Friday
Jack O'Rourke
Whelan's Upstairs, Dublin 8pm €19
whelanslive.com
Cork singer-songwriter Jack O’Rourke caught the wave of last summer’s Marriage Referendum with his fine song Silence. With a new single (I’ll Forget You in the Morning) out now and a debut album (Dreamcatcher) waiting in the wings, this guy is one to watch.
Danú with Nell Ní Chróinín; Noel Hill, Frankie Gavin and Brian McGrath
The Gleneagle Ballroom, Killarney 8pm €25
gathering.ie
Former TG4 Traditional Singer of the Year Nell Ní Chróinín, is a guest of this year’s Gathering festival, with Danú. Tonight she shares a bill with the inimitable Noel Hill and Frankie Gavin. The weekend ahead includes a colourful mix of musicians and singers, including Tim Dennehy, Meabh Begley and Usher’s Island - the new four piece featuring Donal Lunny, Paddy Glackin, John Doyle and Michael McGoldrick (of Capercaille).
Techno Friday
AMP, Cork 11pm €10/€8
facebook.com/technofriday
It’s the return of the night where techno (what else?) is at the heart of the show. The closure of the Pav (the second time that particular venue has shut its doors in the space of 18 months) means Techno Fridays moves to a new venue upstairs at the Hanover. Their first night at AMP will feature Leeside techno stalwarts Jamie Behan, Jon Barry and Darren O’Hara.
Blonde
District 8, Dublin 11pm €18/€15
facebook.com/blondesound
Blonde are Bristol producers Jacob Manson and Adam Englefield, a duo with a great handle on infectious house monsters. To date, tracks such as Foolish, I Loved You and Higher Ground have enjoyed plenty of chart and radio love. Last year’s releases, All Cried Out with Glee actor Alex Newell on vocals and Feel Good with Karen Harding, showed that Manson and Englefield’s approach is well capable of finding favour.
Pleasurekraft
Button Factory, Dublin 11pm €18/€15/€12
pleasurekraft.com
Since 2009, Kaveh Soroush and Kalle Ronngardh have been producing deep, intoxicating, infectious grooves which make the biggest club spaces around purr with delight. Tracks such as Taranatula and Chloroformd have ensured good times while their Kraftek label has released tracks by Bontan, Stacey Pullen, Oliver $, Green Velvet and many more.
Saturday
The Altered Hours
The Workman's Club, Dublin 8pm €12
theworkmansclub.com
Cork‘s Altered Hours might have references that we know only too well, but their take on the psych/pop/drone groove is more edifying than many others. Their recently released album, In Heat not Sorry, meanwhile, is one of the best of the year so far.
Mechanical Jazz
Joe Lee's, Tullamore 9pm €5
facebook.com/mechanicaljazz/
DJ Jon Hussey has featured regularly in Irish club listings for a couple of decades at this stage. Since he introduced himself with his Planet Dub night back in the early 1990s, Hussey has been a central figure in the development of local nights and ventures, as well as DJ-ing across Europe. He‘s also had a go at the production game, collaborating with the mighty Sunil Sharpe on the Tricaustic release for Komisch back in 2011. Sure to be a winner at Mechanical Jazz‘s latest bash in the midlands.
Jackmaster + Fatima Yamaha
District 8, Dublin 11pm €20/€18
district8dublin.com
Hidden Agenda, Subject and the Red Bull Music Academy join forces for a dastardly bill of fare. A night out with Jackmaster, AKA Glasgow DJ and Numbers record label boss Jack Revill, is always one to be reckoned with. He‘s joined tonight by Fatima Yamaha, one of many monikers used by Dutch producer Bas Bron and the one with a Dublin connection in the shape of D1 Records, who initially released the sublime What‘s A Girl to Do? track in 2004. To complete the circle, D1 boss Eamonn Doyle is also on the bill.
Resurgam
St Ann's Church, Dawson Street, Dublin 2 €20
nch.ie
This is the second of three concerts of Baroque music for Marian Vespers from three Italian cities. This week‘s action moves from Rome to Venice, with works by Monferrato, Grandi, Rovetta and Monteverdi. Naples gets a go next week.
Cloud Castle Lake, Bantum, Slow Moving Clouds
Dublin Co-Op, Newmarket Square 9pm €10/15
ensemble.ie
This is quite the line-up from Homebeat and Ensemble, who are pooling their resources for one special evening. Opening events are Slow Moving Clouds, who are fast making a name for themselves, with Cloud Castle Lake at the top of the bill.`The meat in this meteorological sandwich is electronic artist Bantum - if you haven‘t seen Take It, his recent, beautiful collaboration with singer Loah, search it out immediately. Visuals come from LeTissier and it‘s BYOB. Colour us dazzled.
Sunday
Recreating The Pastoral Yinka Shonibare MBE, installations and film, plus Tadhg O'Sullivan's documentary The Great Wall. Post Colony: Gareth Kennedy. The Plurality of Existence in the Infinite Expanse of Space and Time: Clodagh Emoe
VISUAL Centre for Contemporary Art, Carlow
visualcarlow.ie
The elaborately theatrical sculptural installations of Yinka Shonibare MBE (he incorporates the MBE in his professional name) take centre-stage in VISUAL‘s spring programme. Shonibare brings contemporary political sensitivities to bear on “the frivolity and excess“ of 18th- century Europe. In VISUAL‘s big main gallery, his Jardin d‘Amour situates colourful tableaux in an artificial maze.
TG4 Gradam Ceoil Awards 2016
Cork Opera House, 8pm €25
corkoperahouse.ie
This year‘s awards recipients reflect the riches to be mined in traditional music these days: Kevin Burke, Arty McGlynn, Cáirde na Cruite, Orlaith McAuliffe, Pól Ó Ceannabháin, Sean McElwain (of Téada) and Gael Linn. Tonight‘s concert (live on TG4 from 9.30pm) will include appearances from Téada, Patrick Street, Cormac de Barra and many more.
