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2024-07-05 Sugababes - Iveagh Gardens, Dublin

I've been a Sugababes fan since I first heard Overload way back in 2000.  It was, and still is, a pop classic.  Over the years, I managed to catch them live a couple of times.   The first time I caught Sugababes live was way back at Creamfields 2002.  Unfortunately Siobhan had left the band by then and been replaced by Heidi, so I never got to see the original lineup.  Did it matter much at the time to me?  No, not at all, I was just their to party!  As a side note, post Sugababes, Siobhan went on to release two solo albums, Revolution in Me in 2003 and Ghosts in 2007. The next time I saw them was at Oxegen 2008, and by then Mutya had left the band and was replaced by Amelle, leaving Keisha as the only remaining original member.  It was a tad strange seeing the band with only one remaining member, but again, it was a festival and all we were looking for was a good time, which we definitely got! Another side note, just like Siobhan, Mutya went on to release her own solo work, a gr

2018-07-07 Bare in the Woods - Borris House Carlow


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 because we spent the day hanging out. I've been trying to get to see these guys for the last 3 years, but something always got in the way.  This time though, the stars aligned and they blew me away. What a great set.

Under Starling were new to me and they are loud, brash and they rock, I enjoyed their set.  The Pale, look, if you're can't have a good time at a Pale gig, you're more than likely dead. As for God is an Astronaut, well they don't say much, but they make one hell of a noise, and not in a bad way.  They were the surprise of the festival for me.

You might not hear a lot of local acts on Irish radio, but don’t be fooled in to thinking the local scene is dead.  Far from it, the bands mentioned above are worthy competitors to anything the US or UK can throw at  us.  Go see them live, support them, buy their music.

Check out the photos below:

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