Tag Archives: gig review

Review: Opera at the Orangery

  By pluincee | July 19, 2011 - 2:00 pm | Festivals, Music, The Arts, The Culch, Tourism
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Opera – especially in a country as small as Ireland – is a closeknit community, one that is often seen as being exclusive or elitist. Because of that perception and having not yet been to one of Ronnie Dunne’s Operatic Garden Parties, I was unsure what to expect, but as I entered the opulent (albeit breezy) grounds of Kilruddery House, I was struck by the cordiality of the affair. The welcoming atmosphere was only extended by the pre-recital prosecco reception, the interval canapés and the raffle in aid of the triennial Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition. While the Orangery showcase is closely linked to the competition, in a non-competition year, its focus is much more on showcasing young talent than giving the winners a platform and this afternoon of opera did just that. With experienced voices such as Sandra Oman & Deirdre Masterson in a much more supportive role than I … There’s more →

Gig Review - The Walls, The Grand Social Thursday 30th June

  By Éilish Burke | July 1, 2011 - 3:23 pm | Gigs, Music, The Culch
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To paraphrase the Coen brothers; this ain’t no country for middle-aged musicians. Unless you’re insanely successful (and irritating) like Bono or Sting, continuing to make music into your forties like, you know, as a career, is a tough game. Most bands form in secondary school or college, record an EP or two and maybe scrape together enough cash to make a full-length album. A tour and second album might follow depending on response to the first. But, in time, most musicians end up quitting as the mundane necessity of putting food on the table kicks in. Poverty is not a hot look when you hit your late thirties, especially when compared to your contemporaries and original fans, those who went down the straight and narrow, got the profession, bought the suit, and are now furnishing their second homes with Danish-designed sofas. There are a few who keep at it though. … There’s more →

Review - Marina & The Diamonds at The Savoy

  By Lisa McInerney | November 2, 2010 - 2:51 pm | Gigs, Music, The Culch
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The beautiful thing about Marina and The Diamonds is that she’s not difficult to explain to the uninitiated. She is a popstar, pure and raw. The stage name refers to the relationship between Marina Diamandis and her fans (it’s Marina and The Emeralds over here, anoraks!), and once you understand that the act is solo and the stage name as contrived as she gets, you’re cleared for takeoff. That’s it. Marina, her songs, her fans. Yes, that’d be endearingly bonkers. This was the second time I’d seen Marina live. The first was as part of a Heineken Green Spheres gig in Carlow, where Marina was the first act on, and played in the back room whilst the main stage was set for dance punks Digitalism. I’d been a fan well before the gig, so hearing the songs live was an especially sweet experience. This time ’round, I was off to … There’s more →

Review: Murder By Death at Crane Lane

  By Lisa McInerney | June 20, 2010 - 11:48 pm | Gigs, Music
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Living on the verges of the city, I rely heavily on public transport to get me in and out of gigs and other such entertainments. Having very sensitive ears, I rely heavily on my iPod to save me from the kind of toss they play on national radio and broadcast on public transport. Not that there are strange political war-cries or creepy calls to arms or any of that … no, even without media-sponsored social upheaval, Ireland has her own aural crosses to bear. And Irish country music would be the splinteriest of ‘em all. Having been brought up in South County Galway, Clare FM was a constant in my early life, in the same way that the parish priest is a constant in the life of local head shop owner; it niggled and whined and battered me in-fucking-cessantly. Philomena Begley in the morning. Nanci Griffith over the tay. And … There’s more →