Scene and Heard

MUSIC NEWS: Back in April, Frank ‘Poncho’ Sampedro told Rolling Stone magazine that his band Crazy Horse were too old to tour with Neil Young.

“It just seems at some point something is going to break,” the 64-year-old opined. Little did he know how right he’d be, as Young and co have had to cancel the rest of their world tour after Sampedro broke his hand in Oslo. Cuddly Chris Brown has also been feeling poorly, and has postponed a series of dates in Canada due to what NME reports as “extreme emotional stress”. On the other hand, Two Door Cinema Club are in rude health and have announced a new EP, Changing Of The Seasons, for Sept 27 (See article on this page).

GIG WISE: Calvin Harris (pictured) and Tiësto are touring together through the winter, and the superstar DJs have lined up an appearance at the O2 in Dublin for Dec 19. Also in the capital, Villagers are to play Vicar Street on Dec 17, while today marks the release of new single ’Earthly Pleasure’ off the Awayland album. Meanwhile in Cork, the Opera House has several decent gigs over the next few months, not least the RTÉ Concert Orchestra with local hero Iarla Ó Lionáird on Sept 11, and Alison Moyet on Sept 30. We’ve been hearing some, em, fascinating reports of Swans at Cyprus Avenue last week. Amps up to 11? No such nonsense. These serious-looking dudes must have had dials that go up to at least 13, and earplugs were the de rigueur accessory of the night. At least the return of Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip to the venue on Oct 12 should be a bit easier on the eardrums.