Right here right now

Putting the DIY back into music and returning it to where it rightfully belongs, the gently anarchic spirits at Hope Collective are hosting their (by now) annual music festival at the City Arts Centre over the next 10 days. Glossing over the five-a-side football tournament taking place on Sunday, here's what you might hope to expect from the tons of unexpected events which will unfold over the duration. The rather noble aim of the whole shebang is to make both listening to and making music more accessible, and to this end there'll be a small army of bands performing, a lot of talking (with some shouting), a lot of knowledge-sharing and a fair bit of fun. Musically, tonight focuses on The Future Sound Of Dublin, with Johnny Moy and Glen Brady (from Influx) playing the platters alongside Aoife Nic Canna and Bassbin, while among the many bands lined up for the festival are Wat Tyler and Fat Day from the US, Cheapskate from Kilkenny, Lukic from Derry and Hylton Weir from Dundalk.

There's always a bit of a laugh to be had at the "talk-ins" (I refuse to use the word "workshop") and this year you can sit and listen, or stand and shout, to subjects like 4 Track Recording for all the lo-fi heads, Club Management And Club Visuals for the clubbers, Guerilla PR for anybody interested in alternative marketing and less mainstream press campaigns while topics such as Is Irish Dance Music The Future? and Access To The Media should be self-explanatory. You will have noted that the above is basically a guide for anyone interested in pursuing whatever form of career in music outside the confines of major record labels and other such corporate concerns. In other words, power dressing and mobile phones are not a good idea. If you need any more information, please ring the City Arts Centre on (01) 6770643.

This sounds like a blast and a half: the same people who brought you the Johnny Cash Appreciation Society in Phibsboro's glorious Hut venue (out of which emerged the lovely Great Western Squares) have got a new club which is devoted to all things voodoo (yes, voodoo). Named in honour of Baron Samedi, the baron of Saturday nights (if you know your French) who hangs out at crossroads everywhere and lures the unsuspecting to hell with rum and cigars, the venue is the brand-new, and really quite good, Fusion Bar. It all starts on August 30th and once you've picked up your voodoo doll at the door (we jest not) you can see the Jubilee Allstars, The Wormholes vs. Papa Doc (a sort of improvised vibe) and then witness a ritual sacrifice which may or may not refer to the "deflowering" of a certain well-known MOR singer. The club will run every Saturday night and upcoming delights include a live set by Scanner (he's the bloke from London who makes techno records only using the bleeping sounds from a mobile phone), the Baron Samedi Samba Troupe and a seance for the resurrection of Elvis. It's £4 in, £3 if you're unwaged, a student or from New Orleans.

Keeping it live: Sinead O'Connor returns to Dublin, this time to play The Point on September 8th as part of a week-long "Celtic Rhythm" series of gigs. Others to appear include Altan, Christy Moore, Mary Black, De Dannan, Clannad and The Chieftains - not surprisingly it's all being filmed for US television . . . Shane McGowan's new album, wittily titled Citizen Shane, has been delayed for a variety of reasons you really don't want to know about, but he's coming over (with the Popes) to play the Mean Fiddler on September 18th and 19th. Book now, these tickets are really jumping . . . Whipping Boy return to the fray following their split with Columbia to unveil songs from their new album with a gig in the Crazy Horse, Cork tonight (late night) with support from Female Hercules and local lads Rumblefish . . . If they can produce one of the albums of the year, they can also produce one of the gigs of the year - Spiritualized, whose Ladies And Gentlemen, We Are Floating In Space out-weirds even the weirder bits on OK Computer, are in to play the Red Box, Dublin on September 7th. Tatty bye.