'Irish Times' critics enjoyed an exciting year in the arts. Here they suggest their best and worst events, exhibits and decisions of 2008
THE HIGHLIGHTS
ADRIAN CROWLEY
Whelans, March
This year, the Galway singer finally began to receive the acclaim his work has long deserved, and his four-date March residency in Whelan's confirmed that he is one of our most talented artists - they were spellbinding performances of unusual beauty and intensity, his rich, deep voice and elegant tunes captivating the audience. DO'D
BON IVER
Tripod, June
The debut Irish gig by Bon Iver, this year's master of melancholic, isolation-influenced folk, at Tripod in June was flawless. A pre-performance announcement requested all patrons to remain seated for the show's duration, turn off their phones and, in a nutshell, keep their gobs shut. The result? An evening of quiet wonder and supreme bliss. BK
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
RDS, May
In the press box they were dancing, in the stands they were screaming and out in the field they were simply soaring. No one does a stadium gig better than the Boss and Irish fans got a pick of three nights at the RDS to prove it. LM
ELECTRIC PICNIC and OXEGEN
It might have taken a while but the Oxegen and Electric Picnic festivals have finally managed to successfully differentiate themselves with their music, facilities and atmosphere, while appealing to a wide spectrum of music fans. The good weather helped but both weekends earned far more kudos than complaints. BK
FUTURE DAYS
Vicar street, June
As the centrepiece of the excellently organised Future Days weekend in mid-June, the Jape, Dan Deacon, Deerhunter, White Williams and High Places gig at Vicar Street brought five distinctive but equally talented zeitgeist acts to an appreciative Irish audience. With tickets at a value added €22.50 this was a lesson for all promoters out there. BK
HOT CHIP
Tripod, March
Hot Chip put the joy of repetition in everyone lucky enough to get to their terrific Tripod show, consistently and sometimes radically reinventing the recorded versions of their songs to create one long, joyous remix of their work. The results were at times unfamiliar, but always infectious, and even the most stiff-limbed in the crowd found themselves dancing. DO'D
MASTERS OF THE TRADITION
August
Hearing Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill trade notes with piper David Power in Bantry House on a summer's evening during the Masters of the Tradition Festival. SL
NEIL YOUNG
Malahide Castle, June
A maple leaf flag fluttered over the turret of Malahide Castle on one of those rare days of the summer when the sun shone, a perfect setting for a vintage performance from the Canadian legend. His unexpected closer, an astonishing rendition of The Beatles A Day in the Life, served as a reminder that of his 1960s peers, he alone has refused to fade away. DO'D
SILVER STARS
Project Arts Centre, May
Silver Stars at the Bealtaine Festival: life stories related with intense clarity against Seán Miller's magnificent musical backdrop. SL
SPIRITUALIZED
Kilkenny Arts Festival, August
In 2005, Jason Pierce of Spiritualized was on the brink of death from pneumonia; he sings about Jesus often enough, so maybe the Lord saw fit to send him back. The good people of Kilkenny were more than happy to let him preach from the pulpit of St Canice's Cathedral and a glorious combination of place and person had the faithful singing, celebrating and even crying in the aisles. LM
TEDDY THOMPSON
Various
Following the slow burning emergence of Teddy Thompson as a musician who's unearthing his own distinctive voice, slowly but surely was wonderful. SL
THE NEXT GENERATION
This year saw a strong emergence of the next generation of distinctive musicians who celebrate their local accents with confidence and style. In particular: Donegal fiddle players, Ciarán Ó Maonaigh and Aidan O'Donnell, Dublin fiddle player, Liam O'Connor and piper, Seán McKeon. SL
TOM WAITS
Ratcellar, Phoenix Park , July
There's only one man we all wanted to see this year - and his three nights in a tent dubiously dubbed the Ratcellar still provoke arguments almost six months after the event. Tom Waits came and conquered with a mixture of vintage vaudeville and gentle musical violence, delivering the most sparsely theatrical and gruffly eloquent concert of the year. LM
THE LOWLIGHTS
GEORGE CLINTON THE P-FUNK ALLSTARS
Electric Picnic
Despite its artsy slant, there were murmurs of discontent about the music line-up at this year's Electric Picnic, and the Saturday night headline failed to set the Laois fields on fire. George Clinton sent his band out to warm up the crowd before making an appearance in a gig that was funky in parts but hardly the stuff of festival headliners.
LM
THE BREEDERS
Vicar Street, April
It was the first night of their European tour, so perhaps they were rusty, and their solid Mountain Battles album was just released that very day, so the crowd was unfamiliar with the material, but this was underwhelming. Seeing Kim and Kelley Deal joke and bicker and endlessly tune up has its charms, but this show rarely rose above the status of amusing rehearsal. DO'D
THE HIGH KINGS
Various
Paddywhackery at its absolute worst. SL