PERFECT 10
HERE’S OUR TOP TEN THINGS TO DO IN CORK THIS WEEK
NIALL MCCABE BAND TO LAUNCH NEW ALBUM
THE Niall McCabe Band will mark the eagerly anticipated release of their second album, ‘ The Village Hall’, with a gig at Coughlan’s Live on Sunday evening.
The Cork band, which has held a residency at the venue for the past three years, play an exciting mix of Irish soul, folk and good old-fashioned rock n’ roll, which they describe a ‘ transatlantic soul’.
Recorded over two nights in front of a live audience at Cork’s Village Hall Vintage Emporium, the new album expands on that sound, with its eight tracks an engaging blend of subtle melodies and stomping rock tracks underscoring their reputation as one of Ireland’s most promising up and coming bands.
Tickets €10 from www.coughlans.ie.
MEMORIES OF DORIS DAY AT THE EVERYMAN
THE popular Everyman Palace Theatre’s Sunday Songbook series will return this weekend with an evening of music dedicated to the late, great Doris Day.
Known for her unique voice and enigmatic smile, Doris Day was the world’s top earning movie star of the 1950’s.
The team of Linda Kenny, Damien Smith, Alf McCarthy (MC) and the Sunday Songbook Band will take the audience on a nostalgic trip recalling the life, loves, drama and tragedy of Doris Day’s amazing career. Along the way they will perform songs including ‘Sentimental Journey’, ‘Que Sera’, Secret Love’ and many more.
Tickets €25 from the venue on 021 450 1673.
TOE TAPPING FUNK WITH STRANGE ATTRACTOR
FUNK 10-piece outfit Strange Attractor will set pulses racing and toes tapping when they take to the stage of the Crane Lane Theatre tonight (Thursday) for a free late night gig.
Formed as a three-piece in Dingle, the band has expanded over the past two-years, developing very strong Cork connections and playing more than 150 concerts including Electric Picnic, The Guinness Jazz Festival and a German tour.
Noted for their high-energy live performances, the band blend elements of pop, funk and reggae to create a vibrant blend of soul jazz and old style R&B with the support of a booming brass section.
CORK’S OWN ‘CHICAGO DIVA’ AT THE WHITE HORSE
THE Cork-based singer nicknamed the ‘Chicago Diva’ by her many adoring fans, Karen Underwood, will play a gig amid the intimate surroundings of the White Horse in Ballincollig on Friday evening.
For her new show ‘Of Ladies Lost and Found’, Karen sings the music of female artists whose meteoric rise to fame was followed by a dark descent into despair and ultimately their tragic and early deaths.
“It is an evening that celebrates the lives of divas who are no longer with us but whose music lives on in popular culture. Billie Holiday, Janis Joplin, Dinah Washington, Edith Piaf and Amy Winehouse – all ladies who were lost and found,” said Karen.
Tickets for ‘Of Ladies Lost and Found’ at The White Horse from www.eventbrite.ie priced at €20.
A NIGHT OF HIGH FARCE AT THE GLEN THEATRE
THE Glen Theatre Drama Group will return to the stage of the venue on Sunday night with their latest production, a reworking of Ray Cooney’s delightful farce ‘It Runs in the Family’.
Set in a hospital, the play sees Dr Mortimer trying to fight off a paternity suit so that he may, at last, deliver the Ponsonby Lecture at a prestigious international conference.
Add to the mix a wacky cast of characters including his wife Rosemary , former mistress June and punkish new-found son Lesley and the stage is set for night of pure comedy gold.
Featuring a top class ensemble of local thespians the play is typical Ray Cooney fare, with the plot rapidly spinning out of control and unfolding into a hilarious evening of theatrical farce.
Tickets from the venue on 029 56239.
LEGEND OF LUKE KELLY AT THE INEC ACOUSTIC CLUB
MEMORIES of the legendary Luke Kelly will be rekindled on the stage of the intimate INEC Acoustic Club on Friday night through the voice of fellow Dubliner Chris Kavanagh.
Raised on a diet of traditional music, Kavanagh has been singing folk songs since he was three-years-old and leaned to play the piano by ear at the tender age of five.
For the past 14-years he has sold out venues across Ireland, the UK, Europe and Australia with his ‘Legend of Luke Kelly’ show, often playing to members of Kelly’s family.
As well as bearing a striking resemblance to Kelly, Kavanagh also captures the raw emotion, depth and passion of his hero’s voice.
Tickets from 064 667 1555 priced at €20.
THE ‘GODFATHER OF REGGAE’ AT CYPRUS AVE
SEMINAL reggae singer and producer Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and his backing band will play Cork’s Cyprus Avenue tonight (Thursday).
Known as ‘ The Godfather of Reggae’ and ‘ The Creator of Dub’, Perry has worked everyone from the Skatalites to The Clash and has even been credited with pairing Peter Tosh with Bob Marley and the Wailers.
During a career spanning more than six-decades, he has recorded more than 50 solo and collaborative albums, won numerous awards and was included in Rolling Stone magazines top 100 artists of all time.
At the ripe old age of 81 he is still making new music and touring it across the globe - much to the delight of his legions of adoring fans.
Tickets from www.eventbrite.ie priced at €22.50.
JOHN BLEK GOING SOLO AT THE SIRIUS ARTS CENTRE
CORK singer/songwriter John Blek will showcase tracks from his latest solo album, ‘Catharsis Vol 1’ during a gig on Friday night in Cobh’s Sirius Arts Centre.
Perhaps best know for his work with the band The Rats, Blek’s solo career has been a journey of discovery influenced by the folk music of Ireland, Britain and the US.
Written while Blek recovered from a mystery illness ‘Catharsis Vol 1’ , Blek’s third solo effort, sees him delve into the world of fingerstyle guitar with its deeply personal lyrics revealing a more poignant side to his character.
Tickets for the gig fromwww.siri us arts centre. ie priced at €15.
GO GA GA WITH FLASH HARRY AT OPERA HOUSE
QUEEN tribute band Flash Harry will belt out a high-octane set of classic tracks when they take to the stage of the Cork Opera House on Friday night.
The bands exhilarating set includes all of the classic Queen tunes ranging from the 1970s when they dominated charts across the world to the recordings they made prior to Freddie Mercury’s tragic death.
The concert will feature note perfect renditions of a songs from Queen’s extensive back catalogue including ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’, ‘We Are the Champions’ and ‘One Vision’ to name just a few
Tickets for the concert, which is guaranteed to have the audience dancing in the aisles, from the Opera House box office on 021 427 0022 priced at €26.
NIGHT OF SASSY BLUES WITH MARY COUGHLAN
LEGENDARY Irish jazz and blues singer Mary Coughlan will bring her sassy and uncompromising live show to the De Barra’s in Clonakilty next Thursday night.
Coughlan has drawn heavily from her heroes combining Billie Holiday’s grievous and teary outpourings, the husky flirtations of Peggy Lee, Van Morrison’s soulful wails and the defiant chanteusery of Edith Piaf into one stunning package. Coughlan’s naked honesty and unmistakable voice have earned her the respect of the music critics and fans alike, with her live performances still the stuff of legend.
Tickets for the gig from www.tickets.ie priced at €20.