• 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…

  • Open Ear Festival

    May 16, 2016 - By 

    With the perfectly gallant promise of hosting “the best experimental music Ireland has to offer (and the occasional dance floor banger)” the inaugural Open Ear Festival takes place at the  scenic Sherkin Island off the coast of Cork this June Bank Holiday from June 3-5. Inspired in equal parts by the wealth of diverse electronic music talent in Ireland by other alternative festivals including Unsound in Krakow to Rathin off the coast of Antrim, the organisers hope Open Ear will “carve out a unique space in what is a crowded Irish festival landscape.” Making the mark from the off, this…

  • Absolut Stage Announced for Body & Soul

    May 13, 2016 - By 

    Promising to explode with beats, drinks, midsummer vibes and theatrical spectacle, the line-up for the Absolut stage at this year’s Body & Soul has been revealed. Curated by Arveene, Midsummer Nights by Absolut will host the likes of Irish/Canadian duo Deadbots, Extended Play Record’s Timmy Stewart, Get Down Edits, Billy Scurry, DJ Deece, Mother DJs, Claire Beck, LUMO DJs, Fish Go Deep, Donal Dineen, RSAG, Rory Philips and Stevie G over three days and nights at Ballinlough Estate from June 17-19. Check out the full Absolut line-up below and go here to buy tickets to this year’s festival.

  • Battle of the Bay 2016

    May 16, 2016 - By 

    Doubling up as their 10th birthday outing, Dublin’s Dollymount Strand will play host to this year’s Battle of the Bay Watersport Festival on Saturday May 28 and Sunday, May 29. Having steadily grown as one of the best free family weekends in the Irish summer calendar, the festival will play host to sun, sand, kites and surfboards as both Ireland the world’s best kitesurfers descent on the beach to showcase their skills. With over 10k visitors expected over the weekend, this year’s festival will also include DJ sets all days, live music from Rachel McCormack, The Ukelele Band, Anti-One, Evil Empire, Silent Interlude,…

  • Body & Soul Announce New Arena & Acts

    May 11, 2016 - By 

    Few Summer music festivals – Irish or otherwise – manage to so successfully nail a sense of life-affirming magic quite like Body & Soul. Set to return to Co. Westmeath’s Ballinlough Castle from June 17-19, it’s been announced that this year’s festival will feature Second Nature, a brand new, “enchanted menagerie of lush music, contemporary performance, immersive, nature-based art and Zen-like pockets of peace, nestled among the centuries-old oaks, pines and ash trees of Ballinlough Castle’s forest.” Sounds pretty wonderful, doesn’t it? At the heart of the new arena (which also features the likes of The Sanctuary, Solas Bath House,…

  • Dublin City Block Party Announce Bill

    May 5, 2016 - By 

    Originally a one-off, one-day event held in 2014, Dublin City Block Party have revealed Todd Terje & The Olsens, Dusky, Matthew Herbert and Leon Vynehall are amongst the names set to appear at this year’s street festival at Tivoli Grounds & District 8 on Saturday July 2 and Sunday July 3. Returning with an expanded festival set-up over three indoor and outdoor stages, music, food and games are the order the day for this year’s Block Party. Check out the full day-to-day line-up below. Saturday, July 2 Dusky, Matthew Herbert Leon Vynehall, Huxley, Greg Wilson Danny L Harle, Harvey Sutherland (Live) DJ Deece,…

  • Canalaphonic Unveil First Line-Up

    May 4, 2016 - By 

    With more than 120 acts set to participate, Dublin’s community-based Canalaphonic Music and Culture Festival have unveiled its first acts set to perform across September 23 and 24. Having made its inaugural outing last year, Rocstrong, The Eskies, Zaska, Mongrel State, Barq, Mongoose, Sinead White, The Word Up Collective, Mother Mooch, Late City Edition, Fox E and the Good Hands, Travis Oaks, Homebeat and T.A.S.T.E are amongst the first wave of artists and events to be announced. An ongoing collaboration between Dublin City Council’s South East Area Office and Abner Browns Barbershop, the festival will launch at Copan Rathmines tomorrow (Thursday,…

  • Castlepalooza Add More Acts

    April 26, 2016 - By 

    With the likes of Caribou (pictured), Jurassic 5, Villagers and Cat Power already announced, Castlepalooza have added a host of new acts to its 2016 bill. Set to take place across Friday, July 1 to Sunday, July 3 at Tullamore’s Charleville Castle, the following acts making up the latest additions: Lisa O’Neill, Son Lux, Lynched, Policia, Steve Davis & Kavus Torabi (DJ & pool set), Little Scream, Slow Reader’s Club, Daithi, Hare Squead, New Jackson, Daphni, Field Music, I Am The Cosmos, Prins Thomas, Let’s Eat Grandma, Jarbird, Toby Kaar, I Have A Tribe, All the Luck in the World, Paddy…

  • Carlow Arts Festival Reveals 2016 Programme

    April 25, 2016 - By 

    Set to make its grand 37th outing – a surefire feat in itself – the programme for this year’s Carlow Arts Festival has been revealed. Celebrating all the very best of cultural Carlow, this year’s festival – which runs from June 10-19 – is divided into three strands: the Borris Festival of Writing and Ideas from June 10-12, floating mini-festival Barges on the Barrow from June 14-16 and the festival latest addition, The Big Weekender, which runs from June 16-19. With family fun at the core of this year’s festival, Le Galaxie DJs, Hothouse Flowers with Lisa Lambe, David Kitt,…