Pick of the week: Quarter Block Party
It’s all very well jetting off to festivals in sunnier climes, with major-name headliners elbowing each other for space on the comeback trail. But not all festivals can rely on such deep pockets, and often just as important to have a good sense of what you’re hoping to create as who you want holding up the bill.
Cork’s Quarter Block Party is an intriguing offering. Put together by Makeshift Ensemble and Southern Hospitality Board, it prefers to think of itself as a series of unique events rather than one rolling festival. For three days, it takes over Cork’s North and South Main Streets with a vibrant array of talent during what’s traditionally a quieter time of year.
The organisers have run the festival along themes, and this year it’s a heartwarming Youth and Revolution. The aim is to build an audience over several years, and it’s easy to imagine QBP developing the same sort of repeat business that the likes of the larger arts festivals and Other Voices now routinely expect.
There will be gigs in pubs, clubs and churches, art, food, pop-up shops and the odd “celebratory protest”. Perhaps it’s the clever timing, or maybe they just talk a great game, but the organisers have got pretty much every good band in Ireland playing. Among those to be found in the southwest this weekend are Damsel, Talos, Somerville, Joni, Spook of the Thirteenth Lock, Basciville, Paddy Hanna, Bitch Falcon, Donal Dineen, Meltybrains? (above) and oh so many more.
There will also be a discussion with Cultural Freelancers Ireland on equality in the arts, a Javanese Gamelan workshop, Poets of the Revolution, and Sing Along Social will be giving Abba Gold the once over. Don’t let that last one put you off, it’s not mandatory.
A weekend ticket for all events is €40 with day tickets just under €20. See quarterblockparty.com.
Friday
Crilli
Black Box Belfast 8pm £10/£8
facebook.com/crillibelfast
Dominic Angas is a man with drum ’n’ bass history running from his fingers to his toes. As Dom and Roland, Angas has been producing tough, heavyweight tech-driven sounds since the 1990s. He is a prolific figure with hundreds of tracks, remixes and albums for labels such as Moving Shadow, Metalheadz and his own Dom and Roland Productions. Support from local players Bad Operator, Stash, Digiac, Chill and Nephilim.
Kölsch
District 8 Dublin 11pm€20/€18/€15
district8dublin.com
Rune Reilly has many connections with this country, from family roots to the various big nights he has been a part of over the years. Releases for Michael Meyer’s Kompakt and his own Tattoorecs ensure there is always a welcome for Reilly when he comes to town. Support from Truss, Paula Temple and Jon Hussey.
The Whileaways
Kilkishen Cultural Centre 8.30pm €15, Also Thurs, Cork
thewhileawaysmusic.com
Singer/songwriter Noriana Kennedy and her fellow members of The Whileaways (Noelie McDonnell and Nicola Joyce) have upped the ante with their recent album, Saltwater Kisses. Think Appalachian trail cross-cutting the Maam Turks, with all the heathery colour and texture that such an odyssey would entail. Live, this trio create a warm, inventive sound that’s all their own.
Féile na Tána
Various venues, Fri -Sun, Carlingford, Co Louth
feilenatana.com
Fiddler Zoe Conway is one of the key attractions of this local festival, now in its second year. Set in the cradle that is Carlingford, local musicians will trade tunes with visitors who include Liam O’Connor, Seán McKeon, Mary Bergin and Michelle Mulcahy. A long overdue addition to the rich traditional fabric of Oriel.
Ergodos Musicians
Station House, Clifden, Co Galway (Fri); Visual, Carlow (Sat); Mermaid, Bray,Co Wicklow (Tues);
Siamsa Tire, Tralee, Co Kerry (Wed); Garter Lane, Waterford (Thurs)
The enigmatically titled Ergodos Musicians resist easy categorisation, but their 2014 album Songs) was a fresh and bold look at material as diverse as renaissance composer John Dowland and indie band The xx. Led by co-conspiratorial composers Garrett Sholdice and Benedict Schlepper-Connolly, and featuring the considerable talents of vocalist Michelle O’Rourke, cellist Kate Ellis and saxophonist Seán MacErlaine, it is a night to leave your preconceptions at the door.
Saturday
Hidden Agenda
District 8, Dublin 11pm €20/€18/€15
hiddenagenda.ie
One of the albums we were most keento hear in 2016 is Daniel Avery’s follow-up to the fantastic Drone Logic from 2013. The Sensation 12-inch released last autumn whetted appetites for the kind of head-spinning electronica the London producer is more than capable of creating. There is also live crunchy, gritty house and techno tonight from German producer Gunnar Wendel, aka Kassem Mosse.
Tim Dennehy, Marian O'Neill, Francy Devine and friends
The Sea Lodge Hotel, Waterville, Co Kerry, 7.30pm €15
eigsenabrideoige.com
Did you ever wonder about the song tradition of 1916? Well, local singer Tim Dennehy presents a lecture on this topic, followed by a concert featuring local and visiting singers, including former TG4 traditional singer of the year, Seán Garvey.
Loco & Jam
Wiley Fox Dublin 10pm €15
facebook.com/locojam
Everything is still coming up sunny for Northern Ireland duo Lloyd Reid and James Peoples. Over the past eight years , they have enjoyed a lot of shine as Loco & Jam, between playing big clubs and festivals
Sunday
Spring Festival Fair
CHQ Building, Custom House Quay, Dublin 1 Also Sat, adm free
dublinchinesenewyear.com
As part of this year’s Dublin Chinese New Year Festival, CHQ is hosting this collection of indoor and outdoor attractions. There will be lion, dragon and unicorn performances, along with an appearance from Sun Wukong, the monkey king. Performances will include traditional Chinese instruments, folk art sugar painting, and demonstrations of paper-cutting, calligraphy, kite and lantern making, and martial arts (essential for keeping manners on those dragons and lions). Sunday night’s event culminates with a screening of the 2016 Chinese New Year Gala TV Show, which 90 per cent of Chinese families tune into on New Year’s Eve. Suffice to say it puts the Eurovision in the ha’penny place.
