Monthly Archives: January 2012

Events: Captains Live Comedy celebrates its 2nd Birthday.

  By Amanda | January 17, 2012 - 6:35 pm | Comedy, Events
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Captains Live Comedy, in Captain America’s in Tallaght, celebrates its 2nd birthday on the 26th January. During its 2 years, the club has gone from strength to strength and as if they don’t already spoil their customers, to help celebrate their birthday they have some great Irish comedians on the line up. Topping the bill is the whirlwind that is Fred Cooke. Fred performs a unique playful brand of musical comedy to audiences throughout Ireland and abroad. Hopefully the sunstroke will have eased off, and he gets the sand out of his h*le from his recent stint at the McGettigan’s Irish Comedyfest in Dubai.

The Real Traditional Irish Music Session

  By Peter | January 13, 2012 - 2:16 pm | Music, The Culch
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It might not look like a place for a thumping night and due to life and natural cycles the trad session in Ballyboughal did take a mild reprieve [Dont we all do that], possibly explaining why it hasn’t appeared in my audio stream for some time. But it’s back…. and it seems better than ever before. Sometimes, it doesn’t even make sense, to some, when I explain this outside of Ireland; That it costs nothing. Nothing to enter or to listen to the music. That the musicians don’t get paid and - yet they come here, to play and to listen. Not in its favour ? In case you haven’t gathered, it’s no city centre superpub. Just for the pure craic.

Movie Review: Shame

  By Tony McD | January 13, 2012 - 12:52 pm | Movies & TV
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You’ll probably have already heard rumblings about the sexy new adventure Michael Fassbender embarks upon in his newest film Shame. With that in mind, here’s a disclaimer: you will see Michael Fassbender naked in this film. There is full frontal nudity and some sex scenes that might grace a late-night cable channel. If you’re looking for hardcore action…well, you’re already on the internet, what are you doing reading this? If that bothers you don’t go and see this film. Otherwise, read on! With that out of the way, let’s move on to the film itself. Shame sees Fassbender team up once more with Hunger writer/director Steve McQueen. For anybody who still doesn’t know, he’s not that Steve McQueen but rather a big black British guy who is excellent at making films. This story follows Brandon (Fassbender), a successful New York businessman who is addicted to sex. When his sister Sissy … There’s more →

Events: The Quiet Pint present “2012 The Year of the Dragon”

  By Amanda | January 12, 2012 - 12:00 pm | Comedy
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Are you a dragon? Do you like dressing up as a dragon? As bizarre as that sounds, it might just get you in for free at the next Quiet Pint comedy gig in 4 Dame Lane on January 25th! With Quiet Pint regulars, Hugh O’Connor, Declan Bruton and Matthew Smyth, the Quiet Pint are delighted to welcome The Jack Gleeson for his debut gig. There will also be a headliner, but just like any other Quiet Pint gig the lads are playing their cards close to their chests, though previous guests have included Jarlath Regan; Dead Cat Bounce; Colm O’ Regan; Andrew Stanley; WitTank; Chris Kent; Foil, Arms and Hog; and A Betrayal of Penguins so ye know the calibre of guests we are talking about here. Come one, come all and make sure to bring your friends. Unless they’re made of ice or wood. That may not be prudent … There’s more →

2 New Shows for The Gaeity Theatre: Plaza Suite & Improbable Frequency

  By Peter | January 12, 2012 - 10:30 am | The Culch, Theatre
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Following its hugely successful, Irish Times Theatre Award nominated production of The Importance of Being Earnest starring Stockard Channing in June 2010, award-winning theatre company Rough Magic are delighted to return to Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre with not one but two shows in early 2012. Rough Magic proudly presents Neil Simon’s hit comedy PLAZA SUITE For 14 performances only February 20 – March 3, 2012 at the Gaiety Theatre “If only walls could talk…well in Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite they do just that’ Having entertained sell-out audiences in the Pavilion Theatre in Dún Laoghaire last July and following a nationwide tour next January and February, Rough Magic bring their highly acclaimed production of Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite to the Gaiety Theatre for two weeks only from February 20th to March 3rd 2012. Praised by the New York Times as ‘an impossibly zany new musical’, Improbable Frequency is a tale of spies, physics, … There’s more →

Meteor Choice Prize Shortlist Revealed

  By Sinead Keogh | January 11, 2012 - 3:44 pm | Gigs, Music
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The just announced Meteor Choice Music Prize shortlist… and the nominees are (drum roll, if you please): (PS we included a song with each one just in case you’re totally morto about any that you haven’t heard of) And So I Watch You From Afar – Gangs (Richter Collective) Bell X1 – Bloodless Coup (Belly Up Records) Cashier No 9 – To The Death Of Fun (Bella Union)

New Video: Fanfarlo’s “Shiny Things”.

  By Lisa McInerney | January 11, 2012 - 2:30 pm | Music
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I still maintain that Fanfarlo’s “I’m A Pilot” is the most sublime free download on LastFM (you can nab it for yourself here), so my expectations were higher than my Junior Cert art teacher* for the indie-pop darlings’ new song, “Shiny Things“. Expectations, consider yourselves well met. Here’s the perplexingly daft video for Shiny Things. You wouldn’t see this kind of carry-on on Got To Dance. Ashley Banjo is many things, but a crafter of gymnastic golems is not one of them (we think). Shiny Things is from Fanfarlo’s second album, Rooms Filled With Light, which is due at the end of February. *Might be hyperbole, might be a lie. Might be that I never even took art.

’365davesofcomedy’ - Dave O’Gorman, A Year In Comedy

  By Amanda | January 11, 2012 - 12:00 pm | Comedy
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Dave O’Gorman is a comedian with a plan. A plan to do comedy for a year and tell the world about it day by day, step by step. So what’s it all about, I hear you ask? Well, Dave explains it better than I can. “Basically, ’365davesofcomedy’ is about me returning to comedy. After finding my way on stage after working in the Laughter Lounge whilst in college, and then getting into comedy in the Ha’Penny one night and then gigging for about 2 years in which I setup Comedy Ireland.ie and ran gigs in Whelan’s, Pygmalion and The Twisted Pepper, plus in Kilkenny, I have returned to see how good or bad it can be to do comedy for 1 year.” Here is a short video of Dave on stage.

Spirit of Folk 2012 - Call for band submissions

  By Culch.ie | January 11, 2012 - 10:30 am | Festivals, Gigs, Music
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If you’re a regular reader of Culch then you’ll know what an amazing time myself (Anto), Peter Donegan and Brian Greene had at Spirit of Folk 2011 (Day 1, Day 2 & Day 3 posts). It was a brilliant weekend from start to finish and brought together some amazing acts and people. 2012 is set to be bigger and the guys have just put out a call for band submissions. As they say themselves: We’re looking for folk music in the broadest sense. We’re looking for American folk, Irish Trad., bluegrass, folk rock, country and anything that fits our festival. Last year we had bands as broad ranging as St. John the Gambler’s eastern influenced, stomping Alt. Folk to Lisa O’Neill’s tender folk ballads. There’s no reason why this year’s line up can’t be just as diverse. Folk in its most basic sense is the music of the people so … There’s more →

Events: Comedy and Karaoke in Lucan

  By Amanda | January 11, 2012 - 9:00 am | Comedy, Events, Gigs, Music
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I reviewed Lucan Comedy Cavern a little while ago. I really enjoyed the night. It’s a great venue for comedy and very welcoming and warming. Not content with just running a comedy club however, Gary Lynch, the man behind the club has decided to branch out into karaoke from this Friday. So not only will you be treated to 2 hours (or thereabouts) of comedy from the likes of Gerry McBride and Ashley Strand, but for those brave enough, the stage is yours to sing to your heart’s content. I sat down with Gary during the week to find out why they chose this new turn of events: “Well basically, we saw that after the comedy finished on the nights, people were still finishing drinks and they didn’t seem to be in a hurry to leave, and we wanted to give our customers something extra, and of course have a … There’s more →

Movie Trailer: Shame

  By Sinead Keogh | January 10, 2012 - 4:50 pm | Movies & TV
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It’s Michael Fassbendmeover time! Giddy with excitement and filled with dread (like when your iPod shuffles from Coldplay to Steps and the clash of emotion makes you want to jump around while crying). We’ve all excited about the sexy Fass times but we’ve also heard it’s a bleak tale that will leave you feeling horribly, horribly empty… Our review will be here tomorrow.

New (Free!) Music: White Rabbits’ “Heavy Metal”

  By Lisa McInerney | January 10, 2012 - 4:36 pm | Music
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This was a seriously pleasant surprise. Not the quality of the track - New York/Missouri band White Rabbits have been treating us to quality tuneage since 2007′s superb Fort Nightly - but how goddamn sexy this is. Heavy Metal is a slice of dirty, dusky funk-rock where one might expect the Rabbits’ customary punk-polka, and I like it very, very much. With new album Milk Famous due this March, Heavy Metal is available now as a free teaser for fans and a hook for new initiates. You should love it. Download it in exchange for your email address here.

Comedy Review: Kusanta Comedy Club

  By Amanda | January 10, 2012 - 3:00 pm | Comedy
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On the 29th December, I returned to my old stomping ground of Tallaght to review Kusanta Comedy Club. To be honest I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. What I got was a fun-filled night full of laughter. As a venue for comedy Kusanta works very well. It’s quite a large room and when I arrived it was pretty much packed to capacity; always a good sign of course! There was a good mix of people in the crowd, ranging from the young people to the older generation, which was nice to see for a change. At the front door I was greeted warmly and while standing taking in the room, I was asked if I was looking for seats. This all added to a feel-good experience, even before the comedy began. Our MC for the night was Gunther (aka Barry Murphy). Gunther was a German native who was living … There’s more →

Top 10 Movies to Watch 2012

  By Sue Murphy | January 10, 2012 - 9:00 am | Movies & TV
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1. The Dark Knight Rises Every Christopher Nolan project is shrouded in secrecy, but what we do know about The Dark Knight Rises makes it arguably the most anticipated film of 2012. With a release date in July, this will be the blockbuster of the summer. Tom Hardy plays Bane, Anne Hathaway Catwoman and an all-star cast which includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt may be a clue to how this trilogy will end. Fanboys have been circulating theories for months, but one fact is well known; this will be Nolan’s last Batman project as director and he will most definitely go out with a bang. 2. The Avengers All those side projects (Captain America, Iron Man, Thor) have been leading up to the big one. Oh, and by the way, 2012 will be Tom Hiddleston’s year…