Poet, soul rebel, author and ‘Godfather of Hip-Hop’ Gil Scott-Heron is jumping on the universal praise for his comeback album I’m New Here by going on an extensive live tour — with two dates in Ireland.
The revolution will be live on May 2 at Dublin’s Tripod and he’s also put himself at the…

On The Village balcony, a girl is asking her mate: “So is this krautrock?” She may as well be asking: “Er, is this it?” And fair enough, it’s hard to imagine the refined and reserved Cluster on stage tonight were once a cog in late-60s European counterculture. Standing at their work station, a single…

I’m New Here’s opening two minutes will stop you dead in your tracks every time you hear it – even if you repeat it over and over again, and you will. The intro ‘On Coming from a Broken Home’ beautifully ushers in the record on a wave of electronic murmurs and submerged synths before…

Warning: This performance may feature strobe lighting effects. It may also feature frantic LED mania and a 30-foot mirror on stage so you can catch yourself pogoing in the front row. Yes, it does look like Vitalic’s latest show for his Flashmob LP is sprinkling some disco dust around the Academy. It’s not a…

The mix CD seems a bit quaint these days. Without the forced retro kudos of an underground ‘mixtape’ (that’s never really on cassette anyway), most record label mixes get buried in HMV CD racks beneath the industry detritus from Hed Kandi and Cream. There’s always been a definite cult of the new in dance…

Expect some gratuitous violins this March when Owen Pallett (the artist formerly known as Final Fantasy) hits Dublin for a gig in Whelan’s. The Canadian composer, violinist and singer is playing the Camden Street venue on March 18, so it could be a nice cure for your post-Paddy’s Day hangover.
Tickets are €24 including…

The Frames and Swell Season frontman Glen Hansard is the latest artist to offer up his time to help the victims of the earthquake in Haiti that has claimed the lives of up to 200,000 people. Hansard will be headlining a special one-off fundraiser with a solo show in Whelan’s in Dublin this Sunday,…

American singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant has stayed out of the spotlight for a few years, but the former 10,000 Maniacs singer is back this year with a new album and a world tour, including a show at Whelan’s in Dublin on Monday, 25 January.
Merchant took a break from recording and touring after the birth…

Arcade Fire are set to release their third album next May, according to sources in the US. The Canadian outfit are currently in the studio with Markus Dravs, who produced their already classic Neon Bible album from 2007.
Billboard has reported that Win Butler and co will be releasing a new single earlier in…

After a successful launch on 26 November in the basement of Le Cirk Bar on Dame Street, Dublin 2 , Love Music Hate Racism Session #2 will take place in the same venue on Thursday 10 December, with guests including Fiach, Stace Gill and Colin Scallan. The Groovalization DJs will also be spinning choice…

These days the term ‘supergroup’ has been over-used so much it’s virtually redundant. For every Cream, CSNY, Fantomas, or The Good, the Bad and the Queen, there’s a half-assed Mongrel snapping at the heels of good taste. Them Crooked Vultures are of a different pedigree altogether though. The rock classes have been chattering incessantly…

After having to postpone his Irish gigs last month after a bout of laryngitis, punk-poet geezah Jamie T has rescheduled dates next year in bigger venues due to demand. The Londoner is now playing the Mandela Hall in Belfast (upgraded from the Limelight) on February 9 and Dublin’s Academy (upgraded from the Village) on…

Love Music Hate Racism has two shows coming up in Dublin in the next few weeks, including the launch of a new fortnightly music showcase. The Twisted Pepper on Abbey Street will host a Sunday Session on Sunday, 22 November, featuring sets from Radical Picnic, Joyce and the Sonic Gypsies and Dermot Kennedy. And…

The eighth series of RTE Two’s Other Voices live music show is being recorded next month, with Snow Patrol, Richard Hawley, The xx and The Temper Trap among those pulling up a pew for intimate shows in St James’s Church in Dingle. The full line-ups have yet to be announced, but it promises to…