POST CATEGORY : Festivals

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 11th – Saturday 14th January in Whelan’s & The Village. Doors 7.30pm & tickets €5 per day or €10 for a festival ticket.

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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

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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)

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Hard Working Class Heroes 2011 Lineup Announced

Hard Working Class Heroes have just announced 100 Irish bands to play at this year’s festival in Dublin city centre on 6/7/8 October.

This year the festival takes place in The Button Factory, The Mercantile, The Grand Social, Shebeen Chic, Twisted Pepper and The Workman’s Club.

The line-up looks good. I’ve just had a quick glance and these have all caught my eye; Ginola, House of Dolls,  No Monster Club, Moths, Kid Karate, Tenaka, Toby Kaar and We Are Losers.

Weekend Tickets are €45 plus fee and nightly tickets are €20 + fees. Tickets on sale now from entertainment.ie/tickets and usual outlets. 

The full list is below.

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Castlepalooza 2011: A quick round-up

 

Now in its sixth year, Castlepalooza Music and Arts Festival returned to Charleville Castle Tullamore, Co. Offaly over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Castlepalooza is the best small festival in Ireland (that I have been to) with friendly staff and idyllic surroundings of Charleville Castle and it’s forests adding to the relaxed vibe. Their willingness to showcase homegrown acts must be commended too, as should the addition of the Courtyard Stage where I had the pleasure of enjoying a few sets by Two Charming Men. Small festivals certainly have their place on the Irish circuit.

Here’s a very a quick round-up of the weekend’s action along with some videos.

Saturday witnessed Moths’ first live performance and it was a glorious success. If there were any first gig nerves they were well hidden as his chilled electronica, which has a surprisingly bigger thump live, really captivated the sizable crowd inside the Big Top Stage. If we didn’t already know, this guy has a got a really bright future ahead of him. The new find of the weekend was Lasertom & The Blast Crew. A great set meshing an array of beats and trumpets with touches of disco, funk, electro-punk and gospel. Think Alamabama 3 crossed with LCD Soundsytem, definitely going to follow them up.

It was great to catch The Minutes once again who were superb, doing what they do best, massive sounding sleazy rock n roll. Finally getting the opportunity to see Django Django too, who brought their unique genre hopping sound to life on the Mainstage. I hope they don’t leave it too long before returning.

Kid Karate kicked the festival into life on Sunday morning, drawing a big crowd for such an early slot. Each time they play it is hard to believe two guys can make such a racket. It was yet another great set of gritty riff-laden rock n roll, including the ever amazing ‘HEART’ and ‘Black + Beige’. It was all brought to a conclusion with Kevin Breen finishing the set among a surprised crowd (Ciaran Dwyer-esque). There was no let up in the intensity as Jogging followed next, launching into a set of furiously raw punk riffage. 

A change from the abrasive with We Are Losers who wooed the crowd with their fuzzed-up lo-fi indie. These guys are something rather special, they just keep getting better each time I see them. By the end the Big Top Stage was bursting with feel-good-vibes.

Castlepalooza is a worthy and much-needed addition to the festival calendar – friendly security and staff and a good atmosphere from the 2000 or so punters.

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Castlepalooza Mixtape (2011)

As many of you are aware, now in its sixth year, Castlepalooza Music and Arts Festival returns to Charleville Castle Tullamore, County Offaly this Bank Holiday weekend from Friday July 29th to 31st.

After posting a preview of Castlepalooza yesterday I got to thinking, perhaps people might like a mixtape. So, I put together this as a proper introduction to some of the bands playing, which can be downloaded and listened to before going or on the way to Castlepalooza.

If you’re not going don’t fret, it should make for some good listening over the bank holiday weekend. The tracklisting is after the jump. Enjoy!

Download: Castlepalooza Mixtape

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Castlepalooza 2011 Preview

Now in its sixth year, Castlepalooza Music and Arts Festival returns to Charleville Castle Tullamore, County Offaly this Bank Holiday weekend from Friday July 29th to 31st.

Last years festival really won me over; some great music and a really nice and relaxed setting. They are also to be commended for their willingness to showcase homegrown acts, not to mention 3 Newbridge acts on this years bill (We Are Losers, Moths and Two Charming Men). As always your suggestions are welcome but here are my personal 6 acts not to be missed this years.

Moths (Saturday: Big Top Stage 17:15)

Moths (aka Jack Colleran) has created quite a fuss since releasing a number of tracks on the internet yet this will be a first chance to see him perform live. It has been a big year so far for Moths who’s beautiful chilled out electronica not only got many of us hot under the collar, but also Interpol who asked him to remix a track on their new EP – all while studying for the dreaded Leaving Cert. I’m very excited about this one!

 Download: Moths – Summer

Django Django (Saturday: Main Stage 22:30)

Selected as ones to watch in 2011, Django Django are near impossible to place within a single genre, bringing everything from old rockabilly artists to Devo, The Beatles and the Beta Band to the mix. It is inventive and catchy as hell danceable indie – it’s hard to do it justice with words, a band so good they named it twice. 

 Django Django – WOR via The Bonjour Branch

Hudson Mohawke (Saturday: Big Top Tent 23:45)

I’ve only recently discovered Hudson Mohawke through the Glaswegian’s new EP, Satin Panthers, which is sooooo good! The big bass drops of ‘Thunder Bay’ alone will be immense but I will bow to other people’s superior knowledge as I’ve only just got his 2009 album Butter. Looking forward to this one and familiarizing myself better with his material afterwards.

 Hudson Mohawke – Thunder Bay

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