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Showing posts from 2022

2022-12-23 Cat Dowling - Workmans Club, Dublin

This is kind of strange I started 2022 going to see Cat Dowling in Whelan's  and I ended 2022 going to see Cat Dowling in the Workman's Cellar . It certainly wasn't planned like this though. I'd tickets to see Paddy Casey on December 28th in Whelans and had arranged with Le Boom to take some sexy photos at their gig on New Years Eve in the Centre Point .  Unfortunately, a stubborn chest infection decided to kick my arse and I spent the last week feeling like death warmed up and I rang in 2023 in bed, asleep. Anyway... How was the show?  It was fantastic. Can I remember much more than that?  Well, given the fuzzy state of my head at the moment, no, no I can't.  I did meet Cat afterwards for a chat, but I didn't hang around too long, it was a work night after all!  Oh, support on the night was from the rather fabulous Zoe Hayter . Here's a short clip of Cat performing 'I Never Knew', perhaps my favourite track from her album 'Animals'. Right,

2022-12-21 Bigdoggs Xmas Xtrava Geansai - McCormacks Bar, Naas

Bigdoggs Xmas Xtrava Geansai is an annual charity event organised by local musician Jonny 'Big Dogg' Warren , in aid of Youth Suicide Prevention Ireland. It's a simple idea, a host of local artists get together and the punters donate, donate, donate...  Along with Jonny, some other great local artists such as Kovanta , Pete Kavanagh and Niamh Strong performed on the night. If you want to donate, just click here !

2022-12-19 Eimear Quinn - Live at St.Mary's Church, Maynooth

I've a thing for Christmas Carols...  I'm not exactly religious, but they bring back memories of some good times growing up.  For example, my first ever concert was a Frank Patterson Christmas show in a church in Saggart, Dublin. So, when I got asked to pop over to Maynooth and take some photos of Eurovision 1996 winner, Eimear Quinn as she performed her Christmas Concert, I obviously said yes and, thinking my mum would enjoy the occasion, I brought her along as my assistant! It was every bit as good as I imagined it would be.  Eimear performed a mix of classic Christmas Carols and her own songs, in Irish, English and German.  Her version of Stille Nacht brought me right back to being an 11 year old schoolkid and having to learn Stille Nacht so we could perform it at a Christmas mass.  Oh and as it happens, my mum loved the show, so that was aa bonus. Anyway, enough about that, on to the photos:

2022-12-18 Merchy Christmas - The Grand Social, Dublin

Merchy Christmas , in The Grand Social , serves two purposes.  First and foremost, it gives music fans a chance to meet some of their favourite artists and to buy their merch.  Stickers, Posters, Beanies, Baseball Caps, Scarves, T-Shirts, Hoodies, Tapes, CDs, Vinyl... Whatever you wanted, you could find! The second purpose of Merchy Christmas is to help raise funds for the Simon Community .  If you're not aware, the Simon Community is a charity which helps homeless people.  It's incredible that we have a housing crisis in Ireland.  It seems to be a mix of greed, mismanagement and, well, ineptitude.  If you couldn't make it to Merchy Christmas, but would still like to make a donation, just click here . On Friday, Merchy Christmas put a call out for photographers to attend the event.  I couldn't make Saturday, but said I'd be there Sunday for a few hours.  I met up with some old friends, made some new friends and took some pretty photos. I came home a lot poorer finic

Alpha Chrome Yayo - Music for an Abandoned Train Station

So there I was, sitting on a train from Gatwick Airport to London Bridge, on my way to see Fontaines DC play the Hammersmith/Eventim Apollo.  It had been a long day, I was on the road from 3:40AM and I was tired.  To try and stay awake, I started videoing the rail tracks as they flew past my window.  Over the course of an hour, I shot about 6 minutes of video.  I'd no idea what I was going to use it for, but that never stopped me doing something before! Fast forward 2 weeks and Alpha Chrome Yayo released a 20 second piece of music on Twitter he said was a "Broken little imaginary jingle for an abandoned train station".  Straight away I thought to myself "I've a piece of video that would suit that!", so I messaged him, explained my idea and got the go ahead to make the video. Two hours later, I'd come up with my shortest music video ever.  I like, he liked it, hopefully you like it!

2022-12-13 Skylarks Music Club - Moat Theatre Naas

Skylarks Music Club returned to the Moat Theatre in Naas for their second gig of 2022.  This time they featured the talents of  Niamh Tracey Smith , Maria Kelly , Megan O'Neill and Mark Geary . On a cold, dark winters night, when all the sane people were stuck in front of their fire watching the World Cup Semi Final, the diehard music fans risked it all for a night of beautiful music, and a drink or two! I was unfamiliar with Niamh Tracey Smith, I'd not heard he music before, but the other artists I was very familiar with, having seen them perform on multiple occasions.   Was it good?  Of course it was!  The one thing Skylarks always manages to do correctly is select a group of musicians who compliment each other and tonight was no different.   There were a few teething issues with the lights, but that was eventually solved in time for Marks set.  I'm not mad on the photographs from earlier in the night, so I'll only post a few from Marks set.

2022-12-03 Tom Dunne - Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge

Something Happens ... One of the greatest Irish bands ever and the reason I owned so many paisley shirts in the late 80s and early 90s.  They were also the reason behind some rather dodgy dancing on the steps up to the stage in the Johnstown Inn on many occasions...  But I can forgive them all that because they were so damn good. I've lost count of how many times I saw them live over the years.  I have a terrible memory (that's why I took up photography), but I have recollections of seeing them multiple times in Whelan's back in the early 90s and also in the previously mentioned Johnstown Inn in Kildare, also in the 90s.  I think the last time I saw them was at the Electric Picnic back in 2012, so when I saw that Tom Dunne was performing just down the road in the Riverbank Arts Centre in Newbridge, I jumped that the chance to see him play live again. So, was it worth it?  Oh hell yeah!  The set obviously included a lot of Something Happens songs, but he also threw in so

2022-12-02 Kynsy - Workmans Cellar, Dublin

The first time I saw Kynsy play was back in a barn at Knockanstockan 2019. There was something about her that caught my attention.  Was it the music or the bright blue hair?  Who knows, but I took note and made sure to follow her socials. Here we are, over three years later, and Kynsy is, without doubt, one of the rising stars of the Irish music scene.  Tonight, is the third time I've seen her perform live this year.  A little excessive? Perhaps, but when you know the gig is going to be brilliant, it's an easy decision to make, and tonight's gig was indeed brilliant. The Workmans Cellar is a warm, sweaty room with a low ceiling and a small stage.  It was a crowded affair packed with Kynsy fans who knew all the words to all the songs and sang along all night long. What a way to kick off the Christmas season of gigs! Oh, and if I get the chance to next year, I'll go see Kynsy multiple times in 2023!  I suggest you do the same also. Setlist: Elephant in the Room Happine