List: 50 Best Irish Acts Today - 2010 Edition, 40-31

Part Two of my countdown of the Best 50 Irish Acts today. The only requirement for entry is that the artist must have played live or released something in the past twelve months.

40. The Guggenheim Grotto
Dublin pop duo the Guggenheim Grotto impressed me greatly with their marvellous second album Happy the Man. Their debut was an accomplished album, but the follow-up was amazing. It was released in America last year, and won great acclaim, with the band's music appearing on many television shows.



39. Julie Feeney
2009 was a great year for Julie Feeney. She was nominated for a Meteor Award, and her second album pages was selected by the Choice Music Prize panel as one of the best albums of the year. She had previously won the Choice Award back in 2006, which shows her to be one of the most consistent artists around.



38. Kitty and the Can Openers
Kitty and the Can Openers are one of the most captivating live acts I've seen. They're a Belfast band, fronted by the fantastic Ciara O'Neill, who write wonderfully twee pop tunes. You might have seen them supporting someone in the past year or so, but they're so good, they really should be doing their own headline tours.



37. Planet Parade
Selected in the Irish Sound of 2010 Poll, Planet Parade are a great upcoming band. Hailing from Kildare, they've supported some fantastic acts and played every Irish venue possible. It won't be long before they really take off.



36. The Last Tycoons
I reviewed the self-titled debut from the Last Tycoons earlier this week, and found it to be the perfect cross between Nick Cave and the Rolling Stones. There's a hell of a lot of other influences in there too, but this alt-country/rock band is a welcome breath of fresh air to the usual singer-songwriter stuff which emerges every year.



35. Robotnik
One of the most eclectic artists around, Chris Morrin released his debut album Pleasant Square back in 2008. Anyone who has heard it, will tell you that 'I Found Jesus' may be the catchiest Irish song ever. He plays endless live shows, both here and abroad, and is a fantastic entertainer.



34. Mark Geary
Mark Geary has been on the scene for two decades now, and plays a wonderful electronic folk (screw you Ellie Goulding). He's a much more dedicated musician than most, and gives his all at his live shows. I first saw him on Other Voices a few years back, and have been hooked ever since.



33. Valerie Francis
Another Choice Music nominees, Valerie Francis's Slow Dynamo was one of the best Irish records of 2009. A real grower of an album, with tunes that work even better in a live arena. I can't wait to see what she does next.



32. Declan O'Rourke
Hailing from Ballyfermot, Declan O'Rourke is one of Ireland's most accomplished singer-songwriters. He released the excellent debut album Since Kyabram in 2004, with the follow-up coming three years later. At this rate, we should expect the third album to drop sometime this year



31. The Dirty 9s
Sounding like something out of Kill Bill, the Dirty 9s have just released their debut album Stop Screaming, Start Dreaming. The Dubliners are a fantastic live band, who pack a fantastic punch. Definitely one to watch for the future.

Watch: Robotnik 'I Found Jesus in the Year 2027'

One of the most surprising live acts I've seen this year, Dublin's very own Robotnik is absolutely brilliant. And his name has nothing to do with Sonic the Hedgehod.

Anyhow, nialler9 has the video for his extraordinarily catchy 'I Found Jesus in the Year 2027', here:
http://www.nialler9.com/blog/2008/09/29/video-robotnik-i-found-jesus-in-the-year-2027/

Thanks Niall!

Live Review: Laura Marling at Whelan's, 1 July 2008

A day later than expected, I finally have gotten around to writing about the best Tuesday night I've had in ages.

We arrived at Whelan's at around a quarter to eight on Monday night, the doors to the venue weren't open and only a few dozen people were in the bar itself. I wondered what I was after dragging my lovely girlfriend to. Would it be another disaster of a show, like that time we saw Jens Lekman? So instead of standing around like chumps until the venue doors opened we went down to the shop. By the time we got back, around five past eight, a queue had formed outside the door. This was more like it!

We seated ourselves upstairs overlooking the stage (one of the benefits of Whelan's). The first support act (yes there were two!) introduced himself as Marcus from a band called Mumford & Sons, who sadly couldn't be there. They had probably over-exerted themselves at Glastonbury I'm thinking. But if the band are as good as or better than Marcus solo, they are definitely ones to look out for. He gave a wonderful performance, playing a variety of instruments and impressing every member of a packed Whelan's. There was only one negative point about his set, it was far too brief. 'Little Lying Man' was definitely a standout.

Next up was Dublin's own Robotnik. Sadly there was no sign of a blue hedgehog. Just like the way in Sonic that Dr Robotnik starts off small and gets bigger and badder until the final showdown, Robotnik started off slow with some folky numbers before introducing the rest of his band: Toshiba, his laptop. What came next was definitely not something a lot of the crowd expected. His techno-folk and bizarre lyrics ('I Found Jesus In The Year 2027' is a case in point), as well as his showmanship (getting up on tables and giving out sweets), were nothing if not entertaining. I'd recommend checking him out at Crawdaddy in two or three weeks. He's a nutjob.

While these two acts were playing, there was a group of English people, of which only half seemed interested. A tall blonde girl was chatting and giggling as both artists played. I pointed out that it was Laura Marling standing near me. The accent matched. She was talking to a guy at the bar when cheers came up from downstairs. I was wrong, it wasn't her. Mortified. I'm glad I didn't attempt to talk to her.

The waifish singer downstairs was just as good as her album Alas I Cannot Swim indicates. She played some of her better known songs at the beginning of the set, 'Ghosts', 'My Manic and I', and 'You're No God' were standout tunes, all coming one after the other. Marling live is a much more intimate experience than on the record, as it is a sparse cut-back approach. She was joined by Marcus Mumford on many of the tracks, and he seems to be able to play everything. His xylophone on 'Ghosts' was especially pretty.

Marling then played some new songs, a great sign of what's to come from this young singer, none of which seemed below the standard of what's gone before. One of these songs she even admitted to only having written the night before. That's confidence for you! One of these new tunes, 'Made A Maid', is one to look out for (I've included a live version of it down below).

'Cross Your Fingers' into 'Crawled Out of the Sea' was damn near perfect, and was followed by a rousing version of 'Alas I Cannot Swim'. Marcus and Laura left the stage to rapturous applause, but were forced to return for a one-song encore 'I'm A Fly'. It's a pity the show couldn't have gone on longer, but there's damn curfews in place. Even still, it was a truly marvellous show, and when she returns to town, I'll definitely go again.

'Made a Maid' live in England someplace:

Setlist: Robotnik, Whelan's, 1 July 2008

One word: nuts. Craziest musician ever. Plus he's a Dubliner! he released his debut album Pleasant Square on May 9th. Get it, if your ears can handle it. Also, is he named after the Sonic villain?

Setlist:
You're the One that I Loved
True Love Will Find You In The End (Daniel Johnston cover)
Weird Road
I Found Jesus In The Year 2027
People Walk Away
Super Duper Scientific Experiment
PuddleStarter


Check out this absolutely bizarre video, promoting his upcoming show at CrawDaddy on 25 July: