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2024-07-05 Sugababes - Iveagh Gardens, Dublin

I've been a Sugababes fan since I first heard Overload way back in 2000.  It was, and still is, a pop classic.  Over the years, I managed to catch them live a couple of times.   The first time I caught Sugababes live was way back at Creamfields 2002.  Unfortunately Siobhan had left the band by then and been replaced by Heidi, so I never got to see the original lineup.  Did it matter much at the time to me?  No, not at all, I was just their to party!  As a side note, post Sugababes, Siobhan went on to release two solo albums, Revolution in Me in 2003 and Ghosts in 2007. The next time I saw them was at Oxegen 2008, and by then Mutya had left the band and was replaced by Amelle, leaving Keisha as the only remaining original member.  It was a tad strange seeing the band with only one remaining member, but again, it was a festival and all we were looking for was a good time, which we definitely got! Another side note, just like Siobhan, Mutya went on to release her own solo work, a gr

2023-12-28 Paddy Casey - Whelan's, Dublin

It's become a bit of a tradition in my house to go see Paddy Casey in Whelan's at Christmas.  Granted, these days, there's only me in my house, but that's a different story, so let's just ignore that!  It's always a packed house in Whelan's for this gig, and the crowd are always in fine form, just looking to sing along and party.

Tonight was no different.  I got there early enough and managed to snag a free parking spot outside Whelan's.  As nights go, that was a great start.  I headed inside, sat myself down and ordered a drink  I find Whelan's a great place to people watch.  The pub was packed, what with Paddy playing the main venue, and the fantastic Kiera Dignam playing Opium Live next door.

Anyway, it was gig time, so off I headed in to the show.  If you go to enough gigs, you'll start to meet the same people, and, given that it's Christmas, everyone was in a chatty mood.  I made new friends, saw old friends and met some strange folk who thought I was someone else, that was fun!

I'm not quite sure how long Paddy played for, but judging by the data on my photos, I took my first photo at 21:30 and my last at 23:53, so that's a good 2.5 hours of a set!

The set was peppered with all the fan favourites such as Livin, Sinnerman, Saints and Sinners, Sweet Suburban Sky, Want It, Can't Have It and also a few tracks from his latest album Turn This Ship Around, and, as in previous years, Paddy was joined on stage by the wonderful Shannon Gospel Choir for much of the show.

All in all, another great night in Whelan's!  On to the photos:












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