Albums Worth Listening to in March 2013

L-R
Josh Ritter - Beast in Its Tracks
David Bowie - The Next Day
Johnny Marr - The Messenger
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy & Dawn McCarthy - What The Brothers Sang
DeLorean Suite - Two Lives
 Super album from local band DeLorean Suite check them out here
Julie Hawk - Julie Hawk EP
Gorgeous EP from Julie Hawk, Julie plays Dolans on the 5th of April. Go buy the ep here


As Always Suggestions very welcome!

Protobaby live at Dolans Warehouse Limerick 02/02/13 Review

Another great night of local talent in Limerick took place on Saturday. Dolans Warehouse saw three limerick bands take to the stage to celebrate the release of Protobaby's new double a side single Microchip/Nobody Knows.

First up on the night was 'Randolf and the Crokers' , with all reviews of this band I will make it clear that I'm in the band so I wont blow our trumpet too much however I do play our harmonica :) . The lads played a nice set of five tracks too a nicely filled warehouse. The Crokers have been gigging mad of late and will be back playing the warehouse on the 23rd of March supporting the excellent Hermitage Green. A night not to be missed. Check out the lads here.

Next up were Dead Red Light, The trio have been very quiet of late which isn't like them as they are a very loud band! A new drummer on tow and a few new tracks from the band. Its good to have them back playing live gigs. I'm sure we will be seeing a lot of them soon and hopefully another release. Check them out here.

Last up were the headliners Protobaby. We were first treated to a screening of the videos for their brand new double A side tracks Microchip/Nobody Knows. I have witnessed the lads countless times live now and they always perform a great live set. I first saw the lads back in June 2009 playing this very venue supporting Kiernan McMullan. Review Here.

I was extremely impressed by this young limerick band back then and they have gone from strength to strength ever since and as far as I remember it was their first ever live review :) . Their debut album 'The Spark' is an incredible piece of work and one to have in your record collection. I was delighted to learn of the band signing to a record label this year in the form of the brilliant 'Fifa Records'.

2013 is going to be a huge year for them with some major touring and festivals lined up. The band played an incredible set on Saturday which included a brilliant rendition of Depeche Mode's 'Silence' and Bob Marley's Redemption song for good measure. They are the best they have ever sounded and the hard work and constant gigging as clearly paid off. Best of luck for the rest of the year and if you can go and check them out live. For now go buy their new single for only 99 cent here.

Cheers for a super night!
 

Raging Sons live at Cobblestone Joes 20/02/13 Review

 

A great night of original music took place in Cobblestone Joes last night. The venue now has a regular Wednesday night of orginal music from mainly local bands.  The venue gets better each time I visit , this time added stage lighting and a new PA makes for a great stage and superb sound throughout the pub. Its great to see live music being advertised each week in the venue and is a great asset to have such a venue in Limerick which is easily accessible to local young bands trying to cut their teeth on a live stage.

Last night saw two local bands on the bill, First up was Randolf  and the Crokers. As I said before I have a hand to play in the band (Harmonica) so wont go on how great we were too much :) . The Crokers played a nice set of ten tracks including a fun cover of Hall and Oats 'I can't go for that'. There was a nice crowd gathered to see the band warm up the night. The band are currently busy getting a single ready for release soon and hope to have an album fully recorded by the end of the year. Randolf and the Crokers play Dolans Warehouse on the 2nd of March before then keep an eye on them here.



Headliners tonight were another local band 'Raging Sons' , The band have been gigging crazy of late and rarely a week goes by without seeing them playing a local haunt. Its great to see a local band so busy and hard working. They played a great lively set of original tracks including 'Don't Look Back in Anger' by Oasis which was met with fun audience participation for the choruses. The band are well worth checking out live and looking forward to hearing some recorded material soon. Keep an eye on the Raging Sons here.




Cheers to Cobblestone Joes for a great night and be sure to get down to the pub for a Wednesday night session of live music soon, Cheers!

Set List:(Not in Order)
One Cigarette Left to Burn
Lines Keep Changing
Hypnotized
One Man
Written On the Walls
Left to Write
Take On Night
Dry
Sailing Through a Sandstorm
Turn It On Today
Don't Look Back in Anger
Feed The Flood

Dolans Ones To Watch 2013

 

Dolans Warehouse are putting on a 'Ones to Watch' night on the 22nd of February with a bill of four local up and coming bands. These bands are a serious testiment to the wealth of talent on show in Limerick, A night well worth checking out! Hopefully this becomes a regular gig. Tickets are €5 and got be bought here.

LEADING ARMIES
Leading armies have had a terrific 2012; winners of Indie week 2012, the Limerick/Clare sextet have gone from strength to strength. A massive support slot at the Big top followed by their first sold out Show in the upstairs of Dolans. Nationally recognised as ones to watch by Hotpress and The Irish Times, 2013 is all set for Leading Armies. LINK

MILK BABY
Milk Baby formed in 2012 and have recently performed at Limericks best alternative club Die. Rated highly in the Limerick music scene the warehouse stage beckons for the Limerick four piece.LINK

ANIMAL BEATS
Animal beats are seen as veterans of the Limerick Music scene. At an average age of 20 the Limerick Foursome have been playing together for 6 years. 2012 seen them play in front of 1000 people in Limericks Big top as well as part of the Hotpress Freezer sessions tour and the Phil Lynott expo. 2013 will see the release of their new E.P and a host of new fans. LINK

PURPLE EARTH THEORY
Purple Earth Theory were formed in August 2012 but by no means are strangers to the limerick music scene. The Limerick four piece have already shared the stage with the likes of This Club, Jericho and Ryan O Shaughnessy. Expect big things in 2013. LINK

The Minutes live at Dolans 28/12/12 Review

Only about two months behind in putting this review up but anyways guess its better late than never. The Minutes played their last show of 2012 to a packed Dolans Warehouse in full Christmas spirit! Two support bands warmed up the night , one I cant remember the name of video here and the other the great local outfit 'Animal Beats' The Beats seem to improve with every gig and are a now a great live act and always put on a super show. They played a few new tracks on the night adding to an already impressive set of tracks. Check the videos below. The band look like they are off to America to do a few shows next summer and I'm sure we will be hearing a lot more from the band and hopefully a full album release soon enough. Keep an eye on them here.



The Minutes played a blinding set on the night and if you haven't checked the lads out before make it your mission as they put on a serious energy filled set. Their album Marcata is one to get and is rarely off the pod. The band are now in the middle of recording their second album so hopefully we will be graced with that soon. Go stalk them here

Cheers for a great night!

Albums Worth Listening to in February 2013

L-R
Frightened Rabbit - Pedestrian Verse
Foals - Holy Fire
I Am Kloot - It All In
The Black Keys - BBC Sessions
Ocean Colour Scene - Painting
The Virginmarys - King of Conflict

As Always Suggestions Very Welcome!

Albums Worth Listening to in January 2013

L-R
Villagers - Awayland
The Lumineers - The Lumineers
The Walkmen - Heaven
Jake Bugg - Jake Bugg
David Hope - Scarecrow (Offical Irish release date on the 1st of Feb , Buy it here)
Richard Kapp and The Gowns - AMOK

As always suggestions very welcome!

Music Snippets #35 - Richard Kapp & The Gowns

Hail From :

Vienna/Austria

Band Members :
Richard Kapp (piano, vocals)
Agnes Rössler (vocals, glockenspiel, perc. & funny, little instruments)
Alexander Csurmann (drums & perc.)
Bernadette Ott (viola)
Jean-Philipp-Oliver Viol (viola)
Paul Schreitl (trombone)
Peter Schweighofer (sound magic)
Roland Liegle (bass)

About:
Had the pleasure of getting a nice album in the post today entitled 'Amok' from Richard Kapp\and The Gowns, What a great name first of all and check out the many members above. The album is full of quirky instruments and adds a beautiful layering to the sound. Touches of 'The National', 'Belle and Sebastian, 'Divine Comedy' and 'Rufus Wainwright'. The last comparison has a lot to do with the faultless smooth vocals throughout the record intertwined by the beautiful piano playing. Neil Hannon must listen to this and wonder when he recorded it. The album was brought out last year and well worth checking out. Treat yourself! Hopefully we will see some live date in Ireland soon.

Check them out here : https://www.facebook.com/richardkappmusic

For more Music Snippets click HERE

Top Ten Albums of 2012 from Indielimerick

Another year draws to a close and its time for the top ten of 2012 . As I always say these are records that I have personally enjoyed over the last year so more than likely I have left out some mainstream classics.
Would love to hear some of the readers choices too , so please comment below.
Had a great 2012 and Ive been to some cracking gigs , 20 gigs so far and counting. The best of the year has to go to Ryan Adams live at the Olympia, the man never disappoints. (Review).
If you would like to see all the monthly album picks over the last year and also all the top tens from the last six years check out it out here.

The list of albums below are in no particular order as always, Hope you have a great christmas and a wonderful new year, Thanks for reading!

The Lost Brothers - The Passing of the Night

The Chevin - Borderland


Eamonn Hehir - The Flag Listeners

The Cranberries - Roses


Protobaby - The Spark

Funeral Suits - Lilly of the Valley

Angus Stone - Broken Brights

Julia Stone - By The Horns

Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball

 
Mark Geary - Songs about love, songs about leaving

Moscow Metro Live at Dolans , Limerick 08/12/12 Review

Last Saturday saw local band Moscow Metro headline a gig upstairs in Dolans , The band laid on a full bill including a whopping four bands supporting on the night, ensuring a lot of music for your five euro entry fee.

First act up on the night were the only local support in the form of 'Randolf and The Crokers' , as I have said before cant really go into much about the band as I am in it lending some harmonica. We played a nice twenty five minute set to a very appreciative crowd warming up the night. We are currently recording an record and hope to have something out early next year in the form of a single first. Keep an eye on us here.

Next up were five piece Tipperary band 'Raffiki' , The band produce a great big sound with the lead vocalist ever changing throughout the set. They played a great set and yet again the crowd were very much enjoying it. The band are just about to release a new single in the form of 'Little Charm' in the coming days so keep on eye on them here

Next up on the massive bill were Dublin outfit 'Sounds of System Breakdown' , This three piece indie electro outfit played a nice set . There sound could be very much compared to that of Hot Chip not in a bad way. They are currently in the process of getting there debut album out into the world after a sneak peak thanks to an ep release back in March. Check them out here

Last support act of the night was another Tipperary band this time in the form of 'Silent Noise Parade' . Once again we were provided with more indie electro , The band released a full debut album during the year entitled 'Electric Lives and the Nightmare' however have very little live experience. Tonight saw this line up playing live together for the first time and its hard to believe it. They sounded great and it seemed like they have been gigging for ages , the crowd loved it and warmed things nicely for the main band. Check the lads out here.

Last up were what the big crowd were here for 'Moscow Metro' , The lads have had a massive year with gigs at Electric Picnic, Liss Ard, and Body and Soul Festivals, as well as nationwide tours with the Delorentos, The Funeral Suits and Dry The River, and special guest appearances with The Futureheads, Jape, and The Minutes. You don't get better really and they were back to headline a gig in there own city tonight.
The upstairs was now heaving with people gathered into watch the lads, The band played a great energetic set throwing in some newbies into set which included a nice cover of 'Echo and The Bunnymen'.
The band have been very busy of late trying to self fund their debut ep through fundit.ie which has just finsihed and they have had a great response managing to reach their target figure and more. The EP is expected to be released next February so we can hope for a good few more live dates after that.
Cheers for a great night!

Albums Worth Listening to in December 2012

L-R
A notoriously bad month of album releases but please give a listen to the four above. Of coarse the obligatory Christmas album from the great Sufjan Stevens to follow on his Christmas tradition of releases. Hopefully have the best of 2012 post up some time next week. Cheers

Buddy Guy - Live at Legends

Sufjan Stevens - Silver And Gold Songs For Christmas

Benjamin Francis Leftwich – In The Open EP

Martha Wainwright - Come Home to Mama

 

As Always Suggestions Very Welcome!