PERFECT 10
HERE’S OUR TOP TEN THINGS TO DO IN CORK THIS WEEK
THE UNDERWOOD’S FLYING HIGH IN COBH
CORK’S own ‘Chicago ‘Diva’, the wonderful Karen Underwood will be joined by her daughter Christiana for what promises to be a magical and uplifting evening of music at the Sirius Arts Centre in Cobh on Friday night.
Karen is renowned for her powerful, passionate and moving interpretations of the songs of Billie Holliday, Nina Simone, Dinah Washington, Whitney Houston and Amy Winehouse.
Christiana is also well-know in local music circles in her own right having performed with acts including The Light Runners, She Said and her mother’s Gospel Trio.
‘I’ll Fly Away’ will see the Underwood’s perform a selection of their favourite songs by some of the most influential females artist to have ever graced the stage.
Tickets from the venue on 021 481 3790 priced at €22.
SCULLION TO PLAY LIVE AT ST LUKE’S CONCERT
VETERAN Irish band Scullion will make a welcome return to Cork on Saturday evening when they play a gig at the intimate ‘Live at St Luke’s’ on Summerhill.
Sonny Condell, Greg Boland and Philip King formed Scullion in the mid-70’s, releasing seven critically acclaimed studio albums of Irish folk/ rock and becoming one of the most sought after acts on the live music scene.
Following a break Scullion reformed in 2008 releasing their ‘Long Wave’ album featuring brand new material and rekindling the flame that had made them one of the country’s favourite folk outfits.
Drawing from their incredible repertoire of songs spanning four decades, Scullion remain as relevant today as they did when they first came together.
Tickets for the gig, priced at €24 from www. uticket.ie.
FIVE OF THE BEST AT THE CRANE LANE THEATRE
THE Crane Lane Theatre will host five free gigs by Irish bands over the coming weekend under the banner of its annual St Patrick’s Festival.
The festival will kick off on Friday at 9pm with a gig by Cork favourites Pontius Pilate and the Naildrivers, who will set the tone for the weekend with their infectious Ska sound.
Sunday will be a busy day, with another Corkbased Ska band, The Service playing the venue at 2pm, with Baile An Salsa playing their brand of ‘salsa-trad’ from 5pm.
Bill Harrison, the founder and leader of Them who devised two of the most recognisable riffs in the history of R&B, ‘ Baby Please Don’ t Go’ and ‘Gloria’ will take to the stage at 7.30pm, with multi-national collective Dirty Sexy Money bringing their eclectic mix of soul and blues to the venue at 9.30pm.
For more details of the festival line-up visit www.cranelanetheatre.ie.
GLEN DRAMA GROUP ‘CAUGHT ON THE HOP’
THE Glen Theatre Drama Group will swing back into action this coming Sunday at the venue with their production of Derek Benfield’s hilarious farce ‘ Caught On The Hop’.
The play sees the impressionable Phil announce to his good friend George that he has fallen for a girl he met on the top deck of a 49 bus.
George is not too surprised at the revelation as such affairs have happened many times in the past and have always blown over.
However, George is somewhat taken aback when he learns that Phil intends to divorce his wife and live with his new girlfriend in the house next door.
But, friends being friends, the obliging George is persuaded to lend a hand, setting in motion a predictably chaotic and frenetic confusion of mistaken identities, plots and counterplots.
The will commence at 8.30pm and admission will be €10 at the door.
MASTER OF DECEPTION AT THE EVERYMAN PALACE
HYPNOTIST, mentalist and master magician Keith Barry will bring his mesmerizing new ‘Deception’ show to Cork’s Everyman Palace Theatre for three nightly performances from tonight (Thursday).
Keith Barry has been blazing a trail across the globe for many years. His mind-blowing skills have been showcased in over forty international television shows, including his most recent series, ‘You’re Back in the Room’, which was a bit hit with UK audiences.
Mind control, brainwashing, subliminal messaging, cults and every form of deception imaginable will be explored in this brand new show that sees Barry blur the line between reality and deception.
Tickets €30 from the venue on 021 450 1673.
JOHN SPILLANE SINGING HIS LEESIDE STORY
A NEW show featuring original songs written and performed by one of Cork’s favourite musical sons, the inimitable John Spillane, will première at the Cork Opera House next tonight (Thursday).
Age old rivalries come to the fore, as north and south edge ever closer to complete isolation. As the light fades, a northside boy and a southside girl emerge from the shadows. Against all the odds, can their love for each other lead to the rebirth and renewal of a great city?
‘Leeside Story’ will take the audience on a roller-coaster ride through the city’s rich and vibrant cultural heritage with typical Cork humour as two tribes eye each other suspiciously across the River Lee.
Tickets for the show from the Cork Opera House box office on 021 427 0022 priced at €25.
ULTAN CONWAY PLAYING ‘IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE’
ACCLAIMED Galway singer/songwriter Ultan Conlon will play Coughlan’s on Friday evening as part of his Irish tour marking the release of his new single ‘ In The Blink Of An Eye’.
Conlon’s unique ability to capture the fragility and sensitivity of the human spirit through his lyrics has been honed over almost two decades of writing and performing.
The quality of his song-writing is equally matched by his powerful yet melancholy voice that critics have likened to the great Roy Orbison.
‘In The Blink Of An Eye’ further showcases Ultan’s distinctive gift and is a memorable addition to his catalogue.
In between playing gigs he is working on a four-track EP due for release in the summer that will include the single, two new songs and a cover of John Martyn’s Fisherman’s Dream.
Tickets for Friday’s gig from www.coughlanslive.ie priced at €12.50.
NATTY WAILER AND DJ WILL SOFTLY AT THE INEC
REGGAE fans are in for a very special treat on Friday evening when Natty Wailer takes to the stage of the INEC in Killarney with special guest DJ Will Softly.
Natty recorded and toured with Bob Marley and the Wailers for almost a decade as a keyboard player. He has also played with a veritable ‘who’s who’ of the reggae scene including Familyman, Dennis Brown, Lival Thompson and Johnny Clarke.
As a result, he has learnt the music trade to the extent of adapting the formula for making good music while spreading the importance of history and pursuing his wider purpose of multiculturalism through his music.
Will Softly is the Founder of One World Sounds a collective of DJ’s and Funktion One sound systems.
Tickets from www.inec.ie priced at €21.
CARDUCCI QUARTET AND JULIAN BLISS AT CIT
THE internationally acclaimed Carducci String Quartet will join clarinettist Julian Bliss, for a thrilling programme of music at the CIT Cork School of Music next Thursday evening.
The evening will feature immortal works by Haydn and Brahms, plus David Bruce’s Gumboots Clarinet Quintet, described by Gramophone magazine as “an engaging new work which deserves a place in the chamber repertory”.
Based in the UK, the Anglo-Irish Carducci Quartet are renowned for their versatility and excellence in playing both classics and brand new compositions and have collaborated with Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull.
Having started playing at the tender age of 4, Julian Bliss has already built an impressive international career as a concerto soloist, chamber musician, jazz artist, masterclass leader and instrument maker.
Tickets for the Curtis Auditorium concert are available at www.corkorchestralsociety.ie priced at €25.
SEE YOU ON THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON - LIVE
THE Pink Floyd Experience will return to the Cork Opera House on Friday night with their new show ‘ Dark Side of the Moon – Live’.
The group features the cream of Ireland’s sessions musicians who have played with top artist including Sinead O’Connor, The Commitments Donovan, Eric Bell (Thin Lizzy), Jack L and Gavin Friday to name just a few.
The two hour show emulates and recreates in full the distinctive sound of Pink Floyd’s seminal ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ album as well as selected tracks from other LP’s - from 1971’s ‘Meddle’ through to 1983’s ‘ The Final Cut’.
Accompanied by stunning visuals, this is a show that no true Pink Floyd fan will want to miss.
Tickets from the venue on 021 427 0022 priced at €25/€28.