Skip to main content

2024-12-02 Me First and the Gimme Gimmes - The Academy, Dublin

Christmas came early this year for me.  Never did I think that  Me First and the Gimme Gimmes  would be playing Dublin, and never did I ever think I'd get to shoot one of their shows! Well, that all changed last week when they played the Academy in Dublin on a cold, damp, Monday night! I've been a fan since 1997, when one of the lads I worked with, brought in a copy of Have a Ball . It was love at first listen! I did manage to catch them live back in 2019 when they played the O2 Forum in Kentish Town , London, and it was every bit as good as I'd hoped, but it paled in comparison to Monday night in Dublin. So, how did it come about?  Well, back in 2013, I interviewed the band for a now defunct Irish website called Chunk.ie .  Over the years, I've stayed on their PR roster, so I took a chance and emailed my contact there.  Lo and behold, a few emails later and all was sorted, I was down to photograph the show. How was it?  Brilliant, amazing, fantastic,...

2019-07-06 Forever Young Festival - Palmerstown House Naas

They say if you remember the '80s, you weren't there...  Well, I don't.  Mind you, I don't remember much of the '90s or '00s either, so make of that what you will.

Anyway, this weekend I went on a bit of a nostalgia trip.  The Forever Young Festival was taking place in Palmerstown House in Naas.

So, off I went, raincoat in my back pocket (after all, it's summer in Ireland, who knows what the weather will be like from hour to hour!).  My festival experience didn't get off to a good start though...

I went up to the entrance, I could see the Hot House Flowers playing, albeit they were tiny dots on a stage far far away, and I gave security my ticket. They couldn't let me in as their supervisor had fecked off with the wristbands. I had to wait over an hour for someone to come with wristbands. Now, I'm a patient guy, but this was seriously taking the piss.

I eventually made it in and did manage to get to see about 10 minutes of Kim Wildes set, but seriously lads, what the fuck???

Oh and Kim Wilde rocked it.  She was brilliant.

Next up was Doctor and the Medics, probably best known for their hit single 'Spirit in the Sky'. I wouldn't know much about them to be honest, I always thought they were a novelty act, but it seems I was wrong.  They played a good set, even threw in a cover of 'She Sells Sanctuary' by The Cult!

After the Medics came China Crisis.  Look, to be honest, I wasn't a fan of China Crisis in the '80s and I'm still not a fan of them today. I just found them boring. Lots of the crowd didn't though and they seemed to enjoy their set.

Lee John of Imagination was next on stage.  It was like he'd drank a crate of Red Bull.  There was no stopping him as he raced through Imaginations hits. Looked like he was really enjoying himself up there which made it easy for us to enjoy ourselves!

Hazel O'Connor... She's a bit of a legend.  A little bit strange, even back in the '80s, but brilliantly so.  Loved her set and she closed it out with 8th Day!

The feeling has gone, only you and I,
It means nothing to me,
This means nothing to me,
Oh, Vienna.

Yeah, Midge Ure had everyone singing that anthem at the top of their voices, it was a thing of beauty. Short set from him, but the guy deserves to be playing bigger and better gigs.

OK, the only reason I was ever going to go to Forever Young was to see Jimmy Somerville.  His solo work and his work with Bronski Beat and the Communards is just brilliant.  I can't help but dance when his music comes on.  Just absolutely amazing and worth the pain coursing through back during his set.

Human League closed out the night, but by this stage, I'd left the party.  I could barley stand straight and the painkillers were doing nothing for my back, so I decided to be sensible and called it a night.

Day 2 is currently underway, but I'm not there.  I'm sure it'll be a great day.  Just a word on the venue, it's a fantastic setting for a festival and you'd hope that they might look at running something there every year.  Beautiful grounds, well laid out, easy access and plenty of parking.

Anyway, that's it, that's all I got. Oh, and that rain jacket? It wasn't needed!

Check out the photos below.

















Popular Posts

Interview with King Kong Company

Originally published 10/09/2013 on Chunk.ie So, there I was, wandering around the Electric Picnic wondering who I was going to watch next. One of the lads said he had heard good things about King Kong Company and that we should check them out, so off we headed to the Body and Soul Arena to do just that.  As I mentioned in my review of the Electric Picnic, the gig was epic.  I figured we just had to interview them here on CHUNK.ie, and here it is! First things first, congratulations on a storming gig at the Electric Picnic. It completely blew me away.  Was this your first Picnic experience? We’ve been to many Electric Picnics over the years but just as punters, and it’s always been a great festival, so it was a fantastic experience to play at its 10 year anniversary. King Kong Company is a rather interesting name for a band, where or how did you come up with it? The name is taken from the film Taxi Driver. If you look closely, Travis Bickle is wearing a badge wh...

2024-08-02 Tribfest - North Kildare Sports Club, Kilcock

No one, and I mean no one, goes to TribFest to be cool.  After all, it's hard to look cool dancing to the music of Joe Dolan, ABBA, Tom Jones, Cher or Queen, well, maybe Queen, but... No, people go to TribFest to party, to listen to great music and most of all, to have fun.  Fun, that's the most important part of a festival, and it was in abundance this year! The festival was a three day affair this time out and, for the first time, kicked off with a night dedicated to hard rock and metal, featuring IE/DC (AC/DC), Live Lizzy (Thin Lizzy), Whiplash (Metallica) , Guns Reloaded (Guns n' Roses), and Legendary (Bon Jovi).  Was it loud?  Yes, yes it was.  Did it rock?  Most certainly!  Were the leather clad crowd entertained?  Most definitely.  What a way to kick off TribFest! Live Lizzy Whiplash Legendary Guns Reloaded IE/DC Night two of TribFest was a much more relaxed affair with sets from Mairead Rooney (Shania Twain), The Classic Beatles (The ...

2024-02-17 Only After Dark Burlesque Show - The Dark Horse, Athlone

It had been a few years since I'd visited Athlone, so, when I got the opportunity to shoot the Only After Dark Burlesque Show , I took it and made the most of the night! I started off meeting friends in Dead Centre Brewing for a few glasses of lemonade and a bite to eat.  It was very nice, staff were great, food was delicious, what more could you want? After that, it was time for a change of scenery, a change of pace and definitely, a change in atmosphere.  It was time for a bit of Burlesque! Only After Dark takes place upstairs in the Dark Horse , in a large open space, nicely decorated and, most importantly, with it's own bar.  During the show, to cut down on unnecessary movements, bar staff come to your table and take your orders,  it makes for a very pleasant experience! So, who performed on the night?  Well, the hostess, and indeed the lady behind Only After Dark, Miss Memphis Shell opened proceedings with a traditional burlesque routine, ending in nipple...