10 films and live events for April: Gorillaz, Grand Mam, Michael Jackson movie
Jaafar Jackson (left) and Damon Albarn
Anybody who has seen Gorillaz live over the past two decades (the self-titled debut came out 25 years ago last week) knows that it’s a feast for the senses. Led by Damon Albarn, they released ninth studio album earlier this year. A more introspective offering, it features a vast cast of collaborators.
Grab your compass, girlies, and lace up your hiking boots — Kevin and PJ are making a triumphant return to Cork with their new show Happy Campers. The wildly popular duo have seen their podcast grow from humble hopes — “we felt like we weren’t being creatively fulfilled,” they told Weekend recently — into a generation-defining gem.
For two decades, We Are Scientists have crafted one of indie rock’s most enduring careers with their sharp, infectious anthems. They celebrate the 20th anniversary of the seminal debut album that started it all, playing in full. This Cork show is the first of three in Ireland (Dublin and Belfast) before a run across the EU.
One of Ireland’s most exciting new comedy talents, Young Hot Guys co-host Killian Sundermann brings his new show, Killian Dollar Baby to Cork this month. He’s in West Cork on April 10, Seachurch in Ballycotton on April 11, and returns to Cyprus Avenue on April 30.
Built around Bressie’s cinematic compositions (check out last year’s ), the performances unfold as a fully integrated live work. Music, spoken word, and visual design, are interwoven throughout, with lighting and imagery responding in real time to the players on stage.
A musical based on his debut album from 20 years ago, the script, lyrics, and music for are by Mick Flannery, with Julie Kelleher in the director’s chair alongside music supervisor Liam Robinson. It’s a gritty musical drama set on the western edge of Ireland in the 1970s, following two brothers living with the odds stacked against them. Each takes a different path in the hope of leading a “good” life, both trying to honour the woman who holds their hearts. Starring Tommy Tiernan, it opens in the Pavilion before a run at Cork’s Everyman in May.
Carl Cox is on support duties with his three‑deck vinyl set-up for a two‑hour set from doors. But The Prodigy are the stars of the show. Just over seven years on from the death of Keith Flint, Liam Howlett and Maxim are powering forward with a ferocious, revitalised live show that serves as a reminder, if it were needed, that The Prodigy remain one of electronic music’s most explosive forces.
We’ll start with the cast: Chris Pratt (Mario), Anya Taylor-Joy (Peach), Charlie Day (Luigi), Jack Black (Bowser), and Keegan-Michael Key (Toad), with new additions including Brie Larson as Rosalina and Benny Safdie as Bowser Jr. Following the $1.3bn smash of 2023, Mario ventures beyond the Mushroom Kingdom and into the far reaches of space.
From A24, Zendaya stars alongside Robert Pattinson in directed by Kristoffer Borgli, which seeks to explore the complicated emotional choices that define our lives. Days before their wedding, the couple's relationship is shaken when one partner discovers unsettling truths about the other.
Jaafar Jackson makes his cinematic debut playing his uncle, Michael Jackson. The biopic is from the same producers who made (and is with the support of the Jackson estate) and follows MJ from the Jackson 5 through to becoming the King of Pop. Colman Domingo and Nia Long star as his parents.
