Jagermeister Freezer Sessions, Dolans 09/12/2011 Review

This review is only about two weeks late but better late than never I guess, Hotpress and Jagermeister have been putting on these freezer sessions for a number of years now and long may they last. We were treated to another great line up of talent and a late night of drinks and music.

It was great to see the young local act Animal beats start off proceedings, These guys seem to step it up a notch everytime I see them now. There sound and quality is really high at the moment and I am really looking forward to seeing something produced by them in 2012. A great live act!

Next up were Dublin trio El Hombre Jokes, The lads played a nice set after the crowd were well warmed up from Animal Beats and test tube shots of Jagermeister.

Túcan Silgos answer to rodrigo y gabriela with a splash of Kila up next on stage, The crowd were well on form and well on it throughout their set.

R.S.A.G was the next act up on the bill, Kilkenny native Jeremey Hickey was practically living up to his moniker in these parts until tonight, For me the one drummer mumbling into the mic trick is slighting fading away but then you hear some familar tracks that are good but all in all the set seem to drag.

Next up were the main act Fred, Once again an awesome night of tracks from the band who in my opinion brought of one the best albums of the year in the form of Leaving my empire. Tonight they were joined on keyboard by the excellent Cormac Curran. The set was getting the crowd going no end and had two jagerbombers invade the stage twice before being horsed off.

Great night as always , Cheers Hotpress!! Thanks Jagermeiser and yes its your fault this took so long to write.  

Gig of the Month Tonight!!!

Its very exciting times in Limerick at the moment, as lots of pubs are turning into mini music haunts. Bourkes are king pin in the city at the moment and are really reeling in the top acts.
Jape is one of the best Irish acts out there at the moment and plays Bourkes tonight for Free!!! Enjoy it.
Reviews of some of his past Limerick gigs:
Jape Dolans 24/09/2011
Jape supporting Bellx1, Big Top 02/12/2011
Jape, Dolans 22/09/2011

Top Ten Albums of 2011 from Indielimerick

Another year down and what a year for great gigs it was, 21 gigs reviewed for indielimerick. Gig of the year goes to Ryan Adams live at Glasgow back in June, An amazing night of 27 songs from my favourite artist. Review here.

Indielimerick is 5 years old this year and I finally brought out a compilation album of limerick acts/bands. The Charity album was great fun putting together and I am absolutely delighted with the response it has been getting.
The New Reindeer Age was limited to 500 copies and a few are still left and are currently on sale around Limerick and also online here. (Shops stocking the album : Limerick Self Storage, Learning Hub Limerick, Beats Working Foxes Bow, Dolans Warehouse and the Curragower Pub.)
The album features on my top ten albums for 2011, yes I'm extremely biased but the album has a seriously good tracklist, If you get a chance pop out and buy a copy! more info here.

The list of albums below are in no particular order as always. They are just albums I have kept going back to over the year. Hope you all have a great Christmas and a great 2012, Thanks for reading throughout the year.
Ryan Adams - Ashes & Fire
 
Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto
 
The New Reindeer Age
 
Radiohead - The King of Limbs
 
Lisa Hannigan - Passenger

Fionn Regan - 100 Acres of Sycamore
 
The Hot Sprockets - Honey Skippin
 
Fred - Leaving My Empire
 
Bellx1 - Bloodless Coup
 
Wilco - The Whole Love
 
Notable Mentions to these gems :
Jonathan Wilson - Gentle Spirit, Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues, Laura Marling - A Creature I Don't Know, Bon Iver - Bon Iver, The Decemberists - The King is Dead, Fox Jaw Bounty Hunters –The Devil In Music, Okkervil River - I Am Very Far

Albums Worth Listening to in December 2011

L-R
Youth Lagoon - The Year of Hibernation
Rubberbandits - Serious about Men
George Harrison - Let it Roll
The New Reindeer Age - Limerick Charity Compilation album (LINK)
Amy Winehouse - Lioness
A Special Indiecater Christmas Gift (LINK)
As Always Suggestions Very Welcome!

The New Reindeer Age Launch Night, Dolans 03/12/2011 Review

Moscow Metro

The New Reindeer Age was finally launched on Saturday to a packed upstairs in Dolans. After a few months of planning this album, all the hard work paid off on Saturday and everything went according to plan.
Seven amazing acts gave their time to play a super night of music for the worthy cause that is the Learning Hub Limerick.

Randolf

Keith Forde

A quote from the sleeve notes on the original 1990 Reindeer age album stated :
The Reindeer Age: Is a product of goodwill and friendliness which exists between Limerick bands.
21 years on and this is still true today as ever, Its was great to see all the band that were not playing on the night show up to support it. Would really like to thank all the people who made their way down to dolans to witness the event and ultimately buy an album for charity. We sold a great number of the albums on the night which only cost €10 for 22 tracks of limericks finest bands.

Dead Red Light

The 500 limited album will now be available in various places around the city and this week I will be distributing them. Currently Limerick Self Storage and The Learning Hub have copies for sale, Keep an eye on the facebook page and updates page on the blog for more venues selling it.

Protobaby

Below are a few videos from the launch night in Dolans

The New Reindeer Age - Album Launch

A free event upstairs in dolans for a great cause, where else would you be of a Saturday. A stellar line up is in store as it kicks off at 8.30 with bands such as:
Protobaby
Dead Red Light
Moscow Metro
Eamonn hehir
Keith Forde
Randolf
Siobhan O'Brien

Tell your friends and spread the word, The cd will be on sale for €10 bob on the night. TEN EURO for 22 Tracks!!!!
More info here: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-New-Reindeer-Age-Limerick-Charity-Album/178004538946779

Bellx1 Live at The Big Top, Limerick 02/12/2011 Review

Another super night in what now is Limerick's best music venue. When an outside tent is that full on one of the coldest and wettest nights, it's a testament to the talent on show.

Jape played a energetic short set as the drowned locals started to pour in. Jape play Bourkes bar at the end of the month on the 22nd, which I'm sure will be a cracking night.

Bellx1 played to a packed tent and as always delivered a great live show including crowd-pleasing snippets of the rubberbandits Horse Outside and a Talking Heads sample. The talented five-piece, who are riding high on their new release "Bloodless Coup", said it was their biggest ever gig in Limerick and seemed genuinely appreciative of the crowd who had turned out to see them. The set was a pleasing mixed bag of the usual crowd favourites and some oldies thrown in. I was delighted to hear them play "Tongue" and some of the new material which got an outing. Great night of music and always a pleasure to witness them live. Cheers.

Set List:
Anna Lena
Bad Skin
Velcro
abc
First born
4 min mile
Built to Last
How your heart is wired
Defector
Tongue
Flame
Encore:
See Your Heart
Rocky
Sugar High

Protobaby , Traditions Launch Night, Dolans 18/11/2011 Review

The limerick band Protobaby brought a huge crowd to dolans to showcase their new single "Traditions", The first from their eagerly anticipated debut album "The Spark" due out sometime in the new year.

We were treated first to some great support acts in the form of the crazy but wonderful Mustang Hobo. Lead singer complete with duck outfit and homegrown tunes about life and superheroes.

Next up were an another local band called Killing Streets , The three piece played a nice set and I am looking forward to checking these guys out very soon again. They have some super demos up on their breaking tunes site, so be sure to drop be and say hi.

Last up before the main act was dREA, Been meaning to see Damien Drea live for ages now and thankfully got to see it on stage tonight. The ex-Vesta Varro frontman played a fantastic set with a huge range of sound throughout. dREA features on the new reindeer age album with a new track called X-Ray Machine and he clearly has a huge bundle of songs to release, looking forward to hearing them on cd soon. Highlight of the set was "What You Do To Me" with the brilliant inclusion of a Kate Bush sample at the end, Video Below.
dREA Set:
Intro
Still Swimming
Crystals
Through The Wire
Animal
Science
What You Do To Me

Next up on the late night bill were Protobaby, They featured some new songs in the set that will feature on the 2011 debut "The Spark" which sound excellent. The 11 strong set kept the warehouse alive. Yet another great live gig from the lads. Looking forward to the album launch next year, The lads play this Saturday night in Dolans to launch the new reindeer age album. Check them out if you around.
Cheers for a great night!
Protobaby Set:
Time
Slight Obsession
Traditions
Clones
Nobody Knows
Microchip
Only A Spark
Hollow Minds
State of Affairs
This Might End?

Press Night - The New Reindeer Age

This Event is a small gathering to spread the word of the album to the media masses, All are welcome.
We will have some acts from the album play on the night and a nice insight to the launch night in dolans on the 3rd of December. Keep an eye on the albums progress Here

Protobaby offer free download of new single

The limerick band Protobaby have just released their new single "Traditions" into the world, They are offering a free download of the track over on their bandcamp site here.
The lads are having a launch party in Dolans this Friday with a stellar line up of bands as support, This is one night not to be missed!!
Support on the night comes from dREA, The killing streets and Mustang Hobo!!! Adm 5euro

Freezer Sessions are back for 2011

The Jagermeister Freezer Sessions are becoming a great annual event in Dolans, The Flaws & O Emperor headlined the event last year and this year is set for the 9th of December in Dolans exactly a year later to the day. A superb line up as been announced for this years sessions :
Fred
R.S.A.G.
El Hombre Jokes
Animal Beats
Get your tickets for free here
Review of the 2010 sessions here

Two great gigs lined up for Bourkes Bar this week

The excellent pop-tastic the Kanyu Tree will play their rescheduled gig this Wednesday night. This will be the follow on gig from their last brilliant outing at the Mary I fresher fest in Dolans.

Irish indie favourites Tieranniesaur will bring their music to bourkes the following night.

Sessions from the Hub #5- Tod Doyle

The 4th in the series of excellent sessions from the hub brought to you from the lovely people at the Thomond student times. Each session has two tracks from artists recorded in the music hub in the Learning Hub Limerick, this time around its a session from the singer songwriter Tod Doyle. Born in Rathangan Co.Kildare, Tod currently is studying in the University of Limerick, He is hoping to bring out an EP early next year and this is what to expect from that release. Keep an eye on him here

Sessions from the Hub #3
Sessions from the Hub #2&1

Hermitage Green Unveil new Video

Hermitage Green have shot a new video for their original track "Live On", really looking forward to a release from these local lads soon. For more on the band check them out here.

Albums Worth Listening to in November 2011

L-R
The Decemberists - Long Live The King
We Cut Corners - Today I Realised I Could Go Home Backwards
Mark Geary - Songs about love, songs about leaving
Popical Island Compilation #2
Squarehead - Yeah Nothing
Raglan Rodeo - Wild Bird Food
As Always Suggestions Very Welcome!

Raglan Rodeo Roll Into Town This Saturday

Dublin based but Limerick fronted Raglan Rodeo are set to play Foleys bar this Saturday the 5th of November. Native Paddy Hehir hasn't played this neck of the woods for some time, so expect a great show.

The band have just released a new record and will showcase tracks from "Wild Bird Food" on the night. Check out the excellent video for "I Traveled a Road" taken from the album below. The four piece band made up of Ray Ellis, John Worth, Martin McGuirk and Hehir are very much regulars on the gigging front in Dublin and are no strangers at the Kilkenny Rhythm and Roots Festival. This act are well worth checking out live and wont disappoint!

Check out more info here: http://www.myspace.com/raglanrodeo

Book Shop Gig Tonight

The kookie book shop in Little Catherine street is putting on a gig tonight, This place is great for a noodle around for books and records when your in town. Heres more on tonights event:

Wireless Folk presents SHARRON KRAUS (UK, Camera Obscura, Bo’Weavil, Important).

Sharron Kraus is a musician and songwriter who both defiantly recasts and tenderly cherishes the folk traditions of England and Appalachia. Her songs tell intricate tales of rootless souls, dark secrets and earthy joys, the lyrics plucked as sonorously as her acoustic guitar while her worldly voice plunges through the ages to haul up the yarns of c...enturies and tell of the darker places of the human psyche.

So come and join us for this free early evening concert of ‘dark folk music for the new millennium’ at The Little Catherine Art & Book Gallery on Little Catherine Street on Wednesday 2nd November.

http://www.sharronkraus.com/
http://www.myspace.com/sharronkraus

Support from PETER DELANEY.

http://www.peter-delaney.com/
http://www.myspace.com/peterdelaney
Doors open at 7pm with free entry. 

The New Reindeer Age - Limerick Charity Album

This is the new compilation album made up of all limerick acts. It will be ready very soon.
Keep an eye on its progress!

Updates Page
Facebook Page

Get your costume sorted & head down to Dolans!

Free Download from the Cranberries

Lisa Hannigan Sets Date for Dolans

Lisa will play Dolans on the 18th of December, She has just released her excellent sophomore album "Passenger". She always puts on a great show in Limerick, I last saw her in limerick in the beautiful setting of St.Johns Church. Review and bootleg here.
Tickets for her Dolans show are already on presale here.

Protobaby Getting Ready to Launch

The hard working local act Protobaby are set to launch their new single on the 18th of November in Dolans. The release will be entitled "Tradition" which deals with the subject of bare knuckle boxing within the travelling community. The band have had great success with previous releases in the guise of EPs and are now set to release their debut album next year. To celebrate the impending launch, the lads have made their excellent single "State of Affairs" available for a free download here. Looking forward to hearing the new stuff!

Sessions from the Hub #4 - Moscow Metro

The lovely people at the Thomond student times have had another band in the hub this week. This time its the turn of local young band Moscow Metro. Fresh from playing the working class heroes tour in Dublin and also headlining the IMRO showcase tour in Limerick, the 4 lads play 2 tracks. The first called "Where it all ends" which is a superb taster as to what to expect from this band in the future. The band then play homage to legendary limerick act "Tuesday Blue" playing their track "Tunnel Vision". Keep a keen eye on Moscow Metro here.
For more info on the Session from the hub, click here

Drea in Bourkes for 2 nights

The excellent local act "Drea" is playing two nights in Bourkes as part of a warm up for a showcase gig in London next October.
The Vesta Varro former front man will take to the stage at Bourkes tomorrow night 13th and also the following Thursday the 20th. Support acts on the night will come from Birdthistle(13th) and Brendan Markham(20th). Well worth checking these gigs out, Keep an eye on him here.
New Limerick dates added :
Cobblestone Joe's Limerick -26th Oct
Acoustic Performance The Curragower -28th Oct Limerick

2 New Dates for Limerick's Big Top

After a string of excellent gigs in September, The Milk Market will be transformed into the Big Top Music Venue once again. Its turning out to be one of the best venues around and is obviously attracting both acts and crowds.

November 25th will see the Coronas back to the venue after playing to a packed tent back in April.

The superb Bellx1 will fill the venue on the 2nd of December, The lads will be back in limerick after there sold out show in St.Johns Church back in November last year (Some videos here).

Looking forward to seeing this great band in such a brilliant setting. The brilliant Jape will be supporting bellx1 on the night. Tickets can be sourced here

Fred live at Dolans, Limerick 07/10/2011

The Cork/Limerick outfit were back to limerick after a great Belltable show back in May. The band have just released their fantastic new album "Leaving My Empire".
The band have gone a new route with the album musically. They still have that Pop fun sound but now its intertwined with an alternative sound much like "the national". This album is well worth checking out!


The support act tonight was another corkonian act by the name of "Slow Motion Heroes". A motley looking crew with members that didn't fit in and members that could have been plucked from Woodstock and members straight out of Kasabian. The lead singer did not posses a belt but my did he have a voice! He had one hell of a stage presence acting out most of the sounds with his hands, eyes and hips.The harmonies produced at times were amazingly good. They played a small but excellent set with many tunes coming from their brand new EP called "Not Pop". The new EP can be downloaded for free here.http://slowmotionheroes.bandcamp.com/album/not-pop. Looking forward to catching this guys live again.

Fred arrive on stage but with a change of personnel the keyboard player is now Julie Feeney. The last girl Carolyn Goodwin has now left the band for other musical endeavours and Julie is filling in for a bit. Julie is currently in the middle of sorting out a new album and has gone down the route of trying to self fund it. Check out a link here to help her out if you can. Julie isn't fully up to scratch with all the lyrics and nuisances of the songs but she is only at it a week and she played great considering the length of time. Non the less a superb show as always and they are a great live band, loved the stage adorned with red and white paper circular lights and sweeping white cloth. They played a great set of 14 tracks including the brand new single we are the city now, Cheers for a great gig and if you can go buy their album, it wont disappoint!
Set:
If Not Now When
The Life Behind
The Lights
As you See
Somewhere Else
Villains
We Are The City Now
Eleven
Skyscrapers
Fears & Remedies
Trial By Fire
Fear
Stereoscope
Encore:
Running

Fred in Town This Friday

The brilliant part local indielimerick favourite Fred are in town this Friday and they are bringing along the superb Julie Feeney as support too!
The lads are back to limerick after their excellent performance from the belltable back in May this year. Check out some videos from the gig Here.
If you haven't seen this act live before you have been missing out big time, The band just released a new album this year called "Leaving My Empire". I must say its rarely off the ipod this year, its a gem of an album!!
This is gig is not to be missed! The Slow Motions Heroes are also on the bill to support.

Albums Worth Listening to in October 2011

L-R
Lisa Hannigan - Passenger
Ryan Adams - Ashes and Fire (Stream Here)
Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto
Snow Patrol - Called Out In The Dark
Noel Gallagher - High Flying Birds
Feist- Metals

As Always Suggestions Very Welcome!

Fox Jaw Bounty Hunters Need your Help!

The local band have been invited to play at the Indie Week Music Showcase Festival in Toronto, Canada. The band are putting on a night in Dolans this Saturday to fundraise for the trip. Admission is only €5 and its well worth the price. This show also coincides with the release of their new single 'Strip The City', which which is now available for free download from http://foxjawbountyhunters.bandcamp.com/
 

Sessions from the Hub #3 - Hermitage Green

The superb Sessions from the hub has another band in studio, This time from the excellent local act Hermitage Green. For more info on the Session from the hub, click here

Music Snippets #33 - Constant Supply

Hail From :

Letterkenny, County Donegal
Band Members :
James Gillen
Conal Sweeney
About:

The Duo have just released a single intitled "Daft Quotes" and is the sampler to their debut album due out early next  year. There last release was in 2010 called the ‘Alleviate EP’ , it saw them teaming up with Tommy McLaughlin (Villagers/Cathy Davey), who recorded it in his lovely Attica studio in Termon, Donegal. The pair are about to embark on a tour and one of their stops is Foleys bar in Limerick. Catch the lads on the 6th of October. In the mean time sample some of their stuff in the link below and check out the lovely video to "lingering" below.

Check them out here : http://www.breakingtunes.com/constantsupply

For more Music Snippets click HERE

IMRO Showcase Tour in Limerick This Friday

The 20th installment of the IMRO showcase tour calls into Dolans this Friday. The showcase tour is all about getting the best new acts on a live stage around the country. IMRO got a number of band submissions to be part of this years tour and have whittled in down to 11 dates and Limerick hosts one of these. It will be a great night of music and the line up has 4 local acts. Well worth €5!
The line up for the limerick gig is as follows:

Dead Red Light
Read about them HERE

Jefl & Hyde
Check out HERE

Moscow Metro
Gig Review HERE & HERE

Tenaka
Read about HERE & HERE

The Hip-Neck Blues Collective
Check out HERE

Jape , Live at Dolans, Limerick 24/09/2011 Review

Jape was the last on the bill for a four night in a row gig extravaganza put on by Dolans. This one was billed for Dolans rather than their other gig home "The Big Top". The Jape gig was moved from the warehouse to upstairs late in the day due to a Nirvana's Nervermind 20th anniversary gig put on by various local bands. The Nevermind album would be played in its entirety to a larger audience tonight. Jape later quipped that its the first time he has been moved to a smaller venue thanks to a covers band.

A small crowd had gathered upstairs to witness Richie Egan, The amount of gigs over the last few days obviously impacting on numbers but the Dubliner didn't seem to mind. The opening act was that of "Goodtime", Which later turned out to be two quarters of Japes backing band. They started out the evening with some funky tunes and led nicely onto the main act.

The intimate venue and small crowd would not be your typical Jape venue/show as the music is suited to hundreds of people dancing like crazies. Instead here we were sitting at tables with candlelight, prime for an acoustic singer songwriter night however this didn't phase the main man and he got straight down to business. He started off with a few new numbers which will feature in the highly anticipated follow up to "Ritual". The new album "Ocean of Frequency" is due out this Friday and I for one am looking forward to getting my hands on it. Speaking to Richie afterwards he says the new record is more mellow than ritual but is very happy with the outcome and is looking forward to its release. He is in a giddy mood tonight and its really fun to watch him improvise on songs he has been playing live a long time. At one point there is a problem with one of the bands mics and he makes up a crazy tune on the spot and has the audience singing back the lyrics. It was a great night and as always a Jape gig lives up to its name.

Go get the new album this Friday and keep an eye on his movements HERE

The Stunning, Live at the Big Top, Limerick 23/09/2011 Review

The Stunning was the last gig for the Big Top in limerick after 2 nights of great music under the canopy.

It was my first time to see the stunning live as I had only witnessed "The Walls" (lead signer and guitarists new band after the stunning spilt in '94) on one occasion before. The band had some major songs and two No.1 albums under their belt before I was even gig going age so I never had a huge affinity with the band unlike the throngs of people all in that age bracket taking up spots at the front of the stage tonight.

The support acts came in the guise of Hermitage Green and Eoin Coughlan. Hermitage Green arrived on stage to a poor attendance but it was a bit too early with people trying to get home from work and get ready on a Friday. If you are from Limerick you would have heard of Hermitage Green by now as they are a very hard working band playing pub gigs most nights of the week around the city. The band is made up of Munster rugby legend Barry Murphy, Brother Dan, Darragh Graham, Darragh Griffin & when not playing for Munster/Ireland or not injured Felix Jones. I have caught them live on a few occasions and they are a great live act. Mixing covers and originals into their set, These guys are extremely talented. They played a few originals tonight and they hope to bring out some stuff over the coming months. They will be one to watch out for I'm sure! Keep an eye on them HERE

Eoin Coughlan then arrived on stage as the crowd were just getting that bit bigger, The singer songwriter played a small set warming up the crowd before the main act.

The Stunning headed out on stage and rattled through a large set of nineteen songs. They played some walls numbers and covers including Johnny Cash's Jackson into the mix of Stunning classics. I had press passes for the night and got to watch the gig from high up on the balcony. Its a great spot for people watching and its was funny to see all the parent types reliving their youth, dancing like loons. I must say one of the highlights was watching the dancing antics of one of the workers from the Adare Farm Shop sons. The young lad was really giving it his all!! Also kudos to the girl sporting a woolen Bert hat from Bert and Ernie. 

The Stunning remarked on one of the tracks being originally recorded in Limerick thanks to Xeric Records, They were glad to be back in Limerick and paid homage to the great new venue.

They put on a great show and ended a great week of gigs with the classic Brewing up a Storm. Cheers to Dolans for a great week and I look forward to more gigs down in the Big Top.

Setlist:

Got to Get Away
Girl with the Curl
The Hurt Inside
Everything That Rises
Frank
Half Past Two
December Sky
Town For Sale
Rusty Old River
She's on my Mind
Tightrope
This Happy Girl
Summer in the City
Mr.Ginger
Heads
Romeo's on Fire
Encore:
Carrying the Fire
Jackson
Brewing up a Storm

Arthur's Day, The Big Top Limerick 22/09/2011 Review

To Arthur!

I arrived at about ten past six late for the 17.59 celebrations. The Guinness was full and truly flowing at this stage, I was wondering how the crowd got here this early.

The feeling were half way through their set and played a nice few tunes, running through their radio over played numbers. They played Paul Simon's "You Can Call Me Al" with the guitar player playing the tin whistle solo expertly using a whistle that was bought around the corner minutes before they got on stage. A good set in fairness to them.

Sharon Shannon was the next act up on stage and played a set full of Sharon Shannon songs i.e. Wedding hooley tunes to a great reception to the young first time Guinness trying crowd. A mundy lookalike arrived on stage to play "Galway Girl" to a rapturous reception.

The Big top once again was excellently laid out thanks to Dolans , The food stalls were superb, Tried out the country kitchen for a steak sandwich and was blown away by how good it was! Will be down to the the market on Saturdays just for that. The only complaint would be the amount of toilets in the place, The queue was crazy big every time and with hundreds of people chugging Guinness, it was bound to be busy.

Next up were another radio overplayed act Royseven. I must say I like their single We Should Be Lovers even though its constantly on at the moment. The dublin act have been on the scene now for a long time almost 13 years, The new album You Say, We Say is getting great air play at the moment and tonight they played one hell of a show. I wasn't expecting much from the band but we got a great performance as they stole the show! Would really check them out live in the future.

Next up was local band Fox Jaw Bounty Hunters, The lads gained a place on the stage due to a battle of the bands competition , However they shouldn't even need to do something like that and should have been included anyways. They played a small set of tunes from their excellent debut album Devil in Music, Well worth checking out these lads.

The main act of the night Calvin Harris arrived on stage to a huge reception, Rumours were that he had just come from a short DJ set in Mickey Martins. Decks were rolled on stage and it looked like we were on for another DJ set. I saw Calvin "Perform" at Oxegen a couple of years ago and when I say perform I mean sing and have a backing band and not load on records and wave his hands around. Unfortunately that's what he was here to do, launching on his hit records one after another and interjecting now and again using a mic. A power cut happened during his playlist and he headed off stage for awhile returning to spin two more of his own tracks. The crowd loved it but I was disappointed not see him live up to the performance of Oxegen a few years previous, but I guess thats what he does nowadays.

I didn't stay there for the next act instead heading straight for O'Connells Bar(old Quarter) to catch the end of Paddy Casey's Set. Paddy was playing a small marquee at the end of the outside area to a jam packed pub. Managed to catch most of his great set, playing most of his hits.
Ended a great night of music and enjoyed an excuse to get out of a Thursday night. Cheers Arthur!

Videos to follow

Villagers Live at The Big Top,Limerick 21/09/2011 Review

The newly refurbished Milk Market is a great asset to the city, Its worth checking out at the weekends when its full of stalls with various sellers with such things for sale as jewellery, books & food.

Tonight was a different experience as the tented market was transformed to "The Big Top" - A music venue.  Its as if a tent stage from electric picnic was dropped randomly into Limerick City.

I Headed in early to see the place in gig mode. There was food stalls dotted around the outskirts of the tent including a pig on a spit, gourmet burger stalls, a coffee stand and a bar.

A sizeable stage took up all one side of the tent and the place was set for another excellent venue within the city. There has been a few gigs already here during the year but none took my fancy until the indielimerick favourite Villagers were announced.

I last saw Conor J O'Brien and his merry men play the best venue in Limerick for a gig, a small church (St.Johns Church) back in December. Check out some videos from the night Here. 

Before that gig he hadn't played Limerick since March 2009 supporting Bellx1 at a sold out show in Dolans (Review Here). They played that night to a crowd who had never heard of them and a crowd that had to be told to shut up talking over their small 7 song set. I thankfully picked up a copy of their limited edition 500 hand numbered "Hollow Kind EP". It truly is one of the best EP's I have ever heard, some of the songs on it were re-recorded for the debut album "Meaning of the Ritual" however I must say I preferred the raw EP versions. The album on a whole is truly an awesome body of work full of stories that will get your imagination racing. The vocals of Conor are haunting throughout and backed by a cast of amazing musicians who have been through the Irish gigging mill many times with many outfits, this record is something special. The albums has contributions from Cathy Davey , which was how I first met Conor at her gigs, as he played backing guitar for her. Conor is such a down to earth guy and extremely modest. Great to see a success story from this guy, His previous band "The Immediate" were making major splashes in the music scene in Ireland after their one and only album "In tower and clouds", I had never heard of the band until the Villagers and sought out the album, after quite some time trying to get hold of a copy I eventually did. Another amazing gem of on a Irish record, I still blast it on from time to time and love the song "There is ghost" , The band seemed to dissolve out of nowhere and Conor started about writing stories and tales as poetry that would eventually form his debut album. I can remember being a fan of his YouTube channel and being blown away by the various homemade songs being put up now and again, The music media finally caught onto this and Conor was signed to the major record label "Jaquauaug". This saw the start of the spiral that would engulf The Villagers over the last year or so. Now after just small beginnings saw Conor go through endless festival performances, Jools Holland Appearances, Mercury Prize Nominations, a No 1 Album and sold out gigs worldwide. Tonight saw the Villagers back to Limerick for their last night touring their debut album.

The first support act of the night was local band Windings, I have witnessed windings a good number of times now and its great to see a Limerick band getting exposure at gigs like this. The lads have some great releases on the Out on a Limb Record label. Its worth heading on over and checking them out here.

Next up were Hello Moon, I wrote a piece about them over here last week. The Dublin four piece were now playing to a sizeable crowd in the tent. The lead singer was stationed behind a drum kit and lashed out into a lovely long set of 12 tracks. Most of the set comprising from their debut album Only Count the Sunny Hours. The singers voice was extremely like Morrissey and they had that smiths sound throughout. The album is well worth checking out, keep an eye on them here.

Set List:

Birthday

The Calculus Affair

What's Ths Use Of Falling In Love?

Here I Am

Barefoot

He Was A Boy

Cheerio

Flag On The Moon

Vanity

Measure Of Me

Three More Inches

Sievehead

 

The main act clambered on stage to a now packed tent. They went straight into the massive sixteen track set. Spirits were high from a band that look like they are done with the road for awhile and are now going to take a rest and concentrate on a follow up album. We heard some new material and the crowd loved the favourites. That day sounded excellent and the band I'm sure could actually play the full set blindfolded. He said it was great to be back in Limerick and that its a fitting end to the last tour date in Ireland for a good while. It was interesting to see the band play an almost adapted set to a festival vibe, very different to the hush tones from December in the church. The crowd loved it all and hopefully we will see them back here very soon. At the end Conor ripped all the strings from his guitar in an action that symbolised the end of touring for a bit and a relief too. They bowed to a huge applause. Next time we will see them he will have new strings and hopefully a brand new album. A super venue and well done to all in Dolans for a great night!

Set List:

Dead
Ritual
Memoir
Pact
Pieces
The Sun is Hanging
Home
27 Stangers
Newfound Land
Set the Tigers Free
Down,Under the Sea
That Day
The Bell
ENCORE:
Becoming a Jackal
Grateful Song
Ship of Promises