GIG OF THE WEEK
Quiet Lights Festival
Thursday, November 18th, to Sunday, November 21st; various venues, times and prices, Cork city; quietlights.net
The fab winter fest hosted by Islander has become a fixture of the Cork calendar, but last year the new-music noise was seriously dampened down by Covid. This year the lights are back on, and the city is all set for the acts and the audience to come back together in a real live venue.
The fourth Quiet Lights will see artists from different genres – trad, folk, experimental – perform in the many nooks and crannies around Cork. The line-up includes Emma Langford (Thursday, Winthrop Avenue, 7.30pm), Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, Kate Ellis and Caimin Gilmore (Friday, Triskel Christchurch, 7.30pm), Lisa O'Neill (Friday, Everyman Theatre, 9.30pm), The Lost Brothers (Saturday, Live at St Luke's, 8pm), Maija Sofia and Molly O'Mahony (Sunday, Crane Lane Theatre, 6.30pm) and Niamh Regan (Sunday, Coughlan's Live, 8pm). The whole celebration ends with a fab closing party featuring Junior Brother, Trá Pháidín and more (Sunday, Crane Lane, 9.30pm).
Steps
Monday, November 15th, SSE Arena, Belfast, 6.30pm; from £44; ticketmaster.ie
Nearly 25 years after they first stepped into the spotlight with their debut hit, 5,6,7,8, Steps are embarking on a UK arena tour, including this date in Belfast, so it's safe to say there's still a lot of love out there for Claire, Faye, H, Lee and Lisa. The fivesome staged a hugely successful comeback around their 20th anniversary; this tour is to promote their new album, What the Future Holds, out on November 27th, which features songs written by heavyweights who have penned hits for Adele, One Direction and Kylie. The title track is written by the mighty Sia, so expect that to go gangbusters. Never a fan of Steps? Three words for ya: Resistance. Is. Futile.
Aoife Scott: Collide
Thursday, November 18th, to Sunday, November 21st; Long Room, Fumbally Stables, Dublin 8; free; eventbrite.ie
The Dublin visual artist Aoife Scott already has form – she has exhibited internationally, she has won awards, and her work has featured in collections at such august institutions as the Victoria and Albert Museum, in London, the British Library and the National Gallery of Ireland.
For her debut solo exhibition she has chosen the event space of the Fumbally, where she'll be exploring her many connections with the sea and the natural world through colourful, energetic works using natural and manmade materials, contrasting textures, overlapping shapes and bold lines to create a sense of tension that reflects her own concerns about the way we treat our planet.
Becky Hill
Thursday, November 18th, 3Olympia Theatre, 7pm; from €28.70; ticketmaster.ie
You've heard Becky Hill's dance-pop bangers blasting out of radios over the past year – once you hear My Heart Goes (La Di Da), I'm afraid it's stuck there forever. Now is your chance to put a face on the beat, as the British singer-songwriter – and winner of The Voice UK – lands at the 3Olympia, rescheduled and upgraded from the Academy (all original tickets valid). Hill will be bringing along the DJ Shane Codd, who's riding high in the charts with Always on My Mind (not that one) and who has remixed her tune Space. Over-14s only, so you'll have to break the bad news to the preteen.
Winterval
Friday, November 19th, to Thursday, December 23rd; various venues, times and prices, Waterford city; winterval.ie
Winterval claims to be Ireland's largest Christmas festival, and looking at the line-up of goodies in store over 19 days leading up to Crimbo, it's hard to argue with that. This is the ninth year of the festival, which encompasses food and craft markets, a vintage funfair, a science hub, an Irish-language zone, poetry, live music, theatre and the ever-popular Elfstival, featuring a giant elf, Santa's giant postbox and, of course, the big red-suited man himself. The theme for this years Winterval is "Celebrate Together", as the community gathers once again to share in the festive cheer.
Adam Buxton: Rambles
Sunday, November 21st, Opera House, Cork, 6.30pm; and Monday, November 22nd, Vicar Street, Dublin, 7.30pm; from €28; ticketmaster.ie
The actor, comedian, director, podcaster and author Adam Buxton has added some Irish dates to his Rambles tour, which is good news for fans of his acclaimed podcast – reckoned by many to be the best interview podcast around. The tour coincides with the publication of Ramble Book, in which the raconteur riffs on such topics as parenthood, formative 1980s influences, wet dreams, boarding-school trauma and David Bowie. Buxton promises to ask some big questions during his live show – but he can't guarantee he'll actually answer them.
