The ‘80s pop revival gathers apace with Nik Kershaw, T’Pau, Bananarama and – calm yourself ladies – Rick Astley making appearances in the Here and Now Christmas Party at the RDS in December.
You have to hand it to Rod. Forty years on the road, and he still draws them in droves – two nights’ open air at the RDS is impressive by any standards.
Bell X1 at the RDS? It would have seemed unthinkable a few years back, but 2005 was a good year for the group – one in which they took steps to ensure that they will be remembered as more than just Damien Rice’s old playmates.
Smoke is billowing out from behind the giant rippling black sheet covering the stage at the RDS. It’s safe to assume that a new pope has not been elected.
Following on from the successful launch of the Alternative Careers in
2002, the RDS has announced the 2004 seminar will be held in the RDS, Saturday, October 9.
The biggest ever music exhibition in Ireland will cover all aspects of the entertainment business – with something for every music fan. What’s more, it is happening at the perfect time for Christmas browsing.
The Alternative Careers In Music Seminar is on deck for the RDS in mid-October, featuring everything the upwardly-mobile music obsessive ever wanted to know but was afraid to ask
There were no surprises here, apart from the fact that this veteran performer of 25 years twice killed the good-time atmosphere completely; with depressing ballads and obscure Elton John song covers.
For the weekend of November 25 and 26, all musical roads will lead to the RDS in Dublin for the Music Ireland ’06 event. Jackie Hayden talks to the show director Ollie Upton about what’s in store for us at this major annual attraction for musician and music fans alike.
Springsteen's Irish love affair resumes in July, with a deluxe edition of Working On A Dream now available, and a Darkness On The Edge Of Town box-set in the works...
It was lost in the heart of a crowd, where recollections grow wild with fancy. Caught in a ... a ... landslide, a light show, a movement, a positive noise, ayee-haw, a whoopee cushion of gigantic proportions, and ...
Who better to launch this year’s Music Show than Irish band of the moment The Script? In a taster of what to expect from October’s RDS weekender, Danny, Glen and Mark treated a roomful of fans, music students and industry professionals to their thoughts on illegal downloading, songwriting, the dreaded Auto-tune and touring with Macca and U2.
...or was it? U2's recent Irish dates were greeted with everything from wide-eyed adoration to open hostility. BILL GRAHAM was in the crowd at Pairc Uí Caoimh and the RDS and puts the Zoo TV experience into perspective. Pix: COLM HENRY
Metallica provided a crisp evening packed with a vicious, visceral energy and more anthems than you could shake a stick at. But there was also a nagging sense of déjà vu...
Timberlake shows impressive flair and versatility - he's as comfortable sitting on a stool crooning an acoustic ballad as he is larking around with scantily clad dancers.
BellX1 fans unable to lay their hands on tickets for their current dates will be mighty pleased to learn that they'll soon be returning to the live scene for a one-off date at the RDS Arena in Dublin.
Sadly an apt title. Bolton makes all the right noises here but somehow comes up with nothing to really stick in the memory. Everything – the songs, the singing, the playing – is alright yet lacks anything to make it stand out. Strangely, it’s a problem that also afflicts the RDS bound Bell X1. For all their position as the people’s champions, this is a very ordinary kind of record I’m afraid, especially let down by a weak vocal.
With the opening strains of ‘Welcome To The Jungle’, it does seem that, aside from Guns N'Roses frontman Axl Rose’s growing-old-disgracefully complexion, precious little has changed.
Changes to the start date of the Doggyfizzle Tour have forced the Snoop Dogg concert in the RDS on February 22 to move to The Point Theatre on Friday February 25.
Metallica precede massive August all-dayer in the RDS (elsewhere on bill: Linkin Park, Mudvayne, The Deftones) with the June release of eighth LP St. Anger
The Frames announce two in-store gigs (featuring Glen Hansard) to celebrate new live album set List - and, not least, an end-of-summer one-day extravaganza in the RDS
Live music industry stalwart Vince Power and classical guitar guru John Feeley are the latest additions to The Music Show, set for October 4-5 in Dublin's RDS.
The Blizzards are the latest Irish stars to be added to the line-up for Music Show, which takes place in the RDS on October 3 and 4, adding hugely to a bill that already includes The Coronas, Imelda May and Republic of Loose, among the current leading lights of Irish rock.
Rock fans are in for a special treat with the addition of a special Rory Gallagher Exhibition to the attractions at the Music Show, which takes place at the RDS on October 3 and 4.
If the band’s electrifying RDS performance was anything to go by, Linkin Park are consummate masters in rocking the kids ™. What is perhaps less obvious is that their particular brand of rock sometimes rings of a certain sterility and, in some places artlessness – nowhere more so than on this live album/DVD.
Not only are Metallica and Linkin Park making it a double-header in the RDS (and not only are more support acts en route) but this is the start of a beautiful friendship... with our newest festival, Reading Ireland
A special exhibition focussing on musical inspirations as been lined up for The Music Show, which takes place at the RDS in Dublin this weekend, Saturday October 4 and Sunday October 5.
They are the basis for some of the most iconic images in rock. Now, for two days they will be on exhibition at the RDS in Dublin, as part of The Music Show.
He was the man whose evidence put a huge hole in the stern of Pirate Bay, in a landmark judgement in Sweden earlier this year. Now the CEO and Chairman of the International Federation of Phonographic Industries, John Kennedy, is set to speak at The Music Show, which takes place on October 3 and 4, at the RDS in Dublin. He will speak on the issue of illegal downloading and the threat it represents to the Music Industry, which is currently undergoing massive changes as a result of the impact of the internet. The Music Show is run by Hot Press magazine.
Current HP cover stars The Blizzards, and Metallica – who featured on the front cover of our previous issue – are currently riding high in the top two chart positions.
They're rocky in a drum 'n' bass sort of a way, and will be right at home in November when they play Ireland. Lauren Murphy meets Pendulum's Gareth McGrillen
The BBC once described them as "the most successful British band since the Beatles", and they're certainly proving their worth as their reunion tour makes a new stop in Dublin.
Fresh from his Glasto appearance with Lily Allen, Terry Hall talks about his friendship with Damon Albarn and the enduring influence of his band, The Specials.
Will U2 play Phoenix Park or not? And what is the future of the rock festival as we have come to know and love it in Ireland? Special Report: STUART CLARK.
Dave Caplice is a man with a knack for being in the right place at the right time. So far, he’s recorded with Wizardz Of Oz, played at Washington’s White House and signed a five-album deal with Telstar, and he’s only just begun
A police raid on a dublin record store has led to intense speculation that the Gardaí are about to commence a serious crackdown on the retail of bootleg CDs.
I can still hear their taunts – “Clark’s talking through his arse again!”... “It’s not the ’70s anymore, Granddad!”... “I had my suspicions but now I know you’re a wanker!”
As it was my mother saying it, that last one was particularly hurtful.
Hot Press crime correspondent STUART CLARK
preaches zero tolerance to MASSIVE ATTACK and in return gets the
lowdown on their new album, Bruce n Tarby-style hobnobbing with Radiohead, and why Bristol City piss all over Bristol Rovers
Playing Live at the Marquee on Sunday June 24: Lock up your housewives. Ireland’s most eligible bachelors, Podge & Rodge, are on the road and looking for love.
Justin Timberlake had planned to wow a small audience with an after-show club night in Vicar St yesterday, but the event was cancelled at the last minute.
After doing time in the greatest power trio of them all, the late Jimi Hendrix experience bassist Noel Redding spent the rest of his life coming to terms with being ripped off by the music industry.
Now in its second year, Cork Live At The Marquee is one of the highlights of the Irish music calendar. Here, Hot Press presents a complete preview of what's in store for music fans in the southern capital - and looks at the great legacy of Cork music.
Horslips axeman Johnny Fean is honouring us with a masterclass at the upcoming Music Show in the RDS. Here, he talks about his formative influences and Horslips’ upcoming reunion
Pre-Christmas unrest in the Balkans brought unpleasant memories of late '90s ethnic cleansing back to the soldier turned singer-songwriter James Blunt.
Nope, it’s not a Jim Morrison tribute; it’s an initiative which sees musicians such as The Blizzards, Neosupervital, Julie Feeney, Roesy and Brian Palm design a special set of doors.
STUART BAILIE recalls some of the social and political movements that have occupied U2's hearts and minds down through the years... not least, the Springfield Garbage Dump campaign
JOAN ARMATRADING has been making impassioned, poetic music for two decades. She is also a political activist, having recently attended the 1999 Vienna Peace Summit. Adrienne Murphy met her.
JOAN ARMATRADING has been making impassioned, poetic music for two decades. She is also a political activist, having recently attended the 1999 Vienna Peace Summit. Adrienne Murphy met her.
Not content with corrupting the youth of America with his music, the God of Fuck has diversified into painting, acting and writing. Plus: the singer’s encounters with literary outlaws JT Leroy and Hunter S. Thompson.
DAVID HEFFERNAN pays tribute to the producer/director whose many and varied professional credits included some defining images of Irish and international music
The famed KODO drummers from Japan offer one of the most remarkable musical
experiences on planet earth right now. ADRIENNE MURPHY caught them in action in Zürich.
He may be trained to kill, but recently James Blunt has been seducing vast swathes of the population with his poignant love songs. Lured to the Hot Press Chat Room, he tells all about his number one album, the Queen, being shot at in Kosovo and lesbian swim parties.
As Stereophonics release their sixth abum, frontman Kelly Jones talks about his friendship with Oasis and reveals that he’s buried the hatchet with Muse.
She is a passionate advocate of social justice for women and a dreamer, who achieved extraordinary insights through use of the shamanic drug, ayahuasca. Isabel Allende talks to Hot Press
Cavernous arenas, capacity crowds, shrieking teenagers and a brisk trade in merchandising.
No, it s not a Take That reunion, it s eh, Dublin popsters picture house travelling the autobahns of Germany.
Our Eurosceptic in D|sseldorf: colm o hare
Razorlight have catapulted to superstar status with their No. 1 single 'America'. As they prepare to wow Oxegen this weekend, we talk to mainman Johnny Borrell about cricket, saving the planet and dating Kirsten Dunst.
Larry Gogan, Cormac Battle, Jenny Greene and Dan Hegarty are among the panel of experts lined up by RTÉ 2fm, to offer advice and assistance to musicians and bands at The Music Show.
With their biggest dates ever in Ireland looming, LIAM MACKEY dips into voluminous hotpress archives and selects a small sample of what the paper said about U2 over the years
Glasgow on the morning of the release of Deacon Blue's second album, "When The World Knows Your Name", is bathed in sunshine boasting a skyline view of the drive from the airport that is in sharp contrast to the image entrenched on the cover of the band's debut album "Raintown". Bright and sharp, the morning reflects the initial impressions of the new record, the bustle of the first rush-hour of the day reflecting the urgency of the opening tracks, "Queen Of The New Year'', "Wages Day" and "Real Gone Kid".
Basement Jaxx and The Ordinary Boys have been confirmed as the special guests on June 9 as Robbie Williams’ latest road marathon kicks off in Dublin’s Croke Park.
A wide variety of trade exhibitors will be there over the weekend to show you what they've got - from music instruments to recording equipment and software.
A spell in jail and another working in the music biz helped push Ollie Byrne in the direction of running a football club. The colourful Shelbourne chairman offers some typically forthright views on Dunphy, Racism, the FAI and the National Stadium as the new domestic season gets under way.
He wasn’t going to sing and then he sang. He wasn’t going to talk to the press and then he talked. And, finally, when he was good and ready, Paul McCartney wowed an audience with his greatest hits. Stuart Clark sees Macca in Manchester warming up for Dublin
Hot Press celebrates two decades of The Baggot Inn, still Dublin s premier pub venue and home, at various times, to the likes of U2, Thin Lizzy and Something Happens! Here, manager Charlie McGettigan flips through his scrapbook of memories in the company of Conor O Mahony and reveals how the recent appearance of a donkey at a Joshua Trio gig brought things full circle at The Baggot. (Not to mention, Full Circle.)
Damien Dempsey has battled his way centre stage, winning the support of luminaries as diverse as Morrissey, Robert Plant, Sinéad O'Connor, Larry Mullen and Brian Eno along the way. Now with the release of his third album Shots, he is poised to make a major breakthrough. Interview by Tanya Sweeney. Photos by Cathal Dawson.
As the first ever Green Party member in The Mansion House, Dublin’s current Lord Mayor, JOHN GORMLEY, is certainly unique. However, dismissed as a novelty by some and derided by others, the substance of his views as a politician have often been completely overlooked. Here, the capital’s number one citizen is unchained. Interview: JOE JACKSON. Pix: COLM HENRY.
He plays guitar for Springsteen, plays The Clash on his radio show and plays it fast and loose as Silvio Dante in The Sopranos. Colm O’Hare meets the three-in-one Steven Van Zandt
The dark, romantic Raining Down Arrows is the latest milestone in the creative
liberation of Mundy, a man whose thoughts on love, friendship and connecting with the audience are at the core of his music.
When massive attack decided that they'd meet the press in Dublin, stuart clark got just thirty minutes to prepare for the
interview. But he still manages to talk to 3d about music, football, the band's new album Mezzanine - and the difficulties of making sweet leurve to the sound of your own records.
When a gang of Ireland’s finest musicians, media stars and political types gathered in the Central Hotel for pre-Christmas drinks, there were fun and games aplenty. reporting: Stephen Bailey, Stuart Clark and Roisin Dwyer. Photos: Mick Quinn and Graham Keogh. Costumes: courtesy of The Dublin Costume Company.
The second day of the Music Show brought together James Bond composer David Arnold, Enya producer Nicky Ryan, Christy Moore, Sharon Corr and... The Blizzards
They may not be that just yet but if current plans for global domination go according to the script Linkin Park will be very soon. Stuart Clark travels to London to hear the band’s new album Meteora and finds that American rock’s hottest property are surrounded by the kind of security normally reserved for Michael Jackson
A win next week and we're there - but what lies in store for Irish supporters if Big Jack's men do qualify for America? Long suffering England fan Stuart Clark was in the States this summer for US Cup '93 and found that if the dress rehearsal is anything to go by, the World Cup Finals should be a sporting event to savour. Main pix: Simon Parry.
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without the dissection of the rock ‘n’ roll year that is the Hot Press Summit. Gathering round the table are the good and great of Irish music, but who let Podge & Rodge in?
TRACY CHAPMAN S eponymous debut album was one of the biggest sellers of last year more than ten years after its release.
She spoke to PETER MURPHY about her life before and after fame, that album and the race issue.
You're right, that's the not so original headline that we used when Jackie Hayden - who signed U2 to CBS Records in Ireland in 1978 and is now General Manager with Hot Press - spoke to the bearded one about further adventures at the Fab Four's mixing desk, and his growing involvement in
Súlán Studios in Cork.
The HP-7 Summit is back with Michelle Doherty, Rocky O'Reilly, Niall Breslin, Mark Greaney, Niamh Farrell, Messiah J and Danny O'Donoghue sat around the only table that matters this Christmas.
Having lost their previous name, Doors Of The 21st Century, to a legal paradiddle from original drummer John Densmore, Ian Astbury, Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger will come to Dublin as Riders On The Storm.
We can now reveal the band who will take to the Live stage at The Music Show this weekend as winners of the Hot Press competition. Drum roll please...!
While the entity that is U2 continues to be the dominant focus in the creative lives of its four members, away from the band, Bono, The Edge, Adam and Larry have all indulged in extra-curricular activities, bringing them – and their music - into contact with such legends as Bob Dylan, Robbie Robertson, Keith Richards, and Roy Orbison, By Dermot Stokes
One of the finest white soul voices Britain ever produced, Rod Stewart reminisces about the sozzled Faces days, discusses Bob Dylan, his penchant for blondes, and recalls the thyroid cancer that almost robbed him of his voice seven years ago.
[oops this was mis prompted as oxegen video interviews in our e-zine - they're here ]
From Radiohead to Springsteen, the twelve months ahead are already packed with highlights. But will Led Zeppelin be among the group’s hitting the comeback trail?
Having dominated the charts here for the past ten years, Ash are gearing up for a full-scale invasion of America. Stuart Clark dons his hard hat as Tim, Mark, Rick and Charlotte tell him about their new record of mass destruction Meltdown, and the A-list celebrity company they’ve been keeping in the city of angels.
Promoter Jim Aiken, who passed away recently, was a hugely important and universally admired figure in the Irish music scene. Here, leading industry representatives pay tribute. (free content)
An icon of the radical left, Noam Chomsky has long been one of the fiercest critics of US foreign policy. During a rare visit to Ireland, he explains why the Bush Presidency might be the most dangerous yet.
Our annual HP-7 summit brings together some of the pre-eminent movers and shakers in irish music to reflect on everything from backstage catering to the end of war, pestilence and famine. Your host: Stuart Clark.
He was the shock winner of the Progressive Democrats leadership race. In his first major interview Ciaran Cannon sets out his vision for the beleaguered party, explains why Michael McDowell was really a sweetheart, decries the rise of the nanny state, calls for the legalisation of prostitution and lifts the lid on his misspent youth as a mod.
ENTERTAINMENT OFFICERS FROM UCC, UCD, UNIVERSITY OF ULSTER, UCG, DCU AND THE UNIVERSITY OF LIMERICK GIVE AN ALTERNATIVE VIEW OF LIFE ON THEIR PARTICULAR CAMPUSES.
He’s been at the helm with U2 since 1979. In the intervening time he’s been involved in every aspect of the career of the biggest rock band in the world. In a rare in-depth interview, Paul McGuinness talks about the highs and lows of managing the fab four and reflects on the State of the Nation and the implosion of the Irish economy.
He is one of our highest profile broadcasters and journalists. Now in his new book, Last Word host MATT COOPER looks at the rot and corruption that festered beneath the surface of the Celtic Tiger. He talks about the sense of anger he feels over the mismanagement of the economy, the damage wrought by the Bertie Ahern years and the apparent unwillingness of RTE to give him any publicity
The rise and fall of chef CONRAD GALLAGHER was Icarus-like – one moment the toast of Dublin’s glitterati, the next a virtual pariah.
but unlike Icarus, Gallagher has fought his way back, bloodied but unbowed and determined to pay off all his debts
Interview: OLAF TYARANSEN
Winning an oscar was a culmination of a life-time's struggle for GLEN HANSARD. But success extracted a heavy toll on the singer, plunging him into self doubt and leaving him feeling confused and adrift. As The Swell Season prepare to release their second album, he talks about the long road back to sanity, his romantic break-up with songwriting partner MARKETA IRGLOVA and why, having derided Ireland in the press, he’s now proud of his home country
again. Plus Irglova talks about the end of their love affair and the challenges that fame and Fortune bring.
In the second part of a major interview concerning his brief as Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht - and his vision for the future of the Arts in Ireland - MICHAEL D. HIGGINS talks about the enormous potential for job creation in the related areas of film, music and heritage, the changes he would like to see in the tax-free status afforded to artists and answers his critics in relation to Section 31 of the Broadcasting Act. Interview: JOE JACKSON
As the management force behind Boyzone, Westlife and Samantha Mumba, LOUIS WALSH is Ireland s Mr. Pop. In a candid interview with Joe Jackson he talks about his relationships with his acts, the ones that got away, the importance of the producer, the uselessness of critics and why he s unlikely to end up managing Van Morrison. Portraits: Cathal Dawson
As the General Election looms, many polls suggest Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny is the next Taoiseach in waiting. So what is he really like? And where does he stand on the issues that matter to Hot Press readers?
The year began with contrasting and contradictory alignments. On the one hand, the United States were about to invest a new president, a young, rock’n’roll-loving sax-playing boyo from the south called Bill Clinton, offering the possibility of America as the last great hope again.
Hot Press has some brilliant opportunities for Irish bands and solo acts. Read on to see how you can get a music video, CD release, studio time and a top gig...
The Irish rock artist will preview his new single, 'Ido's Dog Fight', to more than 20,000 Leinster fans during the rugby game against the Llanelli Scarlets on Saturday 19 December.
Despite great anticipation in light of his denied entry into the UK, Snoop Dogg's anti-climactic performance heavily based on his older album failed to reach out to his newer fans.
The singer is actually much more assured onstage than the last time I saw The Killers, at the Olympia in 2004, when his inhibitions seemed to be holding him back.
Legendary reggae outfit UB40 are organised people indeed - they've lined up a November tour in anticipation of the release of the album they're currently recording.
Irish indie supergroup Concerto For Constantine have been announced as the support act for the Smashing Pumpkins' eagerly-anticipated visits to Dublin and Belfast.
Winners of the Hot Press/Sennheiser competition to play the Live Stage at The Music Show over the weekend, DC Tempest release their new single this week.
Special guests You Me At Six, Paper Route, and Now Now Every Children will play during the Grammy nominated rock band's Dublin show on Saturday 12 December.
Duetting pairs Lisa Hannigan (pictured) and Gary Lightbody as well as Sinead O'Connor and Republic Of Loose, are set to perform live together at the forthcoming Meteor Irish Music Awards.
The Chapters are the latest Irish band to make waves across the water, with their single 'Videotapes' set to get a hugely sought after airing on the highly popular UK soap Emmerdale.
Musicians worth their salt will be glad to learn that the live show/exhibition Music Ireland is set to be bigger than ever, with the addition of new sponsors Waltons, some illustrious industry figures on the panel and Director and The Blizzards set to play it.
It may sound alien to ears accustomed to record after record of electronic overload, but there is an inherent power and beauty in the simple human voice.
We can now reveal the band who will take to the Live stage at The Music Show this weekend as winners of the Hot Press/Sennheiser competition. Drum roll please...!
The official opening of The Music Show will take place in Trinity College, with an interview with Island records founder Chris Blackwell conducted by our very own Stuart Clark.
The inaugural Live Music Venue Of The Year awards give IMRO members a chance to vote for their favourite venues. And now the nominees have been announced...
In the new Hot Press, out this Thursday, music mogul Louis Walsh remembers the Michael Jackson he knew, "a real star" who "put his own unique stamp on everything he did".
Donegal rockers The Revs begin their extensive tour of the Republic on Friday, and if you want check out what they’re like, you can watch a live'n'sweaty performance online.
OnOff, winners of the competition to open the live stage at The Music Show this weekend, are gearing up for what is the biggest Irish gig of their career to date.
There’s a sell-out crowd on hand for Pearl Jam’s eagerly anticipated Point date, their first in Dublin in six years, which is also the opening night of their European tour. The group’s ace card is unquestionably Eddie Vedder, whose charisma and stage presence are reminiscent of no one so much as Jim Morrison.
Ossie Kilkenny, the top music industry accountant who has worked with many of the biggest acts in the world, including U2, Morrissey, Oasis and Van Morrison, has said that the record industry is finished.
’85 was a good year for music, though not for albums. The most interesting 12-inch singles came from John Lydon and Afrika Baambatae’s Time Zone project and The Bomb Party with ‘World Destruction’ and ’Ray Gun EP’ respectively.
The Music Show, the largest event of its kind to be staged in Ireland, will be launched this Wednesday Afternoon, August 26 by THE SCRIPT, at a secret location in the centre of Dublin.
It is with great sadness that Hot Press has learned that Chris Cary has died.
Music Review | Live
28% | 1 Jul 2004
Tanya Sweeney
As Metallica take to the stage amid a cacophony of fireworks, it seems that, despite their sonic brutality, their slick show is beginning to feel a little…well, inauthentic. In fact, it feels a little like Imax…but with a much better soundtrack.
In a year that saw U2 take on the world and win hands down, with a string of superb concerts and the album to beat all in ‘The Joshua Tree’, there was much to be leased with in terms of Irish bands consolidating their reputations.
After years of pale imitations and wholesale corporate plagiarism, this is a typically stunning eardrum assault from arguably the greatest rock trio that world has ever known.
Reports of the demise of the concert business in Ireland have been greatly exaggerated. In fact the business has never been healthier, says leading concert promoter, Peter Aiken
There is a huge wealth of music talent in Ireland today. In this economic meltdown, the government should help the industry live up to its potential through the introduction of initiatives that would make Ireland a better environment for musicians.
Music lovers of the world, unite and take over! Whether you play music, work in music, want a career in music or just love to listen, don’t miss Music Ireland ’07 – the country’s biggest music show and exhibition.
That was the ultimate theme in a general election that saw the voters reject the arrogance of Michael McDowell, overlook the controversy of Bertie Ahern’s past and ensure that nothing’s really going to change. It was certainly a very Irish affair
Tech Music Schools (Drumtech / Vocaltech / Guitar-X / Bass Guitar-X / Keyboardtech), Europe’s leading contemporary music schools, are proud to offer a free full-time intensive scholarship course in London to a Hot Press reader.
Shane O'Neill is Chief Strategy Officer of Liberty Global, overseeing the company’s strategic planning, mergers & acquisitions and corporate development activities.
Opening this month with a volley of gigs from such rock 'n' roll A-Listers as Kings Of Leon, and Coldplay, the 14,500-capacity Dublin O2 looks like being one of the best venues in the world.
Unable to deviate from their set lists, 99% of bands now play the same show night after night. They get bored and jaded; so do their audiences. How did this horrible situation evolve?
Very few performers can hold a massive crowd rapt with lengthy anecdotes about hotel masseurs or self-deprecating tales of teenage pretentiousness but, at times, he almost makes you forget that this is supposed to be a concert.
The Script and Sharon Shannon were just two of the big acts honoured at last night's Meteor Awards, where Hot Press editor Niall Stokes also picked up an award...
It has taken a long time, but at last a really clear picture is beginning to form of the involvement of the Catholic Church in child abuse - specifically in covering up and colluding in the abuse perpetrated by its priests and brothers
Irish singer Camille O'Sullivan admitted to an audience at the Hot Press Music Show at the RDS over the weekend that the tv programme X-Factor scares her.
Read on for the full list of winners of the 2008 IMRO Live Music Venue Of The Year Awards, which took place in the RDS, Dublin on October 4 as part of The Music Show.
Greg Haver has joined the list of major industry names appearing at The Music Show. The event takes place at the RDS in Dublin on October 4 and 5 and boasts a line-up that is packed with industry heavyweights.
IMRO has announced details of the inaugural IMRO Live Music Venue of the Year Awards, which are taking place on October 4 and 5 in the RDS, Dublin as part of The Music Show.
Renowned Irish recording engineer and producer Brian Masterson has been added to the line-up for Music Ireland 07, which takes place in the RDS from October 5 to 7.
The man who signed The Smiths, Arcade Fire, The Libertines and The Strokes (to name but a few!) to his Rough Trade label, Geoff Travis makes a special appearance at the RDS on October 7.
John Clarke, the head of 2FM, is the latest figure pencilled in to make an appearance at the RDS this October. Clarke, who is one of the most influential individuals in the industry here, will take part in the panel discussion 'Who Writes The Playlists - And Are Irish Artists Getting A Fair Deal?'.
Music Ireland ’07 has scored a major coup by getting Prince drummer John Blackwell to grace the Sennheiser Live Stage at the October 5 to 7 event in the Dublin RDS.
As if Gwen Stefani wasn’t enough of an attraction, CSS will be taking care of support duties when the No Doubt woman visits Odyssey Arena, Belfast (October 1) and RDS, Dublin (2).
The Queen of dancefloor cool, Sophie Ellis Bextor, is clearly not content supporting George Michael at the RDS in Dublin today and tomorrow night - she's already penned her return.
Having sold-out their previously announced Point Theatre date in less than 15 minutes, The Killers have announced additional Dublin shows in the RDS Main Hall on February 27 and 28.
As part of the build-up to Music Ireland ’06 in the RDS next month, hotpress has launched a nationwide campaign to encourage musicians to support their local instrument shop. Jackie Hayden explains the central importance of the local store to the Irish music industry – and to every musician’s livelihood.
Hot Press is delighted to confirm its involvement in Music Ireland ’06, a three-day exhibition, workshop, seminar and live performance extravaganza taking place in the RDS on November 25 and 26.
There's cause for Lionel Richie fans to rejoice as their hero announces visits to the RDS Main Hall, Dublin (October 25) and the Odyssey, Belfast (26).
THE USUAL people have been spluttering the usual outrage since the revelation in the Sunday Tribune (August 29th) that a former senior civil servant, Michael Lillis, met Gerry Adams on two occasions earlier this year to discuss peace in the North.
Some of the country's leading music industry figures joined thousands of people for the Music Show, a two-day celebration of all that's good about the recording arts in Ireland.
Stand-up comedy ace Joe Rooney hopes he won’t fall down when he stars in this year’s Christmas On Ice event. And let’s hope it won’t feature anyone dressed as an animal.
Amanda Byram was today unveiled as the host of this year’s Meteors Awards and nominees for 2009 were revealed - as well as the fact that Sharon Shannon would receive a lifetime achievement award.
The Music Show was a huge success, with people from all aspects of the music industry coming together to participate in an event which, as well as showcasing all the latest instruments and equipment, was rich in ideas, information and, above all, great music
They’ve embraced the big sound of America but The Killers still aren’t fully comfortable with the burdens of stardom, reveals frontman Brandon Flowers.
The foot-and-mouth crisis plunged the Irish live music scene into one of its most difficult phases. Now, however, the business is back – and flourishing. Report: COLM O'HARE
The Electric Picnic couldn’t have been any more inspiring (weather excepted). Now, roll on the Music Show....
Electric Picnic. It marks the end of the summer, and the beginning of the academic year when people start to trudge back to schools and college. It is a moment when you start to anticipate the darkness falling down around us, the days getting shorter and then shorter again, till the watershed weekend arrives when the clocks go back, and the winter comes stealing in.
When the Tom Waits shows were announced, there was the by now almost compulsory hue and cry about the ticket prices. So why do we pay more for tickets in Ireland than in the US?
25 YEARS ago this month, on January 30th, 1972, Bloody Sunday, British soldiers stormed up the street where I was born and shot 13 people dead. I watched some of it happen.
While the rest of you were off stuffing your faces with turkey, here at HotPress we were busily polishing our crystal balls in readiness for our annual gaze into the future. S
A note dropped through the letter-box last week from the British Home Secretary Michael Howard, telling me that I’m not welcome at his place any more, which was a surprise and a sore disappointment, since not only has there been a cease-fire in the meantime but I was welcomed in by kind strangers the last time I called.
Freddie Middleton, the General Manager of BMG Records in Ireland has been twenty years in the music business. Here Hot Press, and his many friends in the industry, pay him a special tribute.
With the death of Kurt Cobain in April casting a shadow over the following months 1994 will hardly go down as one of the most joyous in Rock history. Your guide to a month-by-month account of the names and events of the past year. Stuart Clark.
All Write Now, we said. And boy did you follow instructions! The entries poured in from all over Ireland, and further afield, in their thousands. We were snowed under – but, as the song says: That’s the way, uh huh, uh huh, we like it…
