Best Gigs of the Year in Limerick 2009

TEN BEST LIMERICK GIGS OF THE YEAR 2009

10 - Big Chillum with Horace Andy - Dolan’s Warehouse, June.
Horace Andy (of Massive Attack fame), Inntinn and Dom from Blood and Fire gave us a dub session extraordinaire in June

9 - Great Friday Festival - A field, Murroe. April
A wet, windy day in April saw the Great Friday Festival return to Murroe - but good spirits, a superb line-up of local bands and a heaving dance tent made up for the weather.

8 - The Wailers - Dolan’s Warehouse. February.
The first of two gigs in the Warehouse from The Wailers, fronted by sole surviving member Anton ‘Family Man’ Barrett, plus rising star Elias Atias, saw the group play the seminal ‘Exodus’ album in full.

7 - Franz Ferdinand - Dolan’s Warehouse. February.
Heavyweights Franz Ferdinand arrived in Limerick - one of only three gigs in Ireland to promote new album Tonight - and reminded us what a superb live band they are. An electric performance.

6 - Walter Mitty and the Realists album launch - Baker Place. August.
One of Limerick’s best up and coming bands launched their debut album Green Light Go in Baker Place in August, an adrenalin-fuelled energy rush of a gig that leave the audience sweaty and hugely entertained.

5 - Tweak - Sunken Foal - St. Munchin’s Church. September.
An electro-acoustic delight, as part of the week long Tweak Festival that saw several innovative performances. We look forward to next year.

4 - Elton John - Thomond Park. June.
The first concert in the newly developed €40m stadium. Rod was good, but Elton knocked our socks off.

3 - Donal Dineen - Fresh Air with Katie Kim and James Yorkston - Daghdha. December.
The final night of the Christmas Presence weekender featured Donal Dineen’s projections and Katie Kim’s heart-stopping post-rock rhythms.

2 - Hypnotic Brass Ensemble - Trinity Rooms. October.
A nine-piece brass band from Chicago that play fun, soulful superb jazz and R&B that was so good they got a slot as the house band for Damon Albarn’s Gorillaz’ project. Their second gig in the Trinity Rooms was a masterclass in exciting jazz-funk, which had the room on their feet for two hours. Fingers crossed they come this way again.

1 - Lisa Hannigan - Daghdha Space, St. John’s Church. August.
The beguiling Lisa Hannigan in the finest venue in the city was quite simply a recipe for gig of the year. The band still play with a smile on their faces, and the music is still superb, plus Hannigan’s new material screams of potential. We look forward to seeing Daghdha become more established on the gig scene in 2010.

Review Lisa Hannigan in Daghdha

SINGER LISA Hannigan held an audience in her thrall last week as she performed a stunning set in Daghdha Dance Company’s St. John’s Church, delicately mixing her set with some impressive new songs as well as songs from her Mercury Music Prize nominated album.
The Meath chanteuse declared herself “mesmerised” by the venue when speaking to the Limerick Leader before the gig, but it was the large audience that were transfixed to the sight of Hannigan and her merry band, most of whom used to form part of Damien Rice’s band along with the beguiling singer.
Eminently more confident than the last time she played in Limerick little under a year ago, many months of gigs across the US and UK has seen her attain an almost symbiotic relationship with her band, consisting of Gavin Glass, Donagh Molloy, Shane Fitzsimons and Tom Osander - all of whom still play with those broad grins that were prevalent on their faces in their first few gigs with Hannigan. It is clear that they are also under her spell.
While still quite shy between songs, Hannigan has become a much more solid performer, opening her set with Pistachio, Sea Song and Splishy Splashy, three songs from her by now classic album Sea Sew.
However, it is the unsettling and eery Courting Blues that still transfixes, Molloy screeching a violin bow over the keys of a xylophone, Hannigan reduced to an almost zombie-like state as she sings, eyes closed.
Bob Dylan’s Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues is a favourite of Hannigan’s and sat comfortably either side of her Venn Diagram with John Martyn’s epic I Couldn’t Love You More, Hannigan’s “favourite song of all time after the Ghostbuster’s theme tune”.
Her whispered performance of the latter is a particular highlight, stunning in execution. The jaunty Ocean And A Rock is followed by My Pirate Disco, which didn’t make it onto the album for some strange reason, and the excellent I Don’t Know.
New song Brolly Beats shows that her new material is strong, while the epic Teeth and Lille finish out the set. Hannigan returns for a solo encore, playing another new song, Passengers, by herself. This song is clearly influenced by her recent tour of the States, namechecking American cities in a winsome manner.
The group return for a final track in Keep It All, the standout track on the album and on the night, before they depart.
“This is a beautiful room, thanks very much for letting me bring my uncoordinated dancing in here,” whispers Hannigan before she vanishes.
Here’s hoping it won’t be long before she returns.

Lisa Hannigan interview

WHEN WE last spoke to beguiling singer Lisa Hannigan her debut album had just been released and she was gearing up for a 45 date tour of the United States with crooner Jason Mraz.
Since then she has garnered platinum sales of the excellent Sea Sew in Ireland; completed that tour and another of the UK and had music reviewers and critics eating out of the palm of her rather gorgeous hand; appeared on Jay Leno, Stephen Colbert and Jools Holland’s shows and racked up award nominations and plaudits.
Seems that the rest of the world is waking up to how brilliant this softly-spoken singer really is. “We have just been gigging the whole time really - that's how we have spent the year and it has been great, we are very lucky to have been able to do it, we have just played and played and played - it has been amazing,” says Hannigan when the Limerick Leader catch up with her in Galway.
“The American tour with Jason was brilliant, it was more gigs than we had ever done up to that point. We just said yes and went and did it and had the craic, toured properly together as a band and had an absolute ball.”
A chance viewing of the video for I Don’t Know - filmed by Today FM DJ Donal Dineen in the snug in Dick Mac’s pub in Dingle - on You Tube by Stephen Colbert saw Hannigan and her band receive an invite to perform on his show, The Colbert Report, which is regularly watched by millions of viewers.
Musicians are not regularly invited to appear on the show with the comedian.
“Yeah, the Colbert thing was amazing, very unexpected. It was nice - he had just spotted us on You Tube and asked his producers who we were and to find out if we wanted to do the show, so that was nice how natural it was,” whispers Hannigan.
“Normally you would need someone plugging you and bigging you up, but he just saw the video and asked us.”
Colbert, who portrays himself as a hardline conservative on the show, regularly tearing guests to pieces, even broke character and urged his viewers to buy Hannigan’s album.
Just one more to fall under her spell then.
Up until the release of her album, Lisa was better known as Damien Rice’s backing singer. Over time, it became apparent that she was the shining light in his group, the spine-tingling ying to his often more dirgeful yang, if you will.
He let her go and she went out on her own, with most of his former band. His loss has been our gain, her soulful, restrained and warm debut one of the Irish releases of last year.
Previously she has expressed discomfort at being in the spotlight, often a bundle of nerves before appearing onstage. A year of almost incessant gigging seems to have soothed those tendencies.
“I feel more comfortable on stage definitely. I hadn't really played on stage much at that stage - I had done a bit, but I definitely feel much more comfortable now,” says Lisa.
“I am almost enjoying it more now. The terror of the album coming out, while I was so excited, you do worry as well and you hope it goes well, but you never know. I am really looking forward to doing the next one now and touring more - it has been such a fun year of playing music, I couldn't ask for anything more.”
She says she is working on new songs, some are written, some will be in time. A handful of lucky Limerick Hannigan fans - of which there are many - will get the double benefit of hearing these new songs in the delightful surroundings of St. John’s Church.
“I've heard the church is amazing, my nice uncoordinated dancing should be at home in the dance space,” she laughs, adding with a nice flourish that she is “a big fan of Limerick”.
Expect an almost spiritual experience.
Lisa Hannigan plays in St. John’s Church on Thursday, August 6.
Tickets are available in Empire Music.

Lisa Hannigan shortlisted for Mercury Music Prize

The beguiling, charming Lisa Hannigan has been nominated for a Mercury Music Prize, the UK's top annual award.. The singer is nominated for her superb Sea Sew album, one of our favourite album's of last year.

Hannigan is nominated alongside:

Florence and the Machine

Kasabian

Speech Debelle

Friendly Fires

La Roux

Bat For Lashes

The Horrors

Glasvegas

Led Bib

Sweet Billy Pilgrom

The Invisible

We only just talked to Miss Hannigan last Friday - see interview in today's Chronicle. Early odds on favourite is English media darling Florence and the Machine, who will take some beating. Lisa is at 18/1 (I'll have some of that thanks!) and Friendly Fires are at 8/1 (tip!).

The winner will be announced on September 4. Lisa Hannigan plays in Daghdha's Church on August 6...

Lisa Hannigan to come back to Limerick

We might be on holidays, but that doesn't mean we are not keeping tabs on exciting news building regarding artists on their way to Limerick over the next few months..

First up is the exciting news that Eightball are bringing Lisa Hannigan back to our fair city, and that the venue is going to be St. John's Church - aka Daghdha's Dance space - where the Swell Season performed to such aplomb last year. We are excited! The gig is set for Thursday, August 6. See eightball.ie for full details and tickets are already on sale here.

More later, gotta go enjoy the sun some more! Stay tuned..

Lisa Hannigan on Jools Holland

The bewilderingly, beguilingly beautiful Lisa Hannigan (yes, I'm a fan) is to appear on Later Live With Jools Holland, tomorrow night, On the Beat can reveal.

Ms Hannigan will appear tomorrow, Tuesday May 12 at 10pm and again on Later with Jools Holland on Friday May 15.

Lisa is currently on tour in the UK where her debut album, Sea Sew, has just been released. The current single, I Don’t Know, is set to be featured as Single of the Week on Itunes UK from May 12.

On the Beat has also been informed that Lisa is to come to Limerick for a special show (or two) in the near future, but I can't reveal the full details yet, much and all as I would like to tell all!

In the meantime, here are some of the places you can catch Lisa over the next couple of months.

Jul 04, 2009 Cork, Live @ The Marquee
Jul 05, 2009 Clonmel, O'Keeffe's (Clonmel Junction Festival)
Jul 07, 2009 Waterford, Electric Avenue
Jul 08, 2009 Kilkenny, Kytelers
Jul 09, 2009 Galway, The Roisin Dubh
Jul 10, 2009 Galway, The Roisin Dubh
Sep 04, 2009 Electric Picnic, Stradbally Hall

It's simply not all bad.. Meteor Award Nominations

I'm going to say something that many might find distasteful, or even outrageous.. The nominees for this year's Meteor Awards are actually (gasp, shock horror).. really not that bad.

In fact, they are the best list of nominations I have seen the corporate event go with in years and years - ever, probably..

Now I hold no sway to the fact that I was actually asked to be a member of the voting panel of judges* - as probably every other media hack in the country was, I'm not blowing any trumpets here, believe me - but if you look at the list, well, let's say the evidence speaks for itself.

Fight like Apes and the Loose are nominated in the best Irish band category (ok, so are the Script, Snow Patrol and The Blizzards - but two out of five ain't bad)

Can you believe it? Jape (Richie Egan), David Holmes, and Mick Flannery are all nominated in best Irish male. (Even the others, Damo Dempsey and Duke Special aren't too bad)

But wait, it get's better.. Lisa Hannigan (a shoo in), Gemma Hayes and chanteuse Camille O'Sullivan are all nominated for best Irish female..

I'll skip best Irish pop act (bet the house on the god awful The Script) and run straight to Irish album of the year. Consider the evidence:

FLA.. and the mystery of the Gold Medallion

Lisa H - Sea Sew

Messiah J and the Expert - From the Word Go

and (The Script and Snow Patrol - again, three out of five ain't bad)

Absolutely three of the best Irish albums of last year (and all due to play in Limerick in the next weeks and months, more on that soon)

(The lovely Lisa H on stage in the Belltable last year, gigs to come in the city soon, but I'm not allowed tell yet)

Not as bad as you would expect from a brash, industry driven event like the Meteor's. I'm hoping to go along for the craic (once I convince the LL that it is in their interest to let me go) so stay tuned for a report..

Wait, there's more!! Bon Iver in best International male, and Elbow for Best Band!

*The fact that I voted for the final two (and Lisa H, Jape and FLA) convinces me that my vote actually was hugely important, more so than any other media hack. So there.

Choice Music Prize yo

The nominations for the fourth Choice Music Prize - sorta Ireland's answer to the Mercury Music Prize - were announced today, good list too from the 180 odd Irish albums released last year, except of course for the inclusion of The Script (you know how we feel about that album), who have immediately been installed as favourites by Paddy Power.

Here's the list:

Fight Like Apes “Fight Like Apes and the Mystery of the Golden Medallion” (Model Citizen) Mick Flannery “White Lies” (EMI)
Halfset “Another Way of Being There” (Casino Gravity Records)
Lisa Hannigan “Sea Sew” (Own label)
David Holmes “The Holy Pictures” (Canderblinks)
Jape “Ritual” (Co-Op)
Messiah J & The Expert “From The Word Go” (Inaudible)
Oppenheimer “Take The Whole Mid-Range And Boost It” (Fantastic Plastic)
R.S.A.G. “Organic Sampler” (Psychonavigation)
The Script “The Script” (Sony Music)

Not entirely unpredictable - the list includes four of my five Irish albums of the year, which you can see in a previous post here, no Autamata(?) - but that is not necessarily a bad thing. No mention for Colm Mac Con Iomaire's solo debut The Hare's Corner, pity too.

Lisa Hannigan a good bet at 9-2? Better Jape at 5-1, I likes that. Even better is MJEX at 12-1.

There was all sorts of controversy last year when Super Extra Bonus Party won and lots of moany f*ckers gave out about the competition/judges, which was frankly ridiculous as it is was one of the strongest entries on that list. Look forward to this, winner will be announced on March 4 in Vicar Street and most of the acts are expected to perform on the night. Tickets on sale next Monday from Ticketmaster, 29 bucks.

Best of 2008...

Haven't done much with the blog since I finished work on Christmas Eve, and since I'm not back in work until this coming Monday, I don't have much of a preview for this year worked up.. be patient, it's coming.. However, I have assembled a list of bests of from 2008, gigs, albums, dvds, books - you get the picture... Enjoy. Oh, and happy new year!

Ten Best Gigs of the Year:

10 The Brad Pitt Light Orchestra - Limerick City Gallery of Art (October 17): Theatrical and exciting ensemble - and one of Limerick’s best up and coming bands - performed in the Gallery’s main collection room. Priceless art and superb musicianship equals a winning combination.

9 Hot Chip - Trinity Rooms courtyard (May 13): Felix Martin and Al Doyle took control of the decks in a heaving courtyard on a balmy June night (the rain almost stayed away entirely). ‘Over and Over’ and ‘Ready for the Floor’ in particular, will live long in the memory.

8 Roisin Murphy - Dolan’s Warehouse (December 2): Dozens of costume changes, stunning visuals, a two hour set and the backing of a full band and even still Roisin Murphy’s star power shined through. Superb.

7 The Infomatics - Baker Place (April 4): Five-piece Irish hip-hop oufit launched their excellent debut album ‘Kill or Create’ in the Tait Square venue, and almost blew the roof off the place.

6 Dolan’s 10th Anniversary festival - Limerick Docks (May 2-4): Limerick joined the Irish festival circuit as Sharon Shannon, Shane McGowan, Mundy, The Zutons, Delorentos and The Sawdoctors arrived in town to celebrate ten years of music in the Warehouse. Abiding memory will be of three Ban-Gardai dancing to the Sawdoctors among thousands of happy fans.

5 Lisa Hannigan - Belltable (August 8): Jaw-dropping performance by Lisa and friends in the Belltable Arts Centre, the former Damien Rice collaborator’s first solo show in Limerick. A bunch of artists playing with broad smiles on their faces - and why not? Superb songs and a girl with talent to burn. Would go on to repeat the same magic in the Jean Monet theatre in UL in September.

4 Norman Jay - Augustinian Lane (September 27): This DJ - considered a legend in his field and the only DJ to receive a knighthood - played not one, but two gigs in the first Sol-sponsored End of Summer Carnival in September. It was the second, on a Saturday night in the laneway outside Mickey Martin’s that was the highlight, a ‘festival set’ that blew everyone away.

3 The Belltable Sessions (September 4) - Hard to pick one gig from the six that have taken place, but the third Belltable Sessions - and the last in the Belltable before the relocation to Red Cross Hall - was the moment the acoustic gig came of age. Featuring elegant harpist Sí, local rockers Walter Mitty and the Realists, Nick Carswell and the Elective Orchestra, and the excellent Juno Falls - all live and unplugged. Look forward to the new series in January.

2 The Swell Season - St. John’s Church (November 28): Almost the best gig of the year, just narrowly beaten. Nonetheless a superb gig by Oscar winners Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (plus band) in the atmospheric surroundings of St. John’s Church, surely the best indoor venue in the city. A two hour set - they played 20 songs, I counted - that contained songs from the movie, Frames songs and a solo-Hansard finale called ‘Limerick Town’ that brought the house down. Simply put, we demand more gigs of this standard in a venue that befits the strength of the music.

1 Brasilintime - Trinity Rooms courtyard (May 4): The second courtyard gig on this list was also the best of the year, hands down. Also the best outdoor venue in Limerick, hands down. Organised by local man done good, Brian Cross, the gig saw a mixture of beats, samples and breaks from world class DJs Madlib, J-Rocc and Nuts, who were joined by corsucating drumming from the legendary Tony Allen and Brazilians Conti and Paryhba that had the crowd whipped into a frenzy. We can’t wait for Summer ‘09 and a return to this courtyard.


Best Albums (Irish): Very difficult to narrow this list down from the minimum 15 albums that were all in contention. A bumper year for Irish music.

5 Rarely Seen Above Ground - Organic Sampler: A one man tour de force, Jeremy Hickey, presents a Talking Heads-esque offering that is as dark and multi-layered as it is disparate and imaginative.

4 Autamata - Colours of Sound: Multi-instrumentalist Ken McHugh’s impressive electro-pop album. Features guest vocals from Cathy Davey.

3 Halfset - Another Way of Being There: Beguiling album from Dublin collective Halfset. If you thought Dramanalog was good, wait until you hear this.

2 Jape - Ritual: Jape - aka Richie Egan - comes of age; rocky, dancey and witty in all the right places. A superb follow up to laid-back debut album 'The Monkeys in the Zoo Have More Fun Than Me'.

1 Lisa Hannigan - Sea Sew: Excellent solo debut from Damien Rice’s former muse, without a doubt the best Irish album of the year and a shoo-in for the Choice Music Prize. Subtle and tender, yet bursting with vitality and the sound of a bunch of musicians enjoying themselves.

(Honourable mentions: Colm Mac Con Iomaire - The Hare’s Corner; Messiah J and the Expert - From the Word Go; Armoured Bear - Honeycomb Moons; Fight Like Apes - ..and the Mystery of the Gold Medallion; Giveamanakick - Welcome to the Cusp; Chequerboard - Penny Black)

Best Albums (Rest): Two newcomers, one Mercury Prize winner and two of the most original bands in world music, almost impossible to choose between them.

5 TV on the Radio - Dear Science: If you manage to achieve the near-impossible and stop yourself from listening to opening track Halfway Home on an almost constant loop, you’ll discover an album that is inventive and surprising - and one that carries real weight.

4 Sigur Ros - Med Sud í Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust (or With a Buzz In Our Ears We Play Endlessly): The closest the Icelandic outfit have ever come to a pop or rock album. Superb and mystifying in equal portions.

3 Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid: This Mercury Prize winner pushed hard for the number one spot, just losing out to two exceptional albums. This album saw Guy Garvey and his mates finally receive deserved recognition after a decade in the wilderness.

2 Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago: A haunting album that stemmed from Justin Vernon’s sojourn to a deserted cabin, following the breakup of a relationship. Surprisingly uplifting.

1 Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes: What can we say? No contest, this is the best album of the year. An eye-opening pastoral folk-rock album, stuffed with Americana and the sort of intertwined harmonies that Messrs Crosby, Stills and Nash would be proud of. Simply superb.

(Honourable mentions: David Holmes - The Holy Pictures ; Last of the Shadow Puppets - The Age of the Understatement ; Joan as Policewoman - To Survive; Nick Cave - Dig, Lazarus Dig!!!; Glasvegas - Glasvegas; Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree)

Five of the worst (in no particular order):
The Script - The Script: Don’t make me laugh.
Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns: Formulaic. Try something new, please.
Guns ‘n Roses - Chinese Democracy: How many years were we waiting for this again? Yawn. Razorlight - Slipway Fires: Someone arrest Johnny Borrell for crimes against music.
New Kids on the Block - The Block. Good lord, they must have been broke to even contemplate releasing this trash. Give me Boyzone, Take That or Westlife any day.

DVDS:

The Dark Knight: Sprawling and confusing, yet Heath Ledger’s stunning performance saves this movie.

The Wire: Best piece of advice this year? Buy the box set of all five series of this gripping and hard hitting television show, the fifth and final series of which finished this year. More addictive than caffeine and that is putting it mildly.

Band of Brothers: Technically not released this year but a collector’s edition was with all sorts of special features. Available in shops for just more than €30, a bargain.

Wall-E: Funny, moving, sad, vibrant - all about a robot that can’t speak. Would love to have heard that idea being pitched to movie executives.

Man On Wire: Dizzying (literally) documentary about Philippe Petit's 1974 high-wire walk between the Twin Towers of New York's World Trade Center. Try not to look down.

BOOKS:

Blade Runners, Deer Hunters and Blowing the Bloody Doors Off - Michael Deeley: British film-producer Michael Deeley tells a warts and all tale about his time in the film industry.

John Lennon, The Life - Philip Norman: Yoko Ono disapproves, so it’s a thumbs up from us.

Up Till Now - William Shatner: Hilarious autobiography that reveals the level of Shatner’s hugely inflated ego. The funniest book of the year.

Homicide: A Year On The Killing Streets - David Simon: Written in 1991, but re-released this year as a result of the growing success of The Wire, the tv series which spawned from David Simon’s year on the streets of Baltimore with three police detectives. Eye-opening.

The White Tiger - Aravind Adiga: Brilliant debut novel by Adiga, dealing with poverty and injustice in India, which scooped the Man Booker Prize this year.