The Ort Of Ross O' Carroll Kelly

Published: 12th December, 2012 - http://thecity.ie/2012/12/12/the-ort-of-ross-ocarroll-kelly/

A mould of the wonderful Ross on display

By Gill Stedman and Lynne Swan

The 'Ort' of Ross O' Carroll-Kelly is like no other art exhibition that you've ever been to. The exhibition features images from the world of Paul Howard's 'Southsoide'-based creation, Ross O’ Carroll Kelly. Ross was first introduced to all of our lives in January 1998 in the Sunday Tribune when journalist, Paul Howard, decided to start writing a column about a fictional amalgamation of the southside youth that the Celtic Tiger seemed to have spawned. This 'affluent' young generation made for hilarious reading and was soon turned into a book series. Now on an impressive fourteen books, two plays and a CD not forgetting the numerous newspaper columns where it all began! Ross' creator has decided to open an art exhibition displaying the very humorous artwork and never before seen memorabilia by illustrator, Alan Clarke, featured throughout the book series.

The City took a trip to Powerscourt townhouse to see what it was all about! As well as the images featured above, which are just a taster of what’s on display, the exhibition also gives its visitors an opportunity to purchase Ross-emblazoned gift such as mugs, badges and posters. The exhibition opens at 10am daily, is entirely free and will be on display until December 24th.

Little Museum Gives Dubliners A Taste Of The Rare 'Aul Times

Published: 9th November, 2012 - http://thecity.ie/2012/11/09/little-museum-gives-dubliners-taste-of-the-rare-aul-times/

Some of the items on display in The Little Museum

Where else in the capital city can you be in the same room as objects such as Nelson's Pillar, War of Independence Documents and a 'I've Been To Switzer's Santa' badge? The Little Museum of Dublin, of course. Just over a year old, this new museum – housed inside a beautiful Georgian building on St Stephens Green – brings the rare 'aul times to life.


Spread over just two rooms, the Little Museum's tall walls are packed floor to ceiling with artefacts telling stories of Dublin in the last century. Displayed chronologically, the artefacts are an eclectic mix of specialist and general interest objects: from original documents, photos and publications to furniture, food stuff and quirky domestic items.


Some objects give you a glimpse of domestic Dublin – harking back to a time of Gold Flake cigarettes, elephant rides at Dublin Zoo and when Aer Lingus offered a return ''Rolls Royce powered'' service across the pond for just £12. While other memorabilia – recalling famous visitors to the capital, such as Pope John Paul II to John F Kennedy – appears alongside belongings of legendary Dubliner James Joyce and politician and former President Eamonn De Valera.


There are also political artefacts – like Bertie Ahern's first election poster, and a dated Green Party poster from the 80s which claims ''Others promise the moon, we only guarantee the earth''. The Little Museum of Dublin even has a couple of items from our not so distant past – a membership card from Renards Nightclub or a Ryanair 'business class'  sticker will raise a few smirks.


Meanwhile, downstairs there is a rotating exhibition space – which currently houses an excellent display on the life of Dubliner Bram Stoker. One gripe visitors may have when visiting the museum is there is scarce contextual information provided on the collection. Additionally, space constraints mean that some artefacts are placed very high up on the building’s tall walls, making them difficult to see up close without a ladder or a stiff neck.


Fortunately, tours are run regularly by the staff and are included in the admission price. Experiencing the museum through a tour is definitely preferable; as discovering the story behind the objects on display can really bring the collection to life. Visiting this place won’t break the bank either – tickets are surprisingly affordable. On the door tickets are priced at €5, where concessions are available for students and senior citizens. Additionally, children under 10 and jobseekers can visit free.


As an added bonus – if you visit the museum on a Wednesday between 1pm and 6pm – admission to the museum is free to all, courtesy of Johnston Mooney and O'Brien. At just two rooms – the Little Museum of Dublin certainly deserves its title, but regardless of its small size, this eccentric and unique mix of Irish memories is well worth a visit.

After all, great nostalgia comes in small doses.


All Pictures courtesy of the Little Museum of Dublin
http://www.littlemuseum.ie/

Keywest - The Button Factory, Dublin

Published: 2nd December, 2012 - http://www.meg.ie/keywest-at-the-button-factory/

Keywest

From busking on the streets of Dublin and Galway to headlining a sold-out show at The Button Factory last night, Irish/UK band, Keywest are moving up.


The Dublin-based quintet, led by singer, Andrew Kavanagh, first began their foray in music by busking on the streets of Galway (and later, Dublin) until one day their golden ticket approached them in the form of Grammy nominated engineer, Mark Needham. In true fairy-tale style, the band set out across the pond in 2011 to record their album, The Message (it peaked at #15 in the Irish charts). Since then, they've played numerous gigs around Ireland and recently went back to their roots busking on Grafton Street to promote their Button Factory gig.


This promotion busk seemed to have proven very successful with the show selling-out. The largely female-led crowd relished in the band's crowd interaction with lead singer, Kav, take up-close videos of himself and the band with various cameras being waved from the audience.


Keywest are pop music, a la The Script, there's no denying it and there's no denying there's an audience for it. At one point they transitioned into a group drumming instrumental, showing the crowd further reaches of their musical abilities. The band have chosen to remain 'independent' artists in Ireland, but, are currently in negotiations in the UK and US. The only way is up for these five young musicians.

Heathers - The Academy, Dublin

Published: 30th September 2012 - http://www.meg.ie/heathers-at-the-academy/

29 September 2012

Having just released their second album, Kingdom, in early September,Heathers duo, Louise and Ellie MacNamara, embarked on a 7-date tour (their first tour dates in well-over a year) around Ireland to promote it. The girls only recently signed a global deal with Universal Music Publishing UK, so, the year ahead is certainly set to be a big one for this Dublin-based duo.


Last night they played a packed-out venue in The Academy, Dublin with great support from 4-piece band Raglans and dance music duo, Last Days Of 1984. Unsurprisingly enough, their set mostly consisted of their new album material including, a few personal favourites, Waiter, Find A Way, and Listen Don’t Speak. The new material is most definitely a step above their first album (they worked with White Lies producer, Max Dingle) and sees the girls experiment away from guitar based songs and focus more on an electronic, matured sound. Happily their vocal harmonies remain as flawless and brilliant as ever. Heathers are one of a handful of bands who manage to sound exactly as they do on their album tracks as they do in a live concert setting.


It would be a terrible injustice not to mention their terrific cover of Lana Del Rey’s Summertime Sadness which had the crowd singing along in no time. They also managed to slip in some old favourites from debut album Here Not There: Reading In The Dark, Slices Of Palama and, of course, fan favourite and the Discover Ireland soundtrack, Remember When.


The Heathers continue their tour of Ireland with a gig in Cyprus Avenue, Cork on 04 October 2012.

Lights - Speakeasy bar, Belfast

Published: 13th February 2012 - http://www.meg.ie/lights-at-the-speakeasy-belfast/

Lights on stage in Belfast. Photo courtesy of Nicole Alden

For 24-year-old Canadian musician Lights (yes, that’s her real name) any nerves were quickly swept away and replaced with awe and gratitude at the sight of the sea of fans who had turned out for her first Irish show. Lights started her career as a songwriter for Sony but was snapped up by Warner in 2008 and won the award for best new artist at the Canadian Juno awards in 2009. Since then, she’s toured with the likes of Keane and Owl City, embarked on a mini-UK tour, released an acoustic album and is set to release her second album, Siberia, in the UK/Ireland in March.

Her setlist included most of her new album, Siberia, but also managed to include favourites from her début album, The Listening, such as Ice and Second Go. One of the highlights of the night was most certainly her performance of My Boots during which she played the electric guitar lending more of a rock sound to her more recognisable synth-pop. It’s quite evident that she was born to be on the stage. She moves about to each song with such fervour that it’s hard not join in her enthusiasm. Her enviable energy lasted the full 75-minute set, with an elated crowd eager to welcome Lights on her Irish début. The feeling was clearly shared by Lights who seemed taken-aback by the afore mentioned enthusiasm .

Lights continues her Siberia UK/Ireland tour tonight with a show in The Academy 2, Dublin tonight (Monday 13 February). Check out Lights online for further dates.

Lights preview for shows in Ireland

Published: February, 2012 - http://www.meg.ie/lights-set-to-play-belfast-and-dublin-this-weekend/

Canadian pint-sized synth-pop artist Lights brings her Juno award winning music to Belfast's Speakeasy this Sunday, 12 February. Lights supported Owl City in early 2010 and did a mini tour of the UK in May of the same year but unfortunately never got over to Ireland during either.


She has just released her second album, Siberia, in the UK/Ireland and lead single Where The Fence is Low is set to hit the charts in the coming weeks. Siberia debuted in her home country, Canada, at number three and sold over 10,000 copies in the first week alone.


With tickets priced at just £11.25 each, this is one concert we certainly won't be missing!


Lights will also play The Academy 2, Dublin on 13 February. Tickets priced from €15

Christina Perri - The Olympia Theatre, Dublin

Published: 23rd January, 2012 - http://www.meg.ie/christina-perri-at-the-olympia-theatre-dublin/

Support acts are supposed to just play their 30/40 minute slot to keep the audience in anticipation of the main act. Londoner, Marcus Foster, however, nearly stole the show entirely. All it took was one song and the audience had decided that they liked this bumbling, kooky and soul-fueled singer. Watching Foster perform was like watching an artist perform in the confines of his bedroom. His performance was intimate and full of passion. It’s safe to say that their was a collective sigh of disappointment from the audience when it came for Foster to play his last song. The last time I was this blown away by a support act she had just won a BRIT award.
Kicking off the show with the infectious and loud Black and Blue, Christina Perri jumped onto the stage at the Olympia and was greeted by a sea of screeching fans. Perri made her presence known to the eager crowd, who had been more than warmed up by the support act, happily waving and smiling at what seemed like every member of the crowd. I was soon left dumbfounded at just how natural performing on stage comes to Perri and how easily she interacted with the crowd. The stage lighting and backdrop were fantastically executed and the scattering of flowers on the stage only added to the overall feel of the show.

Perri's setlist contained most of début album Lovestrong's tracks and all of the tracks from her EP, The Ocean Way Sessions. The younger part of the crowd looked puzzled by her cover of Roy Orbison's Crying whilst the older part of the crowd echoed Perri's warbles with glee. The encore consisted of, ''the song I'm most proud to sing to you tonight’, Jar Of Hearts, Tragedy, and her next single Arms.

The last night of a tour can go two ways. For Christina Perri, the screams and chants of the crowd were enough to seal the deal that she is well and truly on her way to success.

The Maine - The Academy 2, Dublin

11th January, 2012


Arizona-based band The Maine brought their catchy form of pop rock to the Academy 2 on Wednesday night. It was their second outing in Dublin having played in the Academy main room just last March when they were joined by Never Shout Never. The band, which formed back in 2007, have just released their third album Pioneer and are currently on a promotional tour around the UK and Ireland.

Having really only ever listened to their 2010 album, Black & White, I was pleasantly surprised to see that their set-list not only consisted of material from the new album but that it also featured a mixture of songs from all three albums.

It's safe to say that the band have a legion of fans who will no doubt buy a ticket any time the quintet announce a date in Dublin. I can also confirm that this legion of fans were out in full in the Academy 2 last night jumping around and mimicking lead singer, John O' Callaghan's every movement. The band created a great atmosphere, which was definitely helped by the small space of the Academy 2.

Any fans who arrived late to the concert were in for a treat as the band decided to play an 'extra-long' due to the fact that they had 'a lot of extra-time left'. The band's interaction with the crowd was fantastic and lead singer, John O', even managed to charm one of the crowd into hosting an after-party.

Favourites from the night were without a doubt the band's rendition of Inside Of You (which the band performed at a much slower tempo than the album version), Into Your Arms and I Must Be Dreaming which featured some wonderful of 'oohs' and 'ahs' from the crowd. Overall, I was very impressed with the band's stage presence and I left the gig knowing that I'd find myself downloading the band's new album as soon as I got home.

Original video footage of DTC floods which the BBC used in a live broadcast on 25th October 2011

A few photos to go with the last post...

Interview with BBC news on the 25th October 2011

Interview with the cast of Killing Bono - Savoy cinema, Dublin

Published: 19th March, 2011 - http://www.meg.ie/killing-bono-premier/

It was an absolute pleasure to interview the cast and crew of the new movie, Killing Bono, ahead of the movie’s European premiere in The Savoy cinema, Dublin. First up to be grilled by the info-hungry journos was the film's director, Nick Hamm.

LS: Can I ask you, what attracted you to this movie?

Nick Hamm (NH): Because I thought there was a story here about failure and I think that most people fail when they attempt a career in music or fashion or anything really in the arts world and I thought that there was a real every man’s story there that we could all identify with.

LS: How was it working with Pete Postlethwaite on his last movie?

NH: Pete was not very well when we started putting this movie together so we wrote him a specific role that he could play in a certain way and we created a very funny part for him because I wanted to show that he can play that kind of comedy.

LS: And I have to ask, are you a fan of U2 yourself?!

NH: Oh yeah, I love U2. Why wouldn’t I?!

Next up to the plate were ex-rockers, brothers, and U2 rivals, Neil and Ivan McCormick.

LS: How protective were you over the book going to screen?

Neil McCormick (NMcC): I wasn't protective at all! First of all it’s really difficult to make a film and I didn't actually think they’d get the damn thing made and so they've been paying me for 7yrs to renew the rights and I thought this is my retirement policy so when it started actually getting made the one thing I didn't want to do was stand in front of it. In the 80s we tended all our eggs before they hatched, this time I was letting someone else deliver the eggs. This was their story, their version, I've told my story, this somebody else’s version, so I can just stand-back and try and enjoy it. Which is a little bit difficult.

LS: How do you feel about the actors that portrayed you on screen?

NMcC: They're a couple of really good-looking guys so they've obviously cast very well as you can see!


And finally, last up to face a barrage of reporters were, Robert Sheehan and Ben Barnes.


LS: How did it feel having the brothers on set when you were portraying them?!

Ben Barnes (BB): Em, well I kind of wasn’t allowed to meet Neil McCormick until about two-thirds of the way through because he assured me that he was so irritating that if I tried to kinda copy his mannerisms, the film would be un-watchable so, eh, but when he actually turned up I was quite nervous and he’s actually a really, really lovely man, although he’s banned me from saying that… he’s like; even my wife doesn’t call me lovely! But, yeah we had a fantastic time doing it!

LS: Prince Caspian or Neil McCormick?!

BB: I think Neil McCormick.

Robert Sheehan (RS): Oooh! Who would you rather kiss, tongue kiss, tongue kiss in the ear.

BB: Myself in the mirror!

BB (to Rob): You're not doing the interview! And, you answer the questions not ask them!

RS: What did you prefer, did you prefer wearing new romantic or metal-male armour and a sword?!

BB: The new Roman stuff was more comfortable and I enjoyed the earrings!

RS: It was quite silky round the genitals!

BB: We would take it a bit too far though, he'd be in ridiculous dungarees and I’d be in like baggy MC Hammer trousers and like eye-liner and then we'd go what is this theme? We need earring and a quiff and make up and black lipstick and we just kind of pushed it until it was no longer funny!

RS: We embraced it too much if anything!

LS: How long were you in hair and make-up?

RS: I really depended on the morning, it depended what kind of get up we had that afternoon, but, eh, usually about an hour!

Killing Bono film goes on general release on April 1st.

Heathers - Whelans, Dublin

Published: 11th December, 2011 - http://www.meg.ie/heathers-review/

Most of us find out about new music via our friends, a blog recommendation and at times, even in this new digital-based age we live in, the radio. For relative newcomers Heathers their breakthrough moment in the Irish music charts was, without a doubt, getting their song featured in the Failté Ireland (Irish tourism) advert this past summer. The ad, which promoted tourism in Ireland and holidaying at home, featured the girls' very catchy song: Remember When. The song was the definition of perfection for the ad as it boasted such lyrics such as: ''I need to go, I need to get away from everything, just for a while…''. Just what any advert for a break away the fast-paced lives we lead aims to offer. The song peaked at number one on the Irish charts.

So now you may ask just who are Heathers. Well, the band consists of twenty-year-old Dublin based twin sisters, Ellie and Louise Macnamara, who decided to form a band together in 2007 after Louise’s guitar playing lead her to seeking some help from Ellie with lyrics to guitar chords she had composed. Their début album Here Not There managed to garner quite a lot of praise from both fans and media alike, and following a very successful Irish début, the album will be released in the UK and further European countries from October 2010.

Ellie and Louise played a handful of festivals during the summer including both Oxegen and Electric Picnic. They have even managed to already have played dates in various parts of America. Despite all of this the girls still somehow found time to fit in a support slot for Kimya Dawson in London, Paolo Nutini in Belfast, a gig during the infamous Arthurs day festival back in September, a performance at the Special Olympics ceremony and were invited to perform at a festival in New York and at Canadian Music Week in Toronto. And you think you have it bad!

They kicked off the gig in Whelans on Saturday with just a simple hello from Louise and went straight into Fire Ants. A fast-paced (much like the rest of the songs on the album) and darn catchy little number with haunting and powerful harmonies that got the eager crowd going in no time. They went straight into their second song of the night, which is listed as a bonus track on the album but is better known as Margie, (a personal favourite of mine from the album) which is often sang in Irish and English.

The girls then introduce two extra band members (a cellist whom the crowd seem to have a lot of affection for even going so far as to chant his name numerous times. And a bodhrán/guitar player) whom they've ''been doing an awful lot of practice with over the past 4/5 months''. This is very evident in the way they all play together so comfortably.

One of the first things I jotted down in my notepad was: ''First thoughts: Very reminiscent of Tegan and Sara''. However, one member of the crowd saw me scribbling this and was quick to chime in and say ”When I first heard them I thought: Right, Tegan and Sara knock-off, that's great. But after just hearing these two songs, I'm converted. It's crazy, they're just so powerful live, I love them!'' And I have to admit, even though I had only meant well whilst noting my observation, I immediately felt a pang of guilt for not seeing the girls in their own light, which they have well and truly earned by now.

The rest of the girls' set consists mainly of tracks from Here Not There but the girls were kind enough to play four new songs for us, which was just enough to give us a taste of what’s to be expected for the next album. Catchy fast-paced lyrics once again seem to be the focal point of the next album and having received such rave-reviews over their debut, which was full of these, why would they need to do anything different.

High-lights of the gig are hands-down their cover of Beyoncé's Halo, which they managed to put their own spin on, the crowd sing-a-long during Slices Of Palama, a festive little number called Carol of The Belles (at this time of year you simply can’t go wrong with one of these) and a brilliant cover of Heretic Pride (originally by The Mountain Goats), hearing the new songs for the first time, And of course, it wouldn't quite be a Heathers gig if the always wonderful Remember When wasn't included in the set, even if it wasn't the encore as I had expected it to be.

Despite having bought their album way back when it was first released, this was only my first time seeing Ellie and Louise live but I can say without hesitation that it certainly won’t be my last. 2011 can only mean bigger and better things for the girls who never seem to stop working.

By: Lynne Swan

Ellie Goulding - Tripod, Dublin

Published: 3rd December, 2010 - http://www.meg.ie/ellie-goulding-review/

Ellie Goulding has the world at her feet. A 2010 Brit-award winner, she recently returned from the USA after being asked to perform at the prestigious Roxy theatre in LA and the Hiro ballroom in New York. It was the first time Ellie had ever performed in the US and both shows were packed to the brim with fans and curious music lovers alike.

Ellie's gig in Tripod on Tuesday this week was not, in fact, her first time playing in Ireland. As a matter of fact she had just played to a sold out show in Belfast the previous week, an intimate hotel gig in the Radisson Galway the previous night, a sold-out concert in The Academy last March and supported the mighty Passion Pit in the Olympia the night before her own gig in the Academy. Not bad for a 24 year old from a small town in Hereford whose own mother suggested she should not follow the path of music.

Irish newcomer Niamh Danger, musically known as The Danger Is, opened the show with an electric set buzzing with energy and most certainly did what support acts are supposed to do and warmed the crowd up to a temperature just right for Ms. Goulding's stage arrival.

Opening the show with Under The Sheets Goulding emerged from the back of the stage demonstrating her musical versatility by performing a pounding, and ridiculously catchy, drum solo which left me, and I'm sure many others, wishing they could play the drums too… It's evident from the second she steps on stage that drumming is a real passion for Ellie and the crowd couldn't get enough of it, especially the drum solo at the end of Salt Skin which was met by squeals and shouts of delight.

Ellie's stage presence is certainly something that could, and should, put many veteran performers to shame and have new artists upping their game to try to compete with her. The middle of the gig consisted of a warmly welcomed acoustic set during which Ellie showcased her skilful guitar playing and proved her vocals could stand the test even without a live band behind her.

Her rendition of the Elton John's' Your Song is something that could make even the coldest of hearts feel emotion. Showing her own love for the song by having it as the second last song on her set, only losing out to the much-loved and always crowd-pleasing Starry Eyed.

Speaking to me about the song the previous day Ellie revealed that it was in fact UK retail giant, John Lewis (who feature Ellie's version of the song in their Christmas ad campaign) who chose the song and carefully selected Ellie as the voice behind the campaign.

Ellie also made no hesitation in proclaiming that Human (which is heavily rumoured to be her next single) is without a doubt her favourite from her latest album Bright Lights.

The whole concert definitely went down a treat with the music hungry crowd and Ellie and the band finished their second full tour on what they described as being ''...definitely one of our favourite nights of the entire tour.''

The only critique I have about the night was the fact that unfortunately none of the new songs from Bright Lights (which essentially is a re-release of her first album Lights with the added bonus of six new songs) were included in the set-list, bar Human and of course Your Song. However, this small oversight only just fuels my yearning to see her live again.

By: Lynne Swan