WHAT’S ON
Red Hot Chilli Pipers might be the world’s only exponents of ‘Bagrock’. That would be a rock band featuring Scottish pipers. They re-imagine classic rock and pop tracks and play original material too. If that is, ahem, your bag, get along to Vicar Street for 8pm tonight. The marvellous Eddi
Reader (formerly of Fairground Attraction) is in Ballymaloe tonight. That could be perfect! If Jim Reeves is more your thing, then Al Grant is a fine interpreter of the great man’s music. You can catch him in the Tullamore Court Hotel tonight and the Riverside Park Hotel in Wexford tomorrow. Remember to log on tomorrow at 9am to buy your Paul Simon tickets. His RDS Arena show on July 13 is his farewell performance in this country and is not to be missed. Paul
Weller begins his three-night residency in the Olympia Theatre tomorrow night. Touts support, don’t miss them. If you remember the marvellous music documentary The Story
Of Anvil then you might want to spend a night in the company of its protagonists in Belfast’s Limelight 2 venue on Tuesday night. They’re also in the Academy 2 in Dublin on St Valentine’s Night. The mellifluous sounds of Lewis
Capaldi might be more appropriate for the night that it’s in it. He’s upstairs in the same Dublin venue that night. Sam Beam Aka Iron & Wine is in the Helix on Wednesday, another of the week’s highlights. Jake Bugg is in Dublin’s Whelans on Thursday and Friday. Queue early for those gigs. Mary Black is in Cork Opera House on Friday. Doors at 8pm.
Smokie bring their 40th anniversary tour to the Clanree Hotel in Letterkenny on Saturday. If any of the wannabes on the X Factor Live Tour have a career a tenth of that duration, they will be mightily fortunate. Get to the 3Arena on Saturday to see if any of them have the chops for that.