Monthly Archives: February 2012

Event: Dublintellectual Presents Zombies: Are They Dead Yet?

  By Lisa McInerney | February 29, 2012 - 3:00 pm | Events, The Culch
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I don’t know if it’s a good idea for intellectuals to go around invoking zombies. Surely they’ve got the most to lose? Less concerned citizens than me may be interested in heading along to Dublintellectual‘s celebration of all things undead and slavering. The director of zombie flick Dead Meat, Conor McMahon, will be joined this Friday, 2nd of March, by Sarah Cleary* talking about the sex lives of zombies, Sorcha Ni Fhlainn on zombie soldiers, and Emma Radley on zombies in Irish cinema. The event takes place in The Back Loft, Augustine Street off Thomas St at 7pm. Entry’s €5 - but free for zombies - and it’s BYOB. I think that means Bring Your Own Brains. Oh Jesus! Be careful! * I misread this as “Sarah Carey”. My way’s better.

Culch Lent: We Can’t Give Up… Our iPods.

  By Lisa McInerney | February 29, 2012 - 12:07 pm | Random Whimsy, The Culch
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My iTunes is acting up again. It’s misreading file pathways and writing over metadata. It’s refusing to talk to Last.fm’s little audioscrobbler plug-in. It’s driving me up the wall, to such an extent that I woke up this morning worrying about it and wondering why I was only four inches from the ceiling. Such is the role that iTunes plays in my life. Such is my addiction to my iPod. I couldn’t give up my iPod, not for Holy God, not for any deity. It goes everywhere with me. It sits in its cradle by my desk while I’m working. It’s stuffed into my pocket whenever I leave the house. It’s jacked up to the car stereo as soon as I sit into the car, to ward off local country n’ western radio stations, or worse, Newstalk. I will go to hysterical lengths to get it just the right kind … There’s more →

Festival News: Looks Like We’re Off To Westport In June, Lads.

  By Lisa McInerney | February 29, 2012 - 9:00 am | Festivals, Music
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Why is it that every part of the West awakens except the part around me? Burren begrudgery aside, this is rather fantastic news. The first Westport Festival of Music and Performing Arts has been announced for Saturday June 23rd and Sunday June 24th, with the admirable mission statement of providing a grown-up festival for music fans who treasure their record collections. I only have an MP3-and-free-Mixmag-cds collection, but I do treasure it, and I’m glad somebody noticed. The secured line-up so far is pretty darn pleasing, featuring the likes of Seasick Steve, Ray Davies, Duke Special, The Waterboys, Alison Moyet, The Minutes, Jerry Fish, The Riptide Movement, and Bipolar Empire. Westport town is as much part of the festivities as the guitar-slingers - no closed site this - so attendees are basically getting the chance to explore one of the most beautiful parts of Ireland alongside hearing some seriously daycent choons. And … There’s more →

Culch Lent: We can’t give up… driving

  By Culch.ie | February 28, 2012 - 3:00 pm | Random Whimsy, The Culch
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All this week we’ll be talking about those things that we just couldn’t be without for 40 days and 40 nights. Today, Sinéad’s a little mollycoddled… I came late to driving. Not late to being behind the wheel of a car, just late to driving. Jesus, I was woeful. I started learning at the tender age of 17. My first great failing was my inability to successfully ease off the clutch and onto the accelerator in anything akin to a smooth movement. Sometimes we juddered forward, more often the engine cut out. Everyone starts out like that, of course – but not everyone keeps it up for weeks on end. Eventually able to propel the vehicle at a speed at least faster than walking (an achievement, after many weeks of giving myself whiplash against the seatbelt with violent spluttering halt after violent spluttering halt), I undertook to master being on … There’s more →

COMPETITION: Just Blaze at The Academy, Saturday 3rd.

  By Lisa McInerney | February 28, 2012 - 12:00 pm | Competitions, Gigs, Music, Site News
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Have you got glad rags? Fantastic. Get ‘em ironed, because you’re going out. Red Bull Music Academy is bringing hip-hop dynamo Just Blaze to the Academy (Green Room) this Saturday, 3rd March. Just Blaze has cut his gnashers producing hits for such luminaries as Jay-Z and Eminem, as well as having worked with Busta Rhymes, DMX, Snoop Dogg… yeah, basically everyone who’s anyone and back again. Support come from Krystal Klear and Olan All City, and tickets are priced at €10 and are available through Ticketmaster, unless, of course, you’re a lucky Culch reader. Oh yes. We’ve got five pairs of tickets to give away, should you street-urchinswise people fancy it. To chance your arm, all you have to do is leave a comment, saying “Gimme gimme!” or something to that effect. Just Blaze is in town as part of a Red Bull Music Academy Workshop, a special forum where … There’s more →

And The Oscar Went To…

  By Jen McShane | February 27, 2012 - 8:09 pm | Movies & TV
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It’s the night that all of the Hollywood elite come out and dress to impress with hopes of taking Oscar, now at the grand old age of 84, home to proudly display on their mantel. Last night marked the show that added the cherry on top of award season, the 84th Annual Academy Awards. For film buffs like myself, this ceremony is the highlight of the season as we sit up until the wee hours of the morning hoping that our favourites will take home the highly coveted gold statuette. A lot was riding on this year’s show, given last years disappointing Oscar hosts, the boring Anne Hathaway and James Franco, so we were delighted to see the legend that is Billy Crystal was back at the helm.

Culch Lent: We can’t give up… tea

  By Culch.ie | February 27, 2012 - 12:00 pm | Random Whimsy, The Culch
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All this week we’ll be talking about those things that we just couldn’t be without for 40 days and 40 nights. First up, White Rabbit’s love affair with the hot stuff… Someone once suggested that I give up Tea for Lent and I laughed in their face for 20 straight minutes long after they forgot what I was laughing at, became uncomfortable and left me stand there alone clutching my sides. HA. Give up Tea. That’s hilarious. Whilst they say that the normal human body is 70% water and 30% body goo (I don’t know, I’m not a Scientist), my body is 70% Tea. Cut me and I bleed Tea. The single worst day of my life was the 9th August 2010 - THE DAY WE RAN OUT OF TEA BAGS and the shop was closed so I had to wait until the morning. I roamed the streets, tears streaming down my face, … There’s more →

New Video: Imogen Heap - Xizi She Knows

  By Lisa McInerney | February 27, 2012 - 9:00 am | Music, Music Videos
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So, Imogen Heap is incredible. This is the beautiful video for Xizi She Knows, the fifth of the Heapsongs which will make up her new album. The video was shot in Hangzhou, China last December and is part of an upcoming film documenting Imogen’s 6 week residency in Hangzhou. The Heapsongs project is fantastically fan-centred and really very special. Each song will be completed and released individually, but will result in Imogen’s fourth solo album when jigsawed together, and the inspiration for each song comes from “sound seeds” - samples of everyday sounds - provided by fans. If you loved that video as I did, it’s really worth reading The Guardian’s interview with Imogen in which she talks about the China residency, the Heapsongs Project, and her fucking amazing relationship with her fans. The woman is a goddamn inspiration. I’m off to have a little cry now.

Pop Culture Show Pilot: The Format

  By Culch.ie | February 26, 2012 - 11:00 am | Featured Post, Movies & TV, The Culch, TV
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Over the past week we’ve been trying something new. The Format, our pop culture web TV experiment, is the result of many hours of planning, filming and editing. As it is a pilot, filmed in Culch Towers (AKA Darren and Sinéad’s apartment), we would really love to hear your feedback. How did we do? What works? What would you change? Should we keep it up? What would you like to see us covering if we do? Any and all thoughts would be appreciated - we’re on a learning curve and we want to be better able to produce a show that viewer’s can have input on and look forward to. Oh, make sure you look out for the great viewer competition from Meteor. We wanted to bring together all of the many topics we cover on Culch.ie, present them to you in a different way, show you what we look … There’s more →

Comedy Review: Simon O’Keeffe @ The Workman’s Club

  By Amanda | February 24, 2012 - 3:00 pm | Comedy
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Last Saturday Simon O’Keeffe took the jump from headlining various comedy clubs around Dublin and MC’ing the Capital Comedy Club to presenting us with his own one man show Neighbourhood #1 (Love, Sex and the Northside) at the Workman’s Club. Providing support to Simon on the night was Matt Saddlier whose randomness made for some interesting comedy. From observations such as how the Olympic committee could convince the English darts team to walk about the track during the open ceremony to describing the correct way to eat a KitKat bar (if you don’t know God help you around Matt), he had the audience chuckling away in their seats. Matt is a great storyteller and is easy to listen to which is a bonus. After a short break it was Simon’s big moment. As he walked out on stage wearing a shirt and a tie my initial thought was ‘he’s made … There’s more →

Interview: Andrew Stanley

  By Sinead Keogh | February 24, 2012 - 12:00 pm | Comedy, Events, Gigs
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Comedian Andrew Stanley is probably best known around these parts as the regular MC at The International Bar, but the Swords funnyman is about to do his very first solo show and he had a chat to us about what we can expect from ‘Come On‘, his comedy influences, and being an armchair sports commentator on The Twitter… Your show is called ‘Come On’. What inspired the name and what can we expect from your debut solo offering? Well I needed a title that was simple and that was it. I will be saying lots of things on stage that people probably won’t believe happened so they’ll be thinking ‘Oh Come Onnnnn!!!’ You’re one of the most recognisable faces on the Dublin comedy scene. Has ‘Come On’ been put together from smaller sets or is it all new material? It’s a mixture of both. A lot of the time when I am … There’s more →

Movie News: Och, it’s a clip from Brave!

  By Lisa McInerney | February 23, 2012 - 6:02 pm | Movies & TV
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Ok, so I usually hate the kind of animation that has all the women as lollipop-headed waifs and all the men as walking sofas, but I still loved this. Disney Pixar says: Since ancient times, stories of epic battles and mystical legends have been passed through the generations across the rugged and mysterious Highlands of Scotland. In “Brave,” a new tale joins the lore when the courageous Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald) confronts tradition, destiny and the fiercest of beasts. Merida is a skilled archer and impetuous daughter of King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson). Determined to carve her own path in life, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the uproarious lords of the land: massive Lord MacGuffin (voice of Kevin McKidd), surly Lord Macintosh (voice of Craig Ferguson) and cantankerous Lord Dingwall (voice of Robbie Coltrane). Merida’s actions inadvertently unleash chaos … There’s more →

New Irish Music: Jerome’s Law

  By Lisa McInerney | February 22, 2012 - 4:00 pm | Music
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MOAR IRISH MUSIC! MOAR! One more for the road! Jerome’s Law are an indie-pop band from Dublin whose album Not Today is available (even today) from Bandcamp. For freebies! We do love a good freebie here on Culch, especially when it’s as full of delicious ditties as Not Today, and these boys know how to put a tune together. Both Throwing Stones and Say The Word soar without overworking that classic balladry build-up, and Kicking In The Brain is a finger-snapping frolic that’s only getting better with each play, and a serious contender for Irish Song Most Likely To Make You Do The Leo Strut 2012. Seriously charming. Give ‘em a spin.

New Irish Music: Valentine Black

  By Lisa McInerney | February 22, 2012 - 12:30 pm | Music
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I told you we had a medley of fresh new Irish stuff, didn’t I? Have a sprinkle of this. Kildare’s Valentine Black released debut album Desire Lines on Valentine’s Day, because like our John, he loves it when a plan comes together. With a more than a dash of Springsteen in these songs about love, loss, and post-Tiger Ireland, Valentine Black is probably a lasher in a live setting. I say probably because I’m not able to head out and see him for myself, because I’ve got no money, I’m not content, my mortgage is a fallacy and I’m just paying rent. Yes, I’m paraphrasing. While Desire Lines is occasionally overwrought, sometimes veering into mawkishness, Valentine Black is also capable of moments of genuine brilliance. In The Dead Of The Night is an eerily catchy murder ballad, with disturbing lyrics belted out with cocky cool, and it’s the standout track on the album. Desire Lines … There’s more →