HE SHOULD COCO
Gaz Coombes
Dolan's Warehouse, Limerick 8pm €22
dolans.ie
He took his time, but former Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes has finally found his creative feet. His latest album, Matador, sees Coombes highlight the sweet and sour of his recent past while conjuring up really nifty melodies. (If you're expecting a Supergrass set, you'll be disappointed.)
HOUSE
Joy Orbison
Twisted Pepper, Dublin 10.30pm €18
soundcloud. com/joy-orbison
While his new tracks may not be as high-profile as that Hyph Mngo debut in 2009, Peter O'Grady remains a popular name on club and festival bills. O'Grady's knack for fitting many sounds and styles – from bass to acid and back again – into sturdy dancefloor sets is what sets him apart. Check his remix of Jungle's This Heat and the In Here single from last year to see where O'Grady's head is at.
TRADITIONAL
Ré
St Columba's Church, Ennis, Co Clare 8pm €20
tunesinthechurch.com
Anyone who hankers after the adrenaline rush of Liam Ó Maonlaí and Peter O’Toole from their Hothouse Flowers heyday, crossed with the plaintive leveller of sean nós singing, should check out this newly formed band. Ré’s Tunes in the Church tour has already set tongues wagging, with Cormac Begley’s throaty concertina, Maitiú Ó Casaide’s spiny pipes and the beautiful vocals of Eithne Ní Chatháin. Hard seats notwithstanding, this is music beneath whose skin magical surprises lurk.
TRADITIONAL
Baltimore Fiddle Fair
Various venues, Baltimore, Co Cork May 8-10
fiddlefair.com
Declan McCarthy’s Baltimore Fiddle Fair is the shiniest boutique festival in the land. Founded on the self-effacing fiddle, this weekend gathering welcomes a wealth of other instruments into its fold. This year’s highlights include Cape Breton duo Troy McGillivray and Shane Cook, and Hebridean singer and whistle player Julie Fowlis, as well as the girdle- loosening Foghorn Stringband. The venues hosting the festival share billing with the musicians, so if you’re anywhere within a four-wheeled vehicle’s tank from Baltimore, head for the Glebe Garden Amphitheatre: the ideal space in which to hold this music captive.
FOLK POP
Pierce Turner
Coughlans, Cork €15
pierceturner.com
Pierce Turner has managed the neat trick of flying under the radar while picking up plenty of plaudits and more than a few choice collaborators, most notably Philip Glass. The Irishman is back on home soil from his current base in New York, where he is about to make a new album in a Manhattan church that was built by the same designer as the Metropolitan Opera House in 1850. Expect the between-song banter to contain such riveting nuggets as this on this current Irish tour.
