Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
BANK HOLIDAY GIG BONANZA!
Magic night in store at Lavery’s
It’s crazy busy this bank holiday weekend – for those of us who still have the will and the way to large it up for three days straight. In these straitening times, however, of bad backs and niggling knees, bawling babies and WYWYWY wives, we have to pick and choose carefully. So we’ll probably take a nip down to see The Handsome Family at St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast - dark Americana from the husband and wife duo being our thing and the perfect start to any weekend. But of course there’s the show by Augustines main man William Mccarthy at the Black Box to consider as well... hmm.
Saturday night, and we’re warming up by this stage, proves even more difficult. We may start the evening early (that’s 2pm but strictly no pints) with the Wreckless Eric show at the Black Box in Belfast. Then it’s a four-way tug-of-love up north with the 4 Of Us at Flowerfield Arts Centre, Portstewart, Timmy Trumpet and Junior J at Lush!, Portrush, The Sabrejets in the Atlantic Bar down the road or the the album launch party by the awesome Touts
(see Rigsy on page 12) at the Nerve Centre, Derry. If the no-pints rule is broken and driving ain’t an option we’ll stick around Belfast and maybe take in Dexys Midnight Runners’ leader Kevin Rowland’s DJ set at the Black Box or else check out Heck, Employed to Serve, Destriers at Voodoo, Belfast. Too much choice is a nice problem to have but we’ll still have to take it reasonably handy if we’re to last the pace through Sunday with all the young whippersnappers.
Imelda May is on Sunday and Monday at the Millennium Forum in Derry, so that’s an option, while Booker T Jones will have the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival Marquee heaving (in the good way). But we’re mainly tempted to relive our youth by heading to the Shine night at Belfast’s Limelight headlined by The Black Madonna with Hammer, Schmutz, Conor Harding & Phil Mellon and Marion Hawkes joining the party. Come Monday, if we’re still feeling frisky then watching the brave thousands running the Marathon should help us get in the mood to head out for a few, perhaps taking in Kila at the Black Box... Shame we’re not really up for a big one though - there’s so much going on! Quick reminder that AVA festival is fast approaching - in fact the final tier of tickets for the June 3-4 electronic music extravaganza are on sale from avafestival.com now - get on it quicksmart! Just over a year from unveiling their stellar, Bella Unionreleased debut album, Scan The Blue, The Thin Air will host a live Tuesday Throwdown with one of the country’s finest acts, exmagician, in Lavery’s this coming Tuesday evening.
The Belfast psych-pop band – formed by ex-cashier No.9 main men Danny Todd and James Smith – will be supported on the night from one of Derry’s best live propositions, Waldorf & Cannon.
Admission is just £5, doors are 9pm and The Thin Air DJS will be spinning a veritable rake of psych-tinged tunes throughout.