Down
Disappear
Kick in the Teeth
Face I Know
Meanest Sound
Hanging Around
Syndicate
