Live: RSAG Irish Tour

Kilkenny's Jeremy Hickey (aka Rarely Seen Above Ground, or R.S.A.G. for short) is back with a new album, Be It Right or Wrong (expect a review of it on here by Friday). He's also back with a nationwide tour in support of the album.

The tour is kicking off tonight at Dolan's in Limerick, and visits some of Ireland's finest music venues. The Kilo will provide support at all the shows, with the excellent 202s also on the bill for the Academy. Tickets for the Academy show are €13.50, so it's not an expensive night out. Well worth it.

Tour dates (all June):
Wed 16th – Dolan’s, Limerick w/guests The Kilo
Thu 17th – Cyprus Ave, Cork w/guests The Kilo
Fri 18th – Roisin Dubh, Galway w/guests The Kilo
Thu 24th – The Academy, Dublin w/guests 202s and The Kilo
Sat 26th – Spirit Store, Dundalk w/guests The Kilo

Watch 'Stick to Your Line':

Live: Oxegen 2010 Hot Press Signing Tent

The first batch of acts for the Hot Press signing tent at Oxegen 2010 have been announced. Expect more to be announced in the coming weeks.

Lineup so far:
Wild Beasts
Villagers
Ash
Cathy Davey
Delorentos

Some great names there so far, and there's sure to be more.

Watch Wild Beasts 'Assembly':

Oxegen 2010 Full Lineup Daily Breakdown

No stage times or anything, but here's the daily breakdown of the lineup for Oxegen 2010.

FRIDAY, 9th JULY

Main Stage: Arcade Fire, Jay-Z, Stereophonics, Vampire Weekend,
The Black Keys, The Coronas, Eliza Doolittle

Vodafone Stage: Fatboy Slim, Groove Armada, Scouting For Girls, Plan B, Republic Of Loose, Two Door Cinema Club, Drake, Fox Avenue

Heineken Green Spheres: David Guetta, Goldfrapp, Empire Of The Sun,
The Coral, Delorentos, God Is An Astronaut, Kassidy

Hot Press Academy: Villagers, Frightened Rabbit, Shed Seven, O Emperor,
Joe Echo, Lissie, Sweet Jane

Red Bull Music Academy: Chipmunk, Tinie Tempah, Gabriella Cilmi,
Darwin Deez, MemoryHouse, Colm K, Andreya Triana, The Capitals

Dance Arena: Simian Mobile Disco, Erol Alkan, Vitalic, Aeroplane, Fred Falke, Primary 1, Ou Est Le Swimming Pool, Dublin Streets, DJ Gordo & Church

SATURDAY, 10th JULY

Main Stage: Muse, Kasabian, Florence + The Machine, Dizzee Rascal,
John Mayer, Biffy Clyro, The Stranglers

Vodafone Stage: The Black Eyed Peas, Doves, Editors, The Cribs,
Rise Against, Tinariwen, Kids In Glass Houses

Heineken Green Spheres: Calvin Harris, Hot Chip, Gossip, La Roux,
Cathy Davey, Ellie Goulding, Wallis Bird, Panama Kings

Hot Press Academy: Ash, Kele, Bombay Bicycle Club, Yeasayer, Hurts,
Mayer Hawthorne, 3OH!3, Chapel Club, Daisy Dares You, Matthew P

Red Bull Music Academy: The Drums, Dirty Projectors, Wild Beasts,
Alex Metric, Jackmaster, Space Dimension Controller, Illum Sphere,
The Minutes

Dance Arena: Armand Van Helden, A-Trak, Japanese Popstars,
Louis La Roche, Villa, French Horn Rebellion, Bitches With Wolves,
David E. Sugar, Steve Aoki, Amasis

SUNDAY, 11th JULY

Main Stage: Eminem, Faithless, Paolo Nutini, Bell X1, Newton Faulkner,
Earth Wind & Fire, Echo & The Bunnymen

Vodafone Stage: The Prodigy, 30 Seconds To Mars, The Temper Trap,
Joshua Radin, D12, Professor Green, The Knux

Heineken Green Spheres: Mumford & Sons, Ocean Colour Scene,
The Courteeners, Jamie T, We Are Scientists, Kate Nash, Diana Vickers,
General Fiasco

Hot Press Academy: Julian Casablancas, Laura Marling, Hilltop Hoods,
Mystery Jets, The High Kings, Example, The Middle East, Rachel Furner

Red Bull Music Academy: Broken Social Scene, Delphic, Hudson Mohawke,
Jamie Lidell, Local Natives, Cecile, Robot Koch, Planet Parade

Dance Arena: Steve Angello, Chase & Status, Fake Blood, Jess Rose,
The Golden Filter, Popof, Al Gibbs, Vogue

Just 24 days to go...

Live: Conor Furlong at Whelan's

Conor Furlong will be playing his first ever Whelan's headline gig with his new band on Tuesday the 29th of June. I'd highly recommend it, as it's sure to be an excellent gig. Conor could definitely take off with the right promotion team behind him. He already has the tunes.

Support on the night comes from The Koubas and Andy Humphreys.

Watch Conor Furlong - 'Are You Gonna Sleep Tonight?':

Live: Enemies at Whelan's

Meant to talk about this earlier, but Enemies are launching their debut album We've Been Talking upstairs in Whelan's tonight. Support comes from the wonderful Super Extra Bonus Party as well as Mia Sparrow.

Tickets are €15 on the door, and come with the album! (Or €10 for your partner without the album. No point having two right?)

Speaking of which, you can stream the album in full on State magazine's gorgeous new website here:
http://www.state.ie/2010/06/mp3/stream-enemies-album-weve-been-talking/

Live: Oxegen 2010 Vodafone Stage Lineup

Yesterday on his show on 2fm, DJ (and Irish lord of twitter) Rick O'Shea announced the full lineup for the Vodafone Stage at Oxegen, including those much sought after day by day breakdowns. Now we know that Fatboy Slim is to headline on Friday with Groove Armada on just before. The Black Eyed Peas are going to have a good, good night on Saturday, while the Prodigy will close the show on Sunday night. Best of the Irish is Two Door Cinema Club, who take to the stage on Saturday.

Friday:
Fatboy Slim
Groove Armada
Scouting for Girls
Plan B
Republic of Loose
Drake
Fox Avenue

Saturday
The Black Eyed Peas
Doves
Editors
The Cribs
Rise Against
Two Door Cinema Club
Kids In Glass Houses

Sunday
The Prodigy
30 Seconds To Mars
Temper Trap
Joshua Radin
D12
Prof Green
The Knux

Live: Oxegen 2010 Heineken Green Spheres Lineup

The daily breakdowns for the Oxegen 2010 Lineup have been announced for yet another stage (still no sign of the main stage breakdowns though).

This time it's the Heineken Green Spheres stage, which features some magnificent acts over the three day weekend. Friday night is headlined by David Guetta, but no doubt Ellie Goulding will pull in a big crowd. Delorentos are the best of Irish on the stage on the festival's first day.

Saturday night's festivities are headlined by Calvin Harris, with Hot Chip, Gossip, and La Roux all on before him. The highlight for me, however, has to be Cathy Davey, who recently topped the Irish album charts with The Nameless.

Sunday night is the big one for many people. The last act to play the Heineken Green Spheres stage this year will be folk-of-the-moment Mumford and Sons. Ocean Colour Scene will bring some classic rock, and there's something for everyone with the contrast of Jamie T and Diana Vickers.


FRIDAY JULY 9
DAVID GUETTA
GOLDFRAPP
EMPIRE OF THE SUN
ELLIE GOULDING
THE CORAL
DELORENTOS
KASSIDY
GOD IS AN ASTRONAUT

SATURDAY JULY 10
CALVIN HARRIS
HOT CHIP
GOSSIP
LA ROUX
CATHY DAVEY
WALLIS BIRD
TBC
PANAMA KINGS

SUNDAY JULY 11
MUMFORD & SONS
OCEAN COLOUR SCENE
JAMIE T
THE COURTEENERS
WE ARE SCIENTISTS
KATE NASH
DIANA VICKERS
GENERAL FIASCO

Live: Halves at Airfield House

There's a lot of great gigs on this weekend. Another one to add to your calender is Halves' only headline gig of the summer at Airfield House in Dundrum, Dublin 14.

Halves are definitely one of Ireland's best unsung bands. After seeing them on Other Voices last year I was extremely impressed, and would have loved to see them make their American debut at this year's SXSW. Impressive.

Support on the night comes from The Ambience Affair. Tickets in advance are €10 and can be purchased through http://www.airfield.ie/cultural_programme.html

Watch Halves 'May Your Enemies Never Find Happiness' on Other Voices:

Live: Clockwork Apple Presents at Whelan's

Clockwork Apple have another great gig lined up for June. It takes place on Friday the 18th, and features a wonderful lineup, all for ten euro. Playing upstairs in Whelan's are The Gandhis, BellaJane and Captain Kennedy.

Doors are at 8, and tickets are €10 on the door.

More info:
www.thegandhismusic.com
www.myspace.com/bellajanemusic
www.myspace.com/captainkennedy

Live: Le Cheile 2010 at Oldcastle

This year is yet another great year for smaller Irish festivals. Never mind the behemoths of Oxegen and Electric Picnic, it's at the lesser known events where the true talent emerges - especially of a local sort.

Le Cheile 2010 is set to be fantastic. It takes place from the 30th of July to the 2nd of August in Oldcastle, Co. Meath at three venues in the town: Caffrey's Redrooms, Creams Marquee, as well as the Oldcastle House Hotel.

The lineup itself looks amazing with headline shows from Mick Flannery, Jerry Fish, Jack L, Fight Like Apes, Noise Control, and Weapons Detector, as well as The Richter Collective presents Bats and Not Squares.

And that's not to mention the brilliant acts further down the bill like Henrietta Game, Planet Parade, Codes, Grand Pocket Orchestra, Jogging, Ollie Cole, John Shelly and the Creatures, and many, many more.

For more info and full details, check out the official website:
http://www.lecheile.com/

Thanks to 2UIBestow for the heads-up on this one.

Live: Planet Parade at Whelan's

After being announced for this year's Oxegen Festival, homegrown band Planet Parade are set for a headline show at Whelan's this Saturday night (the 12th). But don't worry, the England-USA World Cup match will be over by then! The band are doing splendidly at the moment, following the release of their Ghosts To People EP just a few months ago.

Support on the night comes from Doctor Leaves, and tickets are a bargain at €5.

Watch Planet Parade 'Electrical' in Whelan's last November:

Live: Oxegen 2010 Red Bull Music Academy Stage Full Lineup

The final lineup for the Red Bull Music Academy Stage at Oxegen 2010 has been announced, complete with daily breakdowns. This is good news for anyone who picked up a single day ticket, as you can now see who's playing on that respective day. In brilliant local news, Kildare's Planet Parade (one of my Irish Sounds of 2010) were added to the bill, and will take to the stage on Sunday. The Minutes on Saturday are also another great Irish act worth checking out.

Friday 9th July
Chipmunk
Tinie Tempah
Gabriella Cilmi
Darwin Deez
MemoryHouse
Colm K (FreeStyle MellowShip)
Andreya Triana
The Capitals

Saturday 10th July
The Drums
Dirty Projectors
Wild Beasts
Alex Metric
Jackmaster
Space Dimension Controller
Illum Sphere
The Minutes

Sunday 11th July
Broken Social Scene
Delphic
Jamie Lidell
Local Natives
Hudson Mohawke
Cecile
Robot Koch
Planet Parade

Setlist: I am Not Lefthanded, Whelan's, 1 June 2010

The excellent I am Not Lefthanded stopped off in Dublin on Tuesday night as part of their Time to Leave tour. Sadly, I missed the gig, but if you get a chance to see them around the country, I'd recommend checking them out. Not on the setlist is an acapella version of 'I Will Follow You into the Dark' which I hear was amazing.

Setlist:
Everybody Sleeps
The Place That Won't Take Me Back
Endline
Lifelines
Long Goodbyes
Persuade Yourself
Late Night Drive
New One
Boats, But Not the Ocean
---
I Will Follow You into the Dark

They play Baker Place in Limerick and the Stables in Mullingar on Saturday and Sunday night respectively.

Live: Owl City at the Academy

After the success of their debut single 'Fireflies' synthpoppers Owl City seem to be everywhere. Great news for the fans: they'll be here in November. The one-man band is due to play the Academy on November 24th.

Tickets are priced €22.50 and go on sale this Friday. Their current single is 'Umbrella', have a listen to it below.

Live: The Divine Comedy at HMV Grafton Street

After their excellent instore at Road Records over the weekend, the Divine Comedy are set to perform at another of Dublin's top music outlets, HMV on Grafton Street on Thursday, June 3rd. They'll take to the stage at 5.30, and it's sure to be a packed show.

They're currently promoting new album Bang Goes the Knighthood, which came out in the UK today. Read my review of the album here.

Watch The Divine Comedy 'At the Indie Disco' live:

Live: Sam Amidon at Whelan's

Folkie Sam Amidon just released his fourth album I See the Sign earlier this year, which is the follow-up to his excellent breakout record All is Well. He'll be coming to Dublin to promote it on Wednesday, June 2nd.

Tickets are €14 and on sale now. Support on the night comes from Leif Vollebekk.

Watch Sam Amidon 'Saro':

Watch: Josh Ritter - The Curse

Some videos are very much throwaway. They serve as no more than just a vehicle for the song. Others, like this one, are definitely worth watching. Sometimes more than once too. 'The Curse' is the new song from Josh Ritter, and the video is entirely the work of Liam Hurley (of Ritter's Royal City Band). It's gorgeous, have a look below.

Josh Ritter also has some more Irish dates coming up:
Sun 18 July - Iveagh Gardens, Dublin (with Special Guest Villagers - solo show)
Fri 23 July - Festival Big Top, Galway (with Special Guests Damien Dempsey / Cathy Davey)
Sat 24 July - INEC, Killarney (with Special Guest John Spillane)

Watch Josh Ritter - 'The Curse':

Live: Joanna Newsom at the Grand Canal Theatre

I read last month in the Observer's excellent New Review section that Joanna Newsom's live act has improved a lot since her breakthrough album Ys. Great news for us Irish fans who are due to get a chance to see her on September 14th (I would've posted about this before now, but was waiting for ticket details).

She'll be playing the Grand Canal Theatre in Dublin. Tickets cost €33.60 and €39.20 and go on sale tomorrow morning (Friday) at 9.

Here's Joanna on Jools Holland recently:

Live: Cathy Davey, JVMcM at Electric Picnic 2010

Thanks to Jim Carroll's On the Record for the heads up with this one. A lot of new names have been added to the Electric Picnic 2010 lineup, including two fantastic Irish acts: Cathy Davey (who topped the charts just two weeks ago with The Nameless) and upcoming sensation James Vincent McMorrow. There was also other local and international acts announced, with Foals a must-see on the bill.

New additions to the lineup:
Foals
Dam-Funk
Cathy Davey
These New Puritans
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
Beardyman
Archie Bronson Outfit
Philip Selway
James Vincent McMorrow
And So I Watch You From Afar
Goodtime John
UNKLE
The Mighty Stef

Album News: Nick Cave - Grinderman 2

Nick Cave's non-Bad Seeds project Grinderman are back with a second album of dirty rock. Grinderman 2 is due for release September 13th across Europe on Mute Records (so make that the 10th in Ireland).

It was recorded in London, and is produced by the band themselves along with the debut album's producer Nick Launay. They've also announced Autumn European dates, but no Irish one.

Tour Dates:
09-25 Nottingham, England - Rock City
09-27 Leeds, England - University
09-28 Glasgow, Scotland - Barrowlands
09-29 Manchester, England - Academy
10-01 London, England - Hammersmith Apollo
10-04 Lausanne, Switzerland - Les Docks
10-05 Zurich, Switzerland - Volkshaus
10-06 Milan, Italy - Live
10-07 Rome, Italy - Atlantico
10-10 Vienna, Italy - Gasometer
10-11 Munich, Germany - Muffathalle
10-13 Leipzig, Germany - Haus Auensee
10-14 Berlin, Germany - Columbiahalle
10-15 Cologne, Germany - E-Werk
10-17 Brussels, Belgium - Ancienne Belgique
10-20 Utrecht, Netherlands - MCV
10-21 Hamburg, Germany - Docks
10-23 Copenhagen, Denmark - Falkoner Theatre
10-24 Randers, Denmark - Power Station
10-26 Paris, France - Cite de la Music