PERFECT 10
HERE ARE OUR TOP TEN THINGS TO DO IN CORK THIS WEEK
TRAD ICON ANDY IRVINE TO PLAY TRISKEL CENTRE
ICONIC trad musician Andy Irvine will play an acoustic gig amid the intimate surroundings of the Triskel Christchurch Arts Centre on Friday night
A world music pioneer and an icon for traditional music and musicians. Irvine has been at the helm of legendary bands like Sweeney’s Men in the mid-1960s, Planxty in the 1970s, and then Patrick Street, Mozaik, LAPD and recently Usher’s Island.
As a soloist, Andy fills the role of the archetypal troubadour with a show and a travelling lifestyle that reflect his lifelong influence, Woody Guthrie.
During his career Irvine has consistently broadened his musical horizons, embracing the musical genres of the countries he visits and developing a unique style that has to be heard live to be fully appreciated.
Tickets €22/€25 from the venue on 021 427 2022.
BELINDA TO BRING A SLICE OF HEAVEN TO OPERA HSE
THE occasional lead singer with the Go Go’s and a hugely successful solo artist in her own right, Belinda Carlisle, will play the Cork Opera House next Wednesday evening.
After almost four decades in the music business Carlisle has not lost the knack of writing and performing perfectly produced pop songs to complement the string of global hits she had in the 80’s and 90’s with tracks such as ‘Circle in the Sand’, ‘ Heaven is a Place on Earth’ and ‘Leave a Light on for Me’.
Her recently released 18-track retrospective ‘ The Collection’ , which encapsulates her unique blend of gutsy vocals, emotively charged melodies and picturesque lyrics further cements her reputation as a prime purveyor of timeless pop classics.
Tickets for the concert from the Opera House box office on 021 427 0022 priced at €35.
SCULLION LINED UP FOR A GIG AT THE WHITE HORSE
VETERAN Irish band Scullion will play a concert ‘Upstairs’ at the White Horse in Ballincollig on Friday week (October 11).
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 €27 from www. eventbrite.ie.
RALPH MCTELL AT THE EVERYMAN PALACE
VETERAN British singer/songwriter Ralph McTell will bring his world tour promoting to the stage of Everyman Palace Theatre on Sunday.
Now celebrating five-decades on the road, McTell made his debut in 1968 with the album ‘Eight Frames A Second’, six-years later winning the Ivor Novello Award, the first of numerous accolades, for arguably his best known song ‘ The Streets Of London’.
With a style that invites you into a unique world, Ralph McTell weaves a narrative that is both significant and poignant that was recognised by the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2002 he was presented with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.
The world tour is promoting his new album ‘Hill of Beans’, which was produced by the great Tony Visconti.
Tickets €30 from the venue on 021 450 1673.
HARD DRIVING BLUES WITH ONE HORSE PONY
HARD driving Cork-based acoustic blues band One horse Pony will play a free late-night gig at the Crane lane Theatre tonight (Thursday).
The four-piece band, which features members from Ireland France and the US, boasts a unique line-up of guitars, harmonica, cello, bodhrán and low whistle inspiring a fresh and innovative take on the blues.
OHP blend superb musicianship, five-piece harmonies and ‘fire ‘n’ brimstone’ lyrics with an uncompromising drive, delivering a fusion of acoustic blues, Irish trad and classical styles.
Their combination of original material and energetic live performances has won the band fans across the world and made them staples on the local festival scene.
TRAD GIANTS CHARLIE AND GERRY IN COBH
TRAD musicians Charlie Piggott (accordion) and Gerry Harrington (fiddle) will return to the Sirius Arts Centre in Cobh on Friday night,
Originally from Cobh, Piggott was one of the founder members of De Dannann, touring extensively with the band and performing on several of their recordings.
Based in Galway he is a regular on TV, radio and at music festival and the co-author ‘Blooming Meadows – The World of Irish Traditional Musicians’.
Kenmare native Harrington grew up under the influence fiddle players Joe Thoma, Connie O’Connell and Denis McMahon. After moving back to Ireland in 1990 from Chicago he formed a box/fiddle duo with Eoin O’Sullivan, recording two noted albums ‘Sceal Eile’ and ‘ The Smokey Chimney’. He has also recorded two albums with the late great Sligo flute player Peter Horan.
Tickets €15 from the venue on 021 481 3790.
CROONER TOM BAXTER BACK FOR GIG ON LEESIDE
BRITISH singer/songwriter Tom Baxter will make a welcome return to Cork on Saturday evening when he plays the Cork Opera House under the umbrella of the 2019 Cork Folk Festival.
Baxter first shot to prominence in 2008 following the release of his self-funded second album ‘Skybound’, which spawned the global hit ‘Better’ and the singles’ Almost There’ and ‘Day in Verona’.
Baxter’s 2018 album ‘ The Other Side of Blue’, his first official release in a decade, is another deeply personal album, once again underscoring Baxter’s infectious intensity and innate ability to pen searing and soulful tracks that have marked him out as one of the UK’s finest contemporary musicians.
Tickets for the concert from the Opera House box office on 021 427 0022 priced at €26.
YE VAGABONDS LIVE AT THE IONAD CULTHÚRTHA
CRITICALLY acclaimed Irish folk duo Ye Vagabonds will play a concert at the Ionad Culthúrtha in Baile Mhúirne tonight (Thursday).
Brothers Diarmuid and Brian MacGloinn began making music in their native Carlow before relocating to the capital, with their style based on close harmonies and acoustic instrumentation inspired by various folk traditions quickly earning them a loyal and growing fan base.
The duo have also drawn the attention of music insiders, playing Other Voices and numerous different festivals in addition to touring with Glen Hansard and Villagers. Their second album ‘ The Hare’s Lament’ was released in March of this year.
Tickets from the venue on 026 45773.
MIDE HOULIHAN SHIFTING INTO GEAR AT THE BRÚ
FOLLOWING the recent release of her most recent EP ‘Shifting Gears’, Cork singer/songwriter Mide Houlihan will play a free gig at the Bru Bar and Hostel on Cork’s McCurtain Street on Sunday evening at 9pm.
Houlihan, who started gigging as a solo artist in 2011, began really making waves in 2015 following the release of her critically acclaimed debut album ‘Coloured In’.
One of the tracks from that very album, ‘Nuts and Bolts’, would go on to win the prestigious IMRO Christy Hennessey Song-writing Competition.
Since then Houlihan has gone on to charm audiences and fellow music industry insiders with her honest brand of song-writing, distinctive voice and refreshingly original song arrangements.
ALL TVVINS LINED UP FOR CYPRUS AVENUE GIG
HAVING played Indiependence and supported The Coronas at Irish Independent Park this summer, All Tvvins will return to Cork tonight (Thursday) for a gig at Cyprus Avenue.
The duo of Conor Adams and Lar Kaye enjoyed a phenomenal start to their career, with their 2016 debut album ‘IIVV’ reaching number two in the Irish charts, earning a Choice Music Prize nomination for Album of the Year and smashed the 15 million streams mark.
Eager to build on that success they dropped three new tracks. ‘Alone Together’, ’Anything’ and ‘Crash’, in quick succession as well as cementing their reputation as live performers with gigs across Ireland and the UK.
This all led to the release of their second album ‘Just To Exist’ earlier this years to widespread critical acclaim.
Tickets €25 from www.cyprusavenue.ie.