Skip to main content

2022-07-03 Fontaines DC - Iveagh Gardens, Dublin

I've been waiting a long time to see Fontaines DC live again after last seeing them back in May 2019 at Forbidden Fruit.  Originally scheduled for July 2020, everyone's friend, COVID, got in the way and mae sure that didn't happen.  To make maters worse, the rescheduled date in 2021 didn't happen either, for the exact same reason! Fear not though, it is 2022 and not even COVID was going to stop this gig happening!  I packed my bag and headed off to the Iveagh Gardens in Dublin, for what promised to be one of the highlights of the year! So, was it worth waiting for?  Oh hell yeah! Others in the media will tell you more about it, but all you need to know is that it was a hit filled, fantastic gig by a band at the top of their game.  Oh and the rain stayed away! Setlist (courtesy of  Setlist.FM ) is as follows: In ár gCroíthe go deo A Lucid Dream Sha Sha Sha Roman Holiday How Cold Love Is I Don't Belong You Said The Couple Across the Way Televised Mind Big Shot Hurri

2018-10-13 King Kong Company - Olympia Theatre

I go to see King Kong Company a lot… And I mean A LOT!  7 or 8 times in the last 3 years.  Why?  Well they just put on an amazing live show and you never leave a gig thinking they could have done more! So, when I heard they were playing the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, I just had to be there!

Also playing on the bill were Prymary Colours. I’d not seen them live before, but I follow them on Instagram and was looking forward to their brand of dance music.  They put on a great, high energy show and it was the perfect opener to a fun night! Prymary Colours are my new favourite party band!

Next up on the night were Dublin Hip Hop / Rappers Mango X Mathman.
Now, I’m not a keen follower of the Irish Hip Hop scene, I can name only one other action and that’s This Side Up, so I had no idea what to expect. Front man Mango is one hell of an energetic fecker! He doesn’t stop moving, spitting rhymes while he jumps around the stage.  Behind him on the decks was Mathman laying down the beats all night long.

As I said, I don’t know a lot about Irish Hip Hop, but I do know good when I see it and these guys are bloody good.  So, if Hip Hop is your thing, you really should check them out!

And so it was time for the headliners, time for King Kong Company to take to the stage and run the place!

I’ve said plenty about these guys before, they’re one of the best live acts out there at the moment, you’d be hard pushed to find anyone better! As always, Susan O’Neill was on hand to provide stunning vocals, I never tire of hearing her sing!

It's a great buzz watching a band go from playing the Body and Soul stage at the Electric Picnic to selling out the Olympia Theatre in Dublin in just a few years. It couldn’t happen to a better bunch of folk!

Anyway, just go see them live.  Honestly you’ll not be disappointed!

Just a final word, all three acts on the night were Irish.  All three acts were well supported and each played their part in a rather special night.  It’s great to see local Irish acts performing so well.

Check out the photos below:





























Popular Posts

Bye Bye Spotify...

I ditched Spotify Premium this weekend. Why?  Well, I read an interview with Daniel Ek , the CEO of Spotify, and I profoundly disagreed with what he said and his attitude towards musicians in the interview.  So I said 'F*ck it', and closed my premium account.  I still do have a free account as many bands choose Spotify to release their music, so I'll keep it for that reason. What now though?  Well, I'd created a large library of music on my home server over the last 20 years or so.  Every time I bought a CD, it got ripped to the server.  Every time I bought digital music from Bandcamp , Google or 7 Digital , they too got stored on the server, and that was fine for home use, it worked well.  But now I'd dumped Spotify, what could I do, how could I access my music outside the house? I'd played around with software called Plex a few years back, but had no use for it. I ended up doing nothing with Plex, but for this project, I decided to revisit it.  I knew that if
Read more

Pete Kavanagh - Mercy Video Shoot

I've been asked a few times if I'd be interested in shooting a music video.  Each time I said no because, well, I'd no idea what to do.  I'm not technical behind a camera. I know the look I want, I take my photos and, that's it.  I honestly don't know what I'm doing, it just works for me, sometimes (they're the photos you see!). I've known Pete Kavanagh  a long time. We both grew up in the same Kildare town and know many of the same folk.  Over the last few years we became friends through music.  He played, I listened and or photographed.  So, when he asked me if I'd shoot his video for 'Mercy', I said yes, albeit a hesitant yes, one filled with self doubt! Day one of shooting came around all too quickly for me.  I'd looked in to shooting video, read up a bit on how to do it on my camera, what settings to change and so on, just so I wouldn't look clueless on set!  I charged all the batteries and lights, packed all the gear away an
Read more

2021-10-27 Firebirds Festival - St Brigid’s Cathedral, Kildare

Over two nights in St Brigid’s Cathedral in Kildare town, we got to see some of the best that Irish music has to offer! Organised by Paddy Casey and Sophia Cadogan , Firebirds was described as a two day music event, a mini indoor festival! Tuesday night started with  Grievous Boy .  I'm a fan of Irish Hip-Hop but I'd not heard of him before, It didn't matter, I enjoyed his set and hopefully I'll get to see more of him in the future. Next up was  Saoirse Casey  complete with a string section.  It was, I think, her best live performance to date, simply beautiful. What can I say about the next performer,  Gemma Hayes .  She hadn't played live in many years, but you'd never know it.  She came, she played, she conquered.  I loved it!  I can't wait to see her play again! Tuesday night closed out with  Mundy .  I've lost count of how many times I've seen him play, but each time it's a crowd pleasing gig.  So many great songs!!! And then that was that,
Read more