Hot tickets: James Vincent McMorrow is sold out, but here are some other upcoming gigs...
L-R: Country queen CMAT does it 'for the girls and the gays'; James Vincent McMorrow is the first artist to play to a crowd in Ireland in 15 months; Villagers' Conor O'Brien pursues a huge, post-Covid tour
It’s been a long time coming - over 15 months, in fact - but this morning, tickets went on sale for Ireland’s first post-Covid gig, as songwriter James Vincent McMorrow headlines at Dublin’s Iveagh Gardens. Not surprisingly, the 500 available tickets have quickly sold out.
Lucky ticket-holders will not be required to undergo any antigen testing. Instead, a number of other safety measures will be in place for the outdoor concert.
With that in mind, it’s a good time to look at what’s happening with the rest of the summer’s announced test events so far, as well as what we have to look forward to as venues look set to reopen this autumn.
Lineup TBC, but with 3,600 in attendance, likely to be heavy on homegrown crowd-pleasers.
A fully-seated outdoor music event with up to 500 in attendance.
Does what it says on the tin, for up to 519 attendees - details TBC.
Details TBC, with up to 200 people in attendance.
Details and attendance TBC.
A night at the opera, courtesy of the long-running genre company. Details and attendance TBC.
Polished indie-pop outfit, emerging from the ashes of Little Green Cars to impress in their own right.
US singer-songwriter takes to the boards at the Northside sonic temple after a well-received 2019 gig at the Opera House.
Irish indie veterans reprise the best of their body of work, with the accompaniment of violinist and arranger Éna Brennan’s Dowry Strings ensemble.
A legendary folk collaboration returns, as the veteran singer-songwriters reprise their self-titled album, 45 years after its release.
Belfast Gaelgoir hip-hop trio return to Cork stages after a quiet Covid spell - likely to be a rowdy affair, and a much-needed place for many to let off some steam!
Returning to live action in an limited-capacity environment, Ireland’s queen of country goes under Connollys’ famous hammers for a pair of shows: a 4.30pm matinee, and a 7.30pm evening show.
Dundalk five-piece have made a profound impact on Irish music in recent years with a gut-wrenching blend of shoegaze noise and trip-hop tension. A Cork date is to be announced for early next year, but having signed to Partisan Records over lockdown, this might be one of your last chances to see them in a small venue.
Conor O’Brien and crew return to the Opera House to launch new concept-led album ‘Fever Dreams’, as part of a post-Brexit UK and Ireland tour. Co-presented by Irish music lifer Leagues O’Toole, as he returns to his Foggy Notions project.
Over the course of lockdown, singer Tolü Makay became a new national treasure; making new music as part of Dublin’s X Collective, taking part in the Irish Women in Harmony project, and bringing poignancy to her rendition of the Saw Doctors’ evergreen ‘N17’.
Dublin metallers-turned-folk-gurriers have consistently impressed live and on record since going viral a few years back - seeing their ability to hold a crowd in the palm of their hands again is sure to be a tonic.
Northern Irish ‘atmosfolk’ duo have been showing us their more playful side with recent singles - an interesting prospect, considering their pensive pop has been a perfect fit for the surrounds of St. Luke’s.
They’ve been on the Late Late Show, had singles played on US radio institution KEXP, and recorded a live session for 2FM’s The Alternative: Cork psych-pop youngfellas The Love Buzz are ready to resume their pre-pandemic momentum.
Launching their debut album ‘In Waiting’ during a lockdown was a brave move, but one that was met with huge goodwill, as well as an appearance on James Corden’s Late Late Show in the US that was seen by millions worldwide… but these songs belong to crowds.
It’s been 25 years since a fresh-faced trio of lads from Downpatrick solidified their power-pop status with the bulletproof ‘1977’ long-player, bursting with teenage angst and featuring immortal singles like ‘Oh Yeah’ and ‘Goldfinger. Expect the classics.
A sunny, silver lining at the end of another long and hard year for many of us, The Franks’ enduring and distinctly Corkonian strain of jangly, sing-along pop will be good to hear resonating along the walls of a venue again.
