Event of the week
Dara Ó Briain
From Wednesday, January 22nd, until Saturday, January 25th, Vicar Street, Dublin, 7pm, €40, ticketmaster.ie
Not many stand-up comedians and/or panel-show presenters have studied theoretical physics, but the eloquent and amiable Dara Ó Briain isn’t your usual jokester. Past themed tours have included the comedian’s search for his biological mother, a serious topic that he was savvy enough to filter with laugh-out-loud moments. Returning to Ireland for a lengthy run of gigs, Ó Briain brings with him a new show, Re:Creation, the amusing, scientific theme of which will be appreciated by admirers of his recent Channel 5 shows Wonders of the Moon and Wonders of the Sun. The tour continues nationwide throughout February and March; details on daraobriain.com.
Gigs
Glasshouse Perform Ryuichi Sakamoto
Saturday, January 18th, National Concert Hall, Dublin, 7.30pm, €30, nch.ie
From co-founding highly influential electronic group Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978 to forging a solo career as producer, arranger and award-winning soundtrack artist, Ryuichi Sakamoto (who died in 2023) could lay claim to being Japan’s most famous musician. With official approval from Sakamoto’s estate, Dublin’s Glasshouse ensemble (and arts organisation) performs new arrangements of his solo work and film scores. The latter will include excerpts from Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence, The Last Emperor and The Revenant.
Lyle Lovett and His Acoustic Group
Monday, January 20th, National Concert Hall, Dublin, 8pm, €60/€50 (sold out), nch.ie; Tuesday, January 22nd, Ulster Hall, Belfast, 7.30pm, £65/£55, waterfront.co.uk
It’s quite a while since the US country/roots singer and songwriter (and regular television actor) Lyle Lovett graced us with his crinkly presence. Next year is the 40th anniversary of his self-titled debut album, although he has rarely fallen back on celebrating his legacy in the way that other music acts of his years do. These shows, which are part of a brief tour of Ireland and Britain, are more than welcome for their acoustic format, which should allow the granular textures of Lovett’s material to be experienced.
Lisa O’Neill
From Tuesday, January 21st, until Friday, January 24th, Gate Theatre, Dublin, 7.30pm, €36, gatetheatre.ie
Lisa O’Neill has developed in recent years from a niche favourite to a singer-songwriter who can play four headline shows at one of Ireland’s premier theatres (in keeping, says the Gate’s artistic director, Róisín McBrinn, with its commitment to “agile programming”). With songs rooted in tradition and a singular unorthodox stance, O’Neill has collected a significant following; the past few years, in particular, have witnessed a surge of new admirers via her cover of Bob Dylan’s All the Tired Horses in the final (2022) episode of the period crime drama Peaky Blinders.
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Festivals
The Next Big Thing
From Wednesday, January 22nd, until Friday, January 24th, Workmans Club, Dublin, 8pm, €11.70, eventbrite.ie
Run by musicians for musicians, the Next Big Thing is a DIY festival – now in its fourth year – that aims to showcase the range of developing talent the island of Ireland has to offer. All music preferences are catered for, as more than 20 acts perform on two stages across three nights. Those to keep an ear out for include Vaticanjail (Chilean-born songwriter/producer Francisca Sotomayor), Eurosong runner-up Ailsha, indie pop band Still Blue, rock band Yes Chef! and alt.pop singer-songwriter Leah Rose.
TradFest
From Wednesday, January 22nd, until Sunday, January 26th, various venues around Dublin city and county, various prices and times, tradfest.com
TradFest was launched 20 years ago with the promise of presenting traditional music “without frontiers” and without losing respect for the form’s treasured songs. In this sense it has bridged cultural gaps previously thought unlikely, from honouring folk-music legends (Janis Ian, Clannad, The Dubliners, Shirley Collins, Tom Paxton) to featuring trad fusion (Strange Boy, Lankum). This year’s anniversary celebration is equal to its mission statement, with acts ranging from Clare Sands, Eric Bibb, Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin and Julie Fowlis to Landless, Lindisfarne, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Moya Brennan, Peggy Seeger and The Scratch. A particularly special event is a four-night celebration in words and music of the actor Stephen Rea.
A Sliver of Light
From Friday, January 24th, until Sunday, January 26th, Hotel Doolin, Co Clare, various times, €125, asliveroflight.ie
Musicians, music acts and DJs for a weekend of getting it together in a tidy town close to the Cliffs of Moher: what’s not to like? The DJs include Ali Morris, Sean Johnston, My Name Is John and the Big Romance Soundsystem. Musicians/acts include Bantum, Cooks But We’re Chefs, Ordnance Survey, Seamus Hyland, Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh and Ana Palindrome. Anyone into a diverse assortment of music, from funk, soul, hip-hop and traditional to electronic, and fusions of the same, should hit the road.
Soundtrack
Sing Sing with Bryce Dessner’s Live Score
Sunday, January 19th, National Concert Hall, Dublin, 7.30pm, €35/€29.50, nch.ie
Based on the real-life rehabilitation arts programme at the maximum-security prison in New York state, the recent film Sing Sing is scored by The National’s Bryce Dessner, currently one of the NCH’s artists-in-residence. The musician and composer has worked with a range of artists, from Paul Simon and Taylor Swift to Steve Reich and Philip Glass. Dessner’s meditative score (“like an oceanic tide, with patterns that ebb and flow”, he told Sound of File) is performed by the National Symphony Orchestra under Robert Ames.
Still running
Emma
Until Saturday, January 25th, Abbey Theatre, Dublin, 7.30pm, €49/€30, abbeytheatre.ie
Manipulating the lives of her friends and family, Jane Austen’s pseudo-matchmaker Emma (Toni Rourke) flits about the stage in a pop-culture interpretation informed by the likes of Clueless and Bridgerton. Claire O’Reilly directs. Hannah Mamalis and Patrick Martins also feature.
Book it this week
King Lear, Gate Theatre, Dublin, February 21st-April 27th, gatetheatre.ie
The 4 of Us, Live at St Luke’s, Cork, April 12th, ticketmaster.ie
Bernard Butler, Whelan’s, Dublin, May 15th, ticketmaster.ie
The Murder Capital, Iveagh Gardens, Dublin, July 19th, ticketmaster.ie
