Short Cuts

IN ONE OF the year’s more unlikely musical alliances, Leo O’Kelly is currently recording a dance version of ‘Streets Of This Town’ with Mr. Spring.

Best-known for his work with legendary tradmen Tir na nOg, it’s taken O’Kelly nearly 30 years to release his first solo album, Glare.

An impossibly eclectic mix of styles, the collection has been variously compared to The Byrds, Richard Thompson and Moby.

Talking of the boy Spring, Sonique has co-opted his Y2K monster, ‘Flypaper’, onto her Club Smashes mix album.

With Energy 52, Musique vs. U2 and Delerium also featured, there could be a sizeable royalty cheque winging its way to Bray.

THE BAND THAT taught REM a few things about melody, Big Star, open their Irish account with a Red Box headliner on August 8th.

Second only to the Velvet Underground in the rock ‘n’ roll influence stakes, the band’s current line-up finds founder members Alex Chilton and Joey Stephens partnered by Posies Jonathan Auer and Ken Stringfellow.

Tickets priced £22.50 are on sale now from the venue box-office.

DAVID KITT CONTINUES his upward career trajectory with a headlining slot on the second Witnness Rising tour.

Melaton, Pete Courtney and David Cleary are the special guests as Kittser descends on Cuba, Galway (July 25th); Dolan’s, Limerick (26th); The Savoy, Cork (27th); and Horan’s, Tralee (28th).

The jaunt coincides with the release of his new single, ‘You Know What I Want To Know’, which features the previously unavailable ‘Roadsong’ and ‘Back With The Lonesome Touch And The Quiet Tears Of Joy’ on the flip.

DOT DOT DOT Records are scouring the country for left field, avant garde, spoken word and noise acts who’d like to grace their new series of compilations.

With each CD weighing in at a hefty 99 tracks, the brief is, er, to be brief, with submissions to run no longer than 42 seconds.

For more details contact P.O. Box 213, Cork City or [email protected]

IF IT’S “HEART-WRENCHING melancholia” you’re after, look no further than Bright Eyes who do their Will Oldham-ish thing at Whelan’s on September 5th.

Support is provided by Gemma Hayes who’s currently working on the follow-up to her 4:35 AM EP with Mogwai and Mercury Rev producer David Fridman, and Julius Geezer recording artistes Goodtime John.

PORKPIE HATS ARE mandatory on July 15th when The Big 5 descend on The Temple, Dorset Street, Dublin.

Made up of assorted ex-members of Selecter, Bad Manners and The Belle Stars, they’re joined for the night by Specials copyists Skunk.

ROSCOMMON’S FAVOURITE PUNK sons, Nerdlinger, play the AMC Festival, Limerick (August 4th); Fuck Witnness Festival, Fred Zeppelin’s, Cork (5th); DIY Hardcore Festival, Batty O’Brien’s, Knockroghery (11th); The Temple, Dorset Street, Dublin (12th + Capdown & Five Knuckle); Temple Bar Music Centre, Dublin (25th + Consumed, Turtlehead, Mixtwitch & The Pyros); and The Warzone Festival, Belfast (26th).

Meanwhile, if you’ve yet to purchase their heroic Roadkill Stew EP, copies are available from 14 Antogher Road, Roscommon priced £3/$5.

Also upcoming are a split-7” with Athlone noiseniks No Matrix, and a 10” co-starring Dublin’s Sir Killalot.

NEBULA CONTINUE TO make complete cults of themselves when they play an August 23rd show at the Temple Bar Music Centre.

Variously compared to the Stooges, MC5, Black Sabbath and – a bit worrying this one – Santana, the Americans will be plugging their current Charged album.

BRIAN SETZER BRINGS his new combo, ’68 Comeback Special, to Dublin on October 15th for a show at Vicar St.

Prior to that comes the release of Ignition, a superior slice of rockabilly, which harks back to his Stray Cats heyday.

Tickets priced £23 are on sale now from the Vicar St. box office.

Also newly announced at the Liberties venue are Stand (August 11th); Spirit Of Black Rose: The Philip Lynott Birthday Celebration (18th); and Kieran Goss (26th).

ATOMIC KITTEN CELEBRATE the top 10 success of their ‘Eternal Flame’ single with an August 7th visit to the Féile an Phobhail.

Also Belfast-bound for the 10-day entertainmentfest are The Undertones (5th); Bap Kennedy (6th); De Dannan & Dorian (7th); King Masco & Al Kamar (8th); and Frances Black (10th).