@irishmj

I headed to London late last week.  It was my niece's 18th birthday and I'd got us tickets to go see Fontaines DC in the Hammersmith Apollo .  I hadn't been to London since June 2019 when I went to see Me First and the Gimme Gimmes play the Forum, Kentish Town. Why I booked a 7:00am flight I'll never know, but I did and so I had to be at the airport for 5:00am, which meant me leaving home before 4:00am.  It was going to be a long day! After some sightseeing, it was time to make our way to the Hammersmith Apollo via the underground.  Ordinarily a simple trip, until someone makes a mistake, and we get the wrong tube...  Anyway, we got there in time, that's the important thing! What can I say about Fontaines DC that I haven't said before?  They were superb, from the moment they walked on the stage, they owned that crowd! Kicking off with A Lucid Dream it was non-stop action till they finished with I Love You and the crowd sang every note! Here's the setlist

Every now and again, a gig comes along that you just know you have to go to.  Last night's Pussy Riot gig in the Opium Rooms in Dublin was one such gig. For those who don't know, Pussy Riot is a Russian feminist protest and performance art group based in Moscow (thanks Wikipedia ) with various members having spent up to two years in Russian prisons for acting on their beliefs.  I'd suggest doing a deep dive online for more information. Anyway, on to last night's show.  It was, without doubt, the gig of the year for me. Did I understand a word of it? Nope, but thankfully, on the screen behind them, there was an English translation of what they were singing/reciting. It was an incredible, powerful display, full of anger and rage, but also hope for what might come.   Mind you, some of that anger and rage was directed towards the sound desk last night as on more than a few occasions the sound blanked out!  Also, what the hell are venues thinking using red and blue lights.

Every now and then I have a choice of gigs to go to...  This night, I could have driven into Dublin to see Meryl Streek in the Workmans Club , or I could stay local and go see Mairead Carroll in the Moat Theatre in Naas. Well, it was a no brainer.  The weather was terrible and, well, I felt terrible too, so I figured I'd stay local. Mairead has played the Moat Theatre before, but always as support, never as the main attraction.  Tonight, would be her debut headline performance and she didn't let anyone down! I'm not quite sure how to describe here music.  It's not folk, it's not trad, it's not country or rock... It's. well, it's very light and soft and calming.  Mairead is a poet who, only relatively recently, has started putting her words to music. It's a very relaxing affair!  Her songs are very personal, and, at first listen, you might think them melancholy, but then you hear the joy and the love in them, and you start to see them for what they

It's funny, I've seen Zaska play many times, just never at his own gig...  So, when I saw he was having an album launch party for A Better Way, I thought to myself, I'll head to The Grand Social for that! Then things got crazy.  I ended up in Scotland that week for a family wedding, got home, the car was in the garage for repairs (still is as I type this) and I'd to figure out the logistics of late night public transport in Ireland for the first time in years! Was it all worth it?  Oh hell yeah!  It was a fantastic night of music and the room was filled with lots of love for this man!  Special guests on the night included Gemma Dunleavy , Tolü Makay , Karen Cowley (Wyvern Lingo), Melina Malone , Jess Kav , Faye O'Rourke (Soda Blonde), Precious Okpaje , Carly Coonagh and J Smith .  It was a veritable who's who of Irish music talent. I finally got to meet up with Adele McAlear , Zaskas manager, chatted with the one and only Danny G (might of hatched a plan t

I've seen The Pretty Reckless a few times, first back in 2011 at Oxegen Festival.  Fast forward to 2016 and I saw them again in the House of Blues, Las Vegas.  Fast forward 6 years and I'm getting to see them again, this time in the Olympia Theatre , Dublin. How good was it?  Well, it was awesome.  They played to a sell-out theatre, and I'd say they could have played another night also, such was the demand for tickets! The setlist on the night was: Death by Rock and Roll Since You're Gone Only Love Can Save Me Now Follow Me Down Make Me Wanna Die Miss Nothing Sweet Things Witches Burn My Medicine My Bones Going to Hell Heaven Knows Take Me Down Fucked Up World I didn't have a media pass, so I couldn't bring the big lens, so all shots are from the audience using a small Sony DSC HX60.  It was strange just being a punter for the first time in ages, but it was enjoyable! Anyway, now for those photos:

I was asked if I'd like to shoot the Tolka Hot Club in the Civic Theatre in Tallaght and I jumped at the chance.  I'd shot them last year in Sin É , but I was never happy with the photos.  It was very dark with minimal lighting, so it didn't make for good shots. I'd higher hopes for this show though, I'd been to the Civic Theatre before, I knew that it was a modern theatre with great lighting, and I wasn't disappointed on the night! I've previously described the Tolka Hot Clubs music as a bit of Jazz, with some Swung, French cabaret with a dash of the Balkans thrown in for good measure and tonight, they did it all.  In between taking photos, i was treated to a beautiful night of music.  I can't recommend them enough!  Catch them when you can. Now for some photos: