Live: Haiti Aid Dublin 2010

Wednesday 3rd of February is the date for Haiti Aid Dublin, a music marathon taking place in Whelan's and the Village. Tickets are €20 with proceeds going towards the Irish Red Cross's work in Haiti.

The event will be hosted by Michelle Doherty and features a marvellous line-up. In all, 14 acts will be performing, including Ham Sandwich, O’ Emperor, The Chapters, Patrick Kelleher and his Cold Dead Hands, The Holy Roman Army, Sleep Thieves, and Butterfly Explosion.

More info:
http://www.mycharity.ie/event/haiti_aid_dublin_2010/
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=100000732571790

Live: Foggy Notions Haiti Benefit Gigs

Foggy Notions has organised two benefit concerts for Haiti, which take place in February. There's fantastic line-ups at both shows, and tickets are €15 for each.

Sunday February 14th Whelan’s 8pm
Andy Irvine (Planxty),
The Spook of the Thirteenth Lock,
Mumblin Deaf Ro,
The Hounds
& Big Monster Love

Wednesday February 17th Whelan’s 8pm
David Kitt,
Jape (solo electronic),
Legion of Two,
Patrick Kelleher
& Goodtime John


They’re collaborating with Concern on both shows. Tickets are €15 from www.tickets.ie or WAV box office [1890 200 078]. Both ticket agents will donate booking fees minus VISA charges to the fund as well.

This is a wonderful idea and took a lot of work to organise, so please give generously.

More info:
https://www.concern.net/donate/appeals/haiti-earthquake-appeal

List: Best Irish Albums of 2009

A little late, but better late than never. Here's my Top 10 Irish Albums of 2009...

10. And So I Watch You From Afar - And So I Watc You From Afar

If Salvador Dali was still alive today, he may paint an album cover like that of ASIWYFA's debut album. Better still, if he was a musician, he'd probably make bizarrely brilliant instrumental tunes like the eleven shoegaze classics that appear on this debut album.

9. David Turpin - Haunted

Lauren Murphy called David Turpin's second album a disappointment, like his first. She outlined his vocals as the problem. In this opinion, she is massively wrong. Turpin has a gorgeous soft voice which perfectly matches his blissful lyrics. It's not grating in any way - no more so than Joanna Newsom - perhaps Turpin is the Irish Newsom? Divisive, but brilliant. Well, in this writer's opinion anyway.

8. Patrick Kelleher - You Look Cold

Patrick Kelleher plays a lot of instruments. Strangely enough, one of the many on here he claims to play is a door. The album itself is a mult-layered electronic triumph, which is sure to please fans of Animal Collective, Panda Bear and the like.

7. Pearse McLoughlin - Busy Whisper

A gorgeous debut filled with enchanting songs that take you back to a better time, Pearse McLoughlin has crafted out a first album that's up there with any other singer-songwriter you care to name. Yes, even that Rice fella.

6. Herm - Monsters

Another fantastic debut, this one is like an earworm that digs into your brain and just won't let go. The album is a wonderful slice of indie pop released on Catchy Go Go. I don't know about the go go, but this sure is catchy.

5. The Duckworth Lewis Method - Duckworth Lewis Method

Named after an extremely complicated way of determining scores in rain-affected cricket matches, this is the best concept album to come out of Ireland...ever. Pugwash's Thomas Walsh and the Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon have teamed up to make the sweetest (spot) album of 2009.

4. CODES - Trees Dream in Algebra

An album two years in the making, Trees Dream in Algebra, is the most-polished Irish debut in years. They worked with excellent rock producer Greg Halford on it, and marked themselves out as one to watch for the future. The U2 of the 2010s maybe?

3. The 202s - The 202s

Good albums don't always have to be a well-structured coherent whole. Sometimes they can just be wonderful collections of singles. That's what the self-titled debut from the 202s is. Like a greatest hits package, it's full of powerful tunes with outstanding choruses. Although as a coherent whole, it's damn good too.

2. The Holy Roman Army - How the Light Gets In

I like alt.country and rock mostly. So it takes a great album from genres such as electronica to get me to listen to it more than a handful of times. However, this debut from fellow Carlovians stuck with me all year. Songs like 'Elegy' and 'Stagger Gently Home' are immediately gorgeous, with the latter being one of my songs of the year. Fabulously addictive.

1. David Geraghty - The Victory Dance

The break-up of Juniper has given us so much. Damien Rice and Bell x1 are both extremely successful on both sides of the Atlantic. However, Bell x1 guitarist David Geraghty could well end up being the best of all. His debut was a fantastic introduction, but his second, The Victory Dance was so much better. Filled with gorgeous guitarwork, it's a cracking collection of songs. And who knew he was such a great vocalist too? Wonderful. The best Irish album of 2009.