Monthly Archives: August 2011

Events: Laughalot Comedy Improv @ The Duke

  By Amanda | August 25, 2011 - 9:00 am | Comedy
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Hot off the success of their recent Long Form Improv shows launched in the Sugar Club, No Drama Theatre’s Laughalot Improv Troupe are back with their unique style of improv comedy! Audience inspired, the performers will take your suggestions to a new level of improv exaltation! There will be funneh, there will be drama, there will be pathos, there will be a teeny cover charge of €5. So get down to see Dublin’s most cutting edge comedy improv troupe! Thursday 25th August 2011 (That’s tonight!) 9pm The Duke Pub Duke Street (Off Grafton Street)

RTÉ New Season: Audition Dates for ‘The Voice’ Being Decided

  By Culch.ie | August 24, 2011 - 1:02 pm | Movies & TV
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Maybe you already know that smash hit show The Voice is coming to Ireland. If you don’t, here’s the skinny: Four famous coaches who are at the top of their game in the music business will be competing to secure the best vocalists from the auditions to mentor and guide to victory.   Different to all other talent shows, The Voice is looking for real vocal talent only. The first stage in the contest is the unique Blind Audition, where coaches hear contestants perform but don’t see them, meaning everyone is judged on vocal talent alone. Appearance, age, style don’t come into it-this competition is all about the Voice, not the looks! The blind auditions are followed by the battle stages, where each coach pits two of their contestants against each other, where only one will make it through to the live stage shows. Our four coaches, together with their professional teams, will use their knowledge and … There’s more →

New FLORENCE on the way

  By seanear1ey | August 24, 2011 - 12:30 pm | The Culch
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She has red hair. She looks vaguely like she wanders the moors looking for Heathcliff. She played every venue and festival to the point where we all thought ‘come off it, let’s hear some new stuff’. It can only be Florence Welch. Flo returns with her machine all dusted down with a new sound. Still debating on whether I like this or not. It is definitely reminiscient of the track on Twilight’s Eclipse soundtrack. (Which was the last outing of new material consequently.) The harps are still here but perhaps not as dominant. ‘What the Water Gave Me’ heralds an emergence of a slightly darker sound. No funtime ‘Kiss With A Fist’ or swooningly in love sounding ‘Cosmic Love’ vibes are to be found here, no sir. We are expecting a new album eventually, and it is long overdue. But for now, the single is available to download from here … There’s more →

Events: Spirit of Folk Festival 23 - 25th September 2011

  By Peter | August 24, 2011 - 11:50 am | Festivals, The Culch
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post update: the culch.ie guide to: the spirit of folk If I was ever to find an alternate to the early days of Electric Picnic, I think this is the closest I will get…. I say I think, coz it is Year 1 [of many, I hope] for the event. Before you might ask: yes, I shall be going to the ball. Never heard of it ? Here’s the low down….. Type: Boutique Festival Name: Spirit of Folk festival Dates: September 23 to 25 2011 Venue: The stunning grounds of Dunderry Park, Co. Meath More important bullet points: Tickets: €95 for w/e camping pass, €59 Saturday Only. Kids under 12 free. Buy them at: tickets.ie or direct from Dunderry Park - call 046 90 74455 NOTE: no alcohol will be sold on site - those who enjoy a tipple should bring their own [organisers official note]. They say: the friendliest … There’s more →

New Comedy: Niamh Marron

  By Amanda | August 24, 2011 - 9:17 am | Comedy
3 Comments

So I love my comedy, I really do. I love good comedy. I have yet to find many good female comedians. So imagine my delight when I came across Niamh Marron supporting Gearoid Farrelly in Whelan’s last Thursday night? She is possibly one of the funniest female comedians I have seen in a long time, her sense of humour is filthy but somehow is not uncomfortable…. She is definitely one to watch out for! Hilariously funny and she’s from Monaghan which I am reliably told means she’s just mad anyway! Here she is in action (I couldn’t find a decent video of her so she’s at 1.59) Enjoy!

Oh Tom, you cookie old thing, of course we’ll buy your album #piracyiswrong

  By Darren Byrne | August 23, 2011 - 7:56 pm | Music, The Culch
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I love Tom Waits. I adore him. His melancholic, depressing, morbid, growling, gloomy tones make me feel bouncy happy. If Misery is the River of the World, he is my boat. Or at least a dinghy (perhaps with a slow puncture). Maybe he’s a plank of wood or a barrel that I can latch hold of. Sorry, hang on, what? Yes, my metaphor drifted away from me. My point is: I love his music. And with so many years between each release, the anticipation of a new album is always high. His new album, Bad As Me, his first new studio album in seven years, will be released on October 25th and in his preview video he takes a shot at those who would dare to share his music…on the the interwebs…prior to its release date. What if I called you first and I said, ‘Betty, you know, is pregnant.’ … There’s more →

Album Review: Arctic Monkeys - Suck it and See

  By Peter | August 23, 2011 - 4:00 pm | Music
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It was years ago when Radiohead did Creep, later when The Frames cranked out Revelate, and reeling on the years when Arctic Monkeys blew my head off at volume level number max factor five bizillion with extra added throttle that I and most of us saw Arctic Monkeys do this: Their debut album became the fastest-selling debut album in British music history, surpassing Oasis’ Definitely Maybe and remains the fastest-selling debut album for a band in the UK I’m not saying the band haven’t done much since, I’m not….. just bear with me here…. all I’m saying is it did not have the same impact. Album no. 4 however may just do it for you. I of course intended on giving it the 10 second sampler leaf through, but before I could do that the intro song She’s Thunderstorms grabbed my attention. With an odd sort of Pixies-type guitar solo … There’s more →

The MUPPETS are coming…

  By seanear1ey | August 23, 2011 - 1:08 pm | Movies & TV, The Culch
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We are ALL very excited about the impending Disney production of The Muppets starring Jason Segal, Kermit the Frog, Amy Adams, Miss Piggy and more! Looking likely to be released early 2012, it’s going to be nothing short of amazing. However, what tickles us EVEN MORE is the fact that the fantastic OK Go were solicited to re-work the theme song for said film. In usual OK Go style the video is fantastic. Without further ado here it is. Thank us later. The single is available from Warner Music soon!

Competition: Win tickets to a Preview Screening of Troll Hunter

  By Sinead Keogh | August 23, 2011 - 11:34 am | Competitions, Featured Post, Movies & TV
43 Comments

Fancy a pair of tickets to a preview screening of Troll Hunter on September 5th? Keep reading. Norway’s box office smash Troll Hunter was written and directed by Andre Ovredal and stars Glenn Tosterud, Otto Jesperson, Johanna Mørck and Tomas Alf Larsen. Troll Hunter opens with a group of students investigating a spate of bear shootings who soon become suspicious of a mysterious loner in a beaten up Land Rover who’s been spotted at every incident. Following him, they discover that the dead bears aren’t the worst of their problems. He’s the last remaining troll hunter - protecting the innocent from an ancient and deadly threat across the remotest mountains, deepest fjords and treacherous arctic tundra of Norway - and he’s their only hope. To celebrate the Irish release of Troll Hunter which hits cinemas on September 9th, we have double passes available to a special screening of the film … There’s more →

Comedy Review: Gearoid Farrelly “Turbulence”

  By Amanda | August 23, 2011 - 9:05 am | Comedy
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Gearoid Farrelly is fast becoming the new darling of Irish comedy. His new show “Turbulence” sold out in Whelan’s last Thursday night. I caught up with him in the swanky surroundings of the upstairs of Whelan’s before the gig for a chat about the gig and life in general! Where did the name come from for the show? Well when you are thinking of a name for a show, you have to think of three or four and then the one you don’t cross out is the one you stick with. I had others like Little Bumps but that didn’t quite work and Turbulence was the only one that I didn’t cross out so that’s what it became What can we expect from the show? It’s about what stresses me out in life. It’s about the little bumps that I have had to deal with during my life time. Breakups, … There’s more →

Events: Live Webchat with Noel Gallagher happening now!

  By Sinead Keogh | August 22, 2011 - 6:54 pm | Celebs, Events, Music, The Internet
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Get over to his Facebook Page sharpish because Noel Gallagher is doing a live webchat to give fans a chance to ask him questions about his upcoming live dates, the release of High Flying Birds or anything else that takes their fancy. You can submit questions through Facebook or on Twitter using the hashtag #AskNoel and if you can’t tune in right this minute, it’s being recorded and will be up on his YouTube channel later on. That’s all then… shove off.

The Podcast Sessions #1: Freakonomics

  By Peter | August 22, 2011 - 11:57 am | Podcasts
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Description: a podcast, a biweekly segment on Marketplace, and a series of one-hour programs broadcasted on public radio stations across the country [that be the US I'll assume]. Hosts: Stephen Levitt and Stephen Dubner Their Description: It began when New York journalist and author Stephen J. Dubner went to Chicago to write about award-winning economist Steven D. Levitt for The New York Times Magazine. Dubner had been reluctant to take the assignment (he was in the middle of writing a book about the psychology of money). Levitt was reluctant to be shadowed by a journalist (but his mother loved the Times Magazine, so he gave in). The article came out, and led to an unexpected partnership. Levitt and Dubner wrote Freakonomics, a book about cheating teachers, bizarre baby names, self-dealing Realtors, and crack-selling mama’s boys. They figured it would sell about 80 copies. Instead, it took up long-term residency on … There’s more →

Sweary’s Jaw: A Novel Interpretation

  By Lisa McInerney | August 22, 2011 - 9:00 am | Books, Celebs, Featured Post, Gossip, Sweary's Jaw, The Culch
2 Comments

If you confessed to not knowing who the Kardashians were, far from sneering at your blissful ignorance, I think I’d have to kiss you. There are so few innocents left in the world. A kiss would be the least I could do. Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian are a veritable Cerberus of inanity and lip gloss, three vessels equally vapid and privileged and about as relevant to the real world as the threat of Godzilla. Everything about them is for sale – their weddings, their fallings-out, their bloating concerns, their likes and dislikes. Stars of a number of shiny, stupid shows, they truly epitomise reality TV, for though their carry-on is as planned and scripted as an episode of Sex and The City, actresses they are not. Their reality is TV. Their reality is celebrity. They exist privately to exist publicly, which is as sad for the onlooker as it … There’s more →

ESB Launch Online Treasure Hunt for Electric Picnic Tickets

  By Sinead Keogh | August 21, 2011 - 2:34 pm | Festivals, Gigs
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ESB Electric Ireland are running an online treasure hunt to win Electric Picnic tickets kicking off tomorrow, Monday August 22nd and finishing Friday August 26th. Online you say? Yes. Using the hashtag #sharetheenergy combined with a Live Google Map and Facebook App, users can find the five secret locations where the Electric Ireland Sparkheads are waiting with the tickets. Would be festival-goers simply need to tweet #Sharetheenergy. The more the hashtag is tweeted, the closer the map will zoom into where the tickets are hidden. Then, a special code word is revealed along with the exact details of the secret location where the Electric Ireland Sparkheads are waiting with the tickets. Once Tweeters have the location details they can use the mobile version of the map and the race begins as they make their way to the location to find the hidden Sparkhead for real. The first person to find … There’s more →

Comedy: Looking for something to do tonight?

  By Amanda | August 21, 2011 - 11:55 am | Comedy
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Capital Comedy Club are fast approaching 2000 fans on Facebook, they must be doing something right! This Sunday they have a great line up of comedians: PAUL TYLAK Has appeared on The Savage Eye, Stew, Father Ted, Be More Ethnic and loads more. Paul headlines all over the country and has quite literally played all over the world. FJ MURRAY An award winning comedian, FJ plays all over Ireland and the UK and has appeared The Savage Eye MATT SADDLIER A nationwide headliner in his own right, Matt has been handpicked by no less than Eddie Izzard and Neil Delamere to open for them in Vicar Street.   The night will be hosted by the one and only Simon O’Keefe who I can confirm is one funny dude! Head along to the Capital Comedy Club, Ha’Penny Bridge Inn (Upstairs) for 9pm, show starts at 9.30. Tickets are 7e or 5e for … There’s more →