Live Review
Exit Festival – Serbia
It’s 7am in a 17th century Serbian fortress and Darth Vader’s behind the decks, flanked by a couple of Stormtroopers punching the air to banging techno. It’s not your average Saturday morning, but Exit’s not your average music festival — the force is strong with this one. The Sith gatecrashers at local hero Marko...READ »
Tiësto / Pendulum – Victoria Park, London
State is out of our depth. We’re not too proud to admit it. It’s a sunny afternoon in an east London park yet we are surrounded by people in various club dress and undress, done up for a night at a super club rather than a day in the dust. The now annual Tiesto...READ »
Underage Festival – Victoria Park, London
One day, one venue, eight thousand teenagers, no adults and a load of bands. Present this scenario to anyone in Ireland and they invariably shudder, images of the youth gone wild. But, as we have said before, London’s Underage Festival is not just a pleasant surprise to those expecting the worst, it is probably...READ »
Field Day – Victoria Park, London
When Field Day commenced in 2007, it was with somewhat of a shaky start. Tales of bands walking off in protest at the sound quality and frighteningly long queues for booze and portaloos still circulate among punters even though the issues have been long sorted out. Nevertheless, it’s with slight intrepidation that State arrives...READ »
Rod Stewart – The O2, Dublin
The irrepressible Rod The Mod returned to Dublin for a third sell out gig and the final night of the UK and Ireland tour. Suited and booted and the height of respectability nowadays, it’s a far cry from his hell-raising days with The Steampacket and The Faces, now the Great American Songbook… has his...READ »
Michelle Shocked – Whelan’s, Dublin
After a gap of three years Michelle Shocked, folk hero with proto punk and pop leaning, is back in Dublin. Like many before her, she has downgraded to an acoustic performance but this is still a fine evening, split into four distinct parts.The Jim Chayka Trio opened the show, followed by Michelle and her...READ »
Bonnie Prince Billy & The Cairo Gang – Whelan’s Dublin
Oh dear. Bonnie Prince Billy’s fans all realise just how lucky they’ve been to get a ticket for this most intimate Whelan’s show (he could easily fill Vicar St, you suspect) and before the night’s out, they’ll make silly heckles and sounds between songs to vent their giddiness at seeing the much-exalted Americana Mystic...READ »
Secret Garden Party – Cambridgeshire, England
It’s Sunday afternoon and the sun is beating down. To the right is the burnt out skeleton of what was, up until last night, a floating blimp in the middle of a lake where hundreds of people danced to all manner and variants of music, colourful boats and rafts now circle the charred remains....READ »
Knockanstockan – Blessington Lakes, Co. Wicklow
Ah, Knockanstockan. Just the repetition of the quirky name brings a smile to State’s face. The smell of wet grass, sense of organic wonderment and assortment of colourful individuals present in the car park would outdo most festivals in Ireland: this is not so much a music festival as an experience to cling to....READ »
Tortoise – Whelan’s, Dublin
‘Play the hits!’, shouts an uninitiated punter. Tortoise, of course, don’t do hits. Almost 15 years on from their defining masterpiece, Millions Now Living Will Never Die…, Tortoise’s post- rock credentials are still intact. Initially, the crowd appears to be a convention for all the children of Sonic Youth’s band members. In time,...READ »
Calgary Folk Festival – Calgary, Canada
Ask most Canadians about Calgary and the words ‘oil and gas’ usually follow. Other phrases like ‘cowboy town’ and ‘mini-America’ are almost as common and the annual Stampede is as extreme an example of this culture as you’re likely to find. Only a matter of days after the Stampede visitors have vacated the city,...READ »
The 1-2-3-4 Festival – Shoreditch Park, London
A trend that is still to take off here, the one day urban festival is alive and well in the UK. London in particular, with its mass of parks, is proving a prime spot and while no-one could claim that Shoreditch Park is one of the city’s great beauty spots, it serves the purpose...READ »
Kristin Hersh – Whelan’s, Dublin
Standing at just over 5ft tall, Kristin Hersh should strike a diminutive figure. But the woman behind the mic at Whelan’s on Monday night could have been two foot taller; such is her strength of character, commanding voice and dexterity on the semi-acoustic guitar. The Throwing Muses and 50ft Wave frontwoman is no fragile...READ »
PiL – Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London
“We’re Public Image LTD, and we don’t need big fanfares”, professes John Lydon, dressed in a rather strange attire of a red waistcoat and baggy flannel trousers, carrying a full bottle of brandy by his side, looking more like an overweight magician in a circus than a man who quite often claims to have...READ »
