Monthly Archives: September 2012

Games Review: Rocksmith (on XBox 360)

  By JustGeorge | September 29, 2012 - 2:59 pm | Featured Post, Games, Music
Comments Off
Rocksmith

My first draft of this review was a huge long post giving details of all the features, what I liked and what I didn’t. But really it boils down to this…. If you want to learn to play guitar, go buy yourself a basic electric guitar and a copy of Rocksmith on Xbox 360, it’s cheaper than most guitar lessons and you’ll be playing tunes in no time. If you want to pretend to play a guitar then grab yourself a copy of Guitar Hero or Rockband, but why go to the effort of learning to play a plastic guitar when Rocksmith makes learning real guitar as easy and fun? Yeah I could pick holes in the included tracklist, it’s easy when there’s no Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Jimi Hendrix, Rory Gallagher, Metallica, Satriani, Vai, ZZ TOP or Guns ‘n’ Roses included. Yup, the “No Stairway” rule is very much … There’s more →

After hours at Dublin Zoo

  By Anto | September 18, 2012 - 10:30 am | Events, Featured Post
1 Comment
IMG_4922

Myself, Darren, Micheál and a few other selected Internet types got the opportunity to tour Dublin Zoo after hours last week. Led by Ciaran MacMahon, Dublin Zoo’s head keeper, we kicked off the tour by visiting the Asian lions, Suri and Sita. Suri took a particular interest in Darren and he probably would have been on the menu but for the glass separating them. Asian lions are critically endangered with only 400 remaining in the wild and entire population can be found in one place - the Gir Forest in India. From there we wandered over to the sea lion enclosure where the keepers introduced us to Flo. They described how the zoo’s harem are Californian Sea Lions whose main predator is the killer whale. We had been briefed at the start of the tour that the planned trip to see the elephants couldn’t go ahead as mating was in … There’s more →

Festival: We’re almost ready for Spirit of Folk 2012

  By Anto | September 17, 2012 - 11:40 am | Festivals, Music, The Culch
Comments Off

We’ve been gearing up for this for months and it’s only a few days to go now. Spirit of Folk, shortlisted in 2011 for ‘Best New Festival’ in the European Festival awards, returns this weekend (September 21st-23rd). Festival Organisers are eager to stress that the event is much more than your average music festival with an eccentric array of activities on offer all weekend to delight and entertain audiences. With Traditional Storytelling from Ireland’s best Seanachaí, Eddie Lenihan and Pat Speight, interactive Viking re-enactments, Falconry displays, Archery lessons, Battle Re-enactments and Wildlife Walks ran by the Wildlife Trust, Spirit of Folk promises to deliver to those seeking an alternative family weekend. Culch.ie’s own Peter Donegan will be giving a gardening talk on Saturday at 1.45pm so make sure to get along to that. Folk music enthusiasts will not be disappointed either, with Irish folk legends John Spillane, Tír na nÓg … There’s more →

New Irish Music EP: Wicker Bones - Concatenation

  By Peter | September 14, 2012 - 12:54 am | The Culch
1 Comment

Last year when The Martry Sessions EP came through my door, I did kind of have a ‘what the fook’ moment. Eh… actually it was a bit more than that. Warranted it was and I wasn’t alone. You’ll have to read that review to understand what I mean… A few weeks either side of a year later and the most rugged talented bunch of Irish Jimi Hendrix [what's the plural of Hendrix ?] musical relations come knocking. Guess what ? The nice guys of Irish music are on EP number frickin two - 6 tracks, in each, fresh out of Electric Picnic and now headed to The Spirit of Folk Festival 2012. How many can say that in the one swift breath of tradtional Irish air ? So what of The Wicker Bones latest beau ? Here’s a bit of what they have to say…. …It represents our strongest expression … There’s more →

What do you think of Mumford & Sons’ new song I Will Wait?

  By Darren Byrne | September 13, 2012 - 1:00 pm | Featured Post, Music, The Culch
1 Comment
FeaturedMumfordandSons001

It’s more of what we’ve come to expect from the band, but that’s no bad thing. Looking forward to hearing their new album, Babel, which is released on the 24th September. Here’s Mumford and Sons’ I Will Wait, shot two weeks ago, during the band’s two sold-out shows at the Red Rocks natural amphitheatre in Colorado.  

Events: Arthur’s Day 2012

  By Anto | September 12, 2012 - 8:46 pm | Featured Post, Gigs, The Culch
1 Comment
FeaturedArthursDay001

Wow, that was a quick 12 months. Arthur’s Day (27th September), Guinness’ celebration for their founding father, is back and has a changed format for 2012. Firstly, there’s no tickets to buy this year and gigs will take place in 500 pubs across the 32 counties. Big acts like Example, Tinie Tempah, Mumford and Sons, Primal Scream, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Ellie Goulding, Mika, Professor Green, Fatboy Slim, Texas and Amy Macdonald will join home grown talent and they could play in your local. How? Simply vote for your local on the Facebook app. To date, over 55,000 people have but voting closes on the 16th September so get your skates on. The winning pubs will remain a secret to the public until the night itself so you never know who might walk through the door. The Arthur Guinness Fund supports social entrepreneurs in Ireland (like Decisions for Heroes) and around … There’s more →

Fringe Preview : The Circus Of Perseverance

  By Andy Gaffney | September 10, 2012 - 10:12 am | Featured Post, The Arts, The Culch, Theatre
Comments Off
FeaturedAbsolutFringe001

The 8th of September brings the Absolut Fringe festival back into town for sixteen days of arts, music, comedy and theatre. A self-proclaimed “dream factory”, it’s probably safe to say there is something for every taste on show from comedy about finding Fassbender to a showcase of photographs of everything tight jeaned in the brilliantly titled ‘Hipsters We Met and liked’. One such show that sums up this up is the highly ambitious ‘The Circus Of Perseverance’ starting from the 10th of September in The Back Loft. Set in Dublin the play deals with the very real and common problem of feeling everything is a little bit rubbish at the moment and wanting to escape that. Using a series of interwoven stories the characters will break out from the crowd of negativity all set in a circus theme. ‘The Circus of Perseverance’ is a rambunctious, highly profane production that … There’s more →

Theatre: Singlehood @ The Absolut Fringe

  By Peter | September 6, 2012 - 6:18 am | Events, Featured Post, The Arts
Comments Off
FeaturedAbsolutFringe002

I have to admit I’m not really one for theatre stuff. I am. But I am-ish, not. It’s a bit like, The Strokes are playing The O2. Yeah ? I’ll think about it. As versus Led Zep are playing. Yeah ? Mee meep. Roadrunner. I’m already there. Theatre, does that to me. Sometimes however you get a wee little kick in the wotsits. A good kick. A metaphorical one, so to speak and you think could this be the next example of hindsight I may use in a pub quiz ? Like the time The White stripes came to Ireland just after I saw them on Jools Holland and I never went and regretted it ever since ? What kind of play makes me say that ? One with comedian and actor legend Eric Lalor in it. Well, that’s how I cocked an eye and then watched this video below … There’s more →