IrishMJ

It was the weekend, so I obviously headed out to catch a gig. This weekend, Mark Geary was playing the Workman's Club in Dublin, so off I went. I've seen Mark play on many occasions, but I'd never seen him with a full band before, so tonight was a first. It was a good gig, crowd were in to it and sang along at every opportunity. The Workmans Club is a great venue also, but, and this is just a pet peeve of mine, red spotlights suck when you’re trying to take photos! Anyway, if you get the chance, go see Mark. He puts on a good show and has some great songs. Check out the photos below:

I somehow managed to miss Lisa Loughrey’s EP launch last month in The Vintage Room in The Workman’s Dublin, so when I saw she was playing Women on Wednesday in Whelan’s Dublin, I just had to go. If you haven’t heard Lisa sing, you’re in for a beautiful surprise.  She has an incredible voice and writes some incredible songs.  Actually, one of my favourite parts of any Lisa gig is when she tells the story of the song, it’s all interesting. Anyway… A great night was had and I got to hear two other singers I’d never heard of before, Clara Marie and Rosa Nutty. Check them all out! Lisa Loughrey Lisa Loughrey Clara Marie Rosa Nutty

Every Monday night on Twitter, between the hours of 21:00 to 23:00, there’s a party online, an IrishMusicParty .  It showcases the best of Irish Music and all you have to do is follow the hashtag #IrishMusicParty Simple really! The good people behind the IrishMusicParty also like to put on gigs to showcase some of these artists, and tonight we got to see Laura Mulcahy , Lavengro , Grainne Hunt and Pow Pig . Laura Mulcahy Lavengro Grainne Hunt Pow Pig I’d seen Grainne Hunt play many times before, so I knew how good she is, but I’d never seen Laura Mulcahy, Lavengro or Pow Pig before and thought they were amazing.  All three have completely different musical styles, but are all brilliant.  Do yourself a favour and go see them live! Can’t wait for the next IrishMusicParty gig!

The Phantom Menace…  Everyone in the world wanted it to be a good movie, but the unfortunate reality is that, well it kinda was, well , crap…  But that’s expectations for you, they don’t always live up to reality! Where am I going with this you’re probably thinking…  Well, I’ve been waiting for Aleigh to release some new music for a while now.  I’ve seen her live many times, and really like what she does.  So I had high expectations for this release and thankfully, unlike The Phantom Menace, her new single “Any Place” is a cracker!  Check it out below. Support on the night was from Grainne Hunt and Brendan Carvill, you should check both of them out also! Aleigh Brendan Carvill Grainne Hunt

I’m a big fan of Bare in the Woods.  It’s a fantastic festival.  After taking a break last year, Bare in the Woods changed venue this year and moved to Borris House in Carlow.  It’s a beautiful venue, with incredible views.  Best of all, it’s only 40 minutes from my house! The festival seems to attract some of my favourite Irish acts. From this years lineup, I really wanted to see Peco, Wolff, My Tribe Your Tribe and MINDRIOTmt.  After that, anything else was a bonus. Unfortunately for me, the My Tribe Your Tribe set clashed with Wolff, so something had to give and I missed their set, sorry guys. Along with the others mentioned above, I did manage to catch great sets by Under Starling, The Pale and God is an Astronaut. I first saw Peco a few years back, but I'd never seen him with the full band before. Great set to open the day with. Wolff never fails to deliver. A set full of dirty guitar driven rock. Loved it! My favourites on the day we're MINDRIOTmt and not just bec