I was in Dublin city centre this morning for the first time in 12 months. The last time I was there was to see Jane Willow perform in the Cobblestone Pub on February 29th 2020. I never, not for a moment, thought things would turn out as they did. I was looking forward to a year full of gigs and excitement. I think we all know how that turned out. After doing what I had to workwise, I took a spin around Dublin before I headed home. I drove by the aforementioned Cobblestone Pub , the Voodoo Lounge , The Grand Social , The Workmans Club , The Sugar Club and ended up outside Whelans . I've had great nights out in each of those venues and in many more around the country! Dolans of Limerick, Crane Lane Theatre and Kino in Cork, Odd Mollies in Drogheda, the Moat Theatre in Naas, the Riverbank Arts Centre in Newbridge, the Solstice Arts Centre in Navan, Visual in Carlow... The list goes on and on. 2017 and Helmet played Whelans. There I am partying with them after the s
The first Skylarks Music Club event was such a success, they decided to do it all again! There was an all new line-up for Skylarks 2, headlined, this time, by the amazing Niamh Farrell of Ham Sandwich fame. So, on with the show. First up on the night was local singer, Amy Dillon . What a wonderful voice she has, married with some beautiful songs. Next up on the night was Rhob Cunningham . Now, I’d never heard of Rhob before, but I definitely want to catch him live again. Great stage presence, fantastic songs and a wicked sense of humour! OK, I’ll be honest here… I heard the words Guitar Virtuoso and my eyes glazed over… I fully expected some classical guitar set, but boy was I wrong when Shane Hennessy started playing! Absolutely incredible playing, just phenomenal! Finally it was time for the headliner on the night, the wonderfully talented Niamh Farrell of Ham Sandwich . Niamhs set was a tribute to Karen Carpenter and it was just beautiful to hear the audience