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,...
I had planned on going to see King Kong Company in the Olympia Theatre earlier in this month, but it clashed with a photoshoot at charity gig and, when the charity gig is for a friend, there was only ever going to be one winner. So, arrangements were made to head to Dolan's in Limerick to see them live over the Bank Holiday weekend. I hit the road late Friday afternoon. Not an ideal time to travel, made even worse because it was a bank holiday weekend here in Ireland. I made it in time though, 15 minutes before doors opened! Happy days. I only wish I'd made it down a bit earlier, I was starving and the food there is always superb, but alas, it wasn't to be and I starved. Support on the might was from a local band called T.A. Narrative . How can I describe them? Well, picture the style of Human League, the attitude of Sisters of Mercy all mixed with sweet synth pop sounds! I really enjoyed their set and I'd love to see them live aga...