IrishMJ

I had no plans for this weekend until The DJ Bambi Show on Twitter uttered the immortal words 'Any interest in a ticket for...' and I, after thinking it over for a millisecond, said YES!  The ticket was for Alex Gough in the Button Factory in Dublin.  Now, I'd heard of Alex before, but if I'm being honest, I didn't know much, if anything about his music style.  To make things interesting, I didn't listen to any of his tracks before I headed to the gig, so I walked in blind! I won't lie, I did get a tad worried when a group of young ladies sat at the table next to me though...  I wondered was this guy going to be an Irish Justin Bieber! (not that there is anything wrong with his music, I'm just not his demographic!)  I needn't have worried.  To put it mildly, I was blown away, I really enjoyed his set.  His singing style kinda reminds me of early Huey Morgan and there's a lovely bit of funk running through the music.  The young ladies beside me?...

It's been a while since I got to sit outside a club in Dublin, have a bite to eat and then, once doors open, go in and have my ears blown off me, in the best possible way.  In fact, the last time I was at a gig in Dublin was back in February of 2020, but that's what happened on Monday night when I went to see Strangers with Guns play the Button Factory in Dublin. I was early, so I decided I'd grab a bite eat and, as it happens, the Button Factory has a nice Burrito Bar attached to it and it was bloody nice! 7:30pm came and the doors opened so in I went.  I'd a table for two, front row.  Yes, gigs are still tabled here at the moment courtesy of Covid restrictions, but if it's the difference between a gig and no gig, I'll take it.  Plus, well, I maybe getting a little old... On to the gig.  How was it?  Fantastic.  I sat there and felt this sonic wave just hit me, wash over me for well over an hour and it was glorious.  New songs, old songs, a lit...

Mary Coughlan is a bit of a legend in Ireland.  She's one of those singers that's revered by her peers.  A wonderful voice, a fantastic performer and an amazing songwriter. With all that said and done, why did it take me a lifetime to go see her live?  I've no answer, I just don't know! So, when her gig was announced as part of the 18 to 18 series in the Moat Theatre , Naas, I figured I just had to go, and so I did. How was it?  Well, it was simply wonderful.  I was mesmerised by her from the off.  Her voice is so powerful and tender all at once.  At times, most notably during Magdalen Laundry, you could hear a pin drop. The highlight of the night, for me anyway, was Whiskey Didn't Kill the Pain, it reminded me of a younger me, many years ago... Anyway, it boils down to this.  If you haven't seen Mary play before, as soon as you get the chance, go! Oh and lest I forget, support on the night was from Eimear Crehan , check her out! On to ...

Another weekend, another great gig in the Moat Theatre .  This weekend I got to see Mike Hanrahan of Stockton's Wing fame, albeit it with Covid restrictions in place with attendance being limited to just 50 people. I'd seen Mike perform before, I even had one of my photos appear in his book ' Beautiful Affair ', so I knew what to expect and I wasn't disappointed.   Mike started his set with the old Ralph McTell classic, 'From Clare to Here' and finished with another classic, Stockton's Wings 'Beautiful Affair'.  In between, the audience were treated to a collection of both old and new songs, and were urged to sing along if they knew the words.  They did! These Covid gigs are not like gigs of old. They're a more sedate affair due to the regulations in place, but it is safe to say that the audience enjoyed every minute of the gig.  Some were just delighted to be at a gig after so long without one! It would be nice if our Govt. could come up wi...

You wait 10 months for a gig to come along and then 2 appear out of nowhere!  Two weeks ago I headed to the Moat Theatre in Naas for my first gig in 295 days, and just 14 days later, I'm back in the same venue to see the wonderful Jerry Fish perform. If you've seen Jerry perform before, you know exactly what went on.  If you haven't, well... Jerry is like a ringmaster, albeit one with an incredible voice.  He controls and orchestrates the audience with ease and soon has us all clapping, singing and dancing (in our seats). It was, for Jerry at least, a short set. Somewhere between 60 and 90 minutes long.  It was, however, packed full of great tunes and we even got an old An Emotional Fish song thrown in for good measure. Anyway, I think it's safe to say that everyone there enjoyed the show and went home happy.  Roll on the next gig! Remember folks, support the local arts however you can. Now for the photos: @irish_mj The incredible ##JerryFish tonight i...