Whelan's Ones to Watch kicks off tonight for its seventh year

Starting tonight, Whelan's will be hosting its Ones to Watch festival through the weekend, with acts on both the Whelan's main stage and the upstairs venue. Whelan's is a venue that has earned its reputation as the place where artists get their start, with big names like Ed Sheeran and Hozier recalling their nights on that same stage. All the upcoming artists showcased at the event will be releasing new material in the coming year, and are now beginning to take their careers to a new level in 2017.
Tonight's acts include Katie Laffan, whose acoustic melodies won her the Hot Press Big Break competition back in 2013, when Katie was only seventeen. Along with Katie, look for a performance from Brass Phantoms, who just played the Other Voices Music Trail this past year.
In the upstairs venue tonight, look for Maria Kelly, who was named in the Irish Times list of 50 acts to watch in 2017. James OR will be playing as well, after a great past year supporting The Coronas and HamsandwicH. Indie band Young Earth will be closing out tonights upstairs set.
Tickets are priced at €5 day / €10 festival. Check out the full list of acts below.
Whelan’s :
20:15-20:45 : WEBBS
21:00-21:30 : KATIE LAFFAN
21:45-22:15 : LAOISE
22:30-23:00 : BRASS PHANTOMS
23:15-23:45 : APELLA
00:00-00:30 : THUMPER

Whelan’s Upstairs :
20:30-21:00 : JAMES OR
21:15-21:45 : MARIA KELLY
22:00-22:30 : PILLOW QUEENS
22:45-23:15 : YONEN
23:30-00:00 : TOMORROWS*
00:15-00:45 : KEVYN*
01:00-01:30 : YOUNG EARTH*

FRI 13th
Whelan’s :
21:00-21:30 : RUTH
21:45-22:15 : GALANTS
22:30-23:00 : DARLING
23:15-23:45 : KID KARATE
00:00-00:30 : THE FONTAINES
00:45-01:15 : WOLFF

Whelan’s Upstairs :
20:30-21:00 : SUN.SET.SHIPS
21:15-21:45 : FARAH ELLE
22:00-22:30 : ELE
22:45-23:15 : HIVA OA
23:30-00:00 : TEBI REX*
00:15-00:45 : SHRUG LIFE*
01:00-01:30 : BEAUTY SLEEP*
01:45-02:15 : THE OPTIMISTS*

Front Bar:
21:00-21:30 : THE BURMA
21:45-22:15 : tbc
22:30-23:00 : tbc

SAT 14th
Whelan’s :
20:15-20:45 : BRIAN McGOVERN
21:00-21:30 : MOTIONS
21:45-22:15 : THE CRAYON SET
22:30-23:00 : tbc
23:15-23:45 : tbc

Whelan’s Upstairs :
20:45-21:15 : ODU
21:30-22:00 : BODIES
22:15-22:45 : BRAND NEW FRIEND
23:00-23.30 : HOT COPS
23:45-00:15 : NATIVE ENSEMBLE*
00:30-01:00 : ALMOST GHOSTS*
01:15-01:45 : SUSIE BLUE*
02:00-02:30 : 5th ELEMENT & DOUBLESCREEN*

Front Bar :
20:45-21:15 : DEEP SKY OBJECTS
21:30-22:00 : THAT SNAAKE
22:15-22:45 : THE GIRL TALK
23:00-23:30 : SEAN OB
23:45-00:15 : THE CLOCKWORKS

SUN 15th
Whelan’s :
20:15-20:45 : NIAMH CROWTHER
21:00-21:30 : SONNETS & SISTERS
21:45-22:15 : EMMA LOU & THE AGENDA
22:30-23:00 : DAVID KEENAN
23:15-23:45 : THE PERIODS
00:00-00:30 : PALE RIVER

Whelan’s Upstairs :
20:30-21:00 : PINE THE PILCROW
21:15-21:45 : SAM WICKENS
22:00-22:30 : BAD SEA
22:45-23:15 : FIELDS
23:30-00:00 : MILITARY ROAD

Front Bar :
21:30-22:00 : tbc
22:15-22:45 : JUNIOR BROTHER
23:00-23:30 : FOR FORESTERS