WIM WENDERS’ soundtracks to date have offered irrefutable proof of his seemingly flawless taste in music, but until Buena Vista Social Club, he had yet to make a music film.
Panic At The Disco frontman Brendon Urie talks about channelling The Beatles, recording at Abbey Road and the influence on their music of Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk.
The taciturn reputation of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club has often had journalists thinking in terms of ‘blood’ and ‘stone’, but Stuart Clark finds Peter Hayes in downright garrulous form on the subjects of their new album, Johnny Cash, mermaids and Arnie.
This year’s genre-redeemers, here to re-prove that words are for losers who can't say it with music, are the pathos-laden, relentless, positively monumental The Uptown Racquet Club
He’s the joker in the Irish music pack, a working class hero who has at once conquered and subverted the mainstream. For his first album in six years JERRY FISH and his MUDBUG CLUB have also roped in some top-tier collaborators including rockabilly queen Imelda May and Carol Keogh.
When the late Luke Kelly performed in the Foxrock Folk Club in December 1972 he commented that it was surely a contradiction in terms. Maybe so, but it was a vibrant presence on the music scene in the early 1970s.
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.
Daniel Lapaine and Alice Evans are the stars of The Abduction Club, a restoration romantic comedy set in Ireland. "It's like Jane Austen after having a good shag," insists Daniel
Hard house is this year s biggest dance craze, and it was born at the most renowned
after-hours gay club in the world, Trade. MARK KAVANAGH talks to LAURENCE MALICE,
the Caligula of clubland , about excess, success and his Irish roots. Photographs: Myles Claffey
Ireland’s favourite troubadour is back with his second live album. Live At The 9:30 Club documents the Idaho native’s stopover at the Washington D.C. venue last October .
Dr Sean Millar is back with an acclaimed new album, this time accompanied by The Beet Club, displaying a recently acquired maturity in both music and lyric. Yet he tells Stephen Robinson that he's happy to be still growing up
Ronan Keating keeps the UK singles chart eh, safe for ahem, rock and roll by beating S Club Juniors, Aaliyah, Holly Valance and assorted other pop juggernauts to the Number One spot with 'If Tomorrow Never Comes'
He revolutionised contemporary fiction with Fight Club. But, with more than one brutal murder lurking in the family undergrowth, Chuck Palahniuk's own life has been as troubled and disturbing as any of his books
Oxfam Ireland have announced that Prenup, The Red Labels, Mugger Dave and Junah will form the bill at the Oxjam charity gig in the Sugar club this month
A BLOOD-CURDLING howl of violent white rage that looks set to reverberate around the world for some time to come, Fight Club is an almighty, disturbing, monstrous motherfucker of a movie which power-drills its way into the viewer’s head like few films since the heyday of Martin Scorsese.
Domino Records are branching out into fashion with their new T-Shirt Club, where fans can sign up to get their favourite band tees in the post every month.
Although their previous studio album Revolver is now the more acclaimed, Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is arguably The Beatles' most famous work and the one that had most influence on the music and society of its time.
Liverpool club Cream has, as expected, announced a major change in their DJ booking policy for 1997. From January the club will be concentrating on resident DJs in its main rooms, and guests will now only occasionally appear in the club’s Courtyard area.
Summer time, and the record stores are going to be full to bursting with some cracking albums across all genres. John Walshe examines the hottest album releases set to hit the shelves
For a few dizzying months in 2007, New Young Pony Club were London’s pre-eminent ‘it’ band. But despite a Mercury Music Prize nomination, commercial success never quite arrived. Now they’re regrouped and planning another full-frontal assault on the pop universe. Singer Tahita Bulmer talks about the personal traumas that coloured their new record and explains why they’re not angry with La Roux for stealing their electro-pop thunder.
Corkonian hip-hop homeboy, sometime music-biz mogul and supremo of the International Bar s International Comedy Club New Yorker DES BISHOP is all these things and more. NICK KELLY collared him for a quick chinwag.
The glitter cannon has been primed. The pyrotechnics are sorted, likewise a series of 40 foot video screens. A massive sound system will have been freighted in from London. And at midnight on New Year's Eve, a Shine club special at the King's Hall in Belfast will be hailed by much noise and a computerised system sequencing animation, music and samplers - a millennium shindig that's likely to be the best of its kind in Ireland
Dance rockers (or should that be rock dancers?) New Young Pony Club talk about their crossover appeal, hitting the big time after years of hard work, the festival experience and their love of The Sopranos.
The Minister For Justice Equality & Law Reform, Michael McDowell, finally proves that he’s good for something by gracing the cover of the new Pony Club single, ‘Diplomat’.
Hitherto not a particularly enthralling proposition, Canada’s Tokyo Police Club seem to have finally hit their stride. ‘Your English’ is a rip-roaring little number, stuffed full of hooks and melody and energy. First class.
From the ashes of Red Lunacy come the excellently named Torture Artists Social Club, who describe themselves as “dirty rock with a conscience”. Well, the conscience has yet to be proven but the dirty rock is there in tractor loads. Their debut single throws in as much reference to retro acts like Free and The Black Crowes as it does to their own imagination. Shame that the great ideas in it aren’t given enough life and room to draw out their strengths – ‘ManDance’ is unnecessarily forgettable – but it’s early days for ‘em yet.
Here’s a gentle reminder that rap didn’t always equate with firearms and crack. Almost ten years before De La Soul’s daisy age of sampladelic delight, Tom Tom Club were imagining rap not as a martial but a visual art with the hot colours and graffiti sensibilities of their eponymous debut.
A universe removed from the campfire boilerplate of 2005’s Howl, Baby 81 sees Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (reunited with drummer Nick Jaggo) rediscovering their sub-Mary Chain fuzzbox growl.
The damaged licks and feedback-fattened melodies of LA’s Black Rebel Motorcycle Club have always suggested a karaoke riff on your favourite avant-pop outsiders.
Japanese tin whistlers, Harlem Gospel singers, Indian mandolin players . . . De Dannan have traded scales and tales with them all. Dermot Stokes catches up with Frankie Gavin and Alec Finn and is entranced as the Michael Palins of pan-cultural playing share excerpts from their ongoing odyssey.
Park it here for the next phase in the Garage gig series - your source for new Irish noise... or, if you're a musician, possibly your source for a cool 12 grand
GERRY MALLON is the brains behind The Murphy's Comedy Club which has been running weekly in Galway's GPO for the last three years, despite one Englishman's determined attempt to incinerate the joint. Interview: BARRY GLENDENNING.
Earlier this year, hotpress spent some time out and about, shooting scenes around some of the hotspots, and our pictures caught revellers aplenty from all over Europe, as well as Africa, America, Australia and New Zealand, who had come here to live – and were out there tasting and enjoying the nightlife.
Twenty five years after The Jam went their separate ways, bassist Bruce Foxton and drummer Rick Buckler are back playing together under the name From The Jam.
By taming Celtic in their own back yard, St Patrick’s Athletic showed how far Irish club football has come in recent years. But as STUART CLARK discovers, when he meets manager PAT DOLAN, not everyone in the National League is heartened by their progress.
The Road Relish singles club has played a central role in the growth of the local independent scene. the main players explain their philosophy to Hannah Hamilton
“There’s still nothing like the sound of a fat four/four kick drum on a great sound system,” say UK house merchants Futureshock, and Barry O’Donoghue isn’t about to disagree with them.
Taking time out from a hectic schedule of stage, studio and club work the one and only Boy George sets the record straight on Eminem, Graham Norton, Elton John and the new homophobia
Swayzak continue to be refreshingly out of step with dancefloor norms. Richard Brophy hears about the duo’s latest offering – club grooves for your sitting room
Graduates of the Manhattan avant-garde scene The Virgins join us from somewhere to the left of the middle of nowhere – that would be Madison, Wisconsin – to talk hype, art and modelling shoots.
He's resident DJ at Mr. C's End club, records for the End label, runs his own Plank stamp, and, with fellow co-Ender Layo makes some rather fine music as the Usual Suspects. He's Matthew B, and he's here to talk to Digital Beat. Interrogating the suspect: Richard Brophy.
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.
The Irish club scene has been plunged into controversy with the decision to force a number of clubs to close earlier. Meanwhile the threat of a 1.30am curfew has not gone away.
In a single decade, Irish electronica and dance music has transformed the national scene. MARK KAVANAGH has been involved from the very beginning, as a DJ, activist, producer and hotpress columnist. Here, he offers a personal take on a long and winding but ultimately fruitful road, and reveals some of the new challenges he ll be undertaking as a DJ, producer and recording artist over the coming 12 months
...And the kids just keep on comin’, as Hot Press investigates another assortment of motley crews with songs in their hearts and stars in their eyes, and concludes that the future is indeed so bright, you’ve gotta wear shades.
FLEXIHEAD, MEXICAN PETS, THE GLEE CLUB, IN MOTION
He’s played with The Corrs and was a member of the real-life Commitments. CONOR BRADY talks about life as one of the great unsung mainstays of Irish rock and roll. photos Ruth Medjber
They invented 'nu rave', bagged the Mercury Music Prize and gave Noel Gallagher the mother of all migraines. You could say the Klaxons have had a busy 2007.
At 21 years of age Roy Keane is potentially Ireland’s most expensive ever footballer. Growing in stature at International and Club level, his increasing profile has also brought media attention of a type that hasn’t always been welcome. Here, he talks of his mistrust of the tabloids, coping with fame, his fairytale breakthrough to the top and his ambition to play in Italy at some stage of his career
You don’t associate Cavan with a cutting edge music scene – but Michael O'Brien aims to change that with his Origins club night. Who knows? One day Neil Young might even decide to pay a visit.
RTE are set to screen a documentary series about Carlisle United football club. But the fly on the wall had better keep his ears covered since the team’s manager, Dubliner Roddy Collins, is no shrinking violet. And, as Stuart Clark discovers here, even on subjects unrelated to football, the brother of boxing champ Steve doesn’t pull his punches. Images Liam Sweeney
The Irish language is currently enjoying its most significant renaissance in many a year. in a special report, Seán O Héadeáin investigates the rebirth of the most unfairly maligned element of traditional culture
Minimalist electro-pop duo The Ting Tings emerged from a Manchester artists' collective with a love of Tom Tom Club and Talking Heads and a reputation as one of this year's most original new acts.
It’s a good life being a FUN LOVIN' CRIMINAL. You get to party at your own club in Dublin, chill out in Maui, dress like "an irish soccer hooligan" and watch astral television in germany. All this and you’re a nice guy too. HUEY MORGAN tells FIONA REID about life on the town
The journey from Tallaght to the Premiership hasn’t always been an easy one, but this season has found Richard Dunne in the best form of his career for both club and country.
Mark Eitzel and American Music Club have had all the critical plaudits and cult status that they ever could've wished for. What they really want now is fame and megabuck success! Patrick Brennan met the Wet Wet Wet wannabees.
Colm O’Hare talks to local indie heroes Saville, the acclaimed quartet determined to make their inspired blend of ’60s pop and rock heard above the din of their hipper contemporaries
From Timeless to Celebrity Big Brother to stopping Esso, and all points in-between – is it any wonder Eamon Sweeney has to ask if the real Goldie would please stand up
On the eve of his unprecedented 23-night run at Vicar St., PAUL BRADY reflects on a dazzling career and describes the long and sometimes difficult process which has led to a new and resounding declaration of independence.
Interview: JACKIE HAYDEN
It’s been a hell of a year for The Thrills, propelled from rehearsal rooms in rainy Dublin to a number one album, sell-out shows and limo-driven tours of L.A. at night. Hotpress catches up with the band as they kick off an irish homecoming trek with an exclusive Dublin fan club gig.
The border counties may not exactly be a hotbed of indie rock but that hasn’t stopped Monaghan hopefuls The Flaws from producing one of the year’s most mesmerising debuts.
A thrilling collision in the Guinness Storehouse between the aural and visual worlds, Wonky2 - brainchild of Leagues O'Toole - proved that at some parties, you don't have to check your mind in at the door
Sex and sanctity, grit and glitter, penthouse and pavement, God and the Devil, and all conical points in between!
PETER MURPHY dials M for ADONNA, the pre-eminent pop icon of this and every other year
As the punk revolution took hold in the UK, Manchester was notable for the bleak, industrial soundtrack even its most successful bands were making. But that all changed with the explosion there of a new and hedonistic culture, centred in and around The Hacienda, a club run by the city's most influential music biz entrepreneur, the boss of Factory Records, TONY WILSON. The story of the transformation of the city into the centre of rock'n'roll's emerging drug and club culture – of the change from Manchester to Madchester – is told in 24 Hour Party People. With the Happy Mondays as it primary musical focus, there's no shortage of on-screen drugs and fighting – but this is really the extraordinary saga of one of the great rock'n'roll towns, in all its gory glory… Tara Brady reports
A fresh generation of bands is tearing up the rule book and redefining what it means to be Irish. To celebrate this new wave of talent, we catch up with the best of them.
what good was rock’n’roll in 2001? No good at all – and yet we couldn’t have got through without it.
Peter Murphy reflects on a year in which some old codgers stood up to be counted and many of us lived “on songs and hope”
Despite an annoyingly chatty Thursday night crowd, Hawley created a sort of magical, and very cosy, atmosphere, constructing a cocoon of the kind of delicious sadness you want to wallow and revel in
Widely recognised as the best sports writer in Ireland, Tom Humphries became a key player himself, this time last year, when his interview with Roy Keane led to the departure of the Corkman from Ireland’s World Cup squad. Here, Humphries discusses sports journalism, club versus country, soccer in Croker, the Michelle Smith scandal and, of course, Roy Keane, his part in his downfall. [Pics Mick Quinn]
Murphy’s Live’s tour of Ireland to find the best unsigned band has inadvertently offered me the opportunity to inspect the venues Ireland has to offer. And Limerick’s Dolan’s is right up there with the best/
Now that 'Back To Life' has been firmly etched into everyone's brain (and a lot of hearts, too) the time seems right to delve further into the heart and soul of Jazzie B. and his cohorts.
The EBM influence is creeping back into club music and this release, by a Russian artist, integrates robotic, industrial beats and cold, stark rhythms with warm techno chords on ‘Contemplation’. It’s slower than the average techno club track, but, as dance music’s categories become increasingly redundant, that’s immaterial.
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.
Canada's Juno award-winning Annabelle Chvostek kicks off her tour of Britain and Ireland with a gig in Belfast on Wednesday, November 11 at The Real Music Club at The Errigle Inn.
The Thrills will be joining the likes of Morrissey, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Flaming Lips and Sonic Youth and many, many more for the Lollapalooza festivities
Attica Blues have been low profile of late, mainly because they have been huddled in a studio writing and recording their third album, setting up a new label and hosting a new club night in London.
‘Braga’ and ‘Breep’ are based on rough, grungy bass, tone shifting riffs and walls of hissing percussive feedback, a combination that will lift the roof off any self-respecting underground club.
Featuring Tina Weymouth, Miss Kittin, Adult’s singer and the Chicks themselves on vocals, this had the potential to go horribly wrong, but it has turned out to be an infectious version of the Tom Tom Club track.
The original is a hip NYC-esque club track from the mid-80s singing the praises of S+M… had to be re-released on Gigolos, of course. The Blackstrobe remix is excellent – circa 100bpm , it’s dark, sleek and sexy electrotrash.
If you don’t dig this – a daft and dirrrrty Baltimore jaunt in two parts: the first collages breaks, funky riffs, sleazy vocals and crashing ride cymbals, while the second sounds like Tom Tom Club – you are DEAD.
Mi Musik won’t win any prizes for his grasp of English grammar, but that’s irrelevant as soon as the needle drops on ‘How Much Times…’. It’s a straight down the line driving club track, but it is inhabited by slivers of old school trance euphoria.
The original’s a lovely slice of deep, tech-infused house with dreamy keys and strings and a club-friendly vocal, while newcomer Alex Smoke techs things up with a rubbery bassline and judicious use of them strings.
At no other stage in the history of human civilisation have there been more Ministry, Cream and I***a 2000 compilations attempting to recreate the pounding sounds of the club PA on home stereos.
Seminal German dub techno label Poker Flat’s latest compilation features great club tunes from Jeff Bennett, Steve Bug and Jeff Samuel as well as a bonus mix CD from Jon Tejada.
Seminal German dub techno label Poker Flat’s latest compilation features great club tunes from Jeff Bennett, Steve Bug and Jeff Samuel as well as a bonus mix CD from Jon Tejada.
The original's a great punk-funk/go-go ditty about picking up a rather filthy lady. Phwoar. Mustapha3000 (aka Erol Alkan) supplies a smart remix tat sounds like Justice reworking Prodigy's 'Poison'. If you're confused by the above, Headman drops a usable club mix too.
‘Ceramics’ brings a musical sensibility to club techno. On ‘Credit’, Stott’s sense of melancholia is underscored by a humming electronic bass, while the title track is a deep seated, dubby roller which still packs a powerful punch with the occasional ‘Red 2’-style stab.
Recorded live four years ago, this EP shows that Swayzak were way ahead of the minimal techno pack. Operating in club mode, they fuse a mixture of hypnotic Basic Channel chords, haunting Detroit techno and understated, pared down beats.
One half of Black Strobe delivers his latest mix – how many more can he release? – this time for London club Fabric. As ever, there’s an emphasis on dark bass-led techno and house, featuring tracks from DJ Koze, Michael Mayer and Konrad Black.
The mysterious Missing Link is inspired by IDM and industrial, as well as club techno. In places, these EPs veer into DJ unfriendly seven/eight time signatures. Counteracting this experimentation are the lead tracks, where murky basslines, hissing percussion, and a sense of space have the required dance-floor effect.
Prog fans, if you are still awake, approach this compilation with caution. The Bedrock resident has compiled and mixed Choice, but the selection features his favourite classic club tunes – including The Grid’s ‘Flotation’ – as well as more diverse tracks from St. Etienne, Young American Primitive and The Cure on the second disc.
From a Belfast band causing something of a stir across the pond, ‘Little Heat’ is a indie club classic in the making. It's all nonsense lyrics, clever hooks and a beat which can’t but set you in motion. There may be nothing here to indicate V//Formation are in it for the long haul, but nonetheless ‘Little Heat’ remains a fun four minutes in which to get your groove on.
Named after Chris Liebing’s monthly club in Frankfurt, this cheeky bootleg was handed out free to clubbers at the night’s fourth anniversary party. A party house version of The White Stripes’ ‘Seven Nation Army’, it’s the work of a certain astute European techno producer.
The original – featuring Ali Love (Prince-gone-nu rave) on vocals – can’t decide it it wants to be daytime radio or night-time club fodder, and ends up being neither. Audion kills it on the remix, streamlining and accentuating the best bits (bassline, riff), turning in a glazed, glistening nine-minute trip.
Not that we're complete stalkers or anything, but the Hot Press crack team did spend the majority of the Oxegen weekend camped outside the stars' dressing rooms waiting for video interviews with the hottest acts...
Deep techno hero Matthew Puffet aka Future Beat Alliance enjoys his biggest moment to date with ‘Fake Love’. Like UR at their most musical, the track has a clubby feel uncommon to most FBA material – and could give Puffet his first big club track.
“Intricate patterns and swells, edging towards dramatic, sweeping movements” are promised on February 21 when Washington DC experimentalists Le Loup play Dublin's Crawdaddy.
Ilya Santana’s debut release for Balihu was put together on the most basic software programmes, but this EP still sounds like he had access to top of the range kit. The beats and handclaps are crisp, the Italo melodies are seductive, the acid lines arrive gradually at irresistible climaxes and the EP boasts a warmness alien to most club records.
Following the success of Oxjam last month, local artists are coming together for a gig in Skerries Sailing Club, this time in support of the Autism & ADD / ADHD Association in Balbriggan.
Despite the hype surrounding it, ‘Lobster’ really deserves the praise; deep house with an instantly recognisable riff, Frank Tope provides a tougher, leaner version, while Saint Laurent’s other track, ‘Surf Club’ is more spacey house music with an intuitive understanding of what works on the floor.
Imagine the scene: It’s 3.50am, Chamillionaire’s track has just finished playing at an underground sweaty club. The house lights rise to induce the clubbers’ squints, and rising from the speakers is ‘The Idiots’, the last track of the night, and a perfect accompaniment to the meeting of lips (for those with partners) and eyes across the dancefloor (for those without). Shame its refrain is the less romance-inducing ‘drunk in the middle of a doughnut shop”.
Edwin James is electronic in sound but punk by nature. He set up his own label as a platform for his work and has brought his mixture of electro and techno to every bar, club and live venue in the country. Despite his DIY attitude, one gets the feeling that ‘Electronix’ is merely a warm up for the main event. James’s production is pristine throughout and he certainly has an ear for melody, but ‘Electronix’ displays too much reverence for the past. Once he steps out from the shadows of those he eulogises, we can expect to hear a masterpiece.
Those fine people what brought you Wonky and Wonky2 announce multi-band, multi-media Paddy's Day Weekend frolics in new Wexford St venue The Village. Confirmed bands include The Jimmy Cake, Enon and Uptown Racquet Club
Those fine people what brought you Wonky and Wonky2 announce multi-band, multi-media Paddy's Day Weekend blowout in new Wexford St venue The Village. Confirmed bands include The Jimmy Cake, Enon and Uptown Racquet Club
Goth’s not dead, at least not in Leeds – the international centre for all things gloomy and the home to The Ivories. As befits a band who’s singer used to run a club called Release The Bats and front an outfit called The Holy Terror, this isn’t the cheeriest of stuff. Instead, it visits the darker corners of the Banshees and the Bad Seeds. B-side ‘Disappointment’ is actually the better track, upping the tempo to a psychobilly howl, but this is an impressive debut all round.
At the end of Febraury the first show in a series of nights dedicated to individual artists will take place in the Sugar Club. The inaugral show will be dedicated to Jeff Buckley.
Fancy your mixology? Paul Oakenfold to feature at a masterclass for finalists of brand-new DJ competition Found@Thirst - part of a new club night of the same name
Reemo have announced the release of 'Sometimes', the first single off the band's debut album Colours, and play a launch gig at the Sugar Club in support of Saville.
It's gigs ahoy at Drogheda's new Star* venue this month, with The Undertones as well as Jerry Fish & The Mudbug Club, Mickey Harte and Shirley Valentine starring Mary McEvoy
The Van Diemens – a group comprised of top musicians who've played with the likes of Van Morrison and Duke Special – play a night of rock tributes in Whelan's this month.
Not as tough as the previous Mumps outings (or any of his other recent gear) ‘M’, ‘N’, ‘O’ and ‘P’ are the usual club-friendly techno gear we’ve come to expect.
I haven’t seen the finished copy of the single, but if doesn’t come out with a sticker which says: ‘Debut single from the winner of RTE’s You’re A Star competition’, it will take all of the fun out of being just able to guess it from the faux-emotive lyrics which fit and rhyme effortlessly (literally), the big chorus where the strings come in, and the long, held note at the end. My Lord, she does a better job of reviving the '80s than the reformation of Culture Club, A-Ha and a broken Rubik’s Cube you found in the attic. Does she wear a peach, shoulder-padded dress in the video too?
THERE WERE two Irish records in the UK club charts simultaneously for the first time ever recently. As Belfast boy Wand’s remix of Dubliner Kerri Ann’s ‘Do You Love Me Boy’ slipped from number 27 to number 29, Northern duo Agnelli & Nelson crashed straight in at number five.
Super Extra Bonus Party put their €10,000 Choice Music Prize spoils to good use by making their Appetite For Reconstruction remix album available as a free download.
It's wanton guitar abuse ahoy! on January 29 as Dublin trio Angels Of Mons introduce the world to their Last Of The Dead Empires album with a hometown show in The Sugar Club.
“Forget what you know about Kelly Osbourne,” screams the accompanying press release. “Get ready for a surprise.” Certainly the '80s dance club vibe which proliferates throughout is an unexpected shift in direction for the young Osbourne.
While Belgian club Eskimo will go down in history as being the only promoters to throw a party in a disused underwear factory, they obviously aren’t content to rest on their laurels (no pun intended).
Known primarily for their well received, deeply textured, tribal tech-house releases on Eukahouse, this, the duo's debut album, will come as something of a surprise for fans of their club music
If there was one album that convinced Bob Dylan to include Paul Brady in the club of “secret heroes” he listed in the liner notes of Biograph— and let’s not forget the only other members of this somewhat exclusive coterie were Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen— then it was 1981’s Hard Station.
Tagged as the next big thing to emerge from Ireland, Mainline have been gathering much acclaim from the likes of Q magazine and London’s XFM. Listening to their debut single, it’s easy to justify the hype. With a big dirty guitar riff pushing it on, ‘Black Honey’ wouldn’t sound out of place on a Black Rebel Motorcycle Club or Jesus and Mary Chain album. It sounds like nothing that has come out of an Irish band in years.
Singer Barry Gleeson hails from Artane, Dublin and has been a stalwart of the Góilín singers’ club for many years. His strident rasp might not be the most mellifluous in the world, but it’s strong and confident all the same.
THE QUEUES down Wexford Street for this rare club appearance from the mighty Christy were reminiscent of the crowds that stormed The Baggot Inn for those
legendary Moving Hearts shows, all of fifteen years ago. Since then, Christy has become a megastar of ludicrous proportions and not surprisingly, the "Sold Out"
signs were in place by around 8:00pm.
A timely release from the world’s most influential hard house club, ahead of its tenth birthday in October, celebrating its role at the centre of the extraordinary day that was the UK’s first Love Parade, at Roundhay Park in Leeds in July. Mixed by two of its most respected residents.
Midnight Magic takes in Hi NRG Italian disco, ’80s electro and even early ’90s techno, fusing them with sweat ridden, pulsating contemporary club grooves.
There was an odd period some ten or fifteen years ago when punters would pay a few bob to go into a folk club and shut their gobs while somebody played. I can’t imagine why. Perhaps the late arrival of technology was making us romantic.
The seventh volume in the chilled-out series hailed by Madonna as her favourite listening material, from the twenty year-old club with the international reputation as the place to watch the sun set over the Mediterranean.
The 20 recordings on this 70-minute CD were made between 1997 and 2001 at the piping festival held each November under the auspices of the Armagh Pipers’ Club.
This odd murder thriller jumps between the mob-dominated club scene of the '50s and the swinging possibilities of the '70s as a determined journalist (Lohman) attempts to investigate the suspicious death of a hotel maid (naked in bathtub, of course) and the subsequent break-up of Kevin Bacon and Colin Firth’s Martin And Lewis inspired comedy duo.
If you thought German dance music alternated between tops off Teutonic trance and willfully obscure experimental electronic music, then think again as DJ Hell takes to the controls for the second mix CD from legendary techno club FUSE.
WE ARE pleased to report that following the second anniversary of the Murphy’s Corduroy Comedy Club (The Norseman, Temple Bar, Thursday nights), resident compere John Henderson has decided to move upstairs (metaphorically speaking, of course – the Club is already upstairs) in order to oversee Corduroy affairs from his new position as Director of Comedy.
NICK KELLY talks to BRENDAN DEMPSEY and PADDY COURTNEY, the respective outgoing and incoming MCs of Dublin's COMEDY CELLAR, the most important comedy club in Ireland. Pics: CATHAL DAWSON.
Champagne corks are popping in the Fionn Regan camp following the news that his The End Of History album has been shortlisted for this year’s Nationwide Mercury Prize.
Leeds supporters are up in arms after star defender Rio Ferdinand's 'defection' to Man United. But since when did club loyalty apply to the multi-million quid industry that is the Premiership?
The Sabbath means no work and all play; The Last Post wrap up number two; Exile Eye find hip-hop equilibrium; and The Road Relish Singles Club says, We are ten
From the man who gave us one of the biggest gospel-inspired hits of the 1990's in 'I Believe I Can Fly', comes another classy collection of soulful grooves, infectious club jams and R&B ballads.
OPPORTUNISTIC DUBLIN comedy impressario Buzz O Neill hasn t been letting the grass grow under his feet since pulling down the shutters on the Corduroy Comedy Club at Dublin s Norseman just before Christmas.
Read an interview with David Berman of Silver Jews - and then listen to 'Tennessee', from new opus Bright Flight, an ode to a dream state with an unlimited supply of "club soda" and "hot middle-aged women"
Barry Dobbin and Luke Smith first began writing music together after the punters had all been sent home from their Bad Bunny club nights in Soho. Judging by the influences draped and smeared all over this, their first album, the club’s play-list must have been pretty special.
They say that you play venues like Whelan’s twice in your career – once on the way up, once in the other direction. The Stereophonics are somewhere between the two at the moment so their appearance at the Wexford St. venue has to be an unusual state of affairs. Indeed it is, part of a series of club dates designed to introduce new album Language, Sex, Violence, Other? and make the daily chore of talking to the press more bearable.
Dabbling in the same muddied waters as Fight Club, but to much greater effect, David Ayers’ directorial debut (following his testosterone-drenched screenplays for Training Day and Dark Blue) takes us down, down, down into the most disturbing aspects of masculinity and American life.
With the final countdown to Christmas already well underway, what’s on offer by way of music-related presents is on every rock’n’roll fan’s mind. We took Jerry Fish into HMV in Grafton St. and asked him to pick out the most desirable items on offer – including, of course, his own wonderful new record Live At The Spiegeltent.
With the final countdown to Christmas already well underway, what’s on offer by way of music-related presents is on every rock’n’roll fan’s mind. We took Jerry Fish into HMV in Grafton St. and asked him to pick out the most desirable items on offer – including, of course, his own wonderful new record Live At The Spiegeltent.
Synergia 03 is an enticing, and occasionally exciting, snapshot of contemporary Irish club culture, showcasing the pristine sounds of established names and emerging talents alike.
Synergia 03 is an enticing, and occasionally exciting, snapshot of contemporary Irish club culture, showcasing the pristine sounds of established names and emerging talents alike.
Movies based in American high schools are seldom noted for their originality, but the lack of imagination on display in She's All That still boggles the mind - next to this, the likes of Breakfast Club could qualify as masterpiece cinema.
With Mike Hanrahan still on a high from the success of the Stockton’s Wing reunion gig, he dropped into the Wexford Songwriters Club for a short but intense run-through of five songs from his What You Know solo album.
With their self-titled debut album The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club have been causing an unexpected sensation by harking back to the dark distorted attitude-laden style of British bands such as The Jesus & Mary Chain, The Verve and Ride.
The glum view is easily stated: finally, after eight years, the Bay City Rollers revival. The dominant pop purveyors – Duran, Wham, Spandau, Culture Club, Young, Kershaw, and Jones – regressed to the most conservative models of teen exploitation.
A weepy romantic melodrama for the wrinkled generation, Random Hearts is shamelessly sentimental stuff, but it's effective in its own manipulative way. I expected to hate it, but it was far too classy for that - and if the film isn't exactly in the Wings Of Desire league, it has a certain Club-Class style and sophistication which should sucker 90% of viewers in before they've even realised it.
In which our sex correspondent finds that a trip to an Amsterdam strip club makes her hornier than a tomcat – with interesting consequences during the train ride home!
Until recently vibrant and prolific, Cuban music fell headfirst into the fate of an industry dominated by a communist government. Most local acts of promise were either over-regulated and not allowed to flourish on their own terms, or were snapped up by foreign imperialists and brought away from their homeland. Then came the Buena Vista Social Club. Juan de Marcos teamed up with executive producer Nick Gold in 1997, and with the help of Ry Cooder and some very important Cuban musicians, they realised a musical dream.
Riot On An Empty Street is perfect late night, post-pub or club fare, with nary a voice raised in anger throughout its 12 songs. That said, despite the fact that they don’t beat you around the head with toe-tapping melodies, there is something quietly compelling and gently addictive about this album.
John Hughes used to make movies about alienated teenagers (The Breakfast Club, Pretty In Pink, Ferris Bueller's Day Off) but now he is more likely to make movies that will alienate them.
In the broad arena, the Irish language has rarely been given the credit it deserves. Reasons abound for this state of affairs - a cack-handed policy regarding its teaching since the State's foundations, the cosy 'club' atmosphere of some of those who use it, alluded to by Liam O'Maonlai in a recent interview in this magazine, and the 'what use is it' brigade shouting from the rooftops.
Following his massively successful Cuban odyssey, which yielded albums such as the Buena Vista Social Club and its various solo offshoots, Cooder turns his attentions to his own Los Angeles backyard for inspiration.
The Killers wrapped up Oxegen for another year but not before the 80,000 music fans in attendance saw the likes of Arcade Fire (pictured), Kings Of Leon, The Gossip, Klaxons and Brian Wilson.
To most clubbers Smirnoff Experience has become synonymous with cutting edge club-nights all around Ireland, representing house, progressive, trance and, tonight, the harder end of dance music
Jerry Fish – or if you prefer, Gerry Whelan – is what you might call a happy man right now. In fact, if the guy were any higher, the boys in blue would probably stop him on the street and ask him to piss into a cup. Not only is he preparing to close on his most successful professional year in a decade, he’s also received a rather momentous early Christmas present. Some 28 hours before our meeting, the singer’s partner Niki had given birth to a baby boy, their second child. Mr Fish, as you can imagine, is coasting on cigars and brandy and goodwill to all men.
SO YOU reckon dance music is dull, repetitive and only marginally more fun to listen to outside of a club environment than a Black & Decker power drill.
Well, if 2 Unlimited and their thousand zillion beat per minute chums are your yardstick, I'd have to agree.
SO YOU reckon dance music is dull, repetitive and only marginally more fun to listen to outside of a club environment than a Black & Decker power drill.
Well, if 2 Unlimited and their thousand zillion beat per minute chums are your yardstick, I'd have to agree.
CHRISTY HITS the chill-out zone? It’s enough to put the heart across club culturalists and hardcore troubadours alike. Moore’s often bedecked his songs with gaudy tapestries, but on Traveller, in partnership with Leo Pearson, he’s cross-pollinating folk forms with deep space beats, head music and ambient swashes, sticking his neck out further than ever before.
At last, Caesar, news from our legions in the North... Empire comedy club regular Patrick McGaughey recently visited the International's Comedy Cellar where he easily won over that most discerning of audiences with a flawless routine
Friday at Electric Picnic saw Sigur Ros pull off a spellbinding main stage performance, Christy Moore lift the mood of all, and many comings and goings at the Hot Press Chatroom.
Dundalk’s Spirit Store is one of the leading folk venues in the country. On evidence of its inaugural night, The Tall Poppy Club sees looks set to be the jewel in the crown. Also: Steve Earle and Billy Bragg, old dogs with new tricks.
Tom and Jerry have a dream – they want to do for their parish what Bono has done for his. And now that they’ve won the Golden Microphone Award, D’Unbelievables are well on their way to being the biggest thing since Sean Slattery & The Rough Club. Olaf Tyaransen meets the kings of comedy.
The use of rock music for soundtracking and advertising purposes has opened up important new avenues for artists eager to get their music out to a mass audience.
Fractious post-punk is the order of the day: bits of Slits, a soupçon of Pop Group, shards of Birthday Party, screeds of Breeders, shreds of Dead Kennedys, the odd surf riff pilfered from early B52s by way of Poison Ivy or John Doe, all rendered Anglocentric via a quirky lyrical sensibility (tales of rotgut shut-ins and Valleylands paranoia and Asperger’s syndrome savants).
More chameleon than amphibian, our gravel-tongued hero takes to the shimmering, silver stage amid a blaze of brass not heard since the Mainliners were in their prime
...no, really! In the new Hot Press, Jerry Fish reveals details of an ongoing album project based on the poetry of Reservoir Dogs actor Michael Madsen.
The Coronas were about a week into their 2008 American tour when they realised Colonel Kurtz was driving the bus. They can laugh about it now, oh yes. Sat around a table in the Library Bar on the eve of the release of their second album, the foursome – singer Danny O’Reilly, guitarist Dave McPhillips, bass player Graham Knox and drummer Conor Egan – are still young and hardy enough to take it in their stride.
They used to be a bit of a joke but, with the release of their fantastic new record, The Horrors are suddenly a band to watch. Faris Badwan talks about stepping out with Peaches Geldof, ditching the freak-show hair and recalls his traumatic childhood experiences on Palestine’s West Bank
Cast as fictional conjoined twins who start their own punk band Harry and Luke Treadaway have delivered one of the year’s funniest and most moving performances in the mocumentary Brothers Of The Head.
New York, London, Paris, Munich, everybody’s talking about Mylo’s music. The 25-year-old dancefloor maestro here sounds off to Steve Cummins about touring the globe, the challenges of following up his acclaimed debut album, and why maruading chavs won’t be enough to dissuade him from moving to Essex.
Cathy, Ciara, Kelly and Tara are collectively known as BELLEFIRE and are Westlife
manager Louis Walsh’s latest project. STEPHEN ROBINSON investigates Louis’ angels
It was one of rock's most bizarre and impressive spectacles - the MANIC STREET PREACHERS live in Cuba, in front of an audience including Fidel Castro! STUART CLARK was there, and spoke to JAMES DEAN BRADFIELD about Bill Clinton, Top Of The Pops, Bono, Elian Gonzales and the band's new album
DESPERATE TO start your own white militia but don t know where to find the necessary hardware?
Well, fret no more my fascist friends, because The Small Arms Review has finally made it over the Atlantic. A must-read for anyone who wants to build their own fortified compound in the Wicklow Mountains, the magazine is packed with ads for companies like US Ordenance, who can fix you up with a Vickers Semi-Auto .303 machine gun for just $4,495 (including p&p).
This Is My Father is a new Irish film which manages to be commercial but not patronisingly Irish. CRAIG FITZSIMONS spoke to one of the stars, PAT SHORTT.
Overall, this live album, recorded during Dublin’s Fringe Festival, is a wondrous, heady clash of strings, horns calypso jazz-pop and sexed up cabaret.
It may not be an ornate and highly charming church in Dingle, but something about the truly titanic line-up of the Other Voices launch, reduces the expansive Vicar St. venue to a kind of wonderfully intimate backbar.
Mark Cullen’s second album, the follow up to the respectfully received Home Truths, further establishes him and his band as one of the sharpest tools in the indie shed.
So you're strapped for cash and you can't make New Years Eve in Sydney, Barcelona or New York. Don't worry, there's still plenty on offer in Ireland. Here are some of the highlights:
Fantastic Playroom sounds exactly like it sounds: often cute, occasionally lurid, always novel, a record with one eye on the alt-style supplements, the other on the charts.
Donal Dineen launches his latest exhibition at the Galway Arts Festival this month. as we've come to expect from the DJ, TV presenter, filmmaker and photographer, music plays a big part in the new work
One of Belfast’s best-loved indie clubs has undergone a radical reinvention – but is still going strong after more than ten years at the front line of alternative culture in the city.
Killarney-based instrumental foursome HELIOPAUSE say they’re keen to keep rock ‘n’ roll alive in the Kingdom. We caught up with drummer Jamie O’Donoghue to talk mountains, his instrumental icons and supporting fellow sticks man R.S.A.G.Punk, Mark Morrison with Muse and Bob Marley with TLC, they show real production potential.
2003 was a year of reinvention for the Irish dance scene, as dance recession which had been the talk of UK dance mags in 2002 finally had some effect over here.
The end may indeed be nigh for discos and dance clubs in Ireland, with the Government s proposed changes to licensing legislation putting over 10,000 jobs and 650 businesses at risk. Mark Kavanagh reports.
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.
Stephen Cummins discusses the FAI’s recent troubles, the passing of Emlyn Hughes and Ireland’s chances of World Cup qualification with Match Of The Day pundit Mark Lawrenson.
While the likes of Cream and Ministry Of Sound have struggled, Belfast superclub Shine continues to go from strength to strength. Barry O’Donoghue reports on one of Irish dance’s big success stories
Why do so many people hate manchester united? stuart clark thumbs through two new books which suggest that there s more to ABUism than just plain envy.
Was the recent court ruling by a district judge in Galway demanding compliance to a 45-minute dinner break in the city s nightclubs on the eve of the Heineken Weekender a coincidence, a well-thought-out publicity stunt by the local Gardam, or an attempt to crack down on Galway s dance scene? Richard Brophy examines a puzzling amendment to Ireland s licensing laws.
Luke Unabomber explains how Manchester’s electric chair night has progressed from a “shitty little club” into one of the UK’s most successful dance events, with special guests, mix cd on release and worldwide touring dates. It’s about the music, apparently
2006 has been a busy year for Dublin-born Shaz Oye, capped by the release of her mostly self-penned and self-financed debut album Truth According To Shaz Oye. In conversation with Jackie Hayden she looks back on her story so far.
When ‘Theme From S’Express’ became a massive hit back in 1988, S’Express mastermind Mark Moore found himself surfing the crest of a rave wave. 18 years later, he’s still proud of it.
Not content with having established one of the most successful comedy venues in Dublin already this year, comic strip impresario Paddy Kelly sent us this trailer for a planned expansion of his burgeoning humour empire. now read on…
Their name may be derived from a river that runs through the Scottish capital of Glasgow, but the word on the streets is that like Wimbledon Scottish second division leaders Clydebank are considering a controversial move to Dublin. Report: stuart clark.
They’ve spent the past four years pottering around the garden. Now, electro kingpins Groove Armada are back with a new album that features cameos from ex-Sugababe Mutya Buena among others.
From playing tiny club gigs to serenading Wembley, songstress Tara Blaise has travelled a great distance in a short time. And the journey is only just beginning.
With Pete Doherty, Mani, Noel Gallagher and Alex Kapranos in their fan club, and a debut album that makes the Arctic Monkeys sound like jaded old has-beens, The View have ’07 by the short and curlies. Just don’t let them stay in your hotel.
It'll take more than a clapped-out tour bus to stop The Answer emulating their heroes. Ed Power hears how the Downpatrick rockers' burgeoning fan club already includes Jimmy Page and Philomena Lynott.
Unofficial curator of the New York club scene and head of a creative emporium many have described as a contemporary version of Warhol’s factory, LCD Soundsystem mastermind James Murphy is rapidly emerging as one of the biggest players in the U.S. underground. He tells Barry O’Donoghue how it happened
Why do we look the way we do? Well, between me and you… we can blame it on the music! Eight movers and shapers on the Irish club, music and fashion scenes let us in on their secrets
After more than 15 years in the business, Aslan are still able to command massive, devoted audiences in music venue and record shop alike. John Walshe joins the Lions' club on the road
Sliabh Notes are a trio of renowned traditional musicians who play dance music that long preceded the breed that flourishes these days in the club scene. Siobhan Long pays a visit to them in the best place possible to hear the music: a wedding reception in Kerry.
Those angry young Marxist Punk-Rockers THE MEKONS are back with a new album I Love Mekons and a contribution to a pro-abortion Woman’s Rights compilation . . . but they’re no longer quite so angry or young, not exactly Marxist, and their Punk is reinforced by Folk, Country and World Music! ANDY
DARLINGTON finds out what the hell is going on in Club Mekon.
As the major force in the "Club of '22", whose attempts to oust Charlie Haughey from the leadership of Fianna Fail finally resulted in Dessie O'Malley's departure to form the Progressive Democrats, Charlie McCreevy was long considered a thorn in the side of the Taoiseach by the party faithful. Ironically then, it was McCreevy himself who was to be instrumental in setting up the talks with the P.D.s following the recent election which would result in Charles J. Haughey continuing to stay in power in a new kind of coalition government.
Generally regarded as one of the most candid of Irish politicians, Charlie McCreevy here lives up to his reputation as he shoots from the hip on matters both political and personal.
WELL. It’s here again. The shopping, the stamp-licking, the mad social whirl, the parties, the receptions, the reunions, the idiotic games, the enforced cheerfulness . . .
Their contribution to Robbie Williams' 'Rock DJ' may have gone unacknowledged, but Soul Mekanik, aka brothers and acid house veterans Kelvin Andrews and Danny Spencer, are now earning kudos in their own right for their dynamic and eclectic '80s-influenced debut album, Eighty One.
In June 1993, the legislation decriminalising sex between men was passed in Dáil Eireann and the Seanad, and was later signed into law by President Robinson. Five years on, how has life changed for Irish lesbians and gay men? By DEBORAH BALLARD.
A visit from Larry Harvey, creator of Nevada’s legendary Burning Man festival, looks set to be one of the highlights of Dublin’s forthcoming convergence weekend.
Former Moloko singer Roisin Murphy talks to Paul Nolan about collaborating with an all-star team of songwriters, her unique image and clubbing in Sheffield and New York.
At the tender age of 20, he s already the most successful Irish DJ ever. Mark Kavanagh chats to Fergie, the first Irish DJ tipped for Premier League superstardom.
As the summer finally begins to fade and the dark nights of winter start to creep in, many of us look for a last chance to get an away break before the build-up for Christmas begins. Jackie Hayden reviews some of the options countrywide.
With Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea all in Champions League action last week, Tony Cascarino takes a look at how English clubs might fare in Europe this season.
In the past five years, Garageland has helped numerous unheard bands and artists find a more permanent spot in the music biz. With a series of upcoming shows that will spotlight the most successful of the bunch, Marissa Connelly speaks to some of the highlight acts about life after their Garage Gig debuts.
With the first in a series of Tortured mix CDs, Tortured Chambers, highlighting nu-skool European techno producers like Umek, Joel Mull and Adam Beyer, RICHARD BROPHY caught up with one of the hardest working, genuine nice guys in dance music, Billy Nasty
Calls for the media to “name and shame” touts is being supported by the Fine Gael T.D. behind the proposed ‘New Prohibition of Ticket Touts Bill’, former All-Ireland winning Kerry fooballer Jimmy Deenihan.
Hot Press celebrates Irish Language Week with a series of features in both English and Irish, as well as interviews with prominent Irish-speaking personalities. Stay tuned for regular updates.
He's the David Beckham of world rugby – but what does All Black star Dan Carter think of Ireland's historic Grand Slam and Leinster's dramatic Heineken Cup victory?
Technology has changed the way in which prostitution works in Ireland – and both the Gardai and organisations like Ruhana are struggling to cope. Meanwhile, Irish sexual mores are also changing.
The Prodigy may be one of the most potent acts on the dance scene but they've got a rock'n'roll attitude to live performance. STUART CLARK finds out why from the prodigy himself, LIAM HOWLETT.
WELL, I dunno about ‘London Beat’. How does ‘Surrey Beat’ strike you? The implausible horror of moving home now but a dim memory, I can sit back and survey my new manna. It’s a whole different universe out here, believe you me.
Hard Working Class Heroes, featuring big names and rising stars – and everything from rock to hip-hop – is set to provide a snapshot of one nation under a groove. Phil Udell reports
By releasing an album in association with Phantom FM, EMI/Virgin records have placed a question mark over radio play for their artists – and have risked a clash with the ODTR
The most brilliantly outspoken mind in rock’n’roll, or just a mouthy Sheffielder who says mean things about Johnny Borrell? As the second REVEREND AND THE MAKERS album hits the shelves, Celina Murphy chases down the ever-intriguing Jon McClure.
From Shakespearian thesp to sitcom star in Black Books, Nina Conti has proven herself to be one of the most versatile actresses around. But, as she tells Phil Udell, what she’s most interested in is reviving the lost art of ventriloquism
From Shakespearian thesp to sitcom star in Black Books, Nina Conti has proven herself to be one of the most versatile actresses around. But, as she tells Phil Udell, what she’s most interested in is reviving the lost art of ventriloquism
While some white label mixes are illegal, Belgian outfit Soulwax have gone through an arduous process in order to licence the music featured on their 'legal bootleg' album 2 many DJs, as Eamon Sweeney reports
The most exciting merger of rock and dance since the heyday of The Stone Roses, the Happy Mondays and Primal Scream – meet The Rapture. Words Paul Nolan
Producer, DJ and now a part of acclaimed dance/rock tie-in, Alloy Mental, Belfast-based Phil Kieran talks about his favourite mixing equipment and explains why we should mourn the passing of vinyl.
What promoters and clubbers perceive as Garda heavy-handedness in the -war on drugs- is making life increasingly difficult for dance venues across the country. STUART CLARK reports.
Doctor John may be renowned as a laid-back Big Easy legend, but get him started on the Federal Government's treatment of his beloved New Orleans and he spits nails.
The Frames, David Holmes, Mary Black and Altan were among the acts who recently took part in the Irish Cultural Festival in Beijing. Not that too many locals noticed.
With Ronaldo and Torres the toast of the Premier League, what better time to run the rule over some of the overseas stars who could soon be lighting up English soccer?
The Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, has just promised “to streamline and modernise our liquor licensing laws”. Karla Healion asks if the government is correct in its approach to curbing problems associated with alcohol.
My mother says that she didn t hear a bang. It was a couple of whooshes, she says. I was chatting to her on my mobile. What was that? she asked. I told her it was a bomb, I had just watched a bomb go off across the road from me, and I had to go.
For close to a decade, Lillie’s Bordello has been the nightclub of choice for the famous and not-so-famous of Dublin cultural life. But with the passing of the Celtic Tiger era and the current uncertainty over the club’s future, can Lillie’s retain its position as the capital’s number one celebrity haunt?
The Frank & Walters are the most successful of Cork city’s frequently madcap musical outfits and have recently celebrated ten years together with a 'Best Of' album
Annual article: Phil Kieran and DJ Papillion were two of the outstanding names in a fantastic year for dance music, says Mark Kavanagh. Plus the dance charts of 2005.
Comedian and promoter MALCOLM HARDEE discusses his hopes for the Laughter Lounge, Dublin s spanking new 400-seater venue dedicated exclusively to stand-up comedy, and tells BARRY GLENDENNING the epic tale of the night he stole Freddie Mercury s birthday cake.
This is the time of year when two major national events, the Galway Arts Festival and the Galway Races, make Galway the destination of choice for many Irish and international funsters. But the City of the Tribes has a lot more to offer – including some of the best live music and clubbing in Ireland.
May 2nd 1998, Liverpool superclub CREAM make their first foray into the festival world with their star-studded Creamfields all-dayer.
RICHARD BLAGGER BROPHY talks to Cream promoter JAMES BARTON about the event.
colin murphy is living proof that there is such a thing as a comedic afterlife. The Downpatrick funny man, who once "died every week for six months", tells barry glendenning all about heaven down here.
One of the new breed of DJs emerging from the UK, Craig Richards and his DJing partner Lee Burridge have been lauded for their ability to seamlessly join the gaps between breakbeat, tripped out tech-house and deep trance. Resident at London superclub Tyrant, friends with the enigmatic Sasha and on the brink of releasing the definitive Tyrant mix CD, one of the hottest DJs on the planet talks to RICHARD BROPHY.
As soul-pop heavyweights M People gear up for another assault on the charts and a brief Irish tour, Nick Kelly shoots the breeze with their well-travelled Mancunian music maestro, Mike Pickering.
Set in Dublin on the day that Ballymun flats were demolished, Danny and Chantelle (Still Here) is a modern love story for a modern Ireland, says playwright Philip McMahon.
They may have become a one man operation but that hasn’t stopped Decal making one of the dance records of the year. Alan O’Boyle talks electro to Richard Brophy
Operating in the interstice where Sonic Youth meet the Jackson 5, Brighton dance-rock outfit The Go! Team are deservedly brewing up a storm with their debut album, Thunder, Lightning, Strike.
Ahead of the European Championships in Portugal, the England and Arsenal full back on another great year for the Gunners, discipline and indiscipline, football scandals, money and, of course, Roy Keane.
Two big name managers have just been given the chop but in truth neither the sacking of Tony Adams from Portsmouth or Phil Scolari from Chelsea was a surprise. Now, of course, the question is: who will replace them long term?
Karl MacDermott used to be the next-big thing in comedy until his stand-up career didn’t pan out as expected. Now he’s back in the public eye with a semi-autobiographical first novel.
At a time when the British hip-hop scene is again witnessing extreme violence, COLM WALSH meets MC HARVEY of SO SOLID CREW and discovers how the problem is affecting the UK garage scene
Every loser wins on patrick kielty s new Channel 4 show, Last Chance Lottery , and for the 26-year-old comedian, presenter and former germ , things have never looked so good. Interview: barry glendenning.
Saint Patrick’s Athletic are now just two games away from the group stages of the Europa League. Chief executive Richard Sadlier talks the Super Saints’ chances against the mighty Steaua.
A full 17 years after their acclaimed eponymous debut exploded onto the American alt-rock landscape, Milwaukee malcontents The Violent Femmes are back with a new album (Freak MAgnet) and the same old typically off-kilter worldview. Interview: PETER MURPHY.
Once something of a child prodigy, Carlow singer-songwriter Joe Cleere now reckons he has the answer to self-promotion in the download age. He speaks to Celina Murphy about supporting The Script and passing out 10,000 free CDs in a month!
