• Another Love Story 2016

    August 9, 2016 - By 

    Easily our favourite small Irish summer festival, Another Love Story returns to the sublime Killyon Manor in Co. Meath from August 19-21. With less than a month to go until this year’s outing, organisers Happenings and Homebeat have revealed their final line-up, including their first ever international act, Sweden’s Badlands. With a host of live acts and DJs including Talos (pictured), Slow Skies, SlowPlaceLikeHome, Lastertom, Somadrone, Carriages and Ships set to make an appearance, the return of The Library and a veritable cornucopia of theatrical and artistic happenings (see full line-up poster below) will take place over the weekend. Tickets are priced…

  • First Acts Announced for Metropolis 2016

    August 9, 2016 - By 

    Following a massive inaugural outing last year, Dublin festival Metropolis have revealed Grace Jones, DJ Shadow, Solomun and Moderat are amongst the first acts set to play its second installment from November 3-5. Presented by POD and Hidden Agenda, this year’s festival will return to RDS at the end of the year after a sell-out first year. Set in the industrial array of warehouses and venues with the RDS complex, the indoor event offers a tapestry of music, art installation performance and conversation over 6 days. With many more acts still to be announced, SBTRKT (DJ Set), Booka Shade –…

  • Electric Picnic Reveal Hazel Wood Area

    August 1, 2016 - By 

    The constant evolution and expansion of Electric Picnic has long been one of the annual Laois festival’s biggest draws. Set to return to Stradbally Estate from September 2-4, organisers have revealed its latest extension: a new area called Hazel Wood that offers “mesmerising storytelling through interactive theatre, immersive hauntings, shadow puppetry, visual displays, commedia dell’arte workshops, visual art and much, much more”. And to mark the new area’s debut outing, festival-goers will be given the opportunity to hear Cathy Davey’s forthcoming new album live and in full on the Friday night. Davey said, “Because this album was written in the forest I had fairly…

  • Open House Festival 2016

    August 1, 2016 - By 

    With a host of lovingly-compiled, brilliantly diverse outings behind them, Open House Festival will return to Bangor from August 1-30. With 125 events taking place in more than 40 venues in the Northern Irish seaside town, music, film, food & drink, theatre, literature, comedy, art, magic, mystery, dance and lectures is – as ever – the perfectly balanced order of the day for the annual Bangor festival. Amongst the highlights in this year’s programme are a 40th anniversary show by The Damned, Iron & Wine, a 70th birthday tribute to former AC/DC frontman Bon Scott, Ian Rankin, Tom Robinson and returning Bangor songstress…

  • The Beatyard 2016

    July 29, 2016 - By 

    Featuring everyone from Parliament/Funkadelic legend George Clinton, Roy Ayers and Jape to Lee Scratch Perry, Rubberbandits and Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, The Beatyard will make a no doubt victorious return to Dublin’s Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Saturday July 30 and Sunday July 31. With tickets available to buy here, the August Bank Holiday weekender festival – presented by Beck’s – will also include The Eatyard (including Brewtonic Carinvale, Bread & Bones and The Big Blue Bus), Studioyard featuring The Bernard Shaw Flea, ADW Art, Tasty Threads and more, as well as Kidsyard, promising “imaginosity” (we like the sound of that…

  • Longitude 2016: Saturday

    July 19, 2016 - By 

    The sun ushers in a sold out audience to the second day of Longitude 2016. After a Friday that was on the verge of ruin due to an over aggressive, extremely young audience, Saturday seems to have drawn a much softer crowd and it’s well needed. First off, Rejjie Snow (below) continues the hip-hop focus of the weekend with a blend of recognised tracks and new cuts. With the energy and stage presence of a performer far beyond his experience, Snow captivates his early afternoon audience. His new material has a vibrant toughness unseen before and it looks like his upcoming…

  • Another Love Story Reveal Final Line-up

    July 13, 2016 - By 

    Easily our favourite small Irish summer festival, Another Love Story returns to the sublime Killyon Manor in Co. Meath from August 19-21. With just over a month to go until this year’s outing, organisers Happenings and Homebeat have revealed their final line-up, including their first ever international act, Sweden’s Badlands. With a host of live acts and DJs including Talos, Slow Skies, SlowPlaceLikeHome, Lastertom, Somadrone, Carriages and Ships set to make an appearance, the return of The Library and a veritable cornucopia of theatrical and artistic happenings (see full line-up poster below) will take place over the weekend. Tickets are priced…

  • Open House Festival 2016 Launched

    May 26, 2016 - By 

    With a host of lovingly-compiled, brilliantly diverse outings behind them, Open House Festival have launched the expectedly stellar programme for their 2016 outing in August. With 125 events taking place in more than 40 venues in the Northern Irish seaside town, music, film, food & drink, theatre, literature, comedy, art, magic, mystery, dance and lectures is – as ever – the perfectly balanced order of the day for the annual Bangor festival. Amongst the highlights in this year’s programme are a 40th anniversary show by The Damned, Iron & Wine, a 70th birthday tribute to former AC/DC frontman Bon Scott, Ian Rankin,…

  • Down With Jazz

    May 24, 2016 - By 

    Returning for their 5th edition, Down With Jazz will once again take over and transform Dublin’s Meeting House Square in Temple Bar this June bank holiday weekend (June 4/5). With a stellar line-up including ambient folk from Dublin-born, London-based improvising vocalist Lauren Kinsella AKA Snowpoet (pictured), “two-horns-no-chords” quartet ReDiviDeR, the masterful, guitar-based Weird Glitches and Dublin guitarist, rapper and composer Zaska, organisers said “we’re following in the centenary theme of 2016, on the basis it is roughly 100 years since the birth of jazz (the early jazz period considered to be 1916-1922) which we feel juxtaposes nicely with the struggle for Irish freedom and…