Live: Lily Allen at the Academy

Lily is back next year with a new album and a new Irish show. The woman has been a bit of a musical recluse lately, preferring going to bars than playing in them, but she will return to Dublin to play the Academy on March 16th.

Tickets cost €33 (wtf) and go on sale tomorrow, December 2nd.

'LDN' is still fantastic:

Cancelled: Jay Reatard Again

Lauren and Jim with the 4-1-1 here on Jay Reatard once again cancelling an Irish appearance. Will he ever come across the pond to us? It makes me want to take his album out of my upcoming top 50 (or 60 or 70 I haven't decided yet) list.

Maybe this article by Jim Carroll explains why:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/theticket/2008/1128/1227739045533.html

This is what we're missing out on:

Torrent: Wilco, Vicar Street, 14 November 2008

Wow, what a great audience. Wilco's Irish date from 2007 is now available for download from etree, and features the following setlist:
Intro
Sunken Treasure
Remember The Mountain Bed
Muzzle Of Bees
You Are My Face
War On War
I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
Pot Kettle Black
Handshake Drugs
Side With The Seeds
Radio Cure
Impossible Germany
Sky Blue Sky
Walken
I'm The Man Who Loves You
Hummingbird
A Shot In The Arm
---
Spiders (Kidsmoke)
---
California Stars
Jesus, Etc.
Hate It Here
Heavy Metal Drummer
Red-Eyed And Blue > I Got You (At The End Of The Century)
Outtasite (Outta Mind)

Get it here:
http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=520648

Setlist: Tindersticks, Vicar Street, Dublin, 23 November 2008

My friend Mark went to this and said it was amazing. That the string section more than makes up for the missing members! I think he's still running on adrenaline from it, and it's five days ago at this stage.

Introduction
Yesterday’s Tomorrows
The Flicker of a Little Girl
Come Feel the Sun
Travelling Light
The Other Side of the World
The Organist Entertains
Dying Slowly
Sixteen Summers, Fifteen Falls (Townes Van Zandt cover)
Say Goodbye to the City
Sleepy Song
She’s Gone
Buried Bones
The Hungry Saw
Mother Dear
Boobar Come Back to Me
The Turns We Took
---
If You’re Looking For a Way Out
Her
The Not Knowing

Listen: Bruce Springsteen - The Wrestler

'The Wrestler' is a new Bruce Springsteen track taken from a film of the same name (starring Mickey Rourke), and will appear as a bonus cut on new album Working on a Dream. As for now, you can hear the song in full here:

Best Albums of 2008: Pitchfork Readers' Poll

This year in addition to its own best of lists, Pitchfork is allowing its readers to have a say about their albums of 2008:
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/147764-announcing-the-2008-pitchfork-readers-poll

However, I think that some of us Irish bloggers should join together to skew the results. Either that or get Fight Like Apes and company on the list. Any ideas how we should go about this? Should we all make the same list and send it in? Let me know.

As for now, watch 'Do You Karate?' live:

TV Review: The Panel, RTE One, 27 November 2008

I wouldn't be a constant viewer of the Panel. I watch it most weeks, and most weeks it's pretty good. Last night, however, was a strange episode. As usual the show had a guest host, this week being RTE newsman Charlie Bird. Charlie does an excellent job covering the stories from around the globe, even from his hotel balcony in Beirut or whatever exotic location he's at this week. We all had sympathy for Charlie after the Love Ulster riots. The poor fella.

But his guest host performance on The Panel had to be seen to be believed. He was more wooden than an antique cabinet (sorry I couldn't think of any Roy Curtis style simile there), and spent more time looking down at his prompt cards than at the camera. Nor do I think he cracked one joke all evening. Maybe they were cut from the airing.

The guests themselves were quite interesting, especially Kenny Egan who provided a nice bit of insight into his Beijing experience, but didn't give much away about future plans. Madison Square Garden sounds more appealing than Wembley Stadium, but maybe that's just me!

When Kenny Egan did come on however, all we could see Charlie do was try to come on to him. He touched the "big fella" numerous times, and Egan was doing his best not to appear uncomfortable. He handled it very well. Charlie Bird on the other hand, needs to be much more subtle.

I would also like to highlight how I think Neil Delamere is getting funnier by the week. Practice makes perfect. I used not to like him, but he's gone way up in my estimations, and his voices and characters are splendidly funny. What Irish TV could do with is a proper sketch show, like Harry Enfield and the Fast Show rather than Naked Camera 2. Neil would be perfect for this. And if they're looking for co-writers, I'm sure I'd be available!

Seriously though, hopefully we never see Charlie Bird on a comedy program again. Darfur is more up his street.