Inside Track: Kings of the Castle

Plenty of live action this forthnight with both Indiependence and Castlepalooza showcasing a fine range of domestic talent over the bank holiday weekend.

The Cork festival mixes an eclectic range of homegrown talent with headliners Super Furry Animals and Ocean Colour Scene. Highlights include the sonic assault that is Fight Like Apes, the ubertalented RSAG and the sensational Wallis Bird. The Castlepalooza bill boasts such luminaries as David Kitt, Dark Room Notes, Le Galaxie and formidable duo The Holy Roman Army. A tough choice but a weekend of top-notch entertainment guaranteed either way!

Belated Happy Birthday to The Song Room, the weekly live club resident in Dublin’s Globe. Some of the acts that showed up to play at a special celebratory show were Funzo (just confirmed for Electric Picnic), The Resistance, Lisa McLaughlin and band (just finished a tour with Paul BradyM/b>), Oil and Blood, Hamlet Sweeney and The Handsome Strangers and Ophelia McCabe. A wonderful night was had by all...

Wexford songstress ODi has just released ‘Red Light’ the first single from her forthcoming debut longplayer. It is available through iTunes and all good retailers.

Her track ‘You Win But You Lose’ has been chosen to feature on RTE TV Series The Clinic when it airs in the Autumn. The song was picked by episode director Janet Traynor after seeing ODi live at a recent show in Whelans.

ODi will head out to radio stations across Ireland in September for a series of interviews and live sessions in the build up to the debut album released on Friday October 2.

JD Set winners Camogie Lovers have changed their name to We Cut Corners and under their new moniker will release an EP this September. Conall and John have been busy gigging of late and recently wowed crowds in Whelans with mindblowing support slots to The Perfect Skins and One For The Team! You can catch them live in Dolans on August 1 and at ORIGINS in The Widow, Belturbet, Cavan on August 21.

Dundalk’s Mark Corcoran releases his second album on July 31, Moonlight Is X-raying The Earth, which is the follow up to 2001’s If I Speak False. The album was produced by Bad Seed Conway Savage and recorded in Dundalk’s Tumbleweed Studios in December 2008. The longplayer features 8 original songs and a beguiling cover of Robert Wyatt’s ‘Sea Song’. The release co-incides with Conway Savage’s Live In Ireland album hitting the streets, both titles are on the Country Gent Recordings label. Mark has worked extensively with Conway over the last decade and has organised all his solo jaunts here.

The two hit the road for a slew of dates in early August, check hotpress.com for details….
Galway’s The Kanyu Tree take a break from working on their debut album to play a show in the Roisin Dubh on August 1. The City of the Tribes residents have support slots to The Bluetones, The Stunning, I’m From Barcelona and The Saw Doctors under their belts and last year saw them wow the crowds at Cois Fharraige in the company of The Hold Steady, The Feeling and Ocean Colour Scene. Second single ‘Congratulations’ was their last chart hit in September 08 but brace yourself for plenty of more creative output over the coming months. Stay tuned!

Dublin-based Irish/English/Argentinian combo Audio pay a visit to Whelans on August 6. Recent debut EP First Scratch received rave reviews and the live experience is not to be missed. Support on the night comes from Elavator and Autumn Owls. See you down the front!