Setlist: Florence and the Machine, Olympia, 2 May 2010

The most overhyped woman on the planet (and that includes Lady Gaga) performed another sold-out show at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin last night. Florence and the Machine seem to play Dublin every few months, and each time her tired old schtick seems to find an audience. Anyhow, here's last night's setlist.

(EDIT: Legendary music blogger Nialler9 enquired as to why I posted the setlist when I don't like the artist. Two reasons (a) to let you all know how much I love her, but more importantly (b) because readers Gary and Karen both requested it.)

Setlist:
Howl
Coffins
Hurricane
Girl With One Eye
Lungs
Hardest
Drumming
Blinding
Liar
Swimming
Cosmic
Strangeness & Charm
You Got The Love
Dog Days Are Over
---
Kiss
Rabbit

Watch Candi Staton 'You Got The Love':

Live: Oxegen 2010 Lineup Announced: Eminem Muse Jay-Z Headlining

I was at the super-special launch of Oxegen 2010 earlier today at the Academy (thus why I'm late getting around to posting about it), and my head is still trying to cope with the sheer deluge of acts announced. If you follow my twitter feed, you would have seen my many comments earlier today, but my main concern is where the hell are all the Irish acts? Just one on the lineup so far: Northern newcomers Two Door Cinema Club.

Kasabian are headlining Oxegen's Scottish sister T in the Park, but the three headliners for our own gig are Eminem, Muse, and Jay-Z. Tickets go back on sale on Friday March 12th, and 3 day camping ones cost €224.50. There's sure to be more acts announced, as well as info on who'll be playing Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 9th-11th of July 2010.

Full Lineup so far:
Eminem
Muse
Jay-Z
Black Eyed Peas
Kasabian
The Prodigy
Florence and the Machine
Paolo Nutini
Faithless
Stereophonics
David Guetta
Vampire Weekend
Mumford and Sons
John Mayer
Hot Chip
Calvin Harris
Newton Faulkner
The Gossip
The Temper Trap
Empire of the Sun
Goldfrapp
La Roux
Wolfmother
Rise Against
The Coral
Broken Social Scene
Ellie Goulding
Two Door Cinema Club

And in the Dance Arena...
Armand Van Helden
Steve Angelo
Simian Mobile Disco
Erol Alkan
Steve Aoki
A-Trak
Aeroplane

Awards: 2010 Meteor Ireland Music Awards Winners

The 2010 edition of the Meteor IRMA Music Awards were held in the O2 last night, with performances from the usual names: Westlife and the Script, as well as such international luminaries as Pixie Lott, Florence and the Machine, and Paolo Nutini. The Coronas also played on stage, in what was a great night for them, picking up Best Irish album. Of course, Lady Gaga was there to pick up her award, oh no wait...

Here's the full list of winners.

Public Voting Categories
Best National DJ - Ray Foley (Today FM)
Best Regional DJ - Leigh Doyle (Beat FM)
Best Irish Band - Snow Patrol
Best Irish Male - Christy Moore
Best Irish Female - Wallis Bird
Best Irish Pop Act - Westlife
Best Irish Album - The Coronas Tony Was an Ex-Con
Best Irish Live Performance - The Script, Oxegen 2009
Most Promising New Artist: Amasis

Non-Public Categories
Best Folk/Traditional - Sharon Shannon
Best International Band - Florence and the Machine
Best International Male - Michael Buble
Best International Female - Lady Gaga
Best International Album - Paolo Nutini Sunny Side Up
Best International Live Performance - Leonard Cohen, Kilmainham

Lifetime Achievement Award
Brian Kennedy

Humanitarian Award
Niall Mellon

Industry Award
Henry Mount Charles

Live: Florence and the Machine at the Olympia

Want to waste your money on the most hyped act of 2009? Yeah, you probably do. Seems like I'm the only one who doesn't get it. For me Florence and the Machine is just a poor man's Bat for Lashes. She is. Go listen, and you'll see what I mean.

Anyhow, if you do want to go see Flo at the Olympia on May 2nd and/or 3rd, then you can buy a ticket this Friday at 9 for €28.

Watch 'Dog Days Are Over':

Album News: David Byrne and Fatboy Slim - Here Lies Love

No sign of a Talking Heads reunion, but David Byrne is keeping busy nonetheless. His collaboration with Brian Eno last year was fantastic, and next year he's teaming up with Fatboy Slim and a whole host of guest stars for a concept album about Imelda Marcos and Estrella Cumpas, the woman who raised her.

The double album is due on February 23rd, 2010, and is called Here Lies Love. Looking at the tracklist, I wonder does Steve Earle feel a bit out of place. Maybe Byrne actually wanted Stevie Nicks?

Track List:

CD 1
1. HERE LIES LOVE Vocal by Florence Welch (Florence + The Machine)
2. EVERY DROP OF RAIN Vocals by Candie Payne & St. Vincent
3. YOU’LL BE TAKEN CARE OF Vocal by Tori Amos
4. THE ROSE OF TACLOBAN Vocal by Martha Wainwright
5. HOW ARE YOU? Vocal by Nellie McKay
6. A PERFECT HAND Vocal by Steve Earle
7. ELEVEN DAYS Vocal by Cyndi Lauper
8. WHEN SHE PASSED BY Vocal by Allison Moorer
9. WALK LIKE A WOMAN Vocal by Charmaine Clamor
10. DON’T YOU AGREE? Vocal by Róisín Murphy
11. PRETTY FACE Vocal by Camille
12. LADIES IN BLUE Vocal by Theresa Andersson

CD 2
1. DANCING TOGETHER Vocal by Sharon Jones
2. MEN WILL DO ANYTHING Vocal by Alice Russell
3. THE WHOLE MAN Vocal by Kate Pierson
4. NEVER SO BIG Vocal by Sia
5. PLEASE DON’T Vocal by Santigold
6. AMERICAN TROGLODYTE Vocal by David Byrne
7. SOLANO AVENUE Vocal by Nicole Atkins
8. ORDER 1081 Vocal by Natalie Merchant
9. SEVEN YEARS Vocals by David Byrne & Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond)
10. WHY DON'T YOU LOVE ME? Vocals by Cyndi Lauper & Tori Amos

Setlist: Florence and the Machine, Olympia Theatre, 7 December 2009

Last night's Florence and the Machine show was a sell-out, and the Olympia Theatre was packed with fans from all over Ireland (not just the local Dublin crowd) to witness her finest show on these shores. She's really taking off, perhaps we'll see her in the O2 next year? I wouldn't rule it out!

Setlist:
Kiss With a Fist
Birdsong (Parts 1 & 2)
My Boy Builds Coffins
Are You Hurting the One You Love?
I'm Not Calling You a Liar/Ghosts
Hurricane Drunk
Lungs
Dog Days are Over
Howl
Drumming Song
Cosmic Love
You've Got the Love
Rabbit Heart
---
Blinding

Watch a clip of 'You've Got the Love' from last night:

List: Q Magazine's Top 50 Albums of the Year

Q Magazine is always a bit more poppy than the other magazines. Uncut is the one that your Dad can agree with, and NME is a bit more clued in with the Pitchfork hipsters. Q was always a fan of everything. And 2009's Best of albums list is no different.

50. Jarvis Cocker - Further Complications
49. Bob Dylan - Together Through Life
48. Ian Brown - My Way
47. Madness - The Liberty of Norton Folgate
46. Golden Silvers - True Romance

I bet this is the only list this year where you'll see Madness. Comeback of the year? Maybe. It lasted longer than Jacko anyhow. So far, the list is just a case of oldies adding to their already well-rounded back catalogues. Bob Dylan probably appears in this list every year. That Jarvis solo album is damn good though.

45. Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band - Outer South
44. The View - Which Bitch?
43. Tinariwen - Imidiwan: Companions
42. Mariachi El Bronx - Mariachi El Bronx
41. Wild Beasts - Two Dancers

It's here that Q get those eccentric, not for everyone albums out of the way. Tinariwen will appeal to the world music crowd, and Mariachi El Bronx is some cult punk. Conor Oberst's latest is a patchy effort, with some great songs, but I don't really think it's one of the best 50 albums of the year.

40. Cheryl Cole - 3 Words
39. The Horrors - Primary Colours
38. Richard Hawley - Truelove's Gutter
37. Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport
36. Sonic Youth - The Eternal

Very strange to have Cheryl Cole and Richard Hawley on the same list, never mind Fuck Buttons or Sonic Youth. But thank God Hawley is ahead of Cole, rather than the other way around. I haven't listened to her album yet, but Q is the only (non-Heat/OK/New) publication that has given the album more than three stars. That Hawley album is glorious though.

35. Pearl Jam - Backspacer
34. White Lies - To Lose My Life...
33. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
32. Paolo Nutini - Sunny Side Up
31. Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions

Dirty Projectors will be really high up the Pitchfork list (have you heard their collaboration with David Byrne 'Knotty Pine'? - fantastic), but Paolo Nutini is a Q only album. It's great if you're into Scottish soul pop. Pearl Jam is as good as most of their catalogue, and Biffy Clyro is a powerful rock album which could very well get plaudits from Pearl Jam fans.

30. La Roux - La Roux
29. Wilco - Wilco (The Album)
28. Bruce Springsteen - Working on a Dream
27. The Dead Weather - Horehound
26. Bat for Lashes - Two Suns

The latter two here will definitely make my list, and Bat for Lashes could well be high on it. Natasha Khan's 'Daniel' is one of the songs of the year, as is 'Cut Like a Buffalo' by Jack White's new band. La Roux is flavour of the year synth-pop, and Wilco's new one is a worthy attempt. Bruce Springsteen shouldn't be on here though, as it's his worst album of the decade.

25. Noah and the Whale - The First Days of Spring
24. Mos Def - The Ecstatic
23. The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die
22. The Low Anthem - Oh My God, Charlie Darwin
21. Jamie T - Kings & Queens

The Low Anthem made the list, but obviously the guys and gals at Q didn't really listen to the new Felice Brothers, as that album does the same thing so much better. Mos Def is a very strange one, it didn't really get much press attention, and I didn't think it was all that fantastic. Jamie T is one for the Brits only, I didn't buy into its schtick.

20. Fever Ray - Fever Ray
19. Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk
18. Mika - The Boy Who Knew Too Much
17. Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown
16. Empire of the Sun - Walking on a Dream

This is the we missed the bandwagon the first time. There's no other reason Mika, Monsters of Folk, and Fever Ray would be on here. Mika's new album is terrible in comparison to his last one, Fever Ray's is decent but is most likely here because they hadn't heard of the Knife before Jose Gonzalez, and Monsters of Folk isn't as good as the sum of its parts. Green Day has always been meh for me anyway. Empire of the Sun are a poor man's MGMT. Poor choices.

15. Dizzee Rascal - Tongue N' Cheek
14. Devendra Banhart - What Will We Be
13. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
12. Jack Penate - Everything is New
11. Doves - Kingdom of Rust

I haven't heard Devendra's new one yet, so can't comment on that. Grizzly Bear's is excellent in its genre. Doves are finally getting the credit they deserve thanks to Elbow's Mercury Win last year (that said, where's Speech Debelle on this list? It shouldn't be on it, but you'd expect it to be here.) Dizzee is another Mercury winner, and his new album is as good as anything he's done.

10. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
09. U2 - No Line on the Horizon
08. Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You
07. Muse - The Resistance
06. Arctic Monkeys - Humbug

The top ten started off so well. That Phoenix album is the best thing they've ever done and has brought them (quite rightly) into the mainstream. However, those U2, Arctic Monkeys, and Muse albums may well be the worst things all three bands have done. Particularly No Line on the Horizon. Lily's is a wonderful pop album though.

5. Manic Street Preachers - Journal for Plague Lovers
4. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
3. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
2. Florence and the Machine - Lungs
1. Kasabian - West Rider Pauper Lunatic Asylum

A decent if not phenomenal top five. Manic's new album was a fitting tribute to Richey Edwards. Animal Collective's album has lost impact since it was released at the start of the year - as time goes on, it seems to become more and more average - great album cover though. Of the top three, Yeah Yeah Yeahs is by far the best, but all are good albums. Just good though. Florence is well hyped, but just okay. Kasabian's is their best effort, but not the best album of 2009.

Live: Florence and the Machine at Electric Picnic

Yet more acts have been added to the already incredible lineup for this year's Electric Picnic. Mercury Music Prize favourites Florence and the Machine, our own Mick Flannery, Baaba Maal, and Laura Izibor have all been added.

Oh, and one other act I'm really excited to see...
The Duckworth Lewis Method!

Watch Mick Flannery 'Safety Rope' live at the Cork Opera House:

Live: TV on the Radio and Lady Gaga at Oxegen 2009

More names announced for Oxegen 2009:
TV On The Radio
Manic Street Preachers
Lady Gaga
Florence & The Machine
The Game
Friendly Fires
Ladyhawke
James
Foals
Of Montreal
Squeeze

You would have expected many of these acts to be playing - well these types of acts anyway. Lady Gaga will pull in the pop fans, and Tv on the Radio will excite those of us with taste. But The Game? That really is straight out of left field. Strange.

Upcoming Brilliance: Sound of 2009

Forget about BBC's Sound of 2009 (although that'll make for a great read next week), this is where it's all happening. These are the acts you need to hear in 2009. Well, this is what I think anyway... (they're in alphabetical order, so no-one is above another)

Broken Records
Broken Records are a Scottish band that are miles better than Glasvegas, if only because they've a cello, violin, trombone and mandolin. Yet they remain a rock band. Oh and someone has called them the Scottish Arcade Fire. Not a bad comparison. Glorious. I cannot wait for their debut album, as new single 'Lies' and 'If The News Make You Sad, Don't Watch It' are both tremendous.
New single 'Lies':

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/brokenrecordsedinburgh

Fiction Family
Punch Brothers were the must-hear Nickel Creek offshoot of 2008 led by Chris Thile, but 2009 will be the year of Sean Watkins. His band, formerly known as The Real Sean Jon release their debut record at the end of this month (the 20th) on Dave Matthews' ATO Records. Check out their new single 'When She's Near':

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/fictionfamily

Florence and the Machine
Florence and the Machine are going to be massive in 2009. You mark my words. Of all the people I list here, no-one else will probably rise so rapidly. It's amazing that you haven't heard of her already. Oh wait you have? And what song? Of course, the excellent 'Kiss With A Fist'

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/florenceandthemachinemusic

Mr Hudson
Kanye West's latest protege will be just like Estelle, A-Track and John Legend - massive. This man knows music. Kanye knows more about music than most PR men. And he'll tell you so. Similarily, he'll tell you how brilliance Mr Hudson is. And every time he says something like that about someone other than himself, you just have to stand up and listen.
'Picture of You':

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/mrhudson

Mumford and Sons
The best new live act I saw in 2008 wasn't even the full band. It was just band leader Marcus by himself, supporting Laura Marling at Whelan's, and he was fantastic. Forget about Noah and the Whale, this is the future of British pop-folk.
'White Blank Page':
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/mumfordandsons

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
80s pop along the line of A Flock of Seagul..well, maybe not them. But the kind of music that used to be on the radio when it was good. They've a horrible name, but they make enchanting music. 'Everything with You':

MySpace: www.myspace.com/thepainsofbeingpureatheart

Passion Pit
This band are on every list. And it's no wonder why. They're fantastic. I've talked about them numerous times on this blog, and I'm not about to stop any time soon. Expect them to crop up on a lot of end-of-year lists too. 'Sleepyhead':

MySpace: www.myspace.com/passionpitjams

Jay Jay Pistolet
It's not fair that people born much later than me are succesful. What will be fair, however, is the success of Jay Jay Pistolet. He's been around since 2007 and really should've released an album last year, so hopefully he'll finally do it in 2009. 'We Are Free':

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/jayjaypistolet

Also be on the lookout for VV Brown, White Lies, and John Mayer.

Yes, that John Mayer. If he does release an album in 2009 (and I hope to God it does), he'll be huge. The publicity has already been done. He's probably the best young guitarist I've ever seen. His work with John Mayer Trio is impeccable. Just watch this, if you don't believe me: