Delorentos, Ash, Jape and Duke Special will play The Helium Music Festival, which takes place Saturday 9th June at Skelly’s Bar & Restaurant in Ballymahon, Co Longford. The festival is a fundraiser in aid of Ataxia Ireland, a national voluntary organisation helping people disabled with Friedreichs Ataxia and other genetic Ataxia…. There will be

As part of a series of special shows they are planning for the summer, Mumford & Sons will be playing along with friends for ‘Gentleman Of The Road Stopover …’ at Salthill Park, Salthill, Galway, on Saturday 9th June. The line-up for the night will feature performances from The Vaccines, Willy Mason, Zulu Winter, Nathaniel Rateliff,…

Next Thursday the 19th of April, there will be a preview screening of Marley, Kevin MacDonald’s documentary portrait of the king of reggae music Bob Marley. It’s been called the definitive family-approved look at the man’s life and we have 5 pairs of tickets to next Thursday’s screening plus a soundtrack for each winner (see…

Ireland’s newest arts and culture magazine De\Code is now available to read in digital format via Issuu. The magazine is helmed by Steven O’ Rourke and State contributor James Hendicott, the mag will delve into music, theatre, culture, politics, travel and literature.
The first issue is out now digitally and includes features on Dublin’s hip-hop…

Details of Glen Hansard’s solo album were released last week and here we have the first video from Rhythm & Repose … – the slow-burning piano-led ‘Philander’. There’s a bit of a Leonard Cohen buzz to this. The album is out on June 15th.

The Born This Way Ball is coming to Dublin. Lady Gaga’s followup to The Monsters Ball hits the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday September 15th as part of a larger European tour (full dates below).
Support comes from English cheek-rockers The Darkness and long-time Gaga compatriot Lady Starlight.
Tickets go on sale Monday 16…

Julie Feeney has announced a 10-night residency off-Broadway in New York City from April 25th to May 6th. The theatrical performer and singer has been gaining attention in New York of late with positive reviews from Village Voice… (“pop ambitions of Gaga with Elvis Costellvian wordplay” ) and New York Times (“charming, urbane and dreamy”).

If you’re on Trinity Street, Dublin on March 31st or April 28th, keep an ear out going past the Hilfiger store as there are planned acoustic appearances from up and coming Irish bands on those dates in-store as part of the Hilfiger Denim Music Days.
On the line-up for March are Nation of the State,…

In a refreshing move, Franz Ferdinand have announced they will preview some new material with three cosy gigs in Galway, Cork and Limerick. The three dates are:
Fri 18th May – Roisin Dubh, Galway
Sat 19th May – Dolans, Limerick
Sun 20th May – Pavilion, Cork
Tickets are on on sale Fri 30th March from…

Paul Simon has confirmed a special performance of his classic album Graceland… along with a selection of other hits at the The O2 Dublin on Thursday 12 July 2012.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo will join him and everything.
Tickets priced €54.65, €70.45, €81 & €116 are on sale next Thursday March 29th at 9am.
A trailer

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes return to Ireland in July to play the Olympia Theatre on the 17th.
A new album is forthcoming and the cult-esque big band have a new album coming later this year.
Tickets on sale this Friday.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros “Home” from Edward Sharpe on Vimeo.…

So it was a surprise for many, if only for the fact that Jape had won it three years earlier, but the Meteor Choice Music Prize Irish Album of the Year 2011 was indeed won by Richie Egan and Jape for the album Ocean Of Frequency. …
It was a shock victory on the night with

Simian Mobile Disco are back with new material from their new album Unpatterns… out in Wichita in April. ‘Seraphim’ is less in your face and more laidback and atmospheric than previous singles, more the beginning of a comedown in tempo than an out and out peak.

SMD are lined up to play a St. Patrick’s

Congrats are due to the Irish venues who picked up gongs at the IMRO Live Music Venue Awards this week.
Overall National winner for best venue
Cork Opera House, Cork
Best Venue (Dublin)
The Grand Social, Dublin
Best Venue (Rest Of Leinster)

Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray, Co Wicklow
Best Venue (Munster)

Cyprus Avenue, Cork
Best…