Dublin
Konbanwa! Thursday 2nd January will see the first new night of music at The Big Romance in 2020. Ongaku means “music” in Japanese so expect plenty of city pop, fusion, boogie, funk, j-pop, soft rock, synth, BGM and more spanning across multiple eras selected by our very own Loreana Rushe, featuring records sourced from her travels to Japan.
Admission is free, with the night running from 8pm-midnight.
Dublin
In aid of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, The Workman's club holds a weekend over 3-5 January called Women's Christmas, featuring some of the most talented artists on the island.
Performing are Wallis Bird, Ailbhe Reddy, DJ Egg, singer-songwriter Maija Sofia, Loah, Toshín, post-punks Extravision & Roohoneychild.
Weekend tickets are available here, priced €33, and Friday night with Wallis Bird & Ailbhe Reddy costs €16.50 here.
Dublin
Dublin’s finest experimental folk miscreants Lankum play Dublin's Vicar Street on January 4 & 5, just a few months after their last show there, and the release of new album, The Livelong Day.
Combining four-part harmonies with tradition instruments that include uilleann pipes, concertina, Russian accordian, fiddle and guitar, the group have an incredible knack for melding traditional folk with contemporary underground influences - black metal & drone, for example - to create something truly transcendental. Their sets give and take from the peoples' songbook - listen to our Irish song of 2017, the hauntingly poignant 'What Will We Do When We Have No Money?'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced €30. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
One of Britain's most enduring R&B outfits, Nine Below Zero, are set to play the Black Box for Out To Lunch on January 4.
Forty years on from their inception, they're one of the best blues bands around, with their 1980 Live At The Marquee album breaking them into their most popular era. Check out 'Three Times Enough'.
Tickets cost £16.50 from Ticketsolve. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Belfast
The Vinyl Revival is a 43-minute documentary that follows on from acclaimed Last Shop Standing and directed and produced again by Pip Piper. It came out on Record Store Day 2019 as part of a gatefold album featuring artists from the Distiller label. It will be screened - appropriately enough - on Saturday, January 4 at Strange Victory Records.
It explores the renaissance in all things vinyl. We hear from passionate new record shops owners as well the established die-hards still going and thriving. We speak with musicians and music industry pundits, experts on culture and music history.
The film discusses the importance of the record shop and vinyl as a whole. We answer the why’s of vinyl’s revival, the human need for belonging, the love of history, and the stories of how the humble little record shop has shaped so many lives.
Tickets cost £4, available here. The Screening starts at 4pm.
Dublin
Icebear presents a night of Ireland's finest experimental music in the Vintage Room upstairs at the Workman's Club on January 4. Headlining is Woven Skull member, multi-instrumentalist, composer & field recordist Natalia Beylis, who is as comfortable - check her out on Bandcamp.
Bambi performs, who incorporates elements of chart-pop and ambient into something that's romantically disconnected. Katie Geraldine O'Neill blends voice, electronics, guitar and field recordings into an ethereal sound. Listen to her work on Bandcamp.
Admission costs €5 and everything is in aid of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Belfast based indie label Quiet Arch hold their farewell show on the 10th of January 2020 at Empire Music Hall, after which a period of indefinite hiatus will begin. The current and former home for many of Northern Ireland's most successful artists, the music enterprise will take a step back from label operations.
In recognition of their achievements, Quiet Arch have organised a showcase from their catalogue of artists. Headlined by 2019 NI Music Prize ‘Best Album’ winners Elma Orkestra and Ryan Vail, as well as former winner's Joshua Burnside and Ciaran Lavery, the night will be serve as a celebration of the impact that Quiet Arch has had on the music industry and landscape of its native Northern Ireland. In lieu of label services, management and curation of several Quiet Arch artist will be transferred to New Champion Music, the management arm of the label spearheaded by Francesca O’Connor and Ben Magee.
Tickets cost £16.76 from Eventbrite. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
Dublin indie-punks Chewing On Tinfoil play Whelan's on January 10. Watch the video for 'Charlene', ahead of the release of their third album later in the year.
Supporting are US-born, UK-based punk Erica Freas - check her out on Bandcamp - and Limerick second wave emo-tinged indie rock quartet Cruiser - watch the video for 'No More Parties'.
Tickets are priced €12/€15 from Eventbrite. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Now into its fifth year, the Dublin Bowie Festival has announced its 2020 headline act. Holy Holy features an all-star lineup of long-time Bowie producer/collaborator Tony Visconti on bass, '70-'73 Spiders From Mars drummer Woody Woodmansey, with the band set to play the Olympia Theatre on January 11.
Vocals come from Heaven 17's Glenn Gregory, keys/sax from Berenice Scott & Jessica Lee Morgan, while Scott Walker/Cult guitarist James Stevenson and Ian Hunter/Geldof guitarist Paul Cuddeford join them. They'll be performing Bowie's third album, The Man Who Sold The World, and Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars. As well as the former, Visconti produced some of Bowie's most acclaimed work, like the Berlin trilogy, Blackstar and Diamond Dogs - not to mention his work with some of the biggest rock artists of the 20th Century: Thin Lizzy, Iggy Pop, Morrissey & beyond.
Tickets are priced from €45.20, available at Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
Retro Revival Indie Club bring Protex to Dublin's Underground venue on January 11 as they reissue their album, Strange Obsessions.
Formed in 1978, Protex were part of the early wave of Belfast punk along with SLF & Rudi. Strange Obsession was recorded for Polydor back in 1980, and was finally released in 2010, with it getting a recent revamp through Bachelor Records. Give the album a listen here.
Admission costs €10 and doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Soul-pop singer-songwriter Amy Naessens plays Whelan's on January 11 in a full band performance.
Supporting are Dan Elliott and KC Vik.
Tickets are available from WAV Tickets.
Dublin
Young Dundalk singer-songwriter David Keenan plays the Olympia on January 13 in what's his biggest headline performance to date.
An artist who very much lives in the shadow the great Irish tradition, he's a performer of incredible charisma. Check him out on the Late Late Show.
Tickets cost €25 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
Coinciding with their lauded sixth album hitting Number 1 on UK & Irish charts, Slipknot play the 3Arena on January 14. Taken from their new album & return to form We Are Not Your Kind, watch the video for 'Birth of the Cruel'.
Supporting are Behemoth.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 6.30pm.
Dublin
Snow Patrol play a special, fully-seated acoustic show at the Olympia on January 15, following the cancellation of their last show, and release of latest studio albums Wilderness and their Reworked release.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced €39.50. Doors open at 7pm.
Belfast
Belfast stoner-doom outfit Elder Druid have been consistently one of the hardest working bands in Irish metal over the last couple of years, regularly hitting the UK & Europe. They're set to launch their second album, Golgotha, with a show at Voodoo on January 17 with 3 of their finest peers.
Supporting are sludge-doom trios Slomatics - check out their latest album, Canyons - Nomadic Rituals - listen to second album, Marking The Day - and sludgy stoner rock act So Much For The Sun - check out their debut album.
Tickets cost £10 from Eventbrite. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Dundalk traditional balladeering trio featuring the Hendy Brothers of TPM fame, The Mary Wallopers, play Belfast's Sunflower Bar on 17 January. Check them out playing 'Building Up and Tearing England Down'.
Tickets are available from £8 from Sizeable Bear.
Cork
Lee Fields & The Expressions play Cork's Live at St. Luke's on January 17.
The legendary soul frontman has been around since the 60s, when he was a teenager in North Carolina, sweating it out in juke joints. Now in his sixties, his legend has grown in stature, having given the likes of Sharon Jones & Charles Bradley early career breaks. Check out his wonderfully warm soul-funk of It Rains Love.
Tickets are available from uTicket, priced €26.
Belfast
One of our favourite Irish releases of last year was the cross-country split from Belfast post-hardcore indie rock trio Mob Wife and Limerick second wave emo-tinged indie rock quartet Cruiser. They play the Belfast leg of their joint tour at the Menagerie on January 17 - stream it here.
Opening the show are Newry quartet Cloakroom Q - check them out on Bandcamp.
Admission costs £5 and doors open at 9pm.
Dublin
ChoiceCuts bring Lee Fields & The Expressions to Dublin's Button Factory on January 18.
The legendary soul frontman has been around since the 60s, when he was a teenager in North Carolina, sweating it out in juke joints. Now in his sixties, his legend has grown in stature, having given the likes of Sharon Jones & Charles Bradley early career breaks. Check out his wonderfully warm soul-funk of It Rains Love.
Supporting is ULY.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced €30. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Belfast
UK singer-songwriter & Mercury Prizewinner Damon Gough, aka Badly Drawn Boy returns to Belfast to play the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival's Out To Lunch January programme at the Black Box. This will be an intimate solo show featuring only Gough.
It's been almost 2 decades since the release of his award-winning debut album, The Hour of the Bewilderbeast, and since then he's soundtracked About A Boy and Being Flynn, totalling seven studio albums now. Check out the video for 'Year of the Rat'.
Tickets are available from CQAF, priced at £20. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Berghain resident Barker makes a rare appearance when Plain Sailing bring him to the Ulster Sports Club on January 18.
Tickets cost £8 from Eventbrite. Doors open at 10pm.
Belfast
Marking 20 years since its release, Rachael Boyd, Junk Drawer and Conor Mason will revisit Figure 8, the fifth and final album Elliott Smith completed before his death. They'll play it in its entirety, alongside a few originals, at the Oh Yeah Centre on January 18.
Released in 2000, Figure 8 songs have all Smith's ornate elegance and a sublime mastery of pop hooks. Rolling Stone placed it on their list of the 100 greatest albums of the decade and it was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
Admission costs £8 and doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Feminist post-hardcore punks Petrol Girls play McHugh's in the first of 3 Irish dates.
The quartet, rooted in DIY ethos, released new album Cut & Stitch in 2019, and feature members from Austria, Lithuania & the UK. Check out recent single 'Big Mouth'.
Tickets cost £11.25 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Philadelphia-born, Dublin-based industrial electronic noise artist Julia Louise KnifeFist plays Dublin's Workman's Club on February 21 as part of his debut Well Done EP launch tour. Check out the 808-laced glitchy RnB of '328'. Dublin math-rock revivalist trio Tribal Dance headline - watch the video for 'And Then All That Was Left Was A Physician And A Silhouette'.
Joining him is highly-energetic German noise-rap Traash Boo - check out Asseyes.
Admission costs €10, with tickets available from Eventbrite. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Following the May '18 release of their new album Undress, The Felice Brothers headline Belfast's Limelight 2 on January 22.
The band take rootsy songwriting, and, informed by the political and social milieu, create a harmonious, thoughtful takes on it. Based around the writing of upstate New Yorkers Ian & James Felice, who began in 2006 with subway & sidewalk performances, they've released nine albums and backed Conor Oberst's 2017 LP, Salutations. Stream 'Poor Blind Birds'.
Tickets cost £18 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Belfast
Feminist post-hardcore punks Petrol Girls play Whelan's on January 22 as part of their 3-date Irish tour.
The quartet, rooted in DIY ethos, released new album Cut & Stitch in 2019, and feature members from Austria, Lithuania & the UK. Check out recent single 'Big Mouth'.
Tickets cost €14 from WAV Tickets & Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
To celebrate the life of cult singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, as part of Hi How Are You? Day, on what would have been Daniel's 59th birthday, Sizeable Bear hold a night of performances and DJing.
The night will feature performances of Daniel's songs from idiosyncratic acts Adrian Crowley, Buí, Junk Drawer and more.
Tickets cost £8.50 from Sizeable Bear, and it's a bring-your-own show. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
Following the May '18 release of their new album Undress, The Felice Brothers headline Whelan's on January 23.
The band take rootsy songwriting, and, informed by the political and social milieu, create a harmonious, thoughtful takes on it. Based around the writing of upstate New Yorkers Ian & James Felice, who began in 2006 with subway & sidewalk performances, they've released nine albums and backed Conor Oberst's 2017 LP, Salutations. Stream 'Poor Blind Birds'.
Tickets cost €23 from WAV Tickets. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Drummer Jim White of Dirty 3 and Cretan lute player George Xylouris, AKA Xylouris White, return to Belfast to play the Black Box on January 23 as part of the Out To Lunch Festival, courtesy of Moving On Music.
Meeting in Melbourne back in 1990, the pair seamlessly combine free jazz, avant-rock and Greek folk to tell tales rooted in history and mythology, unveiling a few truths along the way. This show follows the November release of new album The Sisypheans. Check out 'Forging' live in Dublin's Guerrilla Studios.
Tickets cost £13 concession from CQAF. Doors open at 7.45pm.
Belfast
As part of the Out To Lunch Festival in association with Howl, lead singer of The Charlatans & entrepreneur behind Tim Peaks coffee, Tim Burgess is coming to belfast Belfast for an all-out, knees-up, thigh-slapping, head-spinning, body-shaking DJ set.
Following a year journeying across Europe’s glittering cities and UK festivals including Field Day, Latitude, Reading, Leeds, Festival No.6 and of course, Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess returns with his signature mix of Indie Disco, Electro, Acid House and Britpop. Dropping anything from New Order to Factory Floor, The Clash to De La Soul, with a rare cut here and a re-rub there, Tim works the dancefloor with the deft touch of a master.
Tickets cost £12.50 from Ticketsolve. Things kick off at 10pm.
Belfast
Winners of the Pavilion's Hop House Battle of the Bands 2019, Diamir, headline a SONI show at the Pavilion this Friday, January 24.
Supporting are young pop-punk trio True Kolours, alternative rock quartet Trigger Lilies and Belfast rock & roll outfit After The Flood.
Admission costs £5 and doors open at 8.30pm.
Dublin
Australian blues rockers The Teskey Brothers play Whelan's on January 25.
Crafting their own take on the blues & soul of Motown with a Foals-esque sheen, they've recently released debut album Half Mile Harvest, which was self-recorded & produced. Watch the video for 'So Caught Up'.
Tickets cost €17.50 from WAV Tickets. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Electronic kraut-pop artist Jane Weaver headlines Ulster Sports Club on January 25 as part of the Out to Lunch Festival.
The English singer-songwriter, producer & label-runner is currently touring Loops In The Secret Society, which reimagines and combines elements of previous albums The Silver Globe & Modern Kosmology.
Psych outfit Documenta support - check out their recent Lady With The Ring, alongside Dr Crippens and Friends DJ set.
Tickets cost £14 from Ticketsolve. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Cassetteboy are a duo from Chelmsford, Essex. They re-edit footage of TV shows to make celebrities talk about sex and drugs, and are rather successful at it. They’ve released five albums including The Parker Tapes, which was widely acclaimed. They play the Black Box as part of the Out To Lunch festival on January 25.
Their smash hit The Bloody Apprentice, in which Alan Sugar talks about sh*tting frying pans, has been watched five and a half million times. They have also tackled David Cameron, Downton Abbey, Harry Potter, and The Only Way is Essex.
Tickets cost £12 from Ticketsolve. Doors open at 9pm.
Dublin
Drummer Jim White of Dirty 3 and Cretan lute player George Xylouris, AKA Xylouris White, return to Belfast to play Whelan's on January 25 for Enthusiastic Eunuch
Meeting in Melbourne back in 1990, the pair seamlessly combine free jazz, avant-rock and Greek folk to tell tales rooted in history and mythology, unveiling a few truths along the way. This show follows the November release of new album The Sisypheans. Check out 'Forging' live in Dublin's Guerrilla Studios.
Tickets cost €16.50 from WAV Tickets. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
MadDog Promotions and icebear team up for a night of experimental music at the intimate Vintage Room of Workman's Club on January 25. Performing are Bodycam, tapedesk and Morbific Noxae.
Admission costs €5 and doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
Scottish folk musician, and one third of Yorkston/Thorne/Khan, James Yorkston plays the Workman's Club on January 27.
Having released new album The Route To The Harmonium, his first in five years, marking a period of huge creative prolificacy - two albums with Yorkston/Thorne/Khan and his debut novel came out in the interim. Recorded almost entirely by Yorkston in his loft studio in small Scottish fishing village Cellardyke, watch the video for 'Shallow'.
Tickets are priced €19.80 from Ticketweb. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Poet, artist & musician Robyn Hitchcock plays for Selective Memory at Whelan's on January 28.
Since founding art rock band The Soft Boys in 1976, he's recorded over 20 albums, starred in Storefront Hitchcock by Jonathan Demme, with his later solo material blending folk & psychedelia. He also writes short stories, paints and draws cartoon strips. Check him out Live on KEXP.
Tickets cost €15 from Selective Memory. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
Murder-balladeer Amigo The Devil is set to play the Sound House on January 29. A member of the indie horror rock scene, with elements of alt. Americana, folk and punk, watch the video for 'Cocaine and Abel'.
Tickets cost €16 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Belfast
A hard rock trifecta takes place at the Limelight on January 29, headlined by The Wildhearts. They've just released mini-album Diagnosis, following their first LP in a decade with the original lineup - check out 'Dislocated'.
Sharing the bill on the UK tour are Swedish sleaze rock outfit Backyard Babies - they've recently released new album Silver and Gold - and Philly riff-rockers CKY.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster and Katy's Bar. Doors open at 5pm.
Limerick
As part of their birthday celebrations, Tralee DJ Yasmin Gardezi plays Pharmacia on January 29 for RoomTwo. Over the past year Yasmin has evolved her set into energetic industrial techno with inflections of acid techno and trance.
2019 saw Gardezi hold residencies in Cork at top clubs Dali and Cyprus Avenue, and special appearances in Dublin, Galway and Waterford. Her schedule included Life Festival, Boxed off, Yurt City, Indiependence and Mass Festival, where she shared lineups with Nina Kraviz, Dax J and Peggy Gou.
On support, K9 UNIT return to RoomTwo.
Tickets are priced up to €10 from Eventbrite. Doors open at 10.30pm.
Dublin
Folk-pop singer-songwriter Daughter of Swords plays the Grand Social on January 30. Alexandra Sauser-Monnig started writing solo LP, Dawnbreaker in 2017 as she regrouped her other harmony-driven act Mountain Man. Watch the video for 'Shining Woman'.
Tickets cost €12.50 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Master songwriter Rory Nellis plays a full band gig at Voodoo on January 30 to launch his new single, 'When I Sleep'. Check him out on Bandcamp.
Supporting is emo-laced ambient folk singer-songwriter Joel Harkin - check him out on Bandcamp.
Tickets, priced from £5 early bird, to £8, are available from Eventbrite. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Hyped act Odd Morris play upstairs at Whelan's on January 31.
Tickets cost €12 from WAV Tickets and Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
American singer, composer & electronic music iconoclast Dan Deacon plays Dublin's Grand Social on January 31.
An artist with the uncanny ability to morph pop and madcap electronica, he's scored for Francis Ford Coppola, his live shows encourage a major audience interaction, and this won't be one to miss. His new album, Mystic Familiar comes out the same day - check out 'Sat By A Tree'.
Tickets cost €24 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Young, hotly-tipped emo-tinged pop-rockers Brand New Friend play Belfast's Oh Yeah Centre on January 31 in an all-ages show for Volume Control as part of Independent Venue Week.
Check out their third single, 'Hate It When You Have To Go', ahead of new music set for release this year.
Supporting are Aeons, alt. rockers Poetic Licence and Blackout Season.
Tickets cost £6 from Eventbrite. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
Dublin based trio Shifting hold a fundraiser show for their debut album - recorded in 2019, set for a Spring release - at Bello Bar on January 31.
Influenced by the likes of My Disco, The Pixies, The Shipping News, Young Widows and Part Chimp - the trio include members of Hands Up Who Wants To Die & No Spill Blood. Check out their debut release, a 7" split.
Sharing the bill are instrumental-swapping Northern Irish indie-psych quartet Junk Drawer, who recently won the NI Music Prize for Best Single 2019 for the Silver Jews-recalling 'Year of the Sofa'.
Admission costs €10 and doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Scottish songstress Isobel Campbell plays Dublin's Liberty Hall Theatre on February 1. The Glasgow-born former Belle & Sebastian singer-songwriter & cellist has just released new album There Is No Other, 14 years on from her last solo album outright - not including her work with Mark Lanegan. Check out the video for 'Ant Life'.
Tickets are priced €22 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
One of his generation's most gifted alt. country songwriters, Sturgill Simpson, who has earned crossover acclaim for his 2016 masterpiece, A Sailor's Guide To Earth, returns to Vicar Street for a show on February 1 in support of new album Sound & Fury. His music has moved more into electonic rock territory, while holding onto his roots.
A Sailor's Guide... earned a Best Country Album Grammy, as well as a nomination for Best Album, and his latest LP has an accompanying Netflix anime film, directed by Jumpei Mizusaki. Check the video for 'Sing Along'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced €30. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Fast-rising electronic soul-pop artist Laura Keane, aka Elkae, plays upstairs at Whelan's on February 1. Check out the video for 'Sold'.
Tickets cost €12 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Archive-based project 'High Rise | Low Rise' is a playful, in-depth look at how modernist architecture and urban design was presented in media through the 1950s to the 1980s in Northern Ireland. Belfast Film Festival have commissioned experimental rock quartet Blue Whale and dark electronics-based artist Gross Net to provide live soundtracks to Utopian (High Rise) and Dystopian (Low Rise) archive films. Each will perform their sets at the Masonic Hall on Rosemary Street on February 1.
Check out Gross Net's excellent 2019 second LP Gross Net Means Gross Net, and Blue Whale's debut album, Process.
Admission costs £6.50/£4 here. Things kick off at 8pm.
Limerick
Dublin-based post-punks Extravision play Pharmacia on February 1 in their first DIY LK show. Check them out on Bandcamp.
Local lo-fi psych weirdos Martian Subculture open the night. Check them out on Bandcamp.
Admission costs €5 and doors open at 10pm.
Belfast
Old Fang bring Montreal-born DJ/Producer Philippe Aubin-Dionne, aka Jacques Greene to The Menagerie for a live set on February 1.
One of dance music's most captivating acts right now, he's remixed Radiohead, produced Katy B, collaborated with designers and London's Tate Modern. He just released his second studio album Dawn Chorus, which yielded acclaim from Pitchfork and others for its repurposing of club music for outside the club, blending French house, ambience, and elements of seemingly disparate genres. Check out 'For Love'.
Tickets are available in advance priced from £16 to £20 on the night, from Eventbrite. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
With ceaseless experimentation and disregard for genre confines Ruby My Dear has been pioneering his sound for over 10 years, and plays Dublin's Sound House on February 2.
Each release exploring deeper into his chaotic vision of rhythm, composition and melody. The prolific breakcore producer takes elements of jazz, classical & industrial, distilling them into a heady maelstrom of breaks & outlandish arrangements. Check him out on Soundcloud.
Supporting is Le Haine, gramophone hauntrepreneu PCP, Kushti and The Shush.
Tickets, priced €8.85-€13.66, are available from Eventbrite. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
The Oh Yeah Centre holds a show as part of Independent Venue week, featuring young indie act Lunapeake, alt rockers Harley & The Wolf, indie/alt rockers Peace Evan and pop-punk quartet American Guinea Pig.
Admission costs £5 and doors open at 8pm.
Cork
In association with Sunshine Cult Records & Plug'd, experimental electronic pop auteur Arthuritis launches new EP Ornament of the World at Plug'd on February 1 with a listening party. A limited number of copies will be available on cassette.
Belfast
Hazey Haze and Citrus Fresh are rappers from Limerick collective PX Music, both set to perform at the Black Box on February 2. Check out the video below for 'This Is My City', taken from Hazey's new LP Is Mise. Check out Citrus Fresh's 2019 EP, Smile.
Tickets cost £8 from Sizeable Bear or £10 on the night. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Cork
Quarter Block Party has announced the first wave of artists for its sixth edition, which will take over venues across Cork city from Thursday 6-Sunday 9 February.
Shows are as follows:
Friday 7th February, 8.30pm
The Bonk & Soft Focus
Kino, Washington Street
Saturday 8th February, 4.00pm
Lemoncello & Maija Sofia
Coughlans, Douglas Street
Saturday 8th February, 9.00pm
God Alone, Melts & Pretty Happy
Spailpín Fánach, South Main Street
Saturday 8th February, 8.30pm
Post Punk Podge & Jar Jar Jr. + more TBA
Kino, Washington Street
Sunday 9th February, 4.00pm
Aoife Nessa Frances & Elaine Howley
Coughlans, Douglas Street
Shows are individually priced, with options for a Bundle Pass for 3 shows priced at €25. Tickets are available from uTicket.
Dublin
Comprised of Portishead’s Geoff Barrow, Billy Fuller and Will Young (no, the better one), Bristol’s Beak> will play The Button Factory on February 6.
Hands down one of the UK’s most consistently engaging acts, the trio have released three excellent studio albums - the most recent being 2018's phenomenal >>> - an original score, and a few EPs of Kraut-tinged mastery since forming back in 2009. Watch the video for 'Brean Down'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.
Belfast
Belfast queerpunk quartet Problem Patterns headline the Empire on February 6. Listen to their excellent Gal Pals EP on Bandcamp.
Supporting are EVA, alternative rock quintet Colour Arcadia and new 90s alt. rock-inspired quartet Alumna.
Admission costs £3. Doors open at 9pm.
Dublin
Virtuosic instrumental trap outfit Polyphia play the Grand Social on February 7 & 8 - the former added due to demand - following the release of new album New Levels New Devils. Watch the video for 'G.O.A.T.'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced €18. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Indie rock quartet Hand Models headline the Pavilion on February 7 for Table It. Watch the video for 'Last Leaves On A Tree'.
Supporting are Newry indie/neo-psych quartet Cloakroom Q - check them out on Bandcamp - and the first ever performance from singer-songwriter Niall McDowell.
Admission costs £6 and doors open at 9pm.
Dublin
U.S. indie rock hero (Sandy) Alex G will play Dublin's Button Factory on February 8.
This date follows the release of the singer, songwriter and musician's ninth album, House of Sugar, via Domino. Watch the video for 'Hope'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced €16.50. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
Socially active post-punk/gospel quartet Algiers return to Dublin, playing Whelan's on February 8.
Oft-described as dystopian soul, their recent input has been instilled with the principles of the Black Panther movement, challenging systematic oppression with recent collaborative audiovisual piece Can the Sub_Bass Speak? as part of web installation There Is No Year.
Tickets cost €15 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Galway
One of 2019's greatest success stories, hip-hop duo Mango x MathMan play the Roisin Dubh on February 8 as part of their Irish tour following the release of one of the Irish albums of the year in Casual Work.
A kitchen-sink slice of Irish Life, check out lead single 'Deep Blue', featuring Lisa Hannigan.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 9pm.
Belfast
Saturday, February 8 sees the celebration of fourteen years of Crilli Drum and Bass, when they debut at the Ulster Sports Club.
The night will feature a back-2-back 3 hour set from Astrophonica head honcho Charlie Fieber, aka Fracture - whose label has been a huge influence on Crilli over the years, and from whom you can expect jungle, footwork and upfront, high-tempo bass music - and Manchester's resident Renaissance Man of Bass, Chimpo, aka John Goodwin, MC, producer, Box N Lock label head & member of Manchester collective Levels.
Tickets are available from Ticketsource. Doors open at 10pm.
Dublin
Dublin-based electro-folk artist Brí plays The Sound House on February 8, following the release of single 'Polite'. Check out 'Low Supply'.
Supporting are electro-pop project Aonair and Neo M.
Tickets are available from Eventbrite, priced €10. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
The Night Guild is a new project from singer/songwriter Pete Devlin and experimental composer James Joys (both of avant-pop band Ex-Isles). Established to make more collaborative and cross-disciplinary work, this first instalment sees the creation of a full-length, debut album named Devil, Repent! Working in collaboration with artist Alana Barton, experimental percussionist Steve Davis, renowned vocal group Landless, and many others, Devil Repent! is grand in both the scope and density of its themes.
Held in the 48-loudspeaker-housing Sonic Lab at QUB's Sonic Arts Research Centre, where sound is projected and moves throughout the 360 degrees of the space; including above and underneath the audience. Peter and James will present Devil, Repent! with an ambitious sensory light show on Saturday 8th February in collaboration with Redbox Studios and Alana Barton.
A limited run of 200 double LPs have been produced, which feature the work of Alana Barton. You can order when reserving your free ticket from Eventbrite or you can purchase on the night. A limited number of prints will also be available. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Virtuosic instrumental trap outfit Polyphia play the Empire on February 9 in the latter of two Irish dates following the release of new album New Levels New Devils. Watch the video for 'G.O.A.T.'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced £16. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
It's over half a decade since their Mercury-nominated last album, but Bombay Bicycle Club are back, playing a short of Irish shows, kicking off with two shows on February 10 & 11 at Vicar Street - the latter added due to demand.
Recorded with John Congleton, the date follows the January release of their fifth album. Watch the video for 'Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)'.
Tickets cost €34.15 from Ticketmaster.
Dublin
Kyle Gass & Jack Black's comedy rock duo Tenacious D headline the 3Arena on February 10 as part of their Post-Apocalypto tour for their animated film & album - released in 2018 with the film completely hand-drawn by Black.
Supporting are Wynchester.
Tickets cost €49.50 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 6.30pm.
Belfast
It's over half a decade since their Mercury-nominated last album, but Bombay Bicycle Club are back, playing a pair of Irish shows, with the latter at the Ulster Hall on February 12.
Recorded with John Congleton, the date follows the January release of their fifth album. Watch the video for 'Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)'.
Tickets cost £31.50 from Ticketmaster.
Dublin
The NI Music Prize-winning project from Eoin O'Callaghan, AKA Elma Orkestra and Ryan Vail, Borders, plays a short Irish Spring tour, stopping off at the Button Factory on February 12. Watch the video for 'My Island', which also features supporting Irish poet Stephen James Smith, who will deliver a performance.
Tickets cost €15 from Ticketmaster. Show at 7.30pm.
Dublin
With their second album out in July, post-grunge trio Fangclub are set to play a headline show at the Button Factory on December 13.
Check out their latest single 'Hesitations'.
Tickets cost €16.50 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
Texan post-rock quartet Explosions In The Sky play Vicar Street on February 13 as they tour in celebration of their twentieth anniversary.
Formed in the Austin scene in 1999, the band were the product of an independent scene that included the likes of Lift To Experience, getting signed after their Austin-based friends The American Analog Set submitted a demo to Temporary Residence Limited. The often-triple guitar & drum crescendo masters haven't released any official studio albums since 2011, but have soundtracked a number of films in that time. They're a borderline-transcendental live show at their peak, so be sure to check them out if you can.
Tickets cost €36.15 and are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Galway
The NI Music Prize-winning project from Eoin O'Callaghan, AKA Elma Orkestra and Ryan Vail, Borders, comes to the Roisin Dubh on February 13 as part of a short Irish Spring tour. Watch the video for 'My Island', which also features supporting Irish poet Stephen James Smith, who will deliver a performance.
Tickets cost €15.
Dublin
Free psychedelic improvised trio Zeropunkt play the Sound House on February 13 for Eat A Peach. Previously known as ¡NO!, they meld sax, synth, clarinet, flute, bass & more into a dreamlike, sometimes vivid, miasma - listen to 'Bitch Nails'.
Also playing are modular noise & beat-driven duo The Troubles, who feature Woven Skull's Aonghus McEvoy & School Tour's Gerard Duffy.
Tickets are priced €10 from Eventbrite. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
February 13 sees Northern Ireland's music scene come together once more for its biggest one-day industry conference & showcase, Output.
During the day, keynote speeches will take place, as well as talks with industry experts both local and international across a wide range of fields. Starting from 8pm, a range of venues across the city will be taken over until 11pm.
Admission to all events is free, with registration available for the conference here.
Dublin
Supergrass are set to play two Irish dates as part of their forthcoming reunion tour. The Gaz Coombes-fronted Britpop legends will play Dublin’s Olympia Theatre on February 14.
Band member Danny Goffey said, “Everything aligned for us to make this happen for 2020. It was the first time that we collectively felt the buzz to get back in a room together and play the songs. We’re extremely excited to get out there and bring a bit of Supergrass joy to all our fans… and their extended families.” This comes off the back of the release of their 1994-2008 career-spanning Greatest Hits.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
The UK's most hyped guitar band, Black Midi, play their debut Dublin date at The Button Factory on February 14. The mathy, krauty, genre-hopping London-based quartet released their debut album Schlagenheim to a Mercury Nomination.
Tickets are priced €16.50 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
Having just released sixth album, Cala, Bray-based songwriter Fionn Regan headlines Whelan's on February 14. The Mercury, Choice & Meteor Award-nominee, was recently made an honorary member of the Trinity College Literary Society. Check him out live in session.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster & WAV Tickets, priced €23. Doors open at 8pm.
Limerick
One of 2019's greatest success stories, hip-hop duo Mango x MathMan play Limerick's Kasbah Social Club on February 14 as part of their Irish tour following the release of one of the Irish albums of the year in Casual Work.
A kitchen-sink slice of Irish Life, check out lead single 'Deep Blue', featuring Lisa Hannigan.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 9pm.
Cork
The NI Music Prize-winning project from Eoin O'Callaghan, AKA Elma Orkestra and Ryan Vail, Borders, comes to Cork's Kino on February 14 as part of a short Irish Spring tour. Watch the video for 'My Island', which also features supporting Irish poet Stephen James Smith, who will deliver a performance.
Tickets cost €15.
Belfast
The UK's most hyped guitar band, Black Midi, play the Ulster Sports Club on February 15. The mathy, krauty, genre-hopping London-based quartet released their debut album Schlagenheim to a Mercury Nomination.
Supporting is Bo Ningen bassist/frontwoman Taigen Kawabe, aka Ill Japonia.
Tickets are priced £13 from Ticketweb. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Mongolian metal outfit The HU play the Limelight 1 on February 15 following the release of their acclaimed debut album The Gereg.
A unique blend of heavy rock & metal with Mongolian throat singing, they've exploded online - check out 'The Great Chinggis Khaan'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster & Katy's Bar, priced £17.50. Doors open at 7pm.
Cork
One of 2019's greatest success stories, hip-hop duo Mango x MathMan play the Kino, Cork on February 15 as part of their Irish tour following the release of one of the Irish albums of the year in Casual Work.
A kitchen-sink slice of Irish Life, check out lead single 'Deep Blue', featuring Lisa Hannigan.
Belfast
Rootsy songsmith Stefan Murphy plays the Workman's Club on February 15.
Formerly of the Mighty Stef, he made four albums, touring the US & Europe, before changing to Count Vaseline. He's recently started to perform under his own name, with a debut album set for release this year.
Support comes from Eskies frontman Ian Bermingham, aka Old Sea Legs and traditionally-inclined singer-songwriter Brian Barron.
Tickets cost €12 from Selective Memory. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Mark McCambridge, aka Arborist, will perform a full-band instore performance at Strange Victory Records at 4pm on Saturday, February 15.
This accompanies the release of second album A Northern View, following up on the acclaimed Home Burial, which garnered strong reviews from the likes of MOJO, The Guardian & Uncut.
Admission is completely free and the performance takes place at 4pm.
Dublin
After ten years, Dublin five-piece SPIES have announced they are to split.
Having re-emerged back in 2018 after a three-year hiatus, with the sublime Constancy in tow, they released a statement of their split - also revealing that their show at Whelans on February 15th will be their last - the band said, "The five of us have had an amazing time playing music together over the last 10 years but we feel the time is right to move on." All the very best to the guys from everyone at TTA. Watch the video for 'Watchman'.
Support comes from fast-rising singer-songwriter Rachael Lavelle.
Tickets are available from WAV Tickets, priced €15. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
Garage power-pop act Dinah Brand play Bloody Mary's on February 15 for Retro Revival Indie Club. Supporting are garage rockers Oh Boland and Johnson.
Admission is free and doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Mongolian metal outfit The Hu play the Academy on February 16 following the release of their acclaimed debut album The Gereg.
A unique blend of heavy rock & metal with Mongolian throat singing, they've exploded online - check out 'The Great Chinggis Khaan'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.
Dublin
Electronic indie artist Adam Bainbridge, aka Kindness plays a live show at Whelan's on February 16. Equally capable of performing as a DJ or with a live band, he's also an accomplished video director for the likes of Grizzly Bear & William Onyeabor. Most recently, Kindness released third studio album Something Like A War.
Tickets are available from Ticketbooth, priced €20.
Belfast
Supergrass are set to play two Irish dates as part of their forthcoming reunion tour. The Gaz Coombes-fronted Britpop legends will play Belfast's Ulster Hall on February 17.
Band member Danny Goffey said, “Everything aligned for us to make this happen for 2020. It was the first time that we collectively felt the buzz to get back in a room together and play the songs. We’re extremely excited to get out there and bring a bit of Supergrass joy to all our fans… and their extended families.” This comes off the back of the release of their 1994-2008 career-spanning Greatest Hits.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Cork
Comedic hair metal band Steel Panther return to Ireland once again, playing Cyprus Avenue on February 17.
Profane, debauched, and devoid of moral compas, they were initially called Metal Skool, before changing their name and releasing debut album Feel The Steel, which featured guest spots from apt figures like Justin Hawkins, Corey Taylor & M Shadows. Their fifth album, Heavy Metal Rules is out now.
Tickets are available from Cyprus Avenue.
Dublin
London art-pop outfit HMLTD play Dublin's Sound House on February 18, following the release of their album West of Eden. Watch the video for 'The West Is Dead'.
Tickets are priced €18, available from Ticketmaster.Doors open at 8pm.
Limerick
Philadelphia-born, Dublin-based industrial electronic noise artist Julia Louise KnifeFist plays Limerick's Pharmacia on February 19 as part of his EP launch tour. Check out the 808-laced glitchy RnB of '328'.
Joining him is highly-energetic German noise-rap Traash Boo - check out Asseyes.
Belfast
The most singular modern English songwriter, the absolutely incredible Richard Dawson plays his biggest Belfast show yet at the Empire on February 20 with his band for Moving On Music.
Richard Dawson has been described by The Guardian as the 'English folk equivalent of Captain Beefheart's deconstruction of the blues'. No small feat for the rootsy, imperfect, heartfelt - without ever breaking into cliché - singer-songwriter, who has gained some impressive, reputable fans in the last few years, including the likes of Stewart Lee. Check out this incredible session performance of 'Wooden Bag'. His latest album, 2020, is his most acclaimed yet, unafraid to throw pop sensibility and modern day kitchen sink commentary into the heteroglot cauldron of influences. Watch the video for 'Jogging'.
Tickets cost £17.50 from Eventbrite. Doors open at 7pm.
Cork
Philadelphia-born, Dublin-based industrial electronic noise artist Julia Louise KnifeFist plays Plug'd on February 20 as part of his EP launch tour. Check out the 808-laced glitchy RnB of '328'.
Joining him is highly-energetic German noise-rap Traash Boo - check out Asseyes.
Dublin
The most singular modern English songwriter, the absolutely incredible Richard Dawson performs for Enthusiastic Eunuch at Whelan's on February 21 with his band.
Richard Dawson has been described by The Guardian as the 'English folk equivalent of Captain Beefheart's deconstruction of the blues'. No small feat for the rootsy, imperfect, heartfelt - without ever breaking into cliché - singer-songwriter, who has gained some impressive, reputable fans in the last few years, including the likes of Stewart Lee. Check out this incredible session performance of 'Wooden Bag'. His latest album, 2020, is his most acclaimed yet, unafraid to throw pop sensibility and modern day kitchen sink commentary into the heteroglot cauldron of influences. Watch the video for 'Jogging'.
Tickets cost €18.95 from Whelans. Doors open at 8pm.
Cork
One of Ireland's most exciting experimental bands, Fixity, headline Cork Opera House on February 21. Led by multi-instrumentalist Dan Walsh, the Cork psych-jazz act released on of our favourite albums of 2019, No Man Can Tell, on Penske. Expect a mercurial, instinctive blend of drums, keys, sax & flute.
Cathal & Elaine of the Altered Hours DJ on the night.
Tickets cost €13.50 from Cork Opera House. Doors open at 8.30pm.
Dublin
Jaunty Dublin garage-punk quartet Sprints play upstairs at Whelan's on February 22. Watch the video for new single 'The Cheek'.
Tickets cost €12.80 from WAV Tickets.
Cork
Two of our favourite acts on the island come together for a double-header on February 22 at Cork's The Kino.
Set to release their second LP in 2020, doom-laden, krauty synth-metal outfit No Spill Blood play - listen to their Sargent House-released, unbelievable EP & album on Bandcamp. Psychedelic, krauty, 'gazey experimental trio Percolator also play - check out the video for single 'Freshin', and debut album Sestra, our Irish album of 2017.
Tickets are priced €10 from uTicket and €12 on the door. Doors open at 9pm.
Waterford
Indie-folk outfit Cry Monster Cry are set to headline Waterford Central Arts. Dublin brothers Jamie & Richie Martin have returned with their second album, Tides. Watch the video for 'Citadel'.
Tickets, priced €13.76, are available from Universe. Doors open at 9pm.
Dublin
As the launch gig for new zine I Can't Remember Who Belongs To Who, Anseo hosts a gig night on February 22. Dublin trio Slouch headline - check out 'Day Half' which we described as "riff-wielding, face-searing, psychogroove-pedalling".
Supporting are Echo's Bones and Dublin lo-fi indie project Handsome Eric - check them out on Bandcamp.
Admission costs €10, including a zine, and doors open at 9pm.
Limerick
A few months on from pulling out all the stops for their 2019 summer party, Seoda Shows have revealed the stellar line-up for their 7th Birthday show next month. Taking place at Limerick's Kasbah Social Club on Saturday, February 22nd, The Mary Wallopers and Post Punk Podge & The Technohippies line-up against headliners, Limerick four-piece PowPig.
Admission is ridiculously affordable - a mere €12 on the door, with tickets available here for €10 - and doors are at 9pm.
Dublin
One of Ireland's most multi-faceted & masterful singer-songwriters Naoise Roo is set to perform a Homebeat show at the new Bernard Shaw venue in Dublin on February 22. Check out the new video for her single 'Black Hole', the first single since spellbinding debut album, Lilith.
Les Garçons and Homebeat provide DJ duties.
Admission is free and doors open at 9pm.
Belfast
The Strokes are set to play Belfast. The NYC band, who return with the sixth studio album this year, will play the Waterfront Hall on February 24th.
The Julian Casablancas-fronted band last played the city (the legendary Ulster Hall) back in February 2006.
Dublin
Having been together for almost 15 years, garage rock outfit The Growlers play Dublin's Button Factory on February 25. They've moved from psychedelic tinges through to more recent forays in new wave funk on latest LP Natural Affair.
Tickets cost €24 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
Hefty on the sweaty basement bassline, funk-pop quintet Franc Moody return to Dublin, playing the Button Factory on February 26.
The London outfit has amassed quite the following over the few years, with singles like 'Dopamine' making cool the grooves of Jamiroquai in 2019.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced €20.50. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Belfast
Having just released their emo & post-rock influenced debut mini-album Is, Was, Wasn't, Donegal/Derry trio Happy Out play The American Bar for Sizeable Bear on February 26 in their first Belfast headline show.
Tickets are available here, priced £5. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Belfast
Turin-born, Dublin-based jazz musician, Francesco Turrisi's music is a hearty broth of styles, experiences and musical references. From baroque-inspired bass lines to evocative Mediterranean modal melodies, Turrisi can move from minimalistic grooves to all out improvisation without ever revealing the stitch. He plays Sonic Arts Research Centre's Sonic Lab on February 27 as part of the Brilliant Corners Jazz Festival.
His 2018 release Northern Migrations features original compositions and improvisations, exploring Turrisi’s ten-year journey from the heart of the Mediterranean to the North of Europe. If a musician is defined by the company he keeps, then it is little wonder that the Italian artist defies easy categorization. Having worked with jazz veterans such as Dave Liebman and Gianluigi Trovesi, sean-nós singer Roisin El Safty, touring with Bobby McFerrin, and interpreting the music of Steve Reich (to name but a few), he is a musician at ease exploring pastures new.
The concert is free. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
This July will see the release of the third volume of Irish indie compilation A Litany of Failures. To raise funds, Belfast's Strange Victory hosts the Belfast fundraising bill featuring three of its contributors on February 27.
Performing are incredible live act, Belfast feminist punk quartet Problem Patterns - check out Good For You, Aren't You Great? - instrument-swapping Belfast indie-psych quartet Junk Drawer - check the NI Music Prize-winning single, 'Year of the Sofa'. - and the first outing of Robocobra Quartet frontman Chris Ryan's SORBET, which promises to be 'part music performance, part TED talk'. Check out debut single 'Born Purple'.
Admission costs £7 and doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
Dublin
Master songwriter Damien Jurado gives a solo performance at the Liberty Hall Theatre on February 28.
He debuted back on Sub Pop in the mid-90's with his Motorbike and Trampoline albums, and has maintained a shockingly consistent run of records exploring the esoteric and mundane. His latest album, In the Shape of a Storm is easily his sparsest yet. Recorded over two hours on one afternoon, it features Jurado's voice & acoustic guitar, with occasional accompaniment with some Nashville guitar peppered in. Check out his recent Paste session.
Tickets are available, priced at €25, from Ticketmaster.
Dublin
Manchester hip-hop artist IAMDDB plays her first Irish headline show - complete with full band - at the Academy Green Room on February 28, to accompany the release of her debut album.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced €20.
Ballina
Other Voices returns to the gorgeous Ballina over Friday 28th & Saturday 29th February, with its main bill taking place in the 225 year old St. Michael's Church. The main lineup features Elbow, Skinny Living, spoken word artist & rapper Denise Chaila & Californian singer-songwriter Jesca Hoop.
As well as the TV-recorded church performances, over 30 free gigs will take place across the town as part of the music trail, as well as a continuation of their multi-disciplinary creative event series Ireland's Edge. The music trail includes Join Me In The Pines, Joel Harkin, David Lyttle & Joseph Leighton, Percolator, God Knows, Autre Monde, Maija Sofia, Farah Elle, Nealo, Anna Mularkey, Elkin, Shookrah, John Francis Flynn, Junk Drawer, Lydia Ford, Nnic, Murli, Squarehead, The Mary Wallopers, and more
As with Dingle, registration for the Music Trail & events is open now at Eventbrite, while tickets for the main bill will be given access via competitions online, in press & radio.
Belfast
British jazz supergroup Dinosaur play Moving On Music's Brilliant Corners Jazz festival on February 28.
Following in the footsteps of the likes of Polar Bear and Phronesis, Dinosaur weave electric-jazz, Celtic folk melodies and north African drumming styles into a sound reminiscent of late-1960s Miles Davis. The group is led by trumpeter, synth player and composer Laura Jurd. Their 2016 debut album received a Mercury nomination, and its minimalistic, synth-pop inspired 2018 follow-up Wonder Trail. Watch the video for 'Back Foot'.
Tickets are priced £10/£14 from Eventbrite, with a festival pass priced £50, available here. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Masterful alt. Americana-laced songsmith Mark McCambridge, aka Arborist, launches second album A Northern View with a performance at the Ulster Sports Club on February 28.
This follows the NI Music Prize-nominated debut Home Burial, which garnered strong reviews from the likes of MOJO, The Guardian & Uncut. Watch the video for recent single 'Taxi'.
Supporting are young indie rock act Buí - check out the wonderful video for 'Something Else To Talk About' - and singer-songwriter Aaron Shanley.
Tickets cost £9.21 from Eventbrite. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
As part of his ongoing DJ tour, Ross From Friends is set to play 39/40 at Arran Quay, Dublin on February 28.
Real name Felix Clary Weatherall, he recently released his debut album through Brainfeeder - check out the video for 'Epiphany'.
Tickets are available from Eventbrite, priced €18-€24. Things kick off from 11pm.
Belfast
In their 50th Anniversary year, 15 million-plus selling folk & traditional Irish act Clannad are bowing out with a run of Irish shows, including a performance at the Waterfront Hall on February 29.
Tickets are priced from £40, available from the Waterfront.
Cork
Manchester psych-pop quintet Blossoms play Cyprus Avenue on February 29, following the release of new album Foolish Loving Spaces.
Their glistening, technicolour indie-pop has struck a chord, selling out shows across the UK - check out the video for 'Your Girlfriend'.
Support comes from The Lathums.
Tickets are available here. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
The teenage photographer who would go on to open the first Beat Club in Ireland, and create Stiff Records, Dave Robinson holds a night of conversation at the Liberty Hall Theatre on February 29.
He managed bands, opened a studio above the legendary Hope & Anchor pub, and signed the likes of The Damned, Motorhead, elvis Costello & more. He was president of Island Records, compiled Bob Marley's Legend, represented Rich Rubin with Def Jam Records and the list goes on.
Tickets cost €20 from Ticketmaster.
Dublin
One of 2019's greatest success stories, hip-hop duo Mango x MathMan play Dublin's 39/40 as part of their tour following the release of one of the Irish albums of the year in Casual Work.
A kitchen-sink slice of Irish Life, check out lead single 'Deep Blue', featuring Lisa Hannigan.
Tickets cost €15 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
This July will see the release of the third volume of Irish indie compilation A Litany of Failures. To raise funds, Dublin's Anseo will host a bill featuring three of its contributors on February 29.
Performing are incredible live act, Belfast feminist punk quartet Problem Patterns - check out Good For You, Aren't You Great? - Dublin psychogroove-pedalling power trio Slouch - check out 'Day Half' - and the first performance from the wonderfully-named Golden Cleric, fronted by Danny Carroll of Shrug Life (and TTA podcast).
Admission costs €10 and doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
As part of Moving On Music's Brilliant Corners Jazz festival, Wood River play the Black Box on February 29.
Berlin-Born, New York-based saxophonist, composer & vocalist Charlotte Greve leads Wood River, under which she writes beyond genre classification. Expect back beats, through composed melodies, enigmatic lyrics and grooves, bathed in swirling synths, alto saxophone, electric bass and guitars, blending jazz, ambient & rock seamlessly.
Accompanying Charlotte is a group of the most interesting and versatile musicians working in New York today; guitarist Keisuke Matsuno, bassist Simon Jermyn (originally from Dublin) and drummer Tommy Crane. This show aligns with new LP More Than I Can See - check out the video for 'Future Fun'.
Tickets are priced £8/£12 from Eventbrite, with a festival pass priced £50, available here. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Dublin-based folk singer-songwriter Jane Willow headlines Dublin's The Cobblestone on February 29. She grew up in the Netherlands, moving to Ireland at twenty-one to pursue music - check out the video for 'Give It Time'.
Tickets are available from Eventbrite. Doors open at 8.30pm.
Dublin
Five years on from their last Irish show and album, Sleater-Kinney are back with their St. Vincent-produced ninth studio album, The Centre Won’t Hold.
Corin Tucker, Carrie Brownstein, and Janet Weiss will stop off at Vicar Street on March 1st - watch the video for recent single 'Hurry On Home'.
Tickets cost €33.65 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Limerick
Manchester psych-pop quintet Blossoms play the Dolan's, Limerick on March 1, following the release of new album Foolish Loving Spaces.
Their glistening, technicolour indie-pop has struck a chord, selling out shows across the UK - check out the video for 'Your Girlfriend'.
Support comes from The Lathums.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
New Orleans Grammy-nominated Hot 8 Brass Band play Dublin's Academy on March 1.
Their old-school street brass approach has seen them shoot to huge international success with covers of classics - check out 'Ghost Town'.
Tickets cost €23 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Belfast
Universally-respected free jazz saxophone revolutionary Evan Parker plays the Black Box on March 1 as part of the Moving On Music Brilliant Corners Jazz Festival.
Parker transformed the language and techniques of the instrument in the late 1960s and has since become one of the most admired and influential saxophone improvisers on the planet. Evan has been rewriting the book on saxophone sound and possibilities for almost half a century, and has developed a style distinguished by his creative use of circular breathing and false fingering. Check out Parker playing solo as recently as 2016.
He'll be joined Belfast born bass player, Alan Niblock, finds his own way through musical structures and styles while continuing to expand on his musical horizons. He draws his inspiration from freedom of expression and from performing with free improvisers such as legends Lol Coxhill and Paul Dunmall. Joining them on drums is Mark Sanders, whose career has taken in everything from theatre, contemporary to free improvisation. This will be a special performance.
Tickets are available here, priced £14, or £10 concession, with festival tickets available for £50, here.
Dublin
Editors celebrate the release of their greatest hits collection with a show at Vicar Street on March 2.
The album will include 13 hits from across their 15 year career and 6 studio albums, as well as some new material. Check out the video for one of those new singles, 'Frankenstein'.
Tickets are priced €37 from Ticketmaster.
Cork
In their 50th Anniversary year, 15 million-plus selling folk & traditional Irish act Clannad are bowing out with a run of Irish shows, including a performance Cork Opera House on March 2.
Tickets are priced from €49.20, available from the Cork Opera House.
Dublin
English neo-psych maestros Temples will return to Dublin to play the Button Factory on March 2. The trio released one of the albums of the year in Hot Motion - watch the video for the title track.
Tickets cost €18.50 from Ticketmaster.
Dublin
Mancunian electronic-hued indie-pop quartet The 1975 return to the 3Arena on March 3 following the release of their fourth album, Notes On A Conditional Form.
Formed in Manchester in 2002 as teenagers, this tour follows the release ofthird album, they've grown to become possibly the UK's biggest band - check out the video for 'People'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced from €46.20.
Dublin
Rock/fusion outfit The Aristocrats are set to play the Button Factory on March 3 as part of their European Tour.
Featuring the virtuosic trio of guitarist Guthrie Govan, bassist Bryan Beller and drummer Marco Minnemann, they've released several acclaimed albums blending jazz, rock, pop, metal, and at times country, in a playful, yet seriously accomplished brew. Check them out live.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
Alongside the release of their new album, titled The Undivided Five, A Winged Victory For The Sullen, the band play Dublin's National Concert Hall on March 3. It's the duo's first album in three years - stream their new double A-side here. Expect an ethereal, deeply immersive performance.
Tickets are available from NCH.ie, priced €27.50.
Belfast
Manchester psych-pop quintet Blossoms play Belfast's Limelight on March 3, following the release of new album Foolish Loving Spaces.
Their glistening, technicolour indie-pop has struck a chord, selling out shows across the UK - check out the video for 'Your Girlfriend'.
Support comes from The Lathums.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster & Katy's Bar, priced £20. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
LA rapper JPEGMAFIA is set to play the Academy Green Room on March 3. His 2018 album Veteran was a huge critical hit, with All My Heroes Are Cornballs following it up with greater acclaim still for the artist, who's still just 30, has a journalism degree and spent time with the US military at 18. Check out new single 'Free The Frail (feat. Helena Deland)'.
Tickets cost €17.50 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
Independent.ie hold a Rock Against Homelessness bill in aid of Focus Ireland headlined and curated by the world-beating Fontaines D.C., set to take place at the Olympia Theatre on March 3. Fontaines will close the night with a 30 minute set, with a few of Ireland's finest acts.
Sharing the bill are The Murder Capital, Kneecap, Just Mustard, The Altered House, Melts, The Mary Wallopers, Stefan Murphy, with Paul McLoone on MC duties.
With 10,500 homeless people currently in Ireland, over a third of which are children, we cannot encourage support enough. Tickets are available, priced €38, from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
As part of Brilliant Corners Jazz Festival, Kenosha Kid are set to play the Black Box on March 3.
Hailing from the humid indie-rock haven of Athens, Georgia, Kenosha Kid has supplied the world with their own unique blend of modern-jazz-meets-college-radio for over a decade. In 2004, after several weeks study and improvisation at the Banff Centre for Arts, bandleader Dan Nettles emerged with a flame of inspiration, a host of new collaborators and an invigorated sense of purpose: build a scene, write for people you know, and listen to your creative heart regardless of music idiom. Returning to Athens, Nettles did just that, which became the beginning of the band Kenosha Kid.
Their most recent album, 2019's Missing Pieces is a beautifully layered record with a sense of melodic longing and intriguing rhythms. Expressionistic, undefinable and ecstatic, it is instrumental music drawing from the gutters and ditches of many legitimate musical traditions including, and defying, jazz, rock and modern classical genres.
In March 2020, Kenosha Kid returns to Ireland featuring Nettles, Berlin bassist Roland Fidezius (the fierce Lemmy-like low end from Peter Van Huffel’s Gorilla Mask) alongside Dubliners Shane Latimer (guitarist of OKO, Outerspaceways Inc. and arch-minimalists 無我) and drummer Matthew Jacobson (ReDiviDeR, Insufficient Funs, Roamer). Check out 'Map of the Universe'.
Tickets are available here, priced £12 general admission & £8 concession, or £50 for a festival ticket. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
DME Promotions bring an incredible incredible West Coast thrash package to Dublin's National Stadium on March 4. Berkeley's Testament headline, having formed back in 1983. Selling over 14 million albums worldwide, they're one of the biggest bands of the thrash era, yet somehow overlooked by many who don't look beyond the 'Big Four'.
Supporting are Richmond's Exodus, who formed in 1979, releasing one of thrash metal's seminal albums in 1985 debut Bonded By Blood. Opening are Death Angel from Daly City, California, who ran from 1982, and are regarded as part of thrash metal's 'Big Eight' - as are the rest of this stacked bill.
Tickets are priced €45 from Ticketmaster & the Sound Cellar.
Belfast
Alongside the release of their new album, titled The Undivided Five, A Winged Victory For The Sullen, the band have announced an all-ages show at Rosemary Street's wonderfully intimate First Chirch on March 4. It's the duo's first in three years - stream their new double A-side here. Expect an ethereal, deeply immersive performance.
Tickets are available from TicketWeb, priced £22.50. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
The world-class ensemble that makes up the Rté Concert Orchestra, following a well-received All Together Now performance, bring the songs of Leonard Cohen to the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre on March 4 & 5. Special guests will be Lisa Hannigan, Mick Flannery, Suzanne Savage, and Phelim Drew.
Tickets are priced from €59.50. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
Manchester psych-pop quintet Blossoms play the the Olympia Theatre on March 4, following the release of new album Foolish Loving Spaces.
Their glistening, technicolour indie-pop has struck a chord, selling out shows across the UK - check out the video for 'Your Girlfriend'.
Support comes from The Lathums.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.
Belfast
Rootsy Mississippi singer-songwriter Shawn James plays Voodoo on March 4. His songs have been featured on The Last of Us 2, HBO, CBS for their authentic blend of soul, blues & folk. Check out 'Through The Valley'.
Supporting are The John Andrews Band, Brick Smyth, and Humphrey.
Tickets are available from Eventbrite, priced £10.90. Doors open at 8.30pm.
Belfast
Gifted on March 5 features Danny McClelland-fronted indie act Pascalwillnotsurvivethis, The Heathen Choir, The Scarlet Cavaliers, and American Guinea Pig.
Admission costs £3. Doors open at 9pm.
Dublin
We’re throwing a Talking Heads night to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Remain in Light by playing it in full from 8pm, followed by plenty of Talking Heads tunes and associated acts all the way until midnight.
Admission is free // Food by Chew until 10pm
Belfast
Formed in 2002 by composer Dr Dylan Rynhart, the Irish Fuzzy Logic ensemble are unlike anyone else in the Irish jazz scene. They play the Black Box on March 5.
Originally comprised of young promising musicians who were starting their careers almost two decades ago, and have now blossomed into leaders across Europe. Rynhart’s long study of speech inspires the rolling melodies, but equally the music is expressive, personal and at times political. Check them out live.
Supporting are brand new ten-piece ensemble When the Dust Settles, directed by composer/drummer Steve Davis, created specifically for Brilliant Corners after an open call for young musicians. The music reflects the dysfunctional, chaotic and unsettling times we live in, while at the same time offering hope. Drawing on ideas heard in the music of Sun Ra, Art Ensemble of Chicago and Ornette Coleman.
Tickets are available here, priced £12 general admission & £8 concession, or £50 for a festival ticket. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
As part of his Polarity tour of 2020, Jon Hopkins will return to Ireland to play the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre on March 6.
Following on from his Singularity tour, shaped by his experiences with meditative and trance-like states, this tour will tether together “the two disparate elements of harsh and fragile in my music. By going between the two, we’ll hopefully create some profound moments of stillness.” He'll be playing grand piano at points, and joined onstage by a group of musicians & long-time friends, including producer/guitarist Leo Abrahams, vocalist/arranger Emma Smith, and cellist Laura Moody.
Tickets are priced €40 from Ticketmaster.
Dublin
Dublin synth-pop outfit Toygirl play Dublin's Sound House on March 6. Check them out live.
Tickets cost €11.80 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7.3opm.
Dublin
High octane live Dublin funk-laced act Vernon Jane headline the Academy on March 6 to launch their debut album.
Dublin math-rock revivalists Bicurious support - watch the video for 'Sleep'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
Irish neo-soul act Danny G & The Major 7ths hold a Soul Party at Bello Bar on March 6. The Limerick-born, Dublin-based troupe feature a supercast of past & present members of Hozier, Loah, Fehdah, Zaska and more. Check out recent single 'Time The Healer', featuring Fehdah & Zaska.
Supporting is Tolü Makay with her full band.
Tickets are available €7 early bird, or €10 regularly, from Eventbrite. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Young hip-hop artist YBN Cordae headlines the Academy on March 7. The hotly-tipped rapper recently performed on the Tonight Show with Anderson Paak - check it out.
Tickets, priced €25, are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm and it's a 14+ show.
Dublin
Percussive, spiky electronic pop artist Georgia plays the Sound House on March 7. This follows the release of new LP Seeking Thrills - watch the video for 'Never Let You Go'.
Tickets cost €13.50 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Cork
In their absence over the last couple of years, Girl Band’s reputation has only grown. The Dara Kiely-fronted quartet – who, in such a short period of time, proved one of the most influential Irish guitar bands since My Bloody Valentine – are back. Following sold-out dates at Vicar Street in November, they play Cyprus Avenue on March 7.
Watch the video for 'Shoulderblades', the first from one of 2019's finest LPs, and their second album, The Talkies.
Tickets are available from uTicket priced €28.
Belfast
Belfast queerpunk quartet Problem Patterns headline the inaugural Girls Rock School NI Big IWD Gig at the Oh Yeah Centre on March 7. Listen to their excellent Gal Pals EP on Bandcamp.
Supporting are scuzzy punk trio Gender Chores - check them out on Bandcamp - recently-formed 90s alt. rock-inspired quartet Alumna and Sasha Samara.
Admission costs £5-7 from Eventbrite. Doors open at 9pm.
Sligo
Our good friends at Spilt Milk Festival are set to hold an International Women's Day takeover at Sligo's Gallery Café on March 7 & 8.
It's a Spilt Milk Fest takeover at Gallery Cafe for International Women's Day. For IWD 2020 we celebrating women with two events which will also launch our fundraising activities for the 2020 edition of the festival, with the schedule as follows:
Saturday 7th March, 2-8pm
Making Waves #4 // DJ party
The fourth annual DJ party founded by Art For Blind Records will feature an all-female line-up of selectors and DJ's drawn from Sligo and the North West's music community, soundtracking your Saturday afternoon and early evening. Producer and DJ Gadget and the Cloud to close with a headlining set, with new and returning faces to the decks including Natalia Beylis, Mabel Chah, Dina Coughlan, Edel Doherty, and Sandy P.
The event is free but donations are welcome.
Sunday 8th March, 6.30pm
Speakeasy // mystery movie + supper club
Having made it's debut at SMF19, the night will hold a unique food, film and music event. The mystery movie will be paired with a specially devised themed menu by Laura and her team at Gallery Café. It's a communal experience that will ignite all the senses with the chosen movie remaining a mystery until you arrive (unless you guess the clues dropped between now and then).
Capacity is limited and reservations must be made directly with Gallery Cafe by emailing gallerycafesligo@gmail.com.
Admission costs €40 (which includes a classic film, food + welcome drink)
Dublin
On March 7, Anseo holds a headline show from heartfelt Belfast indie quintet Buí - watch the amazing video for 'Something Else To Talk About'.
Supporting is folk/rock singer-songwriter Aoife Wolf & Hales Lake - check out 'Pro-Strife'.
Admission costs €8, or €6 student/unwaged. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Puerto Rican-Irish rapper Wiki headlines the Grand Social on March 8. A member of Secret Circle with Antwon & Lil Ugly Mane, his debut album came out in 2017, followed by Oofie in late 2019. Check out 'Eggs', produced by Madlib.
Tickets cost €17.60 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Limerick
Beloved Waterford-born live act King Kong Company play a special all-ages family rave at a PopUp Warehouse in Limerick on March 8.
In essence a band functioning as the night's DJ, their eponymous debut LP was produced by long-time Prodigy collaborator Neil McLellan. Check out 'Donkey Jaw'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced from €16.50. Doors open at 11am.
Dublin
LA indie-pop trio The Regrettes play The Academy 2 on March 12 in a 14+ show. Check out recent single 'I Dare You'.
Tickets cost €15.45 from Ticketmaster.
Dublin
Alt. classical composer Ludovico Einaudi has announced his return with dates at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre on March 12 & 13.
Gradually building his name with work on the likes of the This Is England TV series - for which he was nominated for a BAFTA - his minimalist, ambient work defies the usual trademarks of classical, although he was trained classically at the Milan Conservatorio. This date comes as part of his Seven Days Walking project, which is divided into seven episodes, each focusing on several main themes. Check out the trailer.
Tickets are priced from €82.50 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Queens Radio holds a night at the Speakeasy featuring five young acts on March 12. Having just released their emo & post-rock influenced debut mini-album Is, Was, Wasn't, Donegal/Derry trio Happy Out headline.
Sharing the bill are Dublin emo-laced indie rockers Hales Lake - check them out on Bandcamp - Amos Tree, ukulele-playing singer-songwriter Sasha Samara and surf & folk-influenced singer-songwriter ANJA.
Admission costs £5 and doors open at 7.45pm.
Dublin
The brainchild of Dublin Digital Radio, Enthusiastic Eunuch & Tiny Cosmos, Alternating Current takes place at the Sound House over March 13-15, featuring some of Ireland's best leftfield musical acts.
Performing are BB84, Cáit, Crevice, Daisies, Dollar Pickle, Ed Devane, ELLL, Emmy Shigeta, Eomac, Fixity, Lighght, Lolz, Maija Sofia, Moving Still, Naive Ted, No Place Like Drone, Ocean Floor, Odd Ned, Post Punk Podge, Rising Damp, Rachelle Lavelle, Rising Damp, Robocobra Quartet, Salac, Soft Stone, Syn & Doubt, Unscene Music, Vicky Langan, Woven Skull and more. Expect three floors of music, and an unparalleled glimpse into the fringes of the contemporary Irish music scene.
Tickets are priced €48.90 from Eventbrite. Doors open at 7pm.
Belfast
2019 NI Music Prize-winning 'Best Live Act' alt. punk quartet Sister Ghost launch their new single 'Bruised Fruit' with a show on Friday 13th March at Strange Victory Records.
Supporting is Heart Shaped, the power-pop project from Houston, Texas-based musician Kendall Bousquet. Check out 'Handsome'.
Tickets cost £5 from Eventbrite. Doors open at 6pm and things will be done by 8pm. It's a BYOB show.
Dublin
Dublin five piece punk outfit Panik Attaks launch their new EP with a show upstairs at Whelan's on Friday 13th March.
Stream the White Water Rafting EP, on which we said: "Clocking in under 10 minutes, it’s a searing and supremely fucked-off blitz, brimming with full-blown righteous indignation aimed squarely at Varadkar and other such paltry cunts clinging to power."
Supporting are Letterkenny psych-noiseniks Tuath - watch the video for 'Pay Ur Taxes'.
Dublin
Synth-pop trio Vokxen are set to hold a dark, immersive storytelling event that fuses electronic music, puppetry and spoken word, telling a unique tale inspired by the true story of the persecution of the Island Magee witches in 1711.
Fusing elements of traditional Irish folk tales, mysticism, and feminism, the evening will feature award winning performance poet Alice McCullough, puppeteers Claire Roi Harvey and Daisy Beattie from Star Wars and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, and musical percussion from David McLaughlin of The Blue Man Group. United for one night only by their love of telling macabre, spellbinding and chilling tales, to folks who love to hear them.
Opening the show is Derry songstress Reevah at 7pm, followed by Vokxen & Alice McCullough at 7.45pm.
Tickets are available here, priced £10. Doors open at 6.45pm.
Dublin
It's thirty years since Galway's The Stunning released their debut album, Paradise In The Picture House, which was the first Irish debut LP to go straight to Number 1, where it remained for five weeks. Formed in 1987, the band became a household name in Ireland, before splitting in 1994 for a decade. Have a listen to 'An Empty Feeling'.
Tickets cost €30 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
New York alternative rock band Nada Surf play the Button Factory on March 14.
Having formed in 1992, they're best known for 'Popular', from their 1996 debut album, and they've recently been celebrating the 20th anniversary of North 6th Street, a long-unavailable collection of early demos from their initial formation. They're currently working on their ninth studio album.
Tickets, available from Ticketmaster, are available from €25. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Kilkenny
Master musicians & songwriters Andy Irvine & Paul Brady revisit one of the greatest Irish folk & traditional albums ever written with a short run of dates, starting at The Hub, for Kilkenny TradFest on March 14.
Released in 1977, it quickly became a landmark of the genre, with these performances being accompanied by Dónal Lunny and Kevin Burke, both of whom performed on the original LP - which was produced by Lunny.
Tickets cost €46.50.
Dublin
One of the world's most celebrated fiddle players & highly influential Irish musician Martin Hayes brings the first outing of his Common Ground Ensemble to the National Concert Hall for their Perspectives series on March 14 & 15.
Rooted in traditional Irish music, they draw in musicians cut from various cloths - improvisors, arrangers, jazz, avant-garde & contemporary classical. “Even though there’ll be plenty of space for people to develop their own parts, the larger picture will be driven by my vision for the music. We’ll be seeing what the tune wants to say and seeing how the band can support that. With years of performing I have a sense of what brings me the deepest joy and what gets to the heart of the music” says Hayes, who founded The Gloaming, and has worked with Bill Frisell, Yo-Yo Ma & Paul Simon.
As well as Hayes, the lineup features Cormac McCarthy on piano, Kate Ellis on cello, Kyle Sanna on guitar, Brian Donnellan on bouzouki, harmonium & concertina, with special guests David Power on uileann pipes & Síle Denver as sean-nós singer & harpist.
Tickets, priced from €27.50, are available from NCH.ie. Things begin at 8pm.
Dublin
Indie rock singer-songwriter Brooke Bentham headlines Whelan's on March 14. This follows the release of debut album, Everyday Nothing a week prior. Check her out playing 'Heavy and Ephemeral' live.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced €15. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Young hotly-tipped emo-tinged pop-rockers Brand New Friend play Belfast's Voodoo on March 14 following the release of new EP A Cure For Living in February. Check out 'Hate It When You Have To Go'.
Supporting are pop-punk trio, Cherym - check out the insanely infectious 'Abigail' - and Bangor alt. rock quartet The Florentinas.
Tickets cost £10 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Belfast
As part of their run of Irish tour dates, experimental ambient noise musician Icebear and sonic/visual artist Olivia Furey play a double-headliner at The 343 on March 14.
Check out Icebear's work on Bandcamp and Furey's excellent self-made mockumentary, Hyper Mundane. Supporting is Aileen McKenna's This Ship Argo - check out debut EP Kintsugi.
Admission costs £7 or £5 concession. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Hailing from Armagh, BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Singer of the Year 2020-winner Ríoghnach Connolly and guitarist Stuart McCallum, aka Best Duo/Group of 2020 nominees The Breath, play Dublin's Pepper Canister Church on March 14.
Over 2018-19, they released Let The Cards Fall, and stipped-back reimagining Only Stories (Let The Cards Fall Revisited), which they'll predominately explore at the show. Watch them performing 'Hide Out'.
Supporting is Skye piper Bríghde Chaimbeul.
Dublin
Canadian indie rock trio Wolf Parade play the Button Factory on March 15, having just released their first music in three years - watch the video for 'Against The Day'.
Tickets are available, priced €23, from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Belfast
Analogue Catalogue Records holds the premiere of the Myles O'Reilly-directed documentary set at the studio at the Black Box on March 15.
Run by producer/engineer Julie McLarnon (Lankum, King Creosote, The Vaselines, Yorkston/Thorne/Khan), the studio will be given an intimate document, featuring footage from the incredible Junior Brother, Alfi, James Yorkston. The studio label releases singles from Aoife Wolf & Buí in the weeks before the premiere, who will perform on the night, which is headlined by Junior Brother, currently working on his second album in the studio.
Dublin
Jamaica-born former Specials frontman Neville Staple is set to bring his band to Dublin's Opium on March 15.
The Jamaica-born man left for Rugby at age 5, before relocating to Coventry, where he was active in the sound system scene, before joining the specials and Ranking Roger in Special Beat.
Tickets cost €22.50 from Ticketmaster.
Castlebar
Master musicians & songwriters Andy Irvine & Paul Brady revisit one of the greatest Irish folk & traditional albums ever written with a short run of dates, playing the Royal Theatre, Castlebar in Co. Mayo.
Released in 1977, it quickly became a landmark of the genre, with these performances being accompanied by Dónal Lunny and Kevin Burke, both of whom performed on the original LP - which was produced by Lunny.
Tickets cost €46.50.
On St Patrick's Day Eve, The American Bar hosts a a night of singing and playing, courtesy of Sizeable Bear. Things are hosted by The Alcoves, and it's a casual affair - "Bring an instrument or come sing a song! Anything vaguely Irish will do."
Admission is free and things kick off at 8pm.
Belfast
On Monday 16 March 2020, Crilli welcomes Bristol-based producer and label owner James Rowbotham - better known as as DLR (aka Dirty Le Roi) - to the Palm House for a one-off, midweek bank holiday special.
Sofa Sound, James' Bristol-born, bred and based record label has grown into one of the most popular to emerge in recent times, focussing strongly on the talent closest to his heart, giving space to new artists as well as certified legends. DLR's own productions, along with his collaborations with the likes of Break, Kid Drama and Hydro, have been on regular rotation at Crilli over the years - check him out live here.
Tickets are priced £8 from Ticketsource, or £10 on the door. Things run from 10pm-3am.
Dublin
Jangle-pop trio Squarehead play Bloody Mary's, Dublin on March 16 in a free-admission St. Paddy's Eve show. Have a listen to their comeback single 'Always On', taken from one of our albums of 2019, High Time.
Support comes from Belfast indie-psych outfit Junk Drawer - check out their slack, NI Music Prize-winning single 'Year of the Sofa' - and dreamy indie-folk act A Ritual Sea.
Admission is free and doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Johnny & Ray Fean, Jim Lockhart & Barry Devlin are Horslips, Ireland's quintessential celtic rock band. They play their first Dublin show in a few years at the Olympia, aptly enough on St. Patrick's Day.
Tickets cost €35 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Cork
Dublin’s finest experimental folk miscreants Lankum play Cork Opera House on St. Patrick's Day 2020, following their universally-acclaimed new album, The Livelong Day.
Combining four-part harmonies with tradition instruments that include uilleann pipes, concertina, Russian accordian, fiddle and guitar, the group have an incredible knack for melding traditional folk with contemporary underground influences - black metal & drone, for example - to create something truly transcendental. Their sets give and take from the peoples' songbook - listen to our Irish song of 2017, the haunting 'What Will We Do When We Have No Money?'.
Tickets are available from Cork Opera House, priced €25.
Derry
The magnificent, intense Post-Punk Podge & The Technohippies makes his first Derry appearance on St Patrick's Day at Bennigans back yard. Expect an amazing performance filled with techno beats, 90s nostalgia, space-trad fiddle-performing and plenty of subversive carry-on. Check out recent single 'Generation Xanax'.
Derry two-piece Dirty Faces support.
Admission costs £7.89, available from Eventbrite. Doors open at 9.30pm.
Dublin
A special St. Paddy's celebration, rave-punk outfit L.O.T.I.O.N. Multinational Corporation - play Bohs' Dalymount Park. Check them out on Bandcamp.
Support comes from doom-laden, krauty synth-metal outfit No Spill Blood - listen to their singular output on Bandcamp - Dublin-based visual artist & musician Michelle Doyle, aka one of our 10 for '20 artists, Rising Damp - check her out on Soundcloud - and the first gig for Snake.
Yep, the shit has well and truly hit the fan. With gigs and get-togethers being cancelled or postponed left, right and centre, clinging on to any semblance of hope of some sort of real-world St. Patrick’s Day shindig on Tuesday is now out of the question for us all.
But all hope is not lost. Yes, Dundalk’s finest forward-pushing folk formation The Mary Wallopers have it all under control. From 8pm on Tuesday evening, the trio will host Stay at Home with The Mary Wallopers, live on YouTube. Posting online, the lads said, “So get a few cans in or a few biscuits and prepare to be entertained. We will also be putting up a donation link for the gig if ye feel like throwing a few euros in. Looking forward to it!! Xoxo”
We’re absolutely sold. And sure what else would you be at? Check back here for the live stream on Tuesday evening.
The Internet
With so many people stuck indoors at the moment, a lack of interaction & exposure to the arts, things can start to fester rather quickly. Cork-based Unemployable Promotions plan to remedy that with an evening of without anyone having to leave their own home (artists included).
This is a particularly difficult time for freelancers, and in particular, artists, with so many events being shut down. The online event is a chance for people to donate to the artists involved (donations will be split evenly) who have been releasing free music for so long. Artists will also provide links where their music/merch can be purchased. Performing are Emma Langford, Sara Ryan, Jordan Ryan, Beyond The Wash, Paddy Dennehy, Eve Clague, Mide Houlihan and more.
Each act will play a 20 minute set, and will then direct the viewer to the next act through a link on their page. Donations can be given through GoFundMe. Things kick off at 6pm, and more info can be found here.
Belfast
Two experimental, improvisational duos are set to perform at Belfast's Accidental Theatre on March 18.
The former brings together the experimental musical inventions of Paul Stapleton (Californian born, Belfast-based) placed in dialogue with the spectrally focused double bass playing of Adam Pultz Melbye (Danish born, Belfast & Berlin-based). Stapleton and Pultz Melbye explore resonance and feedback through improvisation, resulting in emergent timbral and dynamic musical structures.
Kevin McCullagh (Fiddle, Electronics) and Conor McAuley (Percussion, Electronics) are Belfast-based composers/improvisers. Their relationship has grown out of a mutual interest in Flow within improvisation. Making their debut outing at Sonorities 2018, the couple have continued to develop their practice, maturing as a duo that remain stable and yet volatile in equal measure. Fiddle and percussion merge with machine and algorithm to explore interconnected rhythmic networks, resulting in rapid fire exchange, emerging from and returning to ambient acoustic fractals. Their work explores the boundaries of human machine experience, all the while informed by a meditative approach. Expect live manipulation, Irish Traditional Music, and noise. Watch them live.
Tickets are available here, priced £5 for students, £8 general admission & £12 for a bonus donation ticket to help the artists. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
The Workmans' Club holds the next Indigo Session on March 18, featuring Ella Naseeb, aka Blushing Boy, Alex Bain, post-hardcore trio SHŌTO and Dublin/Stockholm-based industrial punk N I T E F I S H.
Admission is free and doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Master musicians & songwriters Andy Irvine & Paul Brady revisit one of the greatest Irish folk & traditional albums ever written with a short run of dates, finishing up at Belfast's Waterfront Hall on March 19.
Released in 1977, it quickly became a landmark of the genre, with these performances being accompanied by Dónal Lunny and Kevin Burke, both of whom performed on the original LP - which was produced by Lunny.
Tickets cost £38 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
King Krule will play the Olympia Theatre on March 19. Taking place as part of his 2020 Northern American and EU tour, the English artist and multi-instrumentalist, born Archy Ivan Marshall, has just released new single/short film ‘Hey World!’.
Tickets cost €30 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
The second instalment of new Pavilion gig night table it! takes place on March 19. Headlining are one of the most beloved young bands in Belfast, queerpunk outfit Strange New Places, who are one of the finest live acts going right now. Check out 'Mr Gumble'.
Supporting are post-punk trio Ghost Office - listen to their anti-gentrification anthem 'Cereal Café' - and post-hardcore indie rock trio Mob Wife - stream their recent split here.
Admission costs £6 and doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Irish songwriters & musicians Oisin Leech and Mark McCausland, aka The Lost Brothers, are set to play Belfast's Ulster Sports Club on March 20.
It's over a decade since the release of their debut album, Trails of the Lonely. Five albums on, with collaborations with the likes of Elvis Costello & M Ward in tow, this show will be a wonderful gathering of song and friends.
Tickets are available from Ticketweb. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
Award-winning, double-platinum Cork singer-songwriter Mick Flannery headlines the Vicar Street on March 20.
Most recently, he released his self-titled sixth album. Check out 'Wasteland'.
Tickets cost €34 from Ticketmaster.
Cork
Avant-garde jazz-punks Robocobra Quartet play a double-headliner in Cork's Plug'd with Belfast's Junk Drawer on March 20.
Long one of the best live bands on the island, have a listen to RQ's incredible second album Plays Hard To Get, which came in at #3 on our Irish albums of the year, and was nominated for the NI Music Prize. They've been described as Ornette Coleman-meets-Fugazi, and we'd be hard pushed to disagree, if you filter in some Robert Wyatt as a midpoint.
Instrument-swapping Northern Irish indie-psych quartet Junk Drawer are about to release their debut album, Ready For The House. They recently won the NI Music Prize for Best Single 2019 for the Silver Jews-recalling 'Year of the Sofa'.
Opening things is a one-off collaboration between experimental musician Icebear and sonic/visual artist Olivia Furey to finish up their Irish tour together.
Admission costs €10 and doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Belfast pop-gaze quintet Wynona Bleach are set to play the Oh Yeah Centre on March 20, which they recorded in Portugal by the guiding hand of Bill Ryder-Jones. Watch the brilliant video for 'Sugar'.
Supporting are young post-punk shoegazers Enola Gay and rock'n'roll outfit After The Flood.
Admission costs £7, or £5 from Eventbrite. Doors open at 7pm.
Belfast
Breakout Music are set to hold at night at Cuckoo, Belfast on March 20, celebrating the role of women in Irish music. Performing are synth-pop trio Vokxen, newly-formed metal outfit Witchkicker, indie-folk trio Bläk Byrd and Lurgan alt. folk quartet Somnambulist.
Admission costs £6 and doors open at 9pm.
Dublin
Irish songwriters & musicians Oisin Leech and Mark McCausland, aka The Lost Brothers, are set to play their biggest headline show to date at Vicar Street on March 21.
It's over a decade since the release of their debut album, Trails of the Lonely. Five albums on, with collaborations with the likes of Elvis Costello & M Ward in tow, this show will be a wonderful gathering of song and friends.
Tickets cost €30 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
Making her debut 2020 headline show, Irish indietronic/pop artist Jackie Beverly plays upstairs at Whelan's on March 21. Check out her 80s-recalling banger, 'Talk It Through'.
Tickets are available from WAV Tickets, priced €12.80.
Dublin
Young Dublin hip-hop artist Malaki, still in his teens, follows his sold-out date at the Academy 2 with a Whelan's headline show on March 21.
He burst out with spoken word epic 'Call Us By Our Names', and has fused the Dublin everyday with social critique with new EP Butterfly Boy.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced €15. Doors open at 8pm.
Limerick
Avant-garde jazz-punks Robocobra Quartet play their second double-headliner of the weekend with Belfast's Junk Drawer on March 21 in a DIY LK show at Pharmacia.
Long one of the best live bands on the island, have a listen to RQ's incredible second album Plays Hard To Get, which came in at #3 on our Irish albums of the year, and was nominated for the NI Music Prize. They've been described as Ornette Coleman-meets-Fugazi, and we'd be hard pushed to disagree, if you filter in some Robert Wyatt as a midpoint.
Instrument-swapping Northern Irish indie-psych quartet Junk Drawer are about to release their debut album, Ready For The House. They recently won the NI Music Prize for Best Single 2019 for the Silver Jews-recalling 'Year of the Sofa'.
Admission costs €5 and doors open at 9pm.
Belfast
Canadian hard rock trio Danko Jones play Voodoo on 24th March, following the release of new album A Rock Supreme. Watch the video for 'Fists Up High'.
Tickets cost £16 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Following the release of his first solo album, One Alone, current Alice In Chains frontman William Duvall headlines Whelan's on March 25. His solo material thus far entirely accoustic, there's an air of Laurel Canyon folk and gospel - check out ''Til The Light Guides Me Home'.
Tickets cost €28 from Ticketmaster & WAV Tickets. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
Fast-rising hip-hop star Princess Nokia plays Vicar Street on March 25. The New York-born, Puerto Rican MC/singer/songwriter/actress & activist has been earning global praise, being featured in everything from Vogue to Rolling Stone. Watch the video for 'Balenciaga'.
Tickets are priced €30 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
Canadian hard rock trio Danko Jones play Dublin's Grand Social on March 25, following the release of new album A Rock Supreme. Watch the video for 'Fists Up High'.
Tickets cost €22 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
Dream-pop singer-songwriter Melina Duterte, aka Jay Som is set to play the Workman's Club on March 26, following a rescheduled November date..
The DIY bedroom pop artist & multi-instrumentalist released her debut album Everybody Works in 2017, with its follow-up out in August, Anak Ko. Check out the nostalgic wash of recent single 'Superbike'.
Tickets are available priced only €16 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Indie-folk outfit Cry Monster Cry are set to headline Dublin's Pepper Canister Church on March 27. Dublin brothers Jamie & Richie Martin have returned with their second album, Tides. Watch the video for 'Citadel'.
Tickets, priced €23, are available from Ticketmaster.
Limerick
Experimental Limerick alternative pop outfit Bleeding Heart Pigeons play a hometown show at the Record Room on March 27.
Unafraid to bring psychedelic & progressive elements into modern folk, pop & alt. rock compositions, their music is grand in scale. Check out 'A Hallucination' from their sprawling debut album, Is, ahead of their second album.
Supporting is former Fonda Man Liam O'Connor, aka Young Smith.
Admission costs €6 - tickets available here - or €8 on the door. Doors open at 9pm.
Islander draws together four of the finest singer-songwriters in Ireland for a special 2-hour online concert on Friday, March 27. Performing - in half hour increments - are Choice-nominated Maija Sofia, the ambient experimental folk of John Francis Flynn, bouzouki, guitar & piano player Anna Mieke and Junior Brother, who wrote our Irish album of 2019, Pull The Right Rope.
Viewers are encouraged to donate whatever you can, if you can, to these artists who have lost weeks of work, with events cancelled and weekly gigs gone. All donations will be split evenly between the artists - donate here. Links to the streams, which start with Maija at 8pm, can be found on the event page.
Dublin
National Concert Hall's Perspectives is a now-unmissable staple for Dublin music heads, and this year's programme is no different. Laurie Anderson will be presenting two special works over Saturday March 28 & Sunday March 29 at the venue.
The former is Radio Play, a mix of songs, stories, sound effects and electronics that combines the power of poetic language, music and visualization. Like radio, this piece is about using the imagination and interpreting the meaning of ambiguous sounds. Anderson will be joined by an ensemble of musicians headed by bassist and music director Greg Cohen.
The latter show, Here Comes the Ocean, is an evening of improvisation against the backdrop of the drones, a guitar feedback work by Lou Reed performed by his collaborator Stewart Hurwood. Both loud and intimate, the music includes songs by Reed and Anderson as well as improvisation by an ensemble led by bassist and music director Greg Cohen.
Tickets, priced from €27.50-€37.50, are available from NCH.ie. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
The Guy Garvey-fronted Elbow are set to play the 3Arena on March 28 as part of the tour for their latest album, Giants of All Sizes, which came out in October. Check out the video for 'Empires'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 6.30pm.
Dublin
Dark pop artist Scarypoolparty headlines Whelan's on March 28 following the release of debut album Exit Form. Watch the video for 'Tonight'.
Tickets cost €15 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Limerick ambient & experimental producer Paddy Mulcahy is set to play Dublin Unitarian Church on March 28.
2019 saw him release new album How To Disappear - we strongly recommend checking out 'Sunset Connoisseur', the video of which was shot on a recently-inherited Super 8.
Support comes from Gareth Quinn-Redmond.
Tickets are available from Eventbrite, priced €10/€12.50. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
Alt. country indie rockers Pinegrove play two dates at the Grand Social on March 28 & 29 in support of their latest album. Watch the video for 'Phase'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced €23. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
8 piece psych/kraut/noise collective with a punk heart Organs, based in Belfast/Dublin/Sheffield, is set to play a one-time show at the Black Box on March 28. Expect dual drums, bass, guitars, synth, instrument swapping and audience participation. Their improvised, one take, no overdubs album is out now on Marginal/Lugnut/Little Plastic Tapes - check it out here.
Four piece Belfast feminist punk band Problem Patterns share the bill. Listen to their debut E.P., Good For You, Aren’t You Great?, as well as post-punk spoken word/noise musings Aeon Appropriation.
Belfast
North Coast instrumental rock trailblazers And So I Watch You From Afar have announced details of a new music festival in support of mental awareness and suicide prevention.
Created to “celebrate community and to encourage asking the question… are you ok?” OK? will unite some of the country’s best acts at Belfast’s Telegraph Building on Saturday, March 28th.
Raising money for Aware NI, PIPS and Help Musicians, the show will feature sets from ASIWYFA, SOAK, General Fiasco, David Holmes, Phil Kieran, Joshua Burnside, New Pagans, Catalan!, Pillow Queens, Junk Drawer, Jordan Adetunji, Careerist, Cherym, Problem Patterns and Gnarkats.
Organiser, ASIWYFA’s Rory Friers said, “At times in my life I’ve really struggled with my mental health, the community of music and the celebration of friends has always helped me find my way back. I have my reasons for why I need something like OK? right now, other people will have theirs, so whether you’re coming to this show to support the cause, support the music or to find some support yourself, lets make the the loudest most positive noise we can and remind ourselves that we’re surrounded by people who care”.
Organiser Helen Sloan added, “This event is a necessary coming together, through one of art’s great unifiers – music, to reinforce a sense of community and let everyone know there are available support networks for those in need.”
Running from 6pm until late, tickets for OK? are available through Ticketmaster and Shine.net.
Belfast
Americana & alt. country-laced project Vivamagnolia launch their EP Queen of the Rodeo at Strange Victory Records, Belfast. Led by singer-songwriter Patrick J. Hodgen, they recall the likes of Sparklehorse & Bill Callahan.
Admission is free, and you can reserve your spot on Eventbrite. The band kick off at 3pm.
Dublin
Ridley Scott's sci-fi masterpiece Blade Runner is set to be scored by the 14-piece, synth-led Avex Ensemble at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre on March 29.
They'll perform one of the all-time great original scores, composed by Vangelis for the 1982 release, live to Scott's 2007 Final Cut of the film. The soundtrack was nominated at the 1983 BAFTAs & Golden Globes for Best Original Score, and its influence has run more broadly into the electronic genre.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.
Dublin
Singer-songwriter Agnes Obel plays Vicar Street on March 29, accompanying her latest album. Expect music from her award-winning & platinum-selling Philharmonics, Aventine and Citizen of Glass. Check her out live in Berlin.
Tickets cost €32 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
The Guy Garvey-fronted Elbow are set to play Belfast's Waterfront Hall on March 29 as part of the tour for their latest album, Giants of All Sizes, which came out in October. Check out the video for 'Empires'.
Tickets are available from The Waterfront.
Dublin
Liverpool quartet The Night Cafe play the Academy 2 on March 30 following a sickess-related rescheduling. August saw the release of debut album 0151, following a string of singles & the Bunkbed EP.
Tickets cost €13 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Liverpool quartet The Night Cafe play Belfast's Voodoo on March 31. This August saw the release of debut album 0151, following a string of singles & the Bunkbed EP.
Tickets cost £11.25 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Belfast
Riff rock quartet Paper Tigers headline Gifted on April 1 - watch the video for 'Gucci Smiles'.
Supporting are new psych-tinged outfit Enola Gay, Bangor trio Shocks and After The Flood.
Admission costs only £3 and doors open at 9pm.
Dublin
Juno Award-winning country-folk singer-songwriter William Prince headlines upstairs at Whelan's on April 2. His latest album, Earthly Days, was re-released in 2019. Watch the video for the title track.
Tickets cost €17.45 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Taking place on South William Street's Bloody Mary's in Dublin on April 3, Alex Gough is set to headline. The young performer has a jazz & hip-hop 4-piece, which sees him front and centre on percussion & vocal duties. Watch the video for new single 'Fool'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
On April 3, The Thomas House holds a showcase for Dublin kraut/psych act Melts - who feature members of The Things, The North Sea & Mighty Stef - ahead of their trip to Berlin to record their debut album. Check out the video for 'Seesaw'.
Supporting are noisy Galway punks Slyrydes - check out 'Patience' - and Donegal psych-tinged slacker act Aul Boy - check out the video for 'Because'.
Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Dublin slack indie quartet Angular Hank launch their debut album Brand New Angle at the Workman's Club on April 3. Watch the video for 'Fin Said'.
Supporting is young indie rocker Skinner - check out 'Sometimes My Brain Is Good'.
Tickets are available from Eventbrite, priced €8, or €10 on the door (€7 unwaged). Doors open at 8pm.
Sizeable Bear hold a night of some of Ireland's finest folk-leaning talent at the Duncairn on April 3. Masterful alt. Americana-laced songsmith Mark McCambridge, aka Arborist plays, having just released excellent second album A Northern View - watch the video for recent single 'Taxi'.
The handwoven, harmony-laced folk duo Lemoncello join the bill, as well as lo-fi Limerick singer-songwriter John Ahern, aka Hey Rusty, and Berlin-based singer-songwriter Mark Loughrey.
Admission is free and things kick off at 8pm.
Belfast
Australian rock band Dune Rats play the Limelight 2 on April 5. They recently released new album Hurry Up and Wait, following up on their previous 2017 breakthrough - check out 'Crazy'.
Tickets are priced £16 from Ticketmaster and Katy's Bar. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
The one and only Snoop Dogg plays Dublin's 3Arena on April 9 as part of his I Wanna Thank Me Tour, with appearances from D12, Warren G and Obie Trice, amongst others.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 6.30pm.
Downpatrick-born trio Ash embark on their Teenage Wildlife tour, marking the release of their 25 year-spanning compilation, hitting every major Irish spot along the way. They kick off at Cork's Cyprus Avenue on April 9. They released their eighth album, Islands, in 2018 - check out their breakthrough tune 'Kung Fu'.
Supporting are Kent pop outfit Indoor Pets.
Tickets are available from Cyprus Avenue.
Belfast
The one and only Snoop Dogg plays the SSE Arena on April 10, just ten days before his spiritual birthday. This comes as part of his I Wanna Thank Me Tour, with appearances from D12, Warren G and Obie Trice, amongst others.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 6.30pm.
Dublin
Following a sold out Button Factory show, acoustic trad-cum-metal quartet The Scratch have announced a headline date at the Academy on April 10. Watch the video for recent single 'God Slap'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced €23. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Dublin psychedelic electronic glitch auteur Wastefellow brings his brain-melting live A/V show to Lost Lane on April 10, where he'll debut material from forthcoming project Displacement Maps. Watch the video for his wonderful 'On The Dry'.
Tickets are priced €7-€10 from Eventbrite. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Limerick
Downpatrick-born trio Ash embark on their Teenage Wildlife tour, marking the release of their 25 year-spanning compilation, hitting every major Irish spot along the way. They play Limerick's Dolans on April 10. They released their most recent, eighth album, Islands, in 2018 - check out their breakthrough tune 'Kung Fu'.
Supporting are Kent pop outfit Indoor Pets.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Irish acoustic trad-cum-metal quartet The Scratch have announced a headline date at Belfast's Limelight 2, following on from their packed Voodoo date in 2019. Watch the video for recent single 'God Slap'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced £15. Doors open at 7pm.
Galway
Downpatrick-born trio Ash embark on their Teenage Wildlife tour, marking the release of their 25 year-spanning compilation, hitting every major Irish spot along the way. They play Galway's Roisin Dubh on April 11. They released their most recent, eighth album, Islands, in 2018 - check out their breakthrough tune 'Kung Fu'.
Supporting are Kent pop outfit Indoor Pets.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced €30. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
New wave indie quartet Autre Monde play The Workman's Club on April 11, launching their debut album, The Imaginary Museum. Check out third single 'Brain Upon Your Pillow'.
Tickets cost €12 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
U:mack bring trance-inducing electronic & krautrock-fusing duo Föllakzoid to Whelan's on April 12.
Forming over a decade ago in Santiago, Chile, the band have blending the ancient, ritualistic music of the Andes with contemporary psychedelia & technology, forming a deeply transcendent live show. Their fourth album, I, came out in 2019 through Sacred Bones.
Tickets are available from WAV Tickets, priced €20. Doors open at 8pm.
Cork
Irish acoustic trad-cum-metal quartet The Scratch play Cyprus Avenue on April 17. Watch the video for recent single 'God Slap'.
Tickets are available from Cyprus Avenue.
Dublin
Power-pop singer-songwriter Sorcha Richardson headlines the Button Factory on April 17, following the release of her Choice Music Prize-nominated album, First Prize Bravery. Blending garage & indie rock, electro-pop, her music is impossibly infectious - check out the video for 'Honey'.
Tickets cost €19.85 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
Electronic & post-rock quartet God Is An Astronaut play the Academy on April 17 as part of their All Is Violent, All Is Bright tour.
Formed by Wicklow twins Niels and Torsten Kinsella in 2002, the act have proven an increasing depth of scope as their discography progresses. This tour sees them celebrate the 15th anniversary of their second album All Is Violent, All Is Bright by playing it in its entirety.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced at €28. Doors open at 7pm.
Belfast
Instrument-swapping Northern Irish indie rock/psych/krautrock/post-punk influenced quartet Junk Drawer release their debut LP Ready For The House via Art For Blind Records on April 24. The hometown launch is set to take place at the Black Box on Friday They recently won the NI Music Prize for Best Single 2019 for the Silver Jews-recalling 'Year of the Sofa'.
Supporting are one of Ireland's most hypnotic live acts, the incomparable, jazz & garage-influenced The Bonk - check out recent single 'May Feign' - and Problem Patterns' Ciara King-fronted noise-pop quartet Big Daisy - check out debut single 'Go Outside'.
Admission costs £6 in advance - from the Black Box - £8 on the night, or £20 for LP & admission. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
Madrid garage rock/pop outfit Hinds play Dublin's Grand Social on April 18.
Originally named Deers and formed in 2011, they were picked on early on for their hugely promising demos. A name change to Hinds followed and they've now released two albums. Check out the video for 'Riding Solo'.
Tickets cost €17.50 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Belfast
Arguably most consistently acclaimed live electronic act of the last few years, dance duo Bicep return to Belfast to play the Telegraph Building on April 18.
The progressive house duo released their debut album in 2017, resulting in constant sellout performances across the world, accompanied by stellar visuals.
Tickets are available from Ticketweb. Doors open at 9.30pm.
Dublin
Presented by Nialler9 & Seven Quarters, Dublin Is Sound is a 14+ event at Lost Lane on April 18. Performing is upbeat electro-pop artist & Choice Music Prize Song nominee Soulé - check out 'Love Tonight' - alternative folk singer-songwriter & Choice Music Prize album nominee Junior Brother - watch the video for 'Big House' - R&B-pop act Gemma Dunleavy - check out 'Better 4 U' - and Dublin post-punk trio Extravision - check them out on Bandcamp
Tickets are priced from €10 on Eventbrite. Doors open at 12.30pm, with the show running from 1pm-4.30pm.
Belfast
Electronic & post-rock quartet God Is An Astronaut play Belfast's Limelight 1 on April 19 as part of their All Is Violent, All Is Bright tour.
Formed by Wicklow twins Niels and Torsten Kinsella in 2002, the act have proven an increasing depth of scope as their discography progresses. This tour sees them celebrate the 15th anniversary of their second album All Is Violent, All Is Bright by playing it in its entirety.
Support comes from experimental rock quartet Blue Whale, and we'll be on DJ duties.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced at £21.80. Doors open at 6.30pm.
Limerick
Folk-singing siblings Rachel & Becky Unthank & Niopha Keegan, The Unthanks return to Ireland to perform two special dates which will put the spotlight on their unschooled, deeply intuitive sense of harmony as they perform without accompaniment. They play Limerick's UCH on April 22.
The Mercury-nominated folk act grew up singing unaccompanied harmonies, and each tour tends to be themed - the last featuring Emily Brontë's original cabinet piano. Check them out playing 'Magpie'.
Tickets are available from UCH, priced €25.
Dublin
Thrashy Belgian garage-punks Cocaine Piss play The Workman's Club on April 23. Watch the video for 'Happiness'.
Tickets cost €12.80 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Dun Laoghaire
Folk-singing siblings Rachel & Becky Unthank & Niopha Keegan, The Unthanks return to Ireland to perform two special dates which will put the spotlight on their unschooled, deeply intuitive sense of harmony as they perform without accompaniment. They play Dun Laoghaire's Pavilion Theatre on April 24.
The Mercury-nominated folk act grew up singing unaccompanied harmonies, and each tour tends to be themed - the last featuring Emily Brontë's original cabinet piano. Check them out playing 'Magpie'.
Tickets are available from The Pavilion Theatre, priced €28.
Galway
Irish acoustic trad-cum-metal quartet The Scratch play Galway's Roisin Dubh on April 24. Watch the video for recent single 'God Slap'.
Tickets are available from the Roisin Dubh.
Dublin
Dundalk traditional balladeering trio featuring the Hendy Brothers of TPM fame, The Mary Wallopers, play their biggest headline show to date at Whelan's on April 24. Check them out on the Tommy Tiernan show playing 'Cod Liver Oil & The Orange Juice'.
Tickets, priced €15, are available from WAV Tickets.
Limerick
Irish acoustic trad-cum-metal quartet The Scratch play Limerick's Dolans on April 25. Watch the video for recent single 'God Slap'.
Tickets are available from Dolans
Dublin
Young Dublin producer Marcus Woods plays his first Whelan's headliner on April 25. Fusing ambient, trap & post-club music, he's influenced by the likes of James Blake, Burial, Blank Banshee and more. Check out 'Ukiyo'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster and Whelan's, priced €12.50.
Limerick
One of the finest bills put together by DIY LK to date is a collaboration with Dundalk label Pizza Pizza Records, set to take place on April 25. Fast-rising Dundalk trip-hop-influenced noiseniks Just Mustard headline - watch the video for 'Seven'.
Supporting are Dundalk indie rock trio Larry share the bill - listen to their debut album, recorded by Steve Albini - and one of Ireland's most singular artists electronic, Cork-based Trick Mist, whose debut album also deserved its place on our Irish Albums of the Year. Listen to his wonderful debut album, Both Ends.
Admission costs €5 and doors open at 9pm.
Dublin
One of the pioneers of live computer music, Carl Stone has been hailed as the "king of sampling". He's set to play the Sound House on Eden Quay on April 26.
Using computers in live performance since 1986, the groundbreaking artist was born in LA, studying composition at the California Institute of the Arts with Morton Subotnick and James Tenney, composing electro-acoustic music almost exclusively since 1972. Even last year saw his two albums make best-of lists from the likes of The Wire & Bandcamp. Check out Shibucho.
Supporting is Irish composer Jane Teasy, who works across theatre, radio & installations. You can check out a sample here.
Admission costs €15 from Billetto. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Artist, poet, novelist & playwright returns to Dublin, performing live at the Abbey Theatre on April 26 in a special spoken word performance.
Having collaborated long-term with Dan Carey, they extended their circle to this time include the legendary Rick Rubin on 2019 LP The Book of Traps and Lessons. Check out 'Firesmoke'.
Tickets cost €28 & €35 from The Abbey Theatre.
Dublin
Enthusiastic Eunuch brings critics' favourite, Edmonton, Canada's Ian William Craig to Dublin for his first ever Irish show, when he plays Bello Bar on May 10.
His latest album, Centres, was released through Fat Cat Records last year. A swirling melding of drone, manipulated drones, ambient shoegaze and noise-pop, synth & tape-hissed textures, it earned a lot of love from Wire and The Quietus. While Centres is closer to the world of pop than its predecessors, it remains firmly on the outskirts, seemingly commenting on and wearing today's popular conventions as another flesh-suit to further Craig's own art. Listen to it here.
Hotly-tipped performer Rachael Lavelle is also set to play. Check her music - which blends piano with electronic sound design, and a pointed sense of humour - out on Soundcloud,
Tickets cost €14 from Billetto. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
GoGo Penguin are set to play the Black Box for the Out To Lunch festival on April 30.
The Manchester-based jazz trio comprise pianist Chris Illingsworth, bassist Nick Blacka and drummer Rob Turner. Blending acoustics and electronics, they incorporated glitchy, gaming soundtrack sounds with rock, jazz and minimalism, earning a nomination for a Mercury in 2014, and recently toured their own score to Koyaanisqatsi. Here they are live from Old Granada Studios.
Tickets cost £17 from Ticketsolve. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
The Districts play the Workman's Club on April 30, following the release of new album You Know I'm Not Going Anywhere. Check out 'Hey Jo'.
Tickets cost €15 from Ticketmaster.
Dublin
North Carolina singer & guitarist Jake Xerxes Fussell is set to play what will be an incredibly night of roots music at the Cobblestone for Enthusiastic Eunuch on April 30.
Son of Fred C. Fussell - a folklorist, curator & photographer who took the young Jake in tow across the Southeast, documenting traditional vernacular culture, including recording blues & old-time musicians. This led Jake into music - check out his latest KEXP session.
Supporting is Thomas McCarthy.
Tickets are available from Billetto, priced €15. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Freak art-rock supergroup Warmduscher play the Ulster Sports Club on April 30 as part of the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival.
Featuring members of The Fat White Family, Insecure Men, Childhood & Paranoid London, they've recently released their excellent second album Whale City. Watch the video for '1000 Whispers'.
Tickets are available from CQAF, priced €15. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Belfast
Smiths/Modest Mouse/Cribs guitarist & solo artist in his own right Johnny Marr kicks off Belfast's Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival at the Marquee on April 30.
One of the most influential British guitarists in history, has most recently released third solo album Call The Comet. Watch the video for 'Hi Hello'.
Tickets are priced £25 plus booking fees, here. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
Earthy, harmony-driven trio The Lone Bellow come to Dublin to play Whelan's on May 1, following the release of Half Moon Light. Check out 'Count On Me', the first track taken from the Brooklyn-based Americana/alt. country act's new LP.
Tickets cost €20 from WAV Tickets. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Soulful, rootsy Colorado storyteller Nathaniel Rateliff plays the Olympia Theatre in a special seated show on May 1.
Developing a following early on in the Denver community as a folk-pop hero, he'll perform to his fullest range, both stripped back and with full band accompaniment. Expect music from across his entire back catalogue, including his new LP on Stax.
Supporting is Gregory Alan Isakov.
Tickets are priced €41.70, available from Ticketmaster.
Belfast
The wonderful DJ Format is set to play the Ulster Sports Club on May 1 as part of CQAF 2020.
Seen as a grown up producer/beatmaker who's spent too long digging for bafflingly scarce records to play, sample, and make you dance. His five artist albums, featuring rap heavyweights like Edan, Mr Lif, Phill Most Chill, Jurassic 5, and of course long-time collaborator, Abdominal, have been called some of the highpoints in UK hip hop.
His skill in compiling albums and crafting mixtapes has seen him enlisted by the good people at FabricLive, Fania, and BBE, for block party business, Latin funk bombs, and heavy psych sessions, respectively. More recently, a string of cut ‘n’ paste 45s have kept his name in DJs’ boxes. These megamix tributes to the likes of James Brown, Kool & The Gang, and The Meters, are as funky as they were labour-intensive to put together.
Tickets are available from CQAF, priced £15. Things run from 10.30pm-3am.
Dublin
Newcastle Upon Tyne indie band Lanterns On The Lake are set to play Lost Lane on May 2, following the release of their fourth album. Titled Spook The Herd, it tackles the manipulative tactics of ideologues.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced €15. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
Atmospheric singer-songwriter Leif Vollebekk plays the Sound House on May 2. Check Leif out live for Paste Magazine.
Tickets are available for €13 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Retro Revival Indie Club hosts a bill at Bloody Mary's on South William Street on May 2, headlined by Creepy Future. Sharing the bill is Dublin power-pop trio Soft On Crime - check out the retro power of their debut EP - and Johnson.
Admission is free and doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Art-pop & nu-disco master John Grant plays Belfast's Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival Marquee on May 3, in a show that marks ten years since his debut LP Queen of Denmark, and will see him perform as a duo.
Evolving with even more of the fizzing synths he's been incorporating, new album Love Is Magic was a collaborative effort with analogue synth expert Benge. Check out the video for the title track, 'Love Is Magic'.
Tickets cost £25 from Ticketsolve. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
As part of the tour for their latest album, New Zealand seven piece Fat Freddy's Drop play Vicar Street on May 4th - rescheduled from their November date.
Blending funk, soul, dub, jazz, r&b, they kicked off as a jam band in the late 90s. They've toured the world, hitting Europe regularly since 2002, with a strong emphasis on live performance. Check them out.
Tickets are priced €36.50 from Ticketmaster, and all tickets remain valid.
Belfast
Singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus is set to play the Limelight 2 on May 5, following her acclaimed second album, Historian, and the collaborative boygenius EP with Phoebe Bridgers & Julien Baker. Watch her playing 'Night Shift' live at Austin City Limits.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
North Carolinan trio Chatham County Line are set to play the Grand Social on May 5.
The acoustic act have released seven studio albums, and have recently released a covers album, featuring the likes of Wilco, Beck, John Lennon & Tom Petty. This date coincides with the release of new album Strange Fascination. Check them out live at Red Rocks.
Tickets cost €18 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
North Carolina singer & guitarist Jake Xerxes Fussell is set to play what will be an incredible night of roots music at McHugh's on May 5.
Son of Fred C. Fussell - a folklorist, curator & photographer who took the young Jake in tow across the Southeast, documenting traditional vernacular culture, including recording blues & old-time musicians. This led Jake into music - check out his latest KEXP session.
Tickets are available from CQAF, priced £10. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
Brett and Rennie Sparks, aka The Handsome Family, are set to play the Liberty Hall Theatre, Dublin on May 6.
They've been covered and an inspiration to a huge range of artists, including Jeff Tweedy, Jason Lytle, and even Christy Moore. This year, they reissue their 1994 & 96 albums Odessa & Milk and Scissors. Check out early classic, 'Arlene'.
Tickets cost €25 from Ticketmaster.
Dublin
Singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus is set to play The Button Factory on May 6, following her acclaimed second album, Historian, and the collaborative boygenius EP with Phoebe Bridgers & Julien Baker. Watch her playing 'Night Shift' live at Austin City Limits.
Tickets are priced €22.50 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Belfast
On May 6, the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival holds a double-bill of the foremost artists of this generation at the Ulster Hall. Experimental pop singer-songwriter Kitt Philippa released their debut album Human in October to huge acclaim, along with its three singles being nominated for the NI Music Prize. Ryan Vail & Elma Orkestra won the 2019 NI Music Prize for Best Album in Borders - an electro-acoustic soundscape accompanied by beautiful visuals - will perform the A/V show in its entirety.
Accompaniment on the night comes from the Ulster Orchestra.
Tickets are available here, priced £15. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
Jangle-pop artist Anna Burch plays the Sound House on May 8. Check out the video for 'With You Every Day' from album Quit The Curse.
Tickets cost €16 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Aussie Britpop revivalists DMA's are set to play the Academy on May 8, following the release of third album, The Glow. Listen to new single 'Life Is A Game Of Changing'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced €24. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
Long-established North Dublin outfit The Pale play Whelan's on May 8 as part of their 30th Anniversary tour. This follows last year's Merciful Hour album.
The band will be playing music from across their vast back catalogue, which started in Dublin's Northside in 1990, cutting their teeth on Grafton Street's busking scene alongside the likes of Kila, Paddy Casey, Mic Christopher & Glen Hansard - watch the video for 'Dogs With No Tails' from their first run, back in 1992.
Tickets are available from WAV Tickets, priced €23. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Recalling the dark alternative rock of Afghan Whigs and their ilk, Bambara headline the Sound House on May 9. Making fans of like Daughters, Idles, Steve Lamacq, their gothic-tinged work is well worth checking out - watch the video for 'Serafina'.
Tickets cost €15 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Jangle-pop artist Anna Burch comes to Belfast's McHugh's on May 9 for the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival, in association with Strange Victory. Check out the video for 'With You Every Day' from album Quit The Curse.
Tickets are available from CQAF, priced £10. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Veteran songsmith Richard Hawley plays Belfast's Cathedral Quarter Festival Marquee, closing out this year's event on May 9. This follows the release of his ninth album, Further.
As well as a brief stint in Pulp, Hawley is largely known for his work in The Longpigs, and over two decades of work as a solo artist. He's collaborated with a serious number of Britain's most respected artists, including Arctic Monkeys & Manic Street Preachers. Building from his roots of country, blues and rock'n'roll, check out the retrospective, ruminative 'My Little Treasures'.
Tickets, priced at £25, are available here. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
Frontwoman of The Jezabels Hayley Mary is set to play Workman's Club on May 10. Check out 'The Piss, The Perfume', from her debut EP.
Tickets, priced €15, are available here.
Dublin
On the cusp of Brighton festival, showcase & conference The Great Escape, Dublin holds its own The Road To The Great Escape event on May 11 & 12, featuring live music across various venues.
Confirmed acts are Aaron Smith, AMA, April, Aviva, Chiiild, Dear-God, Gracey, Griff, House of Pharoahs, Hyyts, Kid Kapichi, Lucia & The Best Boys, Mabes, Malaki, Master Peace, Noisy, Oscar Lang, People Club, Strange Bones, The Pale White, Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, Walt Disco.
Tickets are available here, priced €17.45 for the full 2 days.
Belfast
Indie-pop act The Big Moon play the Empire on May 13. The London quartet recently released second album Walking Like We Do - watch the video for 'Your Light'.
Tickets are priced £12 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
Hotly-tipped young quartet Inhaler headline a pair of their biggest headline shows to date at The Academy on May 14 & 15. Having recently placed fifth on BBC's Sound of 2020 poll, toured Europe and signed to Polydor Records, they're set for big things. Check out the video for 'Ice Cream Sundae'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Limerick
Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown is back with his first solo headline tour in over a decade, following his seventh album Ripples last year. He plays six Irish dates, starting at Limerick's Big Top on May 14. Watch the video for 'First World Problems'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Belfast
Avant-garde jazz-punks Robocobra Quartet play a pair of dates over the weekend of Friday 15 & Saturday 16 May at McHugh's, Belfast.
Long one of the best live bands on the island, have a listen to RQ's incredible second album Plays Hard To Get, which came in at #3 on our Irish albums of 2018, and was nominated for the NI Music Prize. With two saxophonists, bass guitar, electronics and a drummer-vocalist, they've been described as Ornette Coleman-meets-Fugazi, and we'd be hard pushed to disagree, if you filter in some Robert Wyatt as a midpoint.
Tickets are priced £10 from Eventbrite. Doors open at 8pm.
Cork
Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown is back with his first solo headline tour in over a decade, following his seventh album Ripples last year. He plays six Irish dates, playing Cork Opera House on May 15. Watch the video for 'First World Problems'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Belfast
Hotly-tipped young quartet Inhaler headline the Limelight 1 on May 16. Having recently placed fifth on BBC's Sound of 2020 poll, toured Europe and signed to Polydor Records, they're set for big things. Check out the video for 'Ice Cream Sundae'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced £12.50. Doors open at 7pm.
Cork
Long-established North Dublin outfit The Pale play Cork's Kino on May 16 as part of their 30th Anniversary tour. This follows last year's Merciful Hour album.
The band will be playing music from across their vast back catalogue, which started in Dublin's Northside in 1990, cutting their teeth on Grafton Street's busking scene alongside the likes of Kila, Paddy Casey, Mic Christopher & Glen Hansard - watch the video for 'Dogs With No Tails' from their first run, back in 1992.
Galway
Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown is back with his first solo headline tour in over a decade, following his seventh album Ripples last year. He plays six Irish dates, playing Leisureland, Galway on May 16. Watch the video for 'First World Problems'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
Instrument-swapping Northern Irish indie rock/psych/krautrock/post-punk influenced quartet Junk Drawer hold the Dublin launch of their debut LP Ready For The House on May 16 at Bello Bar. They recently won the NI Music Prize for Best Single 2019 for the Silver Jews-recalling 'Year of the Sofa'.
Support comes from Magic Pockets - No Spill Blood man Ruadhan O Meara’s lo-fi bedroom based electronic project, which combines vintage synthesizers and samples - check out debut album Volcano of The Bleeding Skies.
Admission costs €10 on the night, or €25 for LP & admission. Doors open at 8.30pm.
Belfast
BBC & RTÉ Folk Award nominees Flook have been around for 25 years, and are set to perform at the Black Box on May 17 for Moving On Music.
Taking inspiration from their roots in the Irish and English traditions, Flook have an enviable trademark sound, weaving and spinning traditionally rooted tunes over precise acoustic grooves, with a rare blend of fiery technical brilliance, delicate ensemble interaction and a bold, adventurous musical imagination. The band will perform music from new album Ancora, which came out in 2019 after a 14 year recording hiatus. Check out 'Wrong Foot Forward'.
Tickets are available from Eventbrite, priced £15. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Spoken word post-hardcore outfit Enablers play upstairs at Whelan's on May 17. A fiercely dynamic brew of exploratory, often-improvised scapes in the vein of Slint & Shellac, they're led by spoken word artist & poet Pete Simonelli. Listen to 2019 album Zones.
Psychedelic, krautrock-fuelled experimental trio Percolator support - check out the video for single 'Freshin', and debut album Sestra, our Irish album of 2017.
Admission costs €15 from WAV Tickets and doors open at 8pm.
Cork
Hotly-tipped young quartet Inhaler headline Cork's Cyprus Avenue on May 18. Having recently placed fifth on BBC's Sound of 2020 poll, toured Europe and signed to Polydor Records, they're set for big things. Check out the video for 'Ice Cream Sundae'.
Tickets are available from Cyprus Avenue, priced €14. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Derry
Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown is back with his first solo headline tour in over a decade, following his seventh album Ripples last year. He plays six Irish dates, playing Derry's Millennium Forum on May 18. Watch the video for 'First World Problems'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Limerick
Hotly-tipped young quartet Inhaler headline Dolan's Warehouse on May 19. Having recently placed fifth on BBC's Sound of 2020 poll, toured Europe and signed to Polydor Records, they're set for big things. Check out the video for 'Ice Cream Sundae'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown is back with his first solo headline tour in over a decade, following his seventh album Ripples last year. He plays six Irish dates, playing the Ulster Hall on May 19. Watch the video for 'First World Problems'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown is back with his first solo headline tour in over a decade, following his seventh album Ripples last year. He plays six Irish dates, finishing up at the Olympia Theatre on May 20. Watch the video for 'First World Problems'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
Co-founder of anarcho-punk band Crass, Steve Ignorant goes on tour to perform Crass classics from 1977-84, as well as his solo material. He plays with his band on May 22 at the Button Factory.
The entire Crass catalogue has recently been remastered & reissued, revitalising a worldview that's still very much relevant. Expect visuals and samples - check out Stations of the Crass.
Tickets cost €20 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Bangor
Mark Kozelek aka Sun Kil Moon plays Bangor’s Wesley Centenary Church on Friday, May 22 in the first of two Irish dates.
The Californian artist, who is also a founding member of Red House Painters, will play a fully-seated show. Expect a typically confrontational rapport as only Kozelek knows how, following the release of tenth Sun Kil Moon studio album, I Also Want To Die In New Orleans. Listen to Benji, arguably his finest hour.
Tickets cost £30, here.
Belfast
Fast-rising Dublin post-punk indie rock five-piece Silverbacks - watch the video for their excellent 'Dunkirk' - play their first Belfast headline show at Voodoo on May 22.
Admission costs £12 through Shine. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
Irish indie-pop outfit Ham Sandwich hold a pair of acoustic dates at the Unitarian Church on St. Stephen's Green on May 22 & 23.
Having released their debut album Carry The Meek back in 2008, which led to Glastonbury and Electric Picnic appearances, they followed it up with 2010's White Fox. They were silent for a while, resurfacing to release their third album, Stories From The Surface, which was nominated for Best Album in the Choice Music Price 2016.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Belfast
Co-founder of anarcho-punk band Crass, Steve Ignorant goes on tour to perform Crass classics from 1977-84, as well as his solo material. He plays the Limelight 2 on May 23.
The entire Crass catalogue has recently been remastered & reissued, revitalising a worldview that's still very much relevant. Expect visuals and samples - check out Stations of the Crass.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
Fast-rising Dublin post-punk indie rock five-piece Silverbacks - watch the video for their excellent 'Dunkirk' - headline the Grand Social on May 23 as part of an extensive tour.
Admission costs €12 through Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Following the release of new album No Treasure But Hope, Nottingham alternative rockers Tindersticks are set to play the National Concert Hall on May 24.
The famously eclectic act are known for their orchestral backing, lounge jazz and soul influence, with No Treasure But Hope being their twelfth album to date. Watch the video for new single 'The Amputees'.
Tickets are available from NCH.ie.
Dublin
Rap collective Brockhampton play Dublin's Olympia Theatre on May 25.
The huge multi-discliplinary ensemble - who self-describe as a boy band - met on a Kanye West forum and collaborated largely online, and have grown rapidly over the last few years, releasing music with incredible prolificacy. Their fifth album Ginger came out in August 2019 - watch the video for 'No Halo'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.
Dublin
Tuva - a republic situated on the Mongolian-Russian border - group Huun-Huur-Tu play The Sugar Club on May 26 & 27, following a pair of hypnotic sold-out shows in 2019.
They're characterised by their multi-tonal throat singing, sometimes accompanied by native Tuvan instruments like the igil khomus (jaw harp), doshpuluur & dünggür (shaman drum), which has led to collaborations with Ry Cooder, Frank Zappa, Kronos Quartet and many more. Check them out Live on KEXP.
Tickets are available from The Sugar Club and Ticketmaster, priced €21. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Belfast
Rap collective Brockhampton play the Ulster Hall on May 26.
The huge multi-discliplinary ensemble - who self-describe as a boy band - met on a Kanye West forum and collaborated largely online, and have grown rapidly over the last few years, releasing music with incredible prolificacy. Their fifth album Ginger came out in August 2019 - watch the video for 'No Halo'.
Tickets are available from the Ulster Hall. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
Young Northern Irish pop singer-songwriter JC Stewart plays his biggest Irish show to date at the Academy on May 27. Check out latest single 'Bones'.
Tickets cost €18 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Belfast
Young Northern Irish pop singer-songwriter JC Stewart plays his biggest Irish show to date at The Limelight on May 28. Check out latest single 'Bones'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Belfast
English art rock/pop act 10cc return to Ireland for a run of three Irish dates, playing the Ulster Hall on May 28.
Each band member a multi-instrumentalist and professional session musician, they band had two commercially-inclined pop songwriters and two more experimental, cinematically-inspired composers, which made the band such an eclectic, enduring proposition. They've been sampled heavily by J Dilla, and featured on the likes of Social Network & Guardians of the Galaxy. Check out the sick jam that is 'The Worst Band In The World'.
Tickets are available from the Ulster Hall.
Cork
One of the most stratospheric rises we've seen in some time has been folk-punks Fontaines D.C., and they've announced their biggest Cork show to date Live at the Marquee on May 28.
Their debut album Dogrel was Mercury & Choice-nominated, they've toured endlessly with labelmates Idles, and although worldly in influence, distinctly allude to Irish vernacular in everything they've done thus far. Check them out Live on KEXP.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
This year's AVA Belfast event returns across 4 days at the end of May, including opening show & conferences at The MAC on May 28 & 29, followed by the Festival itself on 29 & 30 May at the Bouncher Road Playing Fields. The opening show will see a live set from Max Cooper. The remainder of the lineup is as follows:
ORBITAL // LAURENT GARNIER // DENIS SULTA B2B MELLA DEE // HELENA HAUFF // FATIMA YAMAHA (LIVE) // MAX COOPER (LIVE)
PLUS: BRAME & HAMO // BOBBY ANALOG // CROMBY // CORMAC // DJ SEINFELD // DR RUBINSTEIN // HOLLY LESTER // KI/KI // LEON VYNEHALL // MYLER // OR:LA // PARIAH // PHIL KIERAN // ROZA TERENZI // SALLY C // SHERELLE // SUNIL SHARPE // SAOIRSE // SKIN ON SKIN // SPACE DIMENSION CONTROLLER // TIMMY STEWART // JMX // TOMMY HOLOHAN
Acid Flex // Bekuz x Influx // Blark // Breezeblock // Cailin // Cait // Caoimhe // Carlton Doom // Crilli // Crock // Daire // Dallas // DART // EMA // EVE // High Hoops // Kessler // Korova // imnotyourmate // Inside Moves // Misfit // Percboi3000 // Ponyhawke // Plain Sailing // Schmutz // Swoose // Twitch // Marion Hawkes // Mark Blair // Mount Palomar (Live) // Nez
Nikki O // Kev Freeney (Algorithm) // Kevin Gartland // Visual Spectrum
Tickets are available here.
Dublin
English art rock/pop act 10cc return to Ireland for a run of three Irish dates, playing Vicar Street on May 29.
Each band member a multi-instrumentalist and professional session musician, they band had two commercially-inclined pop songwriters and two more experimental, cinematically-inspired composers, which made the band such an eclectic, enduring proposition. They've been sampled heavily by J Dilla, and featured on the likes of Social Network & Guardians of the Galaxy. Check out the sick jam that is 'The Worst Band In The World'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.
Dublin
Iconic English new wave punk rockers The Stranglers play the Olympia on May 29.
Formed in 1974 in Surrey from the punk rock scene, while never quite fitting comfortably under any label, they've delved, much like peers The Damned, into art-rock, gothic rock, new wave & post-punk. No stranger to essential father's day compilations, the likes 'Golden Brown', 'No More Heroes' & 'Peaches' have earned their enduring status.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced €38. Doors open at 7pm.
Belfast
One of the most stratospheric rises we've seen in some time has been folk-punks Fontaines D.C., and they've announced their biggest Belfast show to date at the Botanic Gardens on May 29.
Their debut album Dogrel was Mercury & Choice-nominated, they've toured endlessly with labelmates Idles, and although worldly in influence, distinctly allude to Irish vernacular in everything they've done thus far. Check them out Live on KEXP.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Downpatrick-born trio Ash embark on their Teenage Wildlife tour, marking their 25 years of activity, hitting every major Irish spot along the way. They play Belfast's Limelight 1 on May 29. They released their eighth album, Islands, in 2018 - check out their breakthrough tune 'Kung Fu'.
Supporting are double NI Music Prize-winning Derry anti-establishment indie-punks The Wood Burning Savages. Check out 'I Don't Know Why I Do It To Myself'.
Tickets are priced £25 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
Cork singer-songwriter Caoilian Sherlock is set to headline upstairs at Whelan's on May 29. Check him out on Bandcamp.
Tickets cost €10 from Ticketmaster and doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Now in its tenth anniversary, Forbidden Fruit festival returns to Kilmainham Royal Hospital grounds on the weekend on May 30 & 31. First announcements are Underworld, Loyle Carner, Fatima Yamaha (Live) and park hye jin.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced upwards of €110.
Cork
English art rock/pop act 10cc return to Ireland for a run of three Irish dates, finishing up at Cork Opera House on May 30.
Each band member a multi-instrumentalist and professional session musician, they band had two commercially-inclined pop songwriters and two more experimental, cinematically-inspired composers, which made the band such an eclectic, enduring proposition. They've been sampled heavily by J Dilla, and featured on the likes of Social Network & Guardians of the Galaxy. Check out the sick jam that is 'The Worst Band In The World'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.
Belfast
Iconic English new wave punk rockers The Stranglers play Belfast's Telegraph Building on May 30.
Formed in 1974 in Surrey from the punk rock scene, while never quite fitting comfortably under any label, they've delved, much like peers The Damned, into art-rock, gothic rock, new wave & post-punk. No stranger to essential father's day compilations, the likes 'Golden Brown', 'No More Heroes' & 'Peaches' have earned their enduring status.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
Blur, Gorillaz & The Good, The Bad and the Queen founder Damon Albarn is set to bring a new conceptual show to Dublin's National Concert Hall on May 31.
These days, he spends as much time as possible in Iceland, his spiritual home from home where he gains respite and inspiration from the landscape and its surroundings. With this fascination in mind he will perform this new piece with an ensemble and specially commissioned visuals. What can be more fascinating than the signs of the passage of time and the fragility of nature.
Tickets are priced from €55-€65, available from NCH. Doors open at 8pm.
Cork
Singer-songwriter Caoilian Sherlock is set to hold a headline show at Cork's Plug'd Records on May 31. Check him out on Bandcamp.
Tickets cost €10 from UTicket and doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
Alt. country rockers Drive-By Truckers return to Vicar Street on June 3.
Based out of Athens, Georgia, home of fellow groundbreaking weirdos R.E.M. and Neutral Milk Hotel, they've been kicking around for two decades now, making music in the vein of Uncle Tupelo and Neil Young & Crazy Horse Ragged Glory-era gritty country, with singers/songwriters/guitarists Mike Cooley & Patterson Hood being the progressive social commentators of a different kind of Southerner. Their new album, The Unravelling picks where where their phenomenal last album, American Band, left off. Their most overtly political and rawly emotional, it came out around the last US election, with this looking back on the US' societal breakdown. Check out 'Armageddon's Back In Town'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced €30.
Cork
Sinead O'Connor is set to play three Irish dates - the first being at Cork's Live at the Marquee on Friday, June 5th. Watch her spellbinding recent performance on the Late Late Show of 'Nothing Compares 2 U'.
Support comes from Damien Dempsey.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.
Belfast
Ex-Misfits frontman Michale Graves plays their American Psycho and Famous Monsters albums in full at Belfast's Limelight 2 on June 5.
Tickets cost £20 from Eventbrite, or £25 on the door. Doors open at 6.30pm.
Belfast
Cincinnati indie rock five piece The National play a run of three Irish dates, playing Belfast's Botanic Gardens on June 6.
Formed in 1999, they've become one of the biggest alternative acts worldwide, winning universal critical and commercial acclaim. Their eighth album, I Am Easy To Find, came out in May 2019 - watch the video for 'Hey Rosey'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced at £52 (with an optional extra for a collector ticket). Gates open at 8pm.
Dublin
One of prog's all time greats, Yes, bring their album series to Vicar Street, where they'll perform 1974's Relayer in its entirety.
The current lineup will feature drummer Alan White & Steve Howe from the Relayer lineup, accompanied by Geoff Downes on keys, Jon Davison on vocals & bassist Billy Sherwood. Yes have sold over 50 million records, with their 70s album streak one of the great fecund stretches of classic rock.
Tickets cost €55 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8.30pm.
Belfast
Sinead O'Connor is set to play three Irish dates, including one at Belfast's Botanic Gardens on Sunday, June 7th. Watch her spellbinding recent performance on the Late Late Show of 'Nothing Compares 2 U'.
Support comes from SOAK.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.
Limerick
Cincinnati indie rock five piece The National play a run of three Irish dates, playing Limerick Live at the Docklands on June 7.
Formed in 1999, they've become one of the biggest alternative acts worldwide, winning universal critical and commercial acclaim. Their eighth album, I Am Easy To Find, came out in May 2019 - watch the video for 'Hey Rosey'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced at €58. Gates open at 7pm.
Dublin
British pop icons, and undoubtedly one of the greatest things to come from the 80s, Duran Duran play St Anne's Park on June 7.
Armed with their fifteenth studio album, following up on the zeitgeist-capturing likes of Rio, this will not be one to miss.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.
Cork
Cincinnati indie rock five piece The National play a short run of Irish dates, playing Cork's Live at the Marquee on June 8.
Formed in 1999, they've become one of the biggest alternative acts worldwide, winning universal critical and commercial acclaim. Their eighth album, I Am Easy To Find, came out in May 2019 - watch the video for 'Hey Rosey'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced at €58.50. Gates open at 8pm.
Dublin
Following the release of new album Hermitage in April, accomplished Canadian singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith plays Dublin's Liberty Hall on June 9.
Sexsmith played all instruments on his latest LP, recorded in his living room. Now in his 25th year as a recording artist, he's collaborated with the likes of Daniel Lanois, Ane Brun, Bob Rock, and has written for acts like Rod Stewart, Feist and Emmylou Harris, picking up 3 Juno awards over the years.
Tickets cost €40 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Belfast
A huge arena rock show comes to the SSE on June 10 when Whitesnake return for an always-memorable date, with support from Europe.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.
Dublin
One of modern rock's most accomplished guitarists and songwriters Kurt Vile returns for his first solo show in over 6 years, playing Vicar Street on June 12.
He's released eight acclaimed albums, most 2018's Bottle It In, as well as working with J Mascis, Kim Gordon, John Prine, John Cale, Warpaint and more. Watch the short Kurt Vile documentary Bottle Back
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced at €35. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Industrial post-punk pioneers Killing Joke play a 500-capacity show at the Button Factory on June 12, as a warm-up ahead of their show at Sunstroke Festival the next day.
They released their debut album, Killing Joke, in 1980, followed by the similarly excellent What's THIS For...! before a gradual shift into more commercial music. Fronted by Jaz Coleman, they described their sound as 'the sound of the earth vomiting' and 'tension music' to soundtrack the atomic age. They've influenced bands from Nirvana to My Bloody Valentine, releasing a highly successful second self-titled album in 2002 with Dave Grohl behind the kit. To great success they've run the gamut from crushing industrial, through to new wave synth-pop. The current lineup features all four original members, and are a visceral, repetitious tour de force.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.
Belfast
Heavy metal legends Iron Maiden are set for a Belfast return.
Having last played the city in August 2018 as part of their Legacy of the Beast tour, the Bruce Dickinson-fronted band will play Belfast’s Ormeau Park as part of Belsonic on Monday, June 15th.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.
Cork
Following the release of her acclaimed new album, The Book of Traps and Lessons, artist, poet, novelist & playwright returns to ireland, playing Cork's The Everyman on June 15 as part of the Cork Midsummer Festival.
Having collaborated long-term with Dan Carey, they extended their circle to this time include the legendary Rick Rubin. Check out 'Firesmoke'.
Tickets cost €26 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Having released one of the albums of last year, Weyes Blood is set to play her biggest Irish headline show to date at Vicar Street on June 17.
Natalie Mering's fourth album, Titanic Rising, was met with unanimous acclaim, absorbing classical and renaissance music, pop culture, social commentary into her own take on deconstructed modern pop. Watch the video for 'Movies'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Ben John Power, founder of Fuck Buttons, brings his experimental electronic project Blanck Mass to the Workman's Club on June 18, following its rescheduling from March 14 due to Coronavirus.
He went solo and has been working under the moniker since 2010, working on a great deal of collaborations (including for the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony), EPs and albums, with the most recent being Animated Violence Mild.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced at €16. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Belfast
British DJ/Producer Patrick Topping plays his biggest ever Belfast show for Shine to celebrate its 25th anniversary, with one of his Trick bills set to take place aat Ormeau Park on June 19.
He’s joined by Amelie Lens, techno pioneer Robert Hood, Elliot Adamson and Shine resident Schmutz.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.
Dublin
Pianist and masterful singer-songwriter Randy Newman returns to Dublin to play Vicar Street on June 20 & 21, with the latter added due to demand.
Debuting back in 1968 with his eponymous debut album, he's become a master of wry, self-deprecating and socially astute storytelling in pop music's confines, earning a universal respect over the years. Commercially, he's known for his Grammy-winning work on Toy Story & A Bug's Life, among others, but look to Sail Away and Good Old Boys. Watch him perform 'Political Science' from the Old Grey Whistle Test, and his sensational NPR Tiny Desk concert from 2018.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced €81. Doors open at 8.30pm.
Cork
Kent-born electronic sibling duo of Phil & Paul Hartnoll, Orbital headline the June 20 night of Cork's Live at the Marquee run, as they tour the world celebrating the 30th anniversary of their new name
Supporting are house pioneer Kerry Chandler, Brame & Hamo, Fish Go Deep, and Stevie G.
Tickets cost €49.50 from Ticketmaster.
Dublin
Irish indie rock icons The Frames play a huge outdoor show on June 20 at Kilmainham Royal Hospital to mark their 30th anniversary.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced €55. Gates open at 5pm.
Dublin
Following their successful Irish shows last year, the London Astrobeat Orchestra, who reinterpreted Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense, return to Dublin to play Whelan's on June 20.
Hailing from West Africa, Europe & beyond, they're some of the finest musicians on the planet, and the show will feature a unique interpretation of the band's infinitely mutable Afrobeat-inspired work. Check out 'Burning Down The House'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
The recently-reunited New Jersey emo five-piece My Chemical Romance will play their first Irish show since 2011 at Royal Hospital Kilmainham on June 23rd.
Tickets cost €72.50 and are on sale from Ticketmaster.
Dublin
Having released easily one of the albums of 2019 in All Mirrors, Angel Olsen has announced her return to Ireland, playing Vicar Street on June 24.
After cutting her teeth alongside the likes of Bonnie Prince Billy as a vocalist, her early albums gradually gained momentum, each one subsequently ending up on every essential end-of-year roundup. 2019 saw the release of All Mirrors. Watch the video for 'Lark'.
Tickets cost €30 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
On Elma Orchestra & Ryan Vail are set to bring their NI Music Prize Winning Borders show to the internet for a special lockdown show in a tropical garden setting in Derry, with a full A/V show and four camera setup.
Tickets cost £8 from DICE, and doors open at 10pm.
Belfast
US country rock act Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real - who feature Willie Nelson's son, and have been touring with Neil Young as his backing band over the last few years - play the Limelight 1 on June 25 as part of their Naked Garden tour.
This follows the release of their new album of the same name. Check out the soulful 'Find Yourself'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced £22.50. Doors open at 7pm.
Belfast
US country rock act Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real - who feature Willie Nelson's son, and have been touring with Neil Young as his backing band over the last few years - play the Academy on June 26 as part of their Naked Garden tour.
This follows the release of their new album of the same name. Check out the soulful 'Find Yourself'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced €29. Doors open at 7pm.
Originally due to be launched as a multi-venue series at The Kino in Cork back in March, the inaugural Half Moon Festival will take place online from Friday, June 26th to Sunday, June 28th.
No doubt likely to return in its full form next year, the line-up for this year’s inaugural outing offers up a stellar, multi-disciplinary series of music, performance, podcasting and beyond. Inspired by the way in which Cork’s Half Moon street “acts as a bridge between everyday life and the cultural spaces that are central to Cork,” the inaugural outing will feature Trá Pháidín, Síomha, Pulses featuring Emily Kilkenny Roddy & Annie Bloch, and much more.
Organisers Tús Nua said, “We want to celebrate difference and different perspectives, to share our experiences of art and creativity, to invite audiences to celebrate the fun and joyous moments that art offers, and to provide an antidote to the detached living of the present day. In doing this, we are thrilled to support the work of our artists during this time when the artistic community is grappling with the fall out of the pandemic.”
“We invite audiences everywhere to connect with us and with each other at this crucial moment when physical interaction does not define our sense of connection to community in as much as our commitment to keeping the energy of exchange alive.”
Check out the full line-up below and go here for full info about tuning in.
Dublin
The (mostly) reunited Guns N' Roses come to Ireland to play Slane Castle on June 27 as one of 35 massive stadium shows across Europe & North America this year.
The reunion includes founding members Axl, Slash & Duff, with Dizzy Reed & Melissa Reese on keyboards, Richard Fortus on rhythm guitar, and Frank Ferrer on drums.
Tickets are priced from €99.50 from Ticketmaster. Gates open at 4pm.
Dublin
The 10th anniversary of Mother Pride takes place outdoors once more at Collins Barracks on June 27. Starting out as a spontaneous street party outside Mother, the Pride Block Party has grown year on year. This year will feature two stages, tonnes of bars, food stalls, installations and more.
The block party runs from 4pm-11pm. Tickets are priced from €25, available from Eventbrite.
Dublin
Green Day, Fall Out Boy and Weezer are set to team up for a show in Dublin as part of their global Hella Mega stadium tour. The three bands will play RDS Arena on June 29th.
Tickets cost €79.50 from Ticketmaster.
Dublin
The returning Michael Kiwanuka plays the Trinity College Summer Series on June 29.
This show comes on the back of Kiwanuka's self-titled third LP, once again drawing in the influence of Gil Scott-Heron, Fela Kuti, and contemporaries like Kendrick Lamar. Watch the video for recent single 'Hero'.
Supporting is Alabama Shakes frontwoman Brittany Howard, whose debut studio album Jaime came out last year.
Tickets are priced €54.85 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Cork
Iconic English electronic duo The Chemical Brothers play Cork's Irish Independent Park on June 30.
Stephan Bodzin & James Holroyd formed the band in Manchester 1989, and have redefined live electronic music over two decades. Their psychedelic live show has taken on a life of its own, as 2012 film Don't Think captured. Their most recent album, Born In The Echoes was their sixth consecutive number 1. Check out their 2019 Essential Mix.
Tickets cost €49.90 from Ticketmaster. Gates open at 5pm.
Dublin
Pop trio Haim play the Trinity Summer Series on June 30, coinciding with their third album.
With their heavily West Coast-fuelled sound, they've collaborated alongside the likes of Stevie Nicks and the Dirty Projectors. Watch the Paul Thomas Anderson-directed video for 'Hallelujah'.
Tickets cost €49.90 from Ticketmaster.
Dublin
2020's Longitude Festival returns to Marylay Park, taking place over the weekend of July 3-5, with a host of huge names confirmed, including Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, The Creator, A$AP Rocky, J Hus, AJ Tracey, Young Thug, Dababy, Aitch, Playboi Carti, Lil Tecca, Mabel, Charli XCX, Jay1 and more.
Tickets are priced €199.50 for the weekend, €159 for two days, and €89.50 for a single day, available from Ticketmaster.
Dublin
New York dance punks The Rapture play their first Irish show in 8 years at Vicar Street on July 3, following their 5 year hiatus.
Coming out around the punk/electro crossover that saw LCD Soundsystem's similar rise, their debut album Echoes was a landmark of the genre. Here's 'How Deep Is Your Love'.
Tickets are priced €34.50, available from Ticketmaster & Selective Memory. It'll be a late show, with doors at 9pm and The Rapture on around 11pm.
Dublin
Beck is set for Dublin this summer. Marking his first Irish date since 2017, the multi-Grammy award winning artist will play an outdoor show as part of the Summer Series at Dublin's Trinity College on July 5th.
Tickets are priced €49, available from Ticketmaster. Gates open at 7pm.
Dublin
The ever forward-pushing Dan Snaith aka Caribou makes his return to Dublin in the first announcement of the Iveagh Gardens' summer series. The Canadian artist will play on Saturday, July 11th in the penultimate date on a string of 2020 dates. Stream new track ‘Home’.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 6.30pm.
Dublin
English multi-instrumentalist & producer James Blake plays the Iveagh Gardens on July 16.
A multiple Grammy & Mercury Prize winner, his fourth album Assume Form came out last year. He's collaborated with & produced the likes of Bon Iver, Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé, Vince Staples and more. Watch the video for 'I'll Come Too'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 6.30pm.
Galway
Boston indie rock legends Pixies make their return to Ireland, having recently played Dublin & Belfast. The seminal quartet will return next summer to play the Big Top at Galway Arts Festival on July 17th, coinciding with the release of their new album in the autumn.
Tickets are available from GIAF, priced €52.50.
Cork
Colorado art-pop & nu-disco master John Grant plays Live at Cork's St. Luke's on July 17.
Evolving with even more of the fizzing synths he's been incorporating, fourth album Love Is Magic was a collaborative effort with analogue synth expert Benge. Check out the video for the title track, 'Love Is Magic'.
Tickets cost €35 from uTicket. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
Dublin experimental promoters Dhalgren Sound bring one of the world's most innovative & adventurous drummers Greg Fox back to Dublin, playing the Bello Bar on July 17, following its postponement from May.
Based out of New York, he's played on and released over 50 albums in the last decade, including Liturgy, Ben Frost, Colin Stetson and many more. Check out his second solo album, The Gradual Progression, which brims with polyrhythmic exploration. Using his kit featuring tonal triggers and virtual instruments brought together with his post-free jazz inclination, Fox will be joined by Michael Beharie on guitar, Maria Grand on sax & Justin Frye on double bass.
Sharing the bill are Whirling Hall of Knives, a collaboration between Magnetize and The Last Sound. Their harsh smouldering circuits and eruptions of panicky white noise have a profoundly unsettling quality, a sense of gnawing paranoia but interspersed with moments of almost euphoric epiphany, as if in the grip of an unshakeable 4am psychosis a growing sense that the door will be kicked in at any second and the world outside will come pouring in. Psyche electronics of a particularly greasy and grime-flecked hue - check them out on Bandcamp.
Tickets are available from Eventbrite, priced €13.66. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Boston indie rock legends Pixies make their return to Ireland, having recently played Dublin & Belfast. The seminal quartet will return next summer to play Dublin's Iveagh Gardens on July 18th, coinciding with the release of their new album, Beneath the Eyrie.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced €59.50.
Galway
The Flaming Lips will make their return to Galway, playing the Big Top at Galway Arts Festival on Saturday, July 18th, two years on from their last appearance there.
The Wayne Coyne-fronted psych-pop maestros most recently released their fifteenth studio album, King’s Mouth. Revisit an older classic, 'She Don't Use Jelly'.
Tickets cost €49.50 from Ticketmaster.
Dublin
Sinead O'Connor is set to play three Irish summer dates, the latter to take place at Iveagh Gardens on Sunday, July 19. Watch her spellbinding recent performance on the Late Late Show of 'Nothing Compares 2 U'.
Support comes from Soda Blonde.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.
Belfast
Maryland stoner-tinged hard rock quartet Clutch play the Limelight 1 on July 21.
Formed in 1991 and fronted by Neil Fallon, they released their twelfth album, Book of Bad Decisions back in 2018 and have been releasing a run of new singles that make up the Weathermaker Vault Series.. Check out the video for 'The Mob Goes Wild'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced at £25. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
60s rock & roll retromancers The Boxmasters, who feature Billy Bob Thornton, are set to play the Academy on July 21.
Formed in 2007, The Boxmasters have recorded a diverse catalogue of music that touches on their love of 'story songs', Americana & roots rock, drawing on their childhoods in Arkansas & Kansas, harbouring dreams of California. They most recently released Speck - check out 'The Poor House'.
Tickets are priced €36.65 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
Maryland stoner-tinged hard rock quartet Clutch play the Academy on July 22.
Formed in 1991 and fronted by Neil Fallon, they released their twelfth album, Book of Bad Decisions back in 2018 and have been releasing a run of new singles that make up the Weathermaker Vault Series.. Check out the video for 'The Mob Goes Wild'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Galway
As part of his ongoing Polarity tour of 2020, Jon Hopkins returns to Ireland for the second time this year, playing Galway International Arts Festival's Big Top on July 25.
Following on from his Singularity tour, shaped by his experiences with meditative and trance-like states, this tour will tether together “the two disparate elements of harsh and fragile in my music. By going between the two, we’ll hopefully create some profound moments of stillness.” He'll be playing grand piano at points, and joined onstage by a group of musicians & long-time friends, including producer/guitarist Leo Abrahams, vocalist/arranger Emma Smith, and cellist Laura Moody.
Tickets are priced €39.50 from the Roisin Dubh. Doors open at 8pm.
Cork
Paranoid Beast Promotions presents the third annual Monolith Festival, set to take place at Cyprus Avenue over July 31 & August 1.
Playing the first day are Downfall of Gaia, Elder Druid, God Alone, Jupiterian, Mord'A'Stigmata, Swallow the Sun, Vircolac, and the latter will feature Benediction
Cancer, Conan, Coscradh, Hate, Necronautical, Owlcrusher, Ruairi O'Baoighill, Sodomized Cadaver, The Crawling, Ungraven, Vehement.
Tickets are priced from €38-€82, from Eventbrite.
Belfast
Liverpool stoner doom outfit Conan return to Belfast's Voodoo on July 31.
Their downtuned caveman battle doom has yielded four albums to date, all acclaimed within doom circles - the most recent being Existential Void Guardian. Check out 'Volt Thrower'.
Belfast
Hard Rock quintet Massive Wagons play the Limelight 2 on August 2. The Lancaster act have recently made the UK charts with fourth LP Full Nelson.
Tickets cost £17 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Hard Rock quintet Massive Wagons play Whelan's on August 4. The Lancaster act have recently made the UK charts with fourth LP Full Nelson.
Tickets cost €17 from Ticketmaster. 8pm.
Limavady
Now celebrating its tenth year as a festival, Limavady's Stendhal Festival returns over the weekend of August 6-8.
Tickets are available from Stendhal.
Dublin
Formed in 2012 as a collaboration between legendary Belfast piper John McSherry & Detroit musicians Tyler Duncan, Michael Shimmin, Joe Dart, Theo Katzman and Woody Goss, The Olllam play Vicar Street on August 15.
Described by the band as neo-acoustic celtic post-rock, Dart and Goss have found world fame as members of Vulfpeck, whilst McSherry has released a number of solo albums. Check out their eponymous 2018 LP.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8.30pm.
Belfast
Formed in 2012 as a collaboration between legendary Belfast piper John McSherry & Detroit musicians Tyler Duncan, Michael Shimmin, Joe Dart, Theo Katzman and Woody Goss, The Olllam play the Limelight on August 16.
Described by the band as neo-acoustic celtic post-rock, Dart and Goss have found world fame as members of Vulfpeck, whilst McSherry has released a number of solo albums. Check out their eponymous 2018 LP.
Tickets cost £24.50 from Ticketmaster & Katy's Bar. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Oasis frontman & solo artist Liam Gallagher will play a huge show for Tennent's Vital 2020 at the Boucher Road Playing Fields on August 19.
This follows the release of his second solo studio album, Why Me? Why Not? Watch the video for 'Shockwave'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.
Dublin
Back with their first album in five years, Brother Sister, bluegrass duo Watkins Family Hour play Whelan's on August 20.
Siblings Sean and Sara Watkins, also of Nickel Creek, have worked with the likes of Fiona Apple and all number of Americana & country/bluegrass icons. Check out their NPR Tiny Desk.
Tickets are available via WAV Tickets, priced €20.
Dublin
Australian rock band Dune Rats play the Grand Social on August 25. They recently released new album Hurry Up and Wait, following up on their previous 2017 breakthrough - check out 'Crazy'.
Tickets are priced €15 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Dark electronic duo Boy Harsher play their first ever Belfast date at Voodoo on June 10, following some Covid-19 rescheduling. Check out their excellent minimal darkwave-indebted recent album Careful.
Tickets cost £19.50 from Eventbrite. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
One of, if not country music's finest wordsmith, John Prine plays the Olympia Theatre on August 30.
Having been heralded as one of the best from the likes of Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson, Roger Waters, Bruce Springsteen and countless more, his eponymous debut album is in the Recording Academy's Grammy Hall of Fame. He's also one of the key members of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, with his songs being covered by Johnny Cash, Tom T. Hall, The Everly Brothers. It's not easy to argue that there's a better songwriter in all of the genre. He'll be celebrating 20 years of his beloved In Spite of Ourselves, which included his iconic duet with Iris DeMent, which has become possibly his best-known song.
Listen to the timeless 'Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore'.
Tickets cost from €69 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Darkwave act She Past Away make their first Irish appearance at Whelan's on September 2, following their postponement from April.
The Turkish synth & guitar duo feature the songwriter/producer pairing of Volkan Caner & Doruk Ozturkcan, releasing their third album last year. Check out the excellent 'Kasvetli Kutlama'.
Tickets cost €20 from Selective Memory. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Brooklyn indie rock quartet Big Thief play Vicar Street on September 2.
One of the fastest rising US indie band in recent years, they released two albums last year, most recently Two Hands. Fragmented, delicate, and at turns visceral, watch them on KEXP.
Tickets cost €30 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8.30pm.
Dublin
Master musicians & songwriters Andy Irvine & Paul Brady revisit one of the greatest Irish folk & traditional albums ever written with a short run of dates, playing Vicar Street on September 7 & 8, following their rescheduling from March 15 & 18.
Released in 1977, it quickly became a landmark of the genre, with these performances being accompanied by Dónal Lunny and Kevin Burke, both of whom performed on the original LP - which was produced by Lunny.
Tickets cost €46.50 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Following the release of new album Heavy Is The Head, global grime superstar Stormzy plays the 3Arena on September 8. Watch the video for 'Own It'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced €49.50.
Dublin
One of the finest hip-hop acts in Ireland, Dundalk's Hendy siblings, aka TPM, play their biggest headline show to date at the Button Factory on September 11, following its rescheduling from March. Watch the video for 'Fuck RTE' then go see them.
Admission costs €13.66 on Eventbrite, or €15 on the door. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
To celebrate their 30th anniversary, Therapy? headline the Olympia Theatre on September 25.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced at €37. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
Psych rock quartet Keeley play a special physically distanced audiovisual show at the Wild Duck in Dublin's Temple Bar on September 25, with a limited capacity of 50.
Tickets are available from Eventbrite, priced €10. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
To celebrate their 30th anniversary, Therapy? headline the Limelight 1 on September 26. Since their 1990 self-released 'Meat Abstract' single, Therapy? have released fifteen studio albums.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced at £22.50. Doors open at 6.30pm.
Belfast Lough
One of Ireland's greatest live acts, instrumental quartet And So I Watch You From Afar are set to cash in one of the all-time great puns for a special drive-in performance at Lough Down on September 26.
Tickets are available, priced just £20 per car, from Eventbrite. Doors open at 8.30pm.
Dublin
Having released their long-awaited, and acclaimed new albums lately, the pair of NI Music Prize-winning singer-songwriters Ciaran Lavery and Joshua Burnside play a special drive-in show at Queen's Island on September 26.
Tickets are priced £20 per car, and things run from 4.30-6.30pm.
Dublin
As part of their 30th Anniversary tour, stoner rock pioneers Fu Manchu headline the Button Factory on September 28.
Formed in 1985 as Virulence, they released their debut album as Du Manchu in 1990. They've released 12 albums to date, with their entire catalogue getting the deluxe reissue treatment on vinyl this year, as well as the release of their 13th studio album.
Supporting are Electric Citizen.
Tickets cost €23 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Dublin
Mega-hyped bilingual Gaeilge/English West Belfast-based rap duo Kneecap play their biggest Dublin headline show to date at the Olympia Theatre on October 2.
They made it onto the BBC early on due to upsetting the DUP, they were banned by RTE, kicked out of UCD, and their live shows are must-see. check out 'Tá na Baggies ar an Talamh'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced €22. Doors open at 7pm.
Co. Meath
Born out of the Spirit of Folk festival, Sofft Nights is a series of socially distant concerts and holistic experiences in Meath's Dunderry Park, limited to 100 people and taking place across October 2 & 3.
Alongside the megalithic cairn, forest trails, shamanic drumming, campfires, theatrical monologues and the like, musical performances come from Bell X-1's Paul Noonan, the immensely talented experimental folk artist Junior Brother, and fast-rising pop genius Cmat.
Doors open at 4pm on both days. Tickets, priced €60, are available here.
Dublin
Beloved Waterford-born live act King Kong Company play the Olympia Theatre in what will be another unreal, immersive party vibe on October 3.
In essence a band functioning as a DJ, their eponymous debut LP was produced by long-time Prodigy collaborator Neil McLellan. Check out 'Donkey Jaw'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced from €24. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter, humourist and actor Loudon Wainwright III plays Vicar Street on October 4 along with Suzzy Roche and Lucy Wainwright as part of their All In A Family tour.
Suzzy - formerly of the Roaches - and Loudon are parents to Lucy, and the three will perform cuts from their own back catalogue, as well as works from master songwriters Paul Simon, Dylan, Tom Petty, Stevie Nicks and the like.
Tickets cost €37.50 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Returning at long last as part of their Backbone tour, Status Quo play the Waterfront Hall on October 5.
Quo will be performing hits from across their five decade career, including their latest album, Backbone, their highest charting album of new material for 37 years. This tour sees the band’s return to the stage, as part of a major European tour, after largely taking a break in 2019.
Tickets are available from the Waterfront.
Dublin
Returning at long last as part of their Backbone tour, Status Quo play the Olympia Theatre on October 6.
Quo will be performing hits from across their five decade career, including their latest album, Backbone, their highest charting album of new material for 37 years. This tour sees the band’s return to the stage, as part of a major European tour, after largely taking a break in 2019.
Tickets are priced from €56, from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Brothers Chris & Rich Robinson, founders of The Black Crowes, celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of their quintuple platinum debut album Shake Your Money Maker with a 3Arena show on October 10 in which they'll play the LP in its entirety.
Blending southern R&B and classic rock in a soulful concoction, this comes as part of their first shows on these shores in 7 years.
Tickets are priced from €49.50 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 6.30pm.
Belfast's Duncairn has announced a special fortnightly magazine show called Take 2, featuring music, poetry, imagery, arts and insightful interviews aimed at portraying the real Belfast. The first episode takes place this Saturday, October 10.
Expect appearances from the Joshua Burnside Trio, Colin Hassard, and Tim McCarthy. The show will be live-streamed on Youtube and Facebook. For links, stay posted here. Donations are accepted by Paypal.
Dublin
Emmy-winning nature series Our Planet will be brought to a live audience internationally, with a performance on October 16 at the 3Arena.
All profits will be donated to WWF's global education and awareness initiatives, given that the series has a particular focus on how humans have become the greatest threat to the survival of life on Earth. A 36-position surround system and special audio-visual recording from Attenborough himself will be featured, with the show reworked for an epic two-hour performance. Lisa Hannigan will sing alongside a 66-strong orchestra.
Tickets are priced from €67 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Following their incredibly well-received dates last year, Jeff Lynne's downright legendary ELO have announced their return to Ireland, playing the Belfast's SSE Arena on October 18.
Following iconic albums like 1977's Out of the Blue, and a series of timeless hits - 26 UK Top 40 singles, to be precise - they disbanded in 1986 initially. ELO have sold over 50 million records worldwide, with Lynne also a prominent member of The Travelling Wilburys and a producer and collaborator with the most highly-revered figures in music.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 6.30pm.
Dublin
Self-described "pub-punk shed-rock" trio The Chats headline the Olympia on October 19.
One of the most explosive bands to emerge from Australia in the last few years, watch the video for breakthrough single 'Smoko' from their second EP.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced €24.50. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
Following their incredibly well-received dates last year, Jeff Lynne's downright legendary ELO have announced their return to Ireland, playing Dublin's 3Arena on October 19.
Following iconic albums like 1977's Out of the Blue, and a series of timeless hits - 26 UK Top 40 singles, to be precise - they disbanded in 1986 initially. ELO have sold over 50 million records worldwide, with Lynne also a prominent member of The Travelling Wilburys and a producer and collaborator with the most highly-revered figures in music.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 6.30pm.
Belfast
Self-described "pub-punk shed-rock" trio The Chats headline Belfast's Limelight 1 on October 20.
One of the most explosive bands to emerge from Australia in the last few years, watch the video for breakthrough single 'Smoko' from their second EP.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced £18.50. Doors open at 7pm.
Ongoing series Imagining Ireland, which showcases some of Ireland's most exciting creative artists working today, hosts a show from Junior Brother, performing alongside special guest, Lankum's Ian Lynch.
One of Ireland's most fascinating, idiosyncratic folk artists, Junior Brother released his debut album, Pull The Right Rope last year. As well as being a distinctive folk singer, Lynch palys Uillean pipes, concertina, tin whistle and percussion. Expect a captivating, singular performance from the pair.
Tickets are available from Dice.fm, priced €7. Things kick off at 8pm.
Dublin
Following his sold out 2018 show, Jools Holland brings his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra to the 3Arena once more. Just like his previous Dublin shows, Jools will be joined on vocals by Ruby Turner & Louise Marshall and his fellow Squeeze member Gilson Lavis on drums. The TV host & masterful pop craftsman & musician will be performing many of his classics, as well as big band interpretations of a broad range of hits.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster and doors open at 8pm.
Belfast-based tastemakers par excellence Moving on Music are set to hold unique online live music experience held throughout the Black Box, Belfast, titled All The Noels. The 30-odd-minute single shot, walk-through experience is set to showcase different music taking place across the various spaces of the venue.
The video - recorded across one day by a team of audio-visual professionals - attempts to capture the feeling of being in possibly our favourite Belfast venue for live music. Performances come from some of TTA faves, experimental rock quartet Blue Whale, traditional Irish vocal quartet Landless, Irish jazz pianist Scott Flanigan's Trio, jazz drummer Steve Davis, folk duo Laytha and traditional flute & whistle player Martha Guiney with Shane McCartan.
Speaking of the project, Mick Bonner of Moving on Music said “it was a great day. We were joined by some of our favourite musicians who all played an absolute blinder. It was hugely enjoyable, and to be honest, very much needed. Things aren’t great right now but we’re getting through it, and music (and the arts in general) has been a lifeline for so many over the past 6 months. This was our attempt at remembering better times. We’ve really missed live music. Hopefully the good time we had comes across in the final video."
“We decided to name the project ‘All The Noels’ after (possibly) the most well-known gig-goer in Belfast; Noel Stevenson. If you’re a regular concert goer, you’ll know Noel. If it’s worth going to, Noel is there. So, this is our homage to All The Noels out there who are missing live music as much as we are.”
All The Noels will be available to watch on Friday 23rd October at 7pm, across all Facebook & Youtube. It’s free to watch, but there will be an option to donate if you like. Full info on Moving on Music and all of their activity can be found here.
Belfast
Brit-rock icon Paul Weller returns to Belfast to play the Ulster Hall on October 25.
Known for his work with The Jam, before forming The Style Council, he's often called The Modfather for his contributions to the revival of Mod culture in the '70s & '80s. This show follows 27th album On Sunset.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Belfast
American pop-rock icons Sparks play the Limelight 1 on October 26.
Led by brothers Ron & Russell Mael, their 24th studio album is out just months before. They've recently announced they've written the music behind the Leos-Carax-directed Annette musical feature, starring Adam Driver & Marion Cotillard.
Tickets cost £25 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
Brit-rock icon Paul Weller returns to Dublin to headline the Olympia on October 26 & 27.
Known for his work with The Jam, before forming The Style Council, he's often called The Modfather for his contributions to the revival of Mod culture in the '70s & '80s. This show follows 27th album On Sunset.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Belfast
American pop-rock icons Sparks play Vicar Street on October 27.
Led by brothers Ron & Russell Mael, their 24th studio album is out just months before. They've recently announced they've written the music behind the Leos-Carax-directed Annette musical feature, starring Adam Driver & Marion Cotillard.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Kraków-based black metal band Mgła return to Ireland, playing the Voodoo Lounge on October 30. They last year released Age of Excuse, following up on the hugely acclaimed Exercises in Futility.
Support comes from Mord'A'Stigmata & Martwa Aura
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 6pm.
Dublin
Mark Kozelek aka Sun Kil Moon plays Dublin's Liberty Hall Theatre on November 2, following its rescheduling from May.
The Californian artist, who is also a founding member of Red House Painters, will play a fully-seated show. Expect the kind of confrontational rapport as only Kozelek knows how, following the release of tenth Sun Kil Moon studio album, I Also Want To Die In New Orleans. Listen to Benji, arguably his finest hour.
Tickets cost €29.50 from Selective Memory. Doors open at 8pm.
Dublin
Dublin hip-hop artist Nealo is set to launch his debut album, All The Leaves Are Falling with a show at the Workman's Club on November 6. Watch the video for Nealo & Uly's 'You Can't Go Home Again'.
Tickets are available, priced €15.60, here.
Dublin
Scottish indie legends Idlewild play Dublin's Button Factory on November 10 as part of their 25th anniversary celebrations.
Formed in 1995, the band have released nine albums to date, moving from their early indie rock dissonance into a more melodic, straightforward sound. They released their sixth album in 2009 before going on hiatus until 2013. Check out 'You Held The World In Your Arms'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced €23. Doors open at 8pm.
This year’s Northern Ireland Music Prize will go ahead with an online broadcast on November 12.
Due to Covid-19, the annual award ceremony celebrating Northern Irish music will take place at Belfast’s Oh Yeah Music Centre and streamed live via their YouTube channel. As well as performances from shortlisted acts Arborist, Careerist, Joshua Burnside, Kitt Philippa, Phil Kieran and Sasha Samara, it will feature live announcements for four awards: Best Album, Best Single, Best Live Act and the Oh Yeah Contender Award.
The event is scheduled to take place during the Sound of Belfast 2020 virtual festival, which runs November 6-12. The full programme for this will be announced on October 27.
Oh Yeah Music Centre’s Charlotte Dryden said, “It has been an incredibly difficult year for music, musicians and live music, but we were determined to make sure that the show will go on. We need to have a moment for our community to come together to say we are still here, we will get through this and we matter.”
“We have an incredible amount of talent to celebrate here and while we normally get together under one roof for this annual celebration, this is an opportunity to showcase our music in a new way. We’re urging everyone to join us, tune in, get involved, organise watch parties and support local music. It will be different, but we think it will be great.”
Dublin
Wicklow bedroom pop singer-songwriter Smoothboi Ezra plays the Workman's Club on November 14 in a socially distant show. Check out 'Thinking About You' on Soundcloud.
Tickets cost €15 from Tickets.ie.
Dublin
The most commercially successful lineup of Genesis are set to reunite with a world tour, hitting Dublin's 3Arena on November 16.
Originally achieving prog rock success with frontman Peter Gabriel & guitarist Steve Hackett, they achieved huge commercial success after their departure and drummer Phil Collins moved to the fore, alongside bassist Mike Rutherford. Have a listen to quintessential Collins-era Genesis single, 'Follow You Follow Me'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.
The Arts Council NI have teamed up with AVA to create special one-off electronic AV performance with Max Cooper, set in the beautiful surrounds of Belfast's Carlisle Memorial Church on Wednesday, November 18.
Its visuals and the gauze screen behind which Max will sit have been designed to complement the venue's Victorian neo-gothic architecture, with the entirety of the space being used throughout. Sign up and watch here. The stream begins at 8pm.
Dublin
Following new album Reunions, out in May, four time Grammy winner Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit are back, playing the Olympia on November 19.
The master alt. country songwriter, and one hell of a guitarist has played with the Drive-By Truckers, John Prine and countless others. Check out new single 'Be Afraid'.
Tickets cost €30 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Belfast
Scottish power-pop legends Teenage Fanclub play Belfast's Empire on November 19.
Their heart-on-sleeve sincerity and masterful pop craft has seen the band elevated to deserved indie-god status over the years, with Bandwagonesque, Grand Prix and Songs from Northern Britain - check out one of the all-time great power-pop songs, 'Everything Flows'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Belfast
The most commercially successful lineup of Genesis are set to reunite with a world tour, hitting the SSE Arena on November 19.
Originally achieving prog rock success with frontman Peter Gabriel & guitarist Steve Hackett, they achieved huge commercial success after their departure and drummer Phil Collins moved to the fore, alongside bassist Mike Rutherford. Have a listen to quintessential Collins-era Genesis single, 'Follow You Follow Me'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.
Dublin
Having just released her second album, Peninsula, Naomi Hamilton, aka Jealous Of The Birds is set for a socially distant show at The Workman's Club on November 19. Watch the video for 'Young Neanderthal'.
Tickets are available here.
Dublin
Scottish power-pop legends Teenage Fanclub play Dublin's Academy on November 20.
Their heart-on-sleeve sincerity and masterful pop craft has seen the band elevated to deserved indie-god status over the years, with Bandwagonesque, Grand Prix and Songs from Northern Britain - check out one of the all-time great power-pop songs, 'Everything Flows'.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, priced €32.65. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin
British-Nigerian electronic producer-songwriter Tony Njoku, aka Ghostpoet is set to play the Button Factory on November 24. This follows his most recently released June EP. Watch the video for 'Concrete Pony'.
Tickets cost €20 from Selective Memory. Doors open at 8pm.
Belfast
Newcastle-upon-Tyne psychedelic stoner rock band Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs make their Belfast debut on November 26 as part of Open House at the Empire Music Hall.
A heady brew of physically moving space rock, cosmische, doom and psych, they're one of the finest & most dynamic live bands in the genre. Check out the excellent video for 'Reducer', from their most recent album, Viscerals.
Tickets are available from Open House. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Limerick
Newcastle-upon-Tyne psychedelic stoner rock band Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs play Limerick on November 27.
A heady brew of physically moving space rock, cosmische, doom and psych, they're one of the finest & most dynamic live bands in the genre. Check out the excellent video for 'Reducer', from their most recent album, Viscerals.
Tickets are available from Yapsody. Doors open at 9pm.
Belfast
The Answer frontman Cormac Neeson plays a stripped-back version of his debut solo album White Feather at the Duncairn on November 28.
The LP sees him move into more rootsy, countrified pastures after spending some time in Nashville with their key songwriters and musicians - watch him perform 'White Feather' in The Live Room.
Tickets are available from Shine and Ticketmaster priced £15. Doors open at 7pm.
Dublin six-piece Watson ACE, play the inaugural Together In Electric Streams (TIES) series, filmed at Dublin's Lost Lane, on December 2. Featuring members of the Waterboys, Picturehouse, Andrew Stong Band and more, expect some soulful melodic rock.
Tickets cost €12 here. Things kick off at 8pm.
The December 5 edition of the Together In Electric Streams series will be a gig in the round featuring Emma Langford, Mike Hanrahan (Stockton's Wing) and Sive singing the songs and sharing the stories that shape their creative lives.
Tickets cost €12 here. Things kick off at 8pm.
The December 6 edition of the Together In Electric Streams series launches the new album, Chroma, from drummer/producer R.S.A.G., as well as the new 'Topher Grace' remix EP from anthemic psych-infused indie rockers Thumper.
Tickets cost €12 here. Things kick off at 8pm.
Dublin
Returning English rockers Ocean Colour Scene play a pair of dates at Dublin's Olympia Theatre on December 7 & 8.
The Birmingham outfit rose from the ashes of the Madchester & UK indie scene, rising to prominence after their demo tape reached the ears of Noel Gallagher, who invited them to tour with Oasis, leading ultimately to their signing with MCA Records. Undergoing lineup changes, the band have consistently released music over the last 2 decades, and recently marked the 20th anniversary of their breakthrough album, Moseley Shoals, which features their biggest hit, 'The Riverboat Song'.
Tickets cost €42.20 from Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7pm.
Belfast
West-Midlands grindcore legends Napalm Death return to Ireland for the first time since 2017, playing the Limelight 2 on December 11 following its rescheduling.
Formed in 1981, they're credited as pioneers of grindcore, bringing elements of crust punk & death metal, and still have the shortest song ever recorded in 'You Suffer' from their classic 1987 debut, Scum. They've released sixteen albums to date, showing remarkable evolution over the years.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster and Katy's Bar.
Dublin
West-Midlands grindcore legends Napalm Death return to Ireland for the firs time since 2017, playing Dublin's Voodoo Lounge on December 12, following its rescheduling.
Formed in 1981, they're credited as pioneers of grindcore, bringing elements of crust punk & death metal, and still have the shortest song ever recorded in 'You Suffer' from their classic 1987 debut, Scum. They've released sixteen albums to date, showing remarkable evolution over the years.
Support comes from Unyielding Love and Okus.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.
Limerick
West-Midlands grindcore legends Napalm Death return to Ireland for the first time since 2017, playing Dolans Warehouse on December 13.
Formed in 1981, they're credited as pioneers of grindcore, bringing elements of crust punk & death metal, and still have the shortest song ever recorded in 'You Suffer' from their classic 1987 debut, Scum. They've released sixteen albums to date, showing remarkable evolution over the years.
Tickets are available from Dolans.
Michael McGoldrick, John McCusker and John Doyle have recorded a very special Christmas show to be streamed into the homes of people the length and breadth of the UK. Linking with venues and festivals from the Highlands of Scotland across the sea to Belfast and on to the far south of England, the trio will bring Christmas cheer directly to audiences in their own homes. Belfast's performance will take place on December 22 for Moving On Music.
The trio will present their inaugural Christmas concert featuring a diverse mix of classic Christmas melodies, traditional and contemporary songs and tunes. Whether performing material such as the medieval based song 'Curoo Curoo', or more conventional standards, their decades of renowned musical expertise creates a magical and lasting impression.
Best known for their work with Bob Dylan, Mark Knopfler and BBC Transatlantic Sessions as well as artists including Solas, Capercaillie and Kate Rusby, the multi award winning trio have recorded a 45 minute set full of Christmas tunes as well as some firm favourites.
Ticket sales will be split between the artists and the individual venues/festivals, so you can be confident that your purchase will not only support McGoldrick, McCusker and Doyle at Christmas, but also your local venues, promoters and festivals.
Tickets are priced £12 - available here. Just tune in at 8pm, and a repeat stream is free for the 7 days after the show.
The December 27 edition of the Together In Electric Streams series will once more take place in Lost Lane, launching the long-awaited debut album, Staring At Clocks, from Bitch Falcon.
Supporting are garage rockers The Zen Arcade - check out their debut single 'Don't Say A Word'.
Tickets cost €12 here. Things kick off at 8pm.
To mark 20 years since his debut album Small Moments, iconic Irish singer-songwriter David Kitt will revisit 20 songs from his extensive back catalogue, performed at Lost Lane, Dublin on December 28.
Having chosen 20 songs to rerecord with Dublin Vinyl, Kitt's retrospective show will feature songs from the release, as well as new tracks and interviews to celebrate a career that has given us some of Ireland's finest songwriting moments.
Tickets cost €12 here. The show kicks off at 8pm.