15 gigs for September: Andrea Bocelli, Scullion, Sharon Shannon and more...
L-R: Andrea Bocelli, Sharon Shannon and Philip King of Scullion are among the musicians gigging this month
US indie-rock legends mark three decades on the road, and a 30th-anniversary repress of their ‘The House of Tomorrow’ EP with an Irish tour, including a stop at Cyprus Avenue. A retrospective affair, including tunes from their sprawling ‘69 Love Songs’ album.
The second instalment of the now-annual outdoor rock all-dayer sees local outfits First Class & Coach and The Love Buzz joined by Limerick’s dark horses FONDA, and emerging Leeside bands Little Known and The Cliffords, the latter taking their spot on the bill after winning the time-honoured UCC Battle of the Bands.
Thirty years on from the ‘A Woman’s Heart’ album taking Ireland by absolute storm, three of its principal voices come together for a trio of solo sets with full band, followed by a reprisal of some of their collaborative efforts.
If anything in Ireland and the UK has made a sound in the last thirty years, you can bet that DJ Eugene McCauley has ‘put a donk on it’ - converting everything from the Wolfe Tones to the Coronation Street theme into pounding electronic tracks. This UCC Freshers Week DJ set will no doubt hold more pop-cultural chaos.
One of dozens of gigs in the West Cork town for Clonakilty International Guitar Festival (CIGF), which runs from Sept 9-18.
Capping off their post-Covid touring, Christy Dignam and crew mark 40 years together with a headlining gig at the former Point Theatre that takes in their entire career, from once-inescapable early singles like ‘This Is’, to current-day fan favourites.
Your writer once described Robocobra Quartet as ‘Fugazi meets Mingus’, and it’s apparently stuck - not that a listen to third LP ‘Living Isn’t Easy’ would dissuade you of the notion that the Belfast jazz-punk crew are a waypoint between utter musicality and utter scabrousness.
Playing a pair of dates rescheduled from January of this year, US singer-songwriter Claire Cottrill has long transcended the cult status afforded to her by 2017 breakout single ‘Pretty Girl’, hitting the road for belated touring for 2021 long-player ‘Sling’.
Presented by Limerick Jazz Festival, this special gig sees an extended composition and spoken word piece inspired by and featuring passages from James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’ get a live airing. Ronan Guilfoyle leads an Irish/French ensemble, while Janet Moran reads and performs.
Returning to Ireland for the first time since the onset of the Covid crisis are The Stranglers, continuing to tour nearly 50 years on from their emergence from UK punk’s primordial ooze, held together by founding member Jean-Jacques Burnell.
A seeming spot-show in the Treaty City for the legendary North Shore post-rockers, touring long-delayed and finally-released long-player Jettison, a single 50-minute piece of music with accompanying audiovisuals and featuring a string quartet.
Philip King returns to his hometown for a gig as part of the Coughlans Live Music Festival weekender. Scullion have a new album on release, while other acts playing the weekender include Mick Flannery, Gemma Hayes and John Blek.
The second edition of the Cork alternative gig crew Relapse’s punk all-dayer happens in the Kino. UK duo Glitchers headline, while Red Sun Alert, Daz-Gak and Stanton’s Grave are among the local outfits. Kicking off at 2pm, it’s an all-ages affair until 8pm.
The powerhouse tenor of the modern age brings his show to the Dublin docklands’ arena - yet more fulfilment of postponed dates, finally happening after initial postponement in October of 2020.
Getting Cork Folk Festival off to a huge start is Limerick singer, songwriter and podcaster Emma Langford, arguably one of Ireland’s busiest musicians in recent years, playing tunes from her albums ‘Quiet Giant’ and ‘Sowing Acorns’.
