Totally dublin 66

THE REDNECK MANIFESTO RETURN

LASER VISION

TOTALLY DUBLIN March 2010 ADMISSION FREE totallydublin.ie

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JEAN-PIERRE JEUNET JOHN MYATT AMSTERDAM DONNACHA COSTELLO EWAN PEARSON SEAN HILLEN

FOOD AVAILABLE ON ALL FLOORS

PRIVATE PARTIES CAN BE BOOKED

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GJSTU UIJOHT GJSTU The Totally Dublin Deadline Diet Hot Lips.

Burger Bites.

Banshee Bones.

Meanies.

Wheelies.

Bikers.

Monster Munch.

Chickatees.

Snax.

Chipsticks.

Jonny Onion Rings.

Space Invaders.

Rancheros.

Thai Rings.

Mummies.

We don’t do ten-penny bags anymore. It’s almost impossible to track down a box of Desperate Dan bars. Cadet Orange Juice is outlawed due to the medical discovery of mutantitis and its direct causes. But damn if we’re going to let our cheap crisps go. More accurately asked for as a ‘package a cripps’, there’s something utterly, greasily pleasing about the MSGsoaked potato.

The indicator of a good skanky crisp is its mascot. They perform the job of Gary Lineker, except they’re usually monsters and not BBC personalities (though, there’s something of Armando Iannucci in the Hot Lips Little Devil). The mascots excel in double entendres. The Banshee Bones banshee wants you to nibble on her bones. She’s not surprised. They’re ‘screamingly good’. The Monster Munch Flamin’ Hot monster doesn’t know where he’s been for the last 30 years (battling meth addiction, if you must know). He does know it’s great to be ‘back on pack’.

The Little Devil likes things fiery hot himself. I can only assume he’s a fan of Sodium Diacetate and paprika extract too.

From us, and the Pickled Onion Polyphemus, have a very maizey March.

6

Daniel Gray

6

TOTALLY DUBLIN

www.totallydublin.ie

8 Roadmap Because we love birds and we love abstractionism equally.

28 Would The Real John Myatt Please Stand Up? Original fakesta

16 Threads Invented the hat.

31 Listings Ewan Pearson! Sean Hillen! Olwen Fouéré!

Sarah Michelle-Gellar!

18 The Redneck Manifesto From the makers of Cotton-Eye Joe. 20 Donnacha Costello And his technicolour dreamsynths 23 Jean-Pierre Jeunet Micmacs Paddywhacks

50 Amsterdam To be honest, the place is Ajax 56 Barfly Locked.

62 Bitesize Two smoking burritos.

68 Arts and Crafts Dream donations and serialisations.

69 Film Dislikes: Dragons, tattooes, girls. Likes: Gay Jim Carrey.

70 Audio Incidentally, we mark everything out of five ‘yokes’.

60 Gastro Stuffed.

JU T XIBU T JOTJEF UIBU DPVOUT DSFEJUT XIFSF DSFEJU T EVF Totally Dublin

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Stefan Hallenius stefan@hkm.ie (01) 687 0695 087 327 1732

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Publisher Stefan Hallenius stefan@hkm.ie (01) 687 0695 087 327 1732

Website

Editorial Director

Contributors

Peter Steen-Christensen peter@hkm.ie (01) 687 0695

Matthew Bolger Emma Brereton Stephanie Costello Ciaran Gaynor Rosie Gogan-Keogh Anna Hayes Lisa Hughes Caomhan Keane Roisin Kiberd Emelie Lidstrom Charlene Lydon Fuchsia Macaree Karl McDonald Alan Moloney Padraig Moran Oisín Murphy Tatiana Ogier Paddy O’Mahoney Aoife O’Regan The New Patrick Vieira Beaufort T. Wilderbourne

Editor Daniel Gray daniel@hkm.ie (01) 687 0695

Art Director Lauren Kavanagh lauren@hkm.ie (01) 687 0695

Food Editor Katie Gilroy 087 7551533 food@hkm.ie

Cillian McDonnell editor@totallydublin.ie (01) 687 0695

Squid

Mackerel

Salmon Roe

Eel

Prawn

Octopus

Sea Bass

Snow Crab

Plaice

Yellowtail

Tuna

Sea Bream

Salmon

Sweet Shrimp

Horse Mackerel

Sardine

Scallop

Bonito

Sea Urchin

Flying Fish

Eel & Cucumber

Tuna & Scallion

Tuna

Cucumber

Pickled Radish

All advertising enquiries contact (01) 668 8185 Read more at www.totallydublin.ie Totally Dublin is a monthly HKM Media publication and is distributed from 500 selected distribution points.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without the permission from the publishers. The views expressed in Totally Dublin are those of the respective contributors and are not necessarily shared by the magazine or its staff. The magazine welcomes ideas and new contributors but can assume no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations.

Totally Dublin ISSN 1649-511X

Cover image: M&E Contents image: Stephanie Costello

Opening Times: Mon - Sat 11am - 7pm / Sun 12pm - 6pm We deliver and cater for all occasions Sushi Party menu available All sushi is prepared fresh daily Tel: 01 872 8787 19 Lower Liffey Street, Dublin 1, Ireland.

Let’s Get Metaphysical :: Alfred Jensen, of Guatamelan extraction (via Denmark, via New York), was an artist with a knack for expressing spiritual esotericism in hypnotically-patterned, attractivelycoloured fashion. While the substrata of his work contains references to Mayan calendars, the I Ching, and Goethe’s analysis of prismatic light, its top layer is always an immediately-engaging, polychromatic grid. You might never hack away that topsoil, but it’s a surface worth rambling around on from the 26th of March at the Douglas Hyde Gallery. www.douglashydegallery.com

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137 rathmines road lower, dublin 6. web site: www.joburger.ie call us: 01 4913731 email us: info@joburger.ie

Never Forget :: ‘I can stand the sight of worms/ And even microscopic germs/But technicolor pachyderms are really too much for me.’ So sang the cartoon elephants in Dumbo, but we think Dublin is ready for the launch of Fluorescent Elephant, a brand new online vintage boutique. This is no place for the twee and moth-eaten; their ‘anti-granny’ policy of carefully compiled, high-quality separates and accessories means that you get the charm of the old but with the standards of the new. There’s also some updated and re-worked vintage, in their oddly-named ‘RelePhant’ department (say it aloud and it makes sense!). www.fluorescentelephant.com

The Round Square Copula :: The new musical home to our Rednecking cover stars, the Richter Collective, is a label close to our inked-on hearts. Their most propulsive act, the tectonic Not Squares recently released a video for their frenetic hip-banger Asylum, directed by Andrew Wood. The clip captures the track’s nowave house party vibe by throwing a bunch of be-hoodied and buttoned-up mates in a white room with nothing but their wits and legs about them.

Dance, dance, dance at http://vimeo.com/9124966

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www.totallydublin.ie

JOIN OUR FANCLUB TOTALLYDUBLIN WE HAVE A FACEBOOK GROUP NOW. COPY AND PASTE THIS INTO YOUR BROWSER : http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/group.php?gid=35280733784&ref=ts EH.. OR JUST LOOK US UP

Ornithologicaltotebagdeadlyexpialidocious :: Irishborn Nigel Peake designs lots of things. Snowboards.

Royal Horticultural Society commissioned kitchenware. Ghost houses. And now, bird-emblazoned tote bags for our second-favourite London shop, Magma (pipped to the post by Fettered Pleasures; see last month’s Tenga eggs for reference). Every little job is done with two trolley-fulls of imagination and sweetly-stylized precision – and the bird-bag is no different.

Get one delivered by a fleet of sparrows from magmabooks.com.

Delve into Nigel’s drawings at www.secondstreet.co.uk

Gerra Pizza This :: As part of its mutation from a gaudy auld fella pub into a studioartspacecafepizzaelectrodubstepauldfellapubyoke, the Bernard Shaw has parked a Big Blue Bus out its back.

It’s like a normal bus, except instead of chungwans yobcasting Ke$ha down the back, there’s pizza. And tables. And it’s probably occasionally on time despite its lack of engine.

And the deals! Any pizza and any pint is a generous tenner from Thursdays til Sundays (up until 9pm, midnight snack fans). If you still don’t want to part with your hard-earned ice, however, you can win a free pizza by having the Name of the Week – have the name the Shavians choose as name of the week, and free slices are yours. www.bodytonicmusic.com

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TOTALLY DUBLIN

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words // ROISIN KIBERD

Sun Walker :: Sunshine might seem far off in rainy Dublin, but hell we’d wear these glasses even on a cloudy day. Karen Walker’s Spring/ Summer eyewear line is inspired by Aztec sun deities, and the fabulously chunky oversized eyewear are certain to have the wearer feeling like a god. The New Zealand-born designer’s frames come psychedelically big and round, with a colour scheme of tortoiseshell and laquered black plastic that’s sure to stand out in a sea of plastic Wayfarers.

Head to www.eyegoodies.com to order some and get your Quetzalcoatl on.

Gaga Reflex :: She’s been known to appear with her face masked with lace, bits of metal and heavy glitter detritus, but for dramatic makeup on stage or at public appearances, Lady Gaga always delivers in style.

Pair her up with pop legend Cyndi Lauper for the launch of MAC’s latest Viva Glam lipstick, and the result is high-camp heaven. The cult lip shade has been updated with two new versions named after the pop divas, and the results, as always, go 100% to worldwide AIDS charities.

Choose from Viva Glam Gaga, a fabulously brash candy-pink, or Viva Glam Lauper in glossy red, and check out the two artists vamping it up as vaudeville dolls in the campaign.

She Came From Greece, She Had A Thirst For Knowledge :: Recently graduated from Central St Martins with a distinction, Mary Katrantzou’s use of rich, jewel colours, strongly symmetrical shapes and trompe l’oeil prints mark her out as a brave new presence in the fashion world. The Greek-born, London-based designer sent out a psychedelic series of dresses for Autumn to wide critical acclaim, so it’s little surprise that Topshop have snapped her up as one of their 2010 designer stable. The results, cotton basics transformed with her signature graphic prints, drop in Topshop branches from February, and offering wearable art at an affordable price.

Craft and Crumpets :: The stylish face of sustainable dressing, redress.ie provide a wealth of information and links on ethical fashion in Ireland, as well as organising events and initiatives to further the environmental cause. The ‘Re-Knit’ service sees an anonymous internet mother unravel old items and knit them into something new, taking requests via Facebook comments. Their Crafternoon Tea, meanwhile, brings together pattern-cutters, clothing upcyclers and fashion illustrators and anyone else handy with a crochet hook for one large-scale craft event every month. The next one is scheduled March 20th, more than enough time to dust off that old Singer in your attic... www.re-dress.ie

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Wholesome, fresh, simple food accompanied by a concise but exciting cocktail menu, an extensive range of worldly beers and delicious wines, served in casual, relaxed and comfortable surroundings.

3-5 Exchequer Street, Dublin 2 P: 016706787 F: 016706856 www.theexchequer.ie info@theexchequer.ie

Try our Sunday roasts to share – roast rib of beef (for 2), roast rib of pork, or whole chicken (for 4), with a bottle of house wine for €39.95… Just remember to book in advance!

just friends the Redneck Manifesto return

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words // DANIEL GRAY pictures // MATTHEW BOLGER & EMELIE LIDSTRÖM

www.totallydublin.ie

Kinetic. Locked-in. Cocks-out. Languid.

Itchy. Singular. Familiar. Metal. Jazz.

Funk. Souled-out. Ireland. San Franscisco.

Sweden. Brazil. Phased. Unfazed.

Thunder. Lightning. Tornado. Tempest.

Tempestuous. Dramatic. Emphatic.

Lysergic. Prismatic. Erratic. Pneumatic.

Charismatic. Cinematic. Democratic.

Mathematic. Idiosyncratic. Minor. Major.

Independ…

Wait. No. Too easy. On the checklist of descriptors, adjectives and superlatives applicable to Dublin’s Redneck Manifesto, ‘independent’ seems like it should be circled in red with a question mark hovering over it. Their status as Dublin’s most hallowed underground act is something of a misnomer – sure, the band keep all facets of their project strictly in-circle, from their always-impressive artwork (designed by our recent cover illustrators M&E, whose ‘M’ is guitarist Matty), to almost always organizing tours themselves. In ways, the band have hardly evolved from their roots as Clearasil-faced teens on the Dublin hardcore scene. However, with almost every booked show selling out, a feverish reception to every whisper of a new record, and a profile incongruous to any band of such musical abstraction, wearing the indie tag chafes that little bit.

‘The way things are, are the way things have turned out,’ muses guitarist Niall Byrne over his stout’s froth. ‘We’re not diehard independent guys or anything.

The way we work is sort of… laidback, but with really intensive periods. Matty lives in Sweden, and now Neil (O’Connor, keyboardist and Somadrone side-projectee) lives in San Francisco, and obviously Richie (Egan, bassist and Jape-ist) is a busy man, there’s wives and families, so we’re stuck to the Redneck Manifesto happening in small bursts, but I think, to a degree, it’s always been like that. I don’t think we’d be a band anymore if it wasn’t that way.

Or at least the album wouldn’t be called Friendship!’

The last time the Redneck Manifesto released a record the internet didn’t exist.

Ish. Look up reviews of 2006’s Seven Stabs and you won’t find fawning blog exigeses, Twitter hangovers, or dodgy Facebook campaigns, and one of the fanposted Youtube clips has improvised and used a photo of post-RM math rockers Battles in absence of any attractive jpegs of the recording artists.

‘The environment we’re releasing into is obviously completely different to the one we’ve released in before. The new album can pop up on the other side of the world in a second.’

So you’ve international ambitions for

Friendship?

‘I think we’ve always done well internationally, in Europe, and in America. We get Myspace messages like “Love you guys!

When are you coming to… Wisconsin,” or something. I think a lot of people think we ARE American’ Might be the name…

‘Might be the name!’

If Friendship is the band’s biggest success to date, however, don’t blame social networking, deadly artwork, or their rabid Wisconsin fan-base: this record is undoubtedly their tour-de-force. Says Byrne of its obvious step-up in quality, both in musical and production term: ‘We’ve definitely never been more happy with a record. It sounds fucking amazing.

We interact with each other a lot more than before. I suppose another point is that when we made the last record Neil had just joined the band, and I think he was more nervous about bringing new ideas to the band.’

Yeah, who does this chap think he is?

‘We were here first!’

‘We’re all completely open with each other now though, so there are a lot more synths on the album,’ pipes in Mervyn (drummer, who also plays as Cochon and On – ‘I’ve got about 50 songs recorded at this stage, I just have to actually do something with them).

‘The synths sound brilliant… The best thing about this band is that everybody else can do things that nobody else in the band can. I literally couldn’t play any of the parts the others play. That’s why the album’s called Friendship, really simply.

The artwork is of our five sets of hands – Matty interviewed us all, basically, and asked what we thought of when we heard the word ‘Friendship’, and I thought ‘hands’, because you offer your hand in friendship, you know? We’re all more in tune with each other than we ever were. I think that if any one member of the band left, we’d split up.’

The Rednecks’ comradeship stretches back to when they were all youngfellas in snotty hardcore bands. Niall explains that ‘The funny thing is that we were all singers. Me, Merv, Richie, and Matty were all singing in different bands, and we all wanted to do something with each other.

When we came together and started making songs and were getting really into it, we thought, “do we put vocals over it?”.

Nah.’ There’s a really strong lineage of hardcore bands here, and Belfast, I posit – Friendship is being released, after all, through the Richter Collective, which has assembled some of the country’s noisi

TOTALLY DUBLIN

17

est bands on one label. Are the Redneck Manifesto patrons of that dynasty, in a way?

‘I don’t know about that. I think every city has a strong underground hardcore scene, because every city has angry teenagers, which is the audience as well as the people in the bands. I remember thinking the band I was in was literally the best band in the world. I can’t even listen back to that stuff now without cringing… But every show I went to back then was just brilliant. Whereas now I’m lucky if I get to a good gig I enjoy every six months.’

Which was that last one?

‘Well, eh… Yesterday, actually.’

Who! ‘Well…. Eh. Jape! I’m totally serious, though. Richie is just fantastic live. And on record. And I don’t mean in that sort of token Irish way. I think Jape is up there with any other act in the world doing what he’s doing. I think you could say the same thing about us.’

So, if you stuck all your sideprojects in a ring and made them fight to the death, who’d be the champion at the end (the battle royale card would read: Somadrone vs.

Son Green vs. Jape vs. VisionAir vs Cochon and On)?

‘Who has the most weapons?’

‘Awh, VisionAir wins by default for having two members in one band. [Richie and Niall]’ Did I hear something about it sounding like the Carpenters?

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TOTALLY DUBLIN

‘Jaysis, I hope not. Basically, I hadn’t made music in ages, and me and Richie got together and… well, we were pretty fucking good. So we haven’t played live yet, but we’ve been making this really dark, synthy sound, sort of like John Ca…’ CARPENTER. ‘That’s what it was, John Carpenter!’

Last things last. I’ve asked your Youtube mates Battles this before, but are instrumental bands’ song names always complete bullshit?

‘Yes.’ ‘No.’ ‘Kind of. Sometimes we’ll pick something that represents the song, and sometimes it’ll just be a pisstake [previous hits include ‘I Don’t Speak The Monkey Language, I Just Hear It’, ‘Bring Your Own Blood’ and ‘Please Don’t Ask Us What We Think Of Your Band’]. I like the jokey ones,’ says Niall.

‘But we don’t want it to be TOO jokey,’ Merv interjects. ‘So I guess it’s a little bit more difficult than before. Sometime we try and name a song for the sort of colour and texture of it, that’s where ‘Black Apple’ comes from.’

‘Yeah… and ‘Tomb of the Dudes’!’

The Redneck Manifesto’s Friendship is released on the 26th March, followed up by a launch show in Tripod on March 27th, and an instore in Tower Records Wicklow Street at 3pm the same day

www.totallydublin.ie

TOTALLY

Dating Diep Noodle Bar and Totally Dublin have joined forces to bring you a fun evening of food, music and dinner dating. Dinner Dating at Diep Noodle Bar will be held on Wednesday March 24th and will kick off at 7pm. Places are limited to 54 people and the evening will be hosted

by Larry David Jr who, aside from hosting the evening's events will be spinning the very best in yacht rock. Each date will last 4 minutes and there will be ten dates per person throughout the evening.

The evening will start with a complimentary cocktail and the sign in.

There will be a great selection of Thai bites served before, during and after the dating to keep energy levels high and we will be putting the theory that Chilli is an excellent aphrodisiac to the test!

This event is limited to 25 to 40 year olds and places are on a first come first served basis. The total cost for the event is â‚Ź21; this price includes Diep cuisine throughout the evening, a cocktail on arrival and covers your speed dating. To book your place or if you have any questions please email dinnerdating@diep.net.

2.3.2 words // PADDY O’MAHONEY

Few artists maintain the consistency and quality that Donnacha Costello has exhibited over his fifteenyear production career. In the often-transient world of electronic music, the Dublin-based producer has continually released records and albums that exude the heartfelt passion he has for his craft. The most steadfast critics of electronic music would struggle to deny the emotional and musical breadth of his output. His forthcoming album, Before We Say Goodbye, embodies this dexterity; just watch the delicate synths of With Me Still emboss the jacking drums of Stretching Time. Although the styles vary, he maintains a delicate balance; avoiding ham-fisted juxtaposition just for the sake of it.

His discography is a massive body of work, the lion’s share of which has been released on his own labels, Minimise and Look Long. Minimise is the home of his Colorseries, a colour coded collection of ten EPs recorded entirely on analogue gear in 2004.

This organic approach was incredibly well received; the beautiful warmth of the records was a breath of fresh air in a time dominated by a thoroughly digital sound. Although he continues to use vintage hardware, Costello is unafraid to embrace the forward thrust of technology, an amalgamation that is naturally apparent in his music.

Although suburban Dublin could never be mistaken for a musical hot bed, the widespread respect and recognition Costello receives is on a global scale.

Outside of a brief sabbatical in Berlin, the contemplative producer remains in his homeland; more than willing to let his music speak for itself. Here he discusses technology, his new album, and the importance of limitations.

You made your production debut in 1996, what music were you listening to at the time that’s inspired the path you’ve taken?

What I was listening to then doesn’t have a direct

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influence on what I’m doing now. What I’m doing now is based what I’ve internalised and learned over the years, and now I use this to express my own emotions and experiences. It’s not really influenced directly by any other music. I listen mostly to Peter Gabriel, Genesis, Phil Collins, Frank Zappa, Brian Eno, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and mid to late nineties/ early - mid 00’s electronica like Autechre, Aphex, Vladislay Delay, SND, Carsten Nicolai, Frank Bretschneider, Taylor Deupree.

Your new album is multifaceted in the sense that it seems suitable for listening as a whole piece of work; but the individual songs can also stand alone in a club situation. Is that something you’re constantly aware of when working on a full-length album?

Well, some of the tracks could. The album is about 40% ambient and the primary intention of the album is for home or headphone listening. The club was pretty far from my mind when making it. That’s been true anytime I’ve worked on an album. In that context the focus has been on listening, not on the club.

This is your fourth album, albeit the first in seven years. Techno has never had an abundance of long players, many of which seem like a collection of songs rather than a cohesive product. This is a criticism you seem to have avoided, could you describe your thought process when approaching an album?

Well, to me “album” is a big word and denotes far more than just a collection of tracks. The idea of a “techno album” always seemed slightly oxymoronic and so to me, it is something that has to be approached with extreme care and attention. I definitely wouldn’t describe “Before...” as a techno album. It has elements of techno, house, deep house, ambient. It’s very melancholy (which is a constant theme in my work) and very emotional. If you say

“techno album” people think “boom boom boom” and it’s pretty far from that.

There are a lot of different styles embedded throughout the album. The emotive strings of the opening track Leaving Berlin are a world away from the tougher sound of songs like Roll it Out, yet they’re far from mutually exclusive.

I like to use things that techno listeners or other producers might consider “out of context” and I think that by doing so you stretch the borders of definition in a given genre. However, it’s important to me that this isn’t simple juxtaposition but rather that it ends up feeling congruent within the context of the album.

You released the Colorseries in 2004. This really opened your music to a wider audience and many consider it to be a seminal moment in not just your career, but also in techno. A lot was made of the strictly analogue production…

Conceptually speaking, the Colorseries project was very much a product of its time. I began planning it in 2003 and at that time we were just coming out of the “Clicks’n’Cuts” era. People were engaging in very convoluted processes for sound generation.

I just wanted to remind people that if they wanted a good bass, perhaps the best approach would be to use a synthesiser, or if they wanted a kick drum they might consider using a drum machine. People had sort of forgotten about how spontaneous and satisfying that was both as producer and listener.

Musically, it was pretty much me doing my thing, expressing my emotions through music.

Has your studio set up changed since then?

It has changed completely in the intervening period and that’s pretty normal for me. My studio is in a perpetual state of flux with just one or two constant

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2.8* DONNACHA COSTELLO’S RETURN

components.

today called “minimal” which is a style I’m not into.

in the background.

Aside from those few mainstays, what new technology have you embraced?

I’m constantly looking at new technologies. I’ve tried almost every “alternative controller” such as Jazzmutant’s Lemur, Percussa Audiocubes, TenoriOn etc. At the moment I’m using a Monome 64 to control some custom built software that I’m designing.

Do you think that the almost instant gratification that Beatport and other web sites can provide labels is diluting the pool of music that’s available? Are labels deliberating on the merit of a release less than before?

A complete answer to this would take up several pages. I love Beatport and I love to release music digitally. However, some people like to blame digital distribution for all kinds of woes and to demonise Beatport in particular. The increase in available music is inevitable and judgments of quality are wholly subjective. Therefore, focussing on the development of effective methods to help each individual find what he is looking for is the answer, in my opinion.

You have regularly talked about the importance of limitations for your music. Can you explain that concept?

That’s true. It stems from Kierkegaard’s assertion that freedom without limits is not freedom at all. It’s true in all areas of life. If there is no limit to what you can do then, theoretically, you can do anything.

That sounds very liberating. However, it means you are now choosing from an abundance of possibilities. Infinite (or near infinite) choice has been shown to be a paralysing, counter productive force. If you set yourself some boundaries, creativity becomes much easier and you immediately become more focussed. One simple way to explain the concept is that without rules, football becomes a bunch of guys in a field with a ball. If you introduce rules, suddenly there is fun, there is skill, there is a level of enjoyment that was previously impossible. Play is one of the most important parts of human psychology and without rules, play does not exist. Rules/limits are critical.

Is this constant turnover necessary to hold your interest?

In some ways, yes. Having said that, there are certain pieces of equipment that I know inside out but I might not necessarily own at any given time. If I have a specific project, I might buy a specific synthesiser I know well and then sell it again when the project is done. This process also accounts for some of the equipment turnover.

You have two record labels, Minimise and Look Long, how do you see their functions differing?

Minimise was set up in 1999 as a platform for me to release my work in the simplest way possible (hence the name) and it continues like that to this day. Minimise is now digital only. We don’t use a distributor but instead have a direct relationship with beatport.com. If I want to release something, I upload it and it can be available for purchase 7 days later which is a dream come true for me. It takes most distributors about 4 weeks to get a digital product to retail. Physical product can take 3-4 months. Look Long, as the name suggests is a more long term, slow build scenario. We operate with regular distribution channels and do physical releases as well as digital. The music is also a little more varied.

When I set up Look Long, I was a little tired of people associating me and Minimise purely with what is

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Your music has allowed you to travel extensively, however, you have remained living in Ireland. There seems to be this idea that moving to Berlin has become a prerequisite for success in electronic music.

Is that something you’ve ever considered?

I was there for 6 months in 2008/2009 but I don’t think it’s necessary to be there or anywhere else in order to be successful. Success comes from mainly from hard work, that’s not really a secret. So, in my opinion, geography is not really the issue. If you go to Berlin and slack off, you’re not going to find it easy to be successful.

A lot of people, myself included, might be surprised to learn that you were in a band, The Uptown Racquet Club. Live instrumentation is not really a central focus of your music. Is that something you experiment with?

I’ve been in bands on and off since 1987. I have played guitar since 1985 and learned piano at a very early age so these things have always been going on

Are these rules imposed in a physical sense through the equipment you use, or as personal boundaries that require musical ingenuity?

Both.

You’ve been releasing electronic music for the past 15 years; do you envision it as an integral part of your future?

Probably, yes. Whether as my profession or for enjoyment, I think I will always be creating music in one form or another.

Before We Say Goodbye is available from March 15th on Poker Flat. You know. Through Beatport.

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in association with Every Thursday night 9pm @ The Baggot Inn email: reservations@thebaggotinn.ie or call 01 6618758

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words // CHARLENE LYDON www.totallydublin.ie

ean-Pierre Jeunet is a rarity; a foreignlanguage filmmaker who has time and time again managed to make films which are successful in the mainstream international market. Always audience pleasers, his films tread the line between arthouse and Hollywood. His quirky, instantlyrecognisable style is warm, inviting and usually full of heart. His blissfully upbeat colour palette and his obvious love for his characters usually make for thoroughly enjoyable films. He is well known for his long-standing collaborations with cast and crew members, most notably he made a superstar of Audrey Tautou, with whom he has worked on two films and most recently an ad for Chanel. To date he has made six feature films, all of which have been very different yet most definitely consistent with his trademark visual style.

His latest film, Micmacs, boasts the warmth and romance of Amelie, the mean streak of Delicatessen and a new element which hasn’t surfaced in his work before: a political agenda. The film begins with our hero Bazil as a child finding out his

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father has been killed in action as a soldier. He sees a logo for a weapons manufacturer which stays with him as he grows up in a miserably lonely existence. Later in his life he works in a video shop and is accidentally shot in the head in a freak accident. He survives but is told that the bullet is still in his brain and may kill him at any moment. When he finds the bullet shell he sees the logo of another weapons manufacturer. His interest is sparked when he visits the offices of these companies which happen to be directly across the road from each other. With nothing to lose, Bazil and his motley crew of friends who live together in a junkyard team up to pit the companies against each other and ultimately destroy them both through an outrageously complex but very fun plot.

The cast is led by a fantastic comic turn

by French comedy superstar Dany Boon, who won the role after the original actor, Jamel Debbouze dropped out. It is difficult to imagine that this part wasn’t written specifically for Boon’s particular brand of comedy as he embodies the physicality of the role so completely.

When we caught up with Jean-Pierre Jeunet before Micmacs’ release we asked him where this strange blend of characters and themes had come from. “I wanted for a long time to work on three different aspects that I like: revenge, the weapons industry and the idea of a group of strange, crazy but smart people living together. I wanted to do something about the weapons industry for a long time.

I have actually visited a weapons plant and it was kind of shocking to hear the guy talking about the weapons as if he was talking about chocolate!” Although Micmacs never gets bogged down with

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weighty political agendas, it certainly makes a point about how ludicrously acceptable it is to allow guns to infiltrate our world. By focussing on the simple and innocent motivations of the characters, Jeunet’s films creates a sharp contrast between the world of the weapons executives and the “micmacs” who only seek to enjoy the simple pleasures of life and to indulge in the odd bit of mischief.

One of the most impressive aspects of Micmacs is its beautiful cinematography.

In keeping with Jeunet’s famous visual style, this film has a vivid colour scheme and bustling art direction. The heightened reality of the world he creates allows the viewer to suspend disbelief when the story goes completely wild. Jeunet has developed a unique style in his work which is recognisable to audiences. He also has the ability to merge simple human stories with complex high concept scenarios.

He discussed the style of Micmacs and how it is affected by his background in animation “Actually, Micmacs is kind of a cartoon! I do not show things as they are. To me it is not interesting to show reality as it is. It is the same regarding artists. I am more interested with artists who have something to say, who have their own vision of the world. Because if it is just to see reality, I prefer watching a documentary.” With this comment in mind it is interesting to cast an eye back to his earlier films, all of which are set within a world that is not quite our own, a stylised version of the reality in which these stories take place. Whether it’s the filthy mayhem of Delicatessen or the golden glow of Amelie’s Paris or the lush, romantic landscape of A Very Long Engagement, it is very clear that Jeunet has little interest in

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kitchen sink drama, but rather the world as it is seen by his array of hyper-real characters.

With Micmacs he takes this one step further by becoming self-referential.

Throughout the film, there are scattered shots of huge billboards carrying posters for Micmacs, and, even more cunningly, each poster depicts an image from the scene in which it features. When asked about his unusual placement of Micmacs movie posters at certain points within the film itself, he explained that he did it simply “for fun! I allowed myself to do everything in that movie. There were no limits”.

Jarring, but charmingly idiosyncratic, this device is typical of Jeunet’s wicked sense of fun and the overall tone of cinematic reference throughout.

His international success has afforded him a world of opportunity but he has notably turned his back on Hollywood, only having been seduced by it once when he was asked to direct Alien Resurrection.

However, this was not generally considered a commercial or artistic triumph and since then he has remained in France, making the films he wants to make, in the way he wants to make them. Despite having considered directing a Harry Potter film and the big-screen adaptation of Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, he understands where his comfort zone is and the benefits of remaining true to himself and sticking to his territory.

“Investors know my movies will be made in France but be seen abroad as well.

So it is obviously easier to get financing.

But this is why I go abroad as well to do the promotion of my movies. It is nice to know we are not doing films only for France.” Indeed, the success both critically and financially of his smash-hit Amelie

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was unprecedented and it has probably done more for the mass-consumption of foreign-language films than any other.

Which is, perhaps, why he claims of all his characters, Amelie Poulain is his favourite.

“It was something personal and it became a worldwide success. Amelie is me. It was the result of 25 years of notes and ideas so there is necessarily a lot of me in that movie.” I don’t know many other directors who would compare themselves to an imaginative pixie-like young woman in her twenties but there you have it!

A true auteur, he writes and directs his own films with the exception of Alien Resurrection which was written by television’s most ingenious writer Joss Whedon.

When asked what it was like to direct another writer’s work, he said: “Peaceful.

Obviously I was less invested because I was only responsible for the technical part. When you get criticism it is more about the story, so there was no risk at all.

When the movie is out, if you get criticism about the story you can even agree with it because it was not you who wrote it”.

As a filmmaker with genuine originality, it tickles one’s curiousity to find out what other filmmakers impress him. “I am interested in film directors who have something to say, like Tim Burton, the Coen Brothers, Kubrick. I like those who have a proper style, and their own look on the world.”

With his latest release, Jeunet further reinforces his presence in the world of the great directors. Admirably evolving from his earlier work, yet holding on to the charm that he became famous for, this ability has allowed Jean-Pierre Jeunet to earn and keep his household name status for a decade now.

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JOHN MYATT SUPER DUPER words // ROISÍN KIBERD

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Nah not really! I just enjoyed it. I was a session musician, it was quite a hard-working life, really. That’s when I was a young man; I was able to do the late nights and all that.

It’s not something I would do now.

With art you get to work at your own pace; are you still as prolific as you were in the forging days?

I would say I’m more prolific. I do more work now than I did then. Then I was looking after two young children, so they were my main concern. I had a one-year-old girl and a three-year-old boy to take care of, so they were my main concern. The painting was simply something I knocked off in the evenings on the dining room table. I only did about one painting every fortnight, or even one every month. It wasn’t the main focus of my life when I was doing it, it was only after everything exploded and we got caught, and well, it was a crime…

ortrait painter. Artist-in-Residence at Brixton Prison. Composer of cheesy seventies pop songs. John Myatt has led a life of many identities. But that’s not to mention the bewildering variety of names he signs on his paintings; Vermeer, Picasso, Monet, Matisse… the ‘genuine forger’ can impersonate anyone you choose. Together with master conman John Drewe, Myatt fabricated and sold hundreds of masterpieces in a hoax spanning almost a decade, and among the most audacious and largest in recent history.

Since his sojourn behind bars, Myatt has crafted a career helping Scotland Yard as an ‘art detective’, and as an artist in his own right. From his Staffordshire studio, Myatt supplies ‘Genuine Fakes’ to anyone who lacks the funds for a real life Vermeer for their kitchen wall. Celebrity fans include Anne Robinson and Tara PalmerTomkinson, who was painted sans-clothing in the style of Modigliani. But where does that leave the real John Myatt? We talk to the artist himself to find out.

Let’s start at the beginning; did you always want to be an artist? Did you develop your own style of painting, or did it just never happen?

I’d always wanted to be an artist. There was nowhere else in the world I could have gone, it just seemed natural. So I studied in art school, worked as an artist for two years, saved up enough money until, actually, I got a deal as a songwriter. So then I moved to London.

Of course, in 1979?

Yeah. [Myatt wrote the 1979 pop song Silly Games] Did working in pop music teach you much about ripping people off?

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Did you ever get scared your kids would see a book and then the same picture on their dining room table, drying? How did they react when you got caught and arrested?

They were there when I got arrested, they thought it was quite cool, actually! They would get to go on trips down to see me in Brixton prison, a friend of mine would bring them down. They loved the whole novelty of going in to the prison and being frisked and that. And it was only for four months, after all, not too long, so they handled it very well.

How were you regarded in prison?

Just as old, I suppose. Most people in prison are young, under 35 at least, and I was in my fifties. I got along ok, you just keep your head down, go along with it and you’ll be OK. You must have felt a little out of place, locked up for ‘crimes against art’ rather than crimes against society.

Yes, people thought it was quite funny, really. I painted rather a lot of portraits in prison. Drew, rather - they didn’t let me have any paints in prison, but I made quite a lot of money that way. I made quite a good living, I used to charge people for it.

I heard the judge who sentenced you bought one of your paintings.

Yes! The judge, the interrogator and the foreman of the opposition came to my first gallery opening. We’re best mates now, it’s funny.

the paint, and makes it a little bit thinner.

And then it takes a little bit longer to dry.

Great stuff, altogether.

And making the paintings look older?

A cup of coffee, that kind of thing. It’s really simple.

What about carbon-testing the age of the paintings?

Not much of that ever goes on, frankly.

Paintings never get tested, not until someone wonders whether they’re fake or not.

Only then. As long as people are happy with the painting they’ll never have cause to test it.

It’s amazing, how your success as a forger exposes how much of the art market is built on suspension of disbelief.

I think it’s just peculiar the way rich people behave. Instead of doing something better like finding something sensible, like, I don’t know, finding a cure for cancer, or helping people living rough on the street, they pour millions and millions of pounds into art.

That’s what really struck me about your story; that you were selling fake art to people with a fake love of art. Anyone with an interest and a knowledge of the background of the paintings would have been suspicious of them.

I agree with that too. That, actually, is how we got caught in the end. If you’re a really good faker, then you’ll only need to do it three or four times. If you keep on doing it, like we did, then you’re going to get caught.

It’s what happened to me.

Did you meet lots of runners and other folks who were dealing art. Or was it all just this very glossy world, of Christie’s and Sotheby’s?

It’s definitely a glossy world, but you can’t be too hard on them, because, as you said, it does definitely rely on a suspension of disbelief. Christie’s have to take you at face value. I mean, you walk in there, say ‘I found this in my granny’s attic’ or something like that, and chances are they won’t immediately assume that you’re a liar and a fraud. But a lot of it is done with a nod and a wink. People realise that it might be a bit dodgy, but they’re willing to give it a try. And if you do buy something at auction and it turns out to be fake, you can get your money back.

So how did you first set out to create old artworks; did you have to try out loads of different combinations to find something authentic-looking?

It was very easy, actually. I would use emulsion paint, acrylic paint, and KY Jelly.

Have the hoaxers changed? Is it still very much an issue in the art world?

I work with Scotland Yard, I was recently in Madrid dealing with some fakes. I go all over really. And it’s happening more than ever; it’s the sort of thing that’s only getting worse in our current economic situation.

There’s more fake twentieth-century art out there than any other kind.

How did you come across that combination?

They’re all water-based, so anything waterbased will work. I’ve always been that kind of artist, I’m always experimenting, wondering ‘what happens if I mix this with this’.. KY Jelly is ideal to work with if you like using water colours. It simply extends

Have they upped their game much, is it now mostly run by the mob?

I don’t think so, not in this country.

Certainly in Northern Italy you have organised crime doing it, but say in England, if you have a dealer and a restorer - someone who’s worked in restoration for most of their life can definitely turn their hand to

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forge art on the internet?

Well, a criminal fraternity won’t be using KY Jelly and emulsion paint. That was more just me being silly. They invest in the best materials - authentic old paints, whatever they can get to make it seem more authentic and old. If you want to paint something from the 1950s or 1960s, then the materials used to make those are all still around today on Ebay. Some stuff, like white clay, you can’t get anymore. That’s why so much of the good fake stuff imitates paintings from the last fifty years.

And what of John Drewe [the art forgery purveyor who commissioned Myatt]? Are you still in contact?

I’ve not heard from him at all. I suppose he’ll have gone on to some alternate universe, where he’s pretending to be someone else. He was mad, really. A very damaged bloke, he went completely mad.

trickery from time to time. That’s what happens mostly, and there is still a lot of it. It’s also about ‘improving’ works of art, which happens frequently. In the 19th century, people had this very fixed idea of beauty, and they decided to make history fall into line with that fixed aesthetic.

Do you ever disbelieve your own work, or find yourself looking at someone else’s art collection and wondering if you might have done one or two?

Well, I do have about 150 paintings which weren’t collected by the police. So they’re still in museums, and in private collections, and will remain there. I’ll never say where they are. I did have a very interesting customer in Tennessee, actually, who had two original Van Goghs, they must have spent astronomical amounts on them, I think he’s made his money in bottled water or something, but anyway he had two of these paintings and he wanted a third one, and asked if I could just make up a third Van Gogh. So we had to commission a frame, to match the other two exactly.

Do you ever get suspicious of your buyers, and of where your paintings might end up?

Generally it’s ok because there’s a computer chip stuck in the back, so if you want to remove it you’d have to actually cut the canvas to remove it. I still do have to take precautions with everything I produce, the paintings are signed and printed on the back with ‘Genuine Fake’ in indelible ink.

But what people do with them after I’m dead - if they realign the canvas or whatever - will be out of my control.

Do you get tired of doing certain styles and artists?

Pre-Raphaelites, definitely. I’ve stopped doing pre-Raphaelites, because they’re just

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so much hard work. Getting the details takes forever. I did used to take anything that came along, at the start, because I needed the money.

How did you shift between styles so easily and quickly?

Oh I don’t know, I just tried each new one and did it, I suppose.

It’s like a comedian doing impressions!

Yes exactly, that’s how it is. Exactly that.

What’s your own personal style?

Quite boring really. Figurative, representational. I do portraits, landscapes... really just your average provincial painter, really.

Do you think your work undermines the works of famous artists?

Nah... I’m a great admirer of Matisse, for instance. I think he really suffered, early on, for what he believed. But I do think there are some artists who just keep to their niche, they just plough on and produce the same stuff year after year. Someone like Bernard Buffet, I doubt you’ll have heard of him, but he’s one of them. I mean, everything by him just looks exactly the same, and yet he was phenomenally successful in his lifetime. Those artists are easy to fake.

After your hoaxes were exposed, Scotland Yard and the auction houses must have really had to up their game.

No, not at all. Nothing changes, frankly, it’s still the same as it was. It’s not a good system, but it’s the best we can have. Unless you want to chemically test every single thing we’ve got.

How are the hackers doing it now, have their methods changed? Are there criminal forgery communities, or guides on how to

How long did it go on for? Did you see a transition from small time to big time criminal?

Over years. By the end he’d gone crazy. He was completely bad news, he had guns and everything.

Are the rumours that they’re making a film about your life true?

Yes definitely, the script is being written by Ian La Frenais and Dick Clement. They’re working in Los Angeles. Though these things happen so slowly... but I’m hoping that when it gets made, they’ll use my pictures as the props. I’ll be the art department.

What a strange inversion of art imitating art, imitating reality!

Yes definitely, it’s something I find interesting. I mean, nothing really is ever original, from pop music to politician’s speeches… even Barack Obama doesn’t write all his speeches himself.

Do you call yourself an artist, or is it more complicated?

Oh definitely, I do my own work as one. I’ve just finished a portrait commission which lasted six months. I take into account all the things any other artist would, the angle the sitter is at, their clothes and lighting. As far as I’m concerned I’m a perfectly bona-fide painter, one who just happens to knock off the odd Monet or Van Gogh from time to time...

Myatt presents the Sky Arts series ‘Virgin Virtuosos’, and his works are currently featured in the exhibition, and is the subject of ‘Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art’, by Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo.

The National Gallery, London, will run ‘Close Examination: Fakes, Mistakes and Discoveries’ from 30th June to 12th September

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Hailed as “the nicest man in techno” by Jon Averill, the promoter who is bringing him back to Dublin this month, Ewan Pearson has a reputation to precede him. Beginning his musical career rather late in life, he admittedly still gets nervous before some gigs - this is even after playing in the biggest clubs all over the world, remixing the likes of Chemical Brothers and Depeche Mode and producing for Gwen Stefani, Tracey Thorn and Goldfrapp. We caught up with him before his upcoming Dublin show.

You have a new mix coming out on Kompakt, We Are Proud of Our Choices, are you proud of yours?

Yes, I am actually. I can’t really listen to it. I’ve gotten to that point where I’ve heard it so many times that I can’t really bear it. It’s the third mix CD I’ve done and it took me longer to do.

Partly because I was doing it for Kompakt, I got a little bit, not nervous, but I was just thinking it’s one of my favourite labels. Although they don’t have a house style necessarily they’ve definitely got a shared sensibility in the people that record for them and I wanted to pick tracks that really felt that they had a Kompakt feel to them. It was one of those things where I did the first half very quickly then spent ages fiddling around before I finally, finally finished it. So I’ve heard it a few too many times.

Delphic have suddenly shot out of nowhere and have been shortlisted for the BBC Sound of 2010, tell me more about your involvement with them?

At the end of 2008 I got some links to their demos. They were looking at some various people who could produce their record. Then I got a call from their record label saying they had a single, they weren’t happy with it and would I have a look at it and maybe try it in a different mix. I looked at it and all of a sudden I’d done it and it worked. Everybody was happy. They then said could I do the album. And I said Ok! It was that quick really.

They’d worked with several people before me and I think they’re really amazing guys but they’re quite intense. When you work with a producer, you want to work with someone you can connect with and understand what you’re trying to do but you do have to relax a little bit. It was a long and intense project making the record but I got on with them really well. I think everybody’s really pleased.

That’s the only thing that matters as far as I’m concerned: that they make s o m e t h i n g t h a t they like.

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I’ve been reading your column in Groove magazine, there aren’t many electronic producers-cum-columnists around.

Yeah, I didn’t realise I was going to be a musician until quite later on. I originally thought I was going to teach and do academic stuff. I actually wrote a cultural studies book about dance music about ten years ago with someone else. I thought what was kind of interesting was to write a little bit about the music and music blogs, and people really liked it. I got a really good reaction from people about it. It has to have a vague connection to dance music or to my work but I try to make it quite personal. It keeps my brain feeling like I haven’t abandoned it entirely.

So you don’t see yourself abandoning music for an academic life and going off to write a great DJ novel or anything?

No, God no. [Laughs] You can guarantee that is never going to happen.

Ewan Pearson plays the Button Factory on 26th March.

Tickets €12/€10 TOTALLY DUBLIN

31

words // PADRAIG MORAN Sean Hillen’s Irelantis images are among the most iconic artworks of recent decades, lodging themselves firmly in our contemporary visual culture. For his part, Hillen claims he only ever wanted to make art that would be “strong enough to be immediately arresting and complex enough to have a life, to hang on its own and give something on every viewing.”

Part of this complexity lies in the strong political engagement of his practice. From his early photomontages of a fantastical version of the Troubles, to the recent Omagh bomb memorial, Hillen’s work rarely shies away from the political sphere of home and history. As Irelantis returns to exhibition for the first time in ten years, Artsdesk caught up with the affable man himself.

Irelantis seems to have developed along a clear line from your earlier Troubles collages, but gains a more playful, postmodern humour in the process. Where does that come from?

We had the artist John Carson as a visiting lecturer in LCP and I realised that day that really serious art could be really funny and vice versa, contrary to the then received opinion. So it was always there - I now realise it’s clearly an Irish literary tradition I’m mining, of ‘serious humour’ from Swift via Shaw to contemporaries like Kevin McAleer today. Perhaps though in the so-called ‘End Of History’ era of the ‘90s the humour was naturally selfreferential.

In contrast, was the Omagh memorial quite a departure from earlier work, in terms of the emotional experience?

Oh, Omagh was and remains in a category of its own, in every way. To be frank it has been a very tough experience though of course one of the worst things is that any problems or pressures we had in making it were and are shaded to insignificance by the horror of the event and import for its victims. It’s a very different game to working in one’s bedsit, whatever the consequences of that.

How did you feel when the ‘inscription row’ erupted, do you think the politics of blame had any place in this cross-divisional memorial? [In 2007, the proposed wording of the memorial plaque sparked consternation between the Omagh Council and bereaved families, with the latter claiming that a Sinn Fein-dominated council objected to apportioning blame to a ‘dissident Republican car bomb’.]

It was an extra problem, of course, increasing the pressures, though completely outside our process. There is so much, an unimaginable amount of pain and anger there that almost anything can be expected and must be understood. And of course we had to stay out of it, apart from fully supporting the families’ demand for an enquiry, and maybe making more personal art about it at some point. My most

www.totallydublin.ie

recent work does indeed delve into the ‘deep politics’ which lie beneath I think.

As your work has become better known, have you ever fallen foul of political sensitivities? Do you think you could ever get away with just pretending to be the ‘innocent art student’ these days?

Well, possibly, probably, there was and maybe still is a lot of ‘censorship by omission’ of the ‘troubles’ work. When I lived in London it was on one hand blatantly censored from shows a couple of times, on the other hand (and contrary to an old article that seems to get recycled) it was extremely popular with audiences and got a lot of exposure; Creative Camera and Royal Photographic Journal covers, full-page in the ‘Times’, live interviews on BBC Radio etc. etc. But it was for some reason and is still is, left out of the Northern collections, exhibitions and catalogues, and therefore, almost, almost, the history, which does hurt. But then Oscar did say; ‘If you tell the truth, you are sooner or later going to be found out”. And I was to discover on moving to Dublin that neither press nor curators in the Republic were as keen or as open to it, and there’s none in public collections here at all, which is a shame.

As for current work, well I don’t want to make trouble for myself but do feel the need to pay attention where it’s due. So we’ll see. Being labelled as a ‘troublemaker’ has limited benefit. I remember a student in the last few years saying, “Oh the great thing about your work is its integrity” which had me thinking “oh yeah, twentyfive years on the dole, integrity...”

Sean Hillen’s Return to Irelantis runs at the Alliance Francais all this month

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Oscar win this year is a reflection of peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s appreciation for whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happening within the Japanese film industry. There is more variety in Japanese film now. Our films arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t falling into certain stereotypical categories. The new generation of film-makers are quite keen to explore the outside market and are taking an international audience into consideration when making their films. In that respect itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a very different kind of filmmaking to what we had in the 1950s. It certainly is an interesting and encouraging time for Japanese cinema.

Henry and Sunny, Dublin-based writer/director together twenty years after their original setting Fergal Rockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;melancholic tale of true love against and they meet for the first time in a cafĂŠ in Moscow all oddsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, is a unique vision quite beautifully realwhere they discuss each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives. ized. Shot in high-contrast black and white, Henry and Sunny imagines a complicated relationship Can you tell us about the programme and why you These plays are not related though are they? They

between an unemployed clown and his high-profile have chosen these particular films? two stone in weight! It was tough but fascinating.

No stranger to the dark and daunting, seasoned arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sequels? love interest who inhabit very different worlds that We try to promote a deeper understanding of Japanese Then a year on a different special project for the thespian Olwenoff FouĂŠrĂŠâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest is role sees her take No, they are ago bothI worked completely characters Rounding TheProjects Abbeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s By Popular Pallas Contemporary something ofapart, a to the tragically threaten to keep themDemand despite their society and culture. A lot of the filmsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; themes this year European presidency in France.

I was together stage as gem the sole survivor of welcome Sodome, a(Terminus) city secreted whichand cen-not from completely different plays.

Theput only link is that season, which saw the hidden in Dublinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s artistic landscape, best efforts. compliment that aim. We have five films for Dublin withboth a French director and we did an adaptation in turies before enjoys a utopian existence of joy, excess welcome (The Sea Farer) return to the Abbey they share an author and a location.

The play awayso from the larger tourist haunts and commercial This latest short from Rock assembles an acand I hope that I have selected a good combination French of two of Roddy Doyleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s books â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Paula Spencer and orgies until terror deals one fatal and devastating and Peacock stages of some of its most talked-about entities that complished populate theteam city that centre. isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t contributed stands on its own feet however, so audiences wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hasWhich undoubtedly that people will enjoy. The press responses to all of image: ACCA and The Woman Who Walked into Doors. I grabbed blow.

Inthat heritâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s solo performance in the premiere shows, is Little Gem, the winning debut to say inaccessible, in award fact inworld the fish have to be familiar with Chekhov to enjoy to the filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s positive reception onbowl the festival necessarily circuit. them have been very positive. We have Ponyo, the latthat experience because I thought it was a fantastic of play acclaimed Frenchman Laurent GaudĂŠ, frombyactor/writer Elaine Ever since its ofaDublin city, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;she just past theMurphy. little plastic diver, Here discusses the filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s depiction of a love less the play. animation Miyazaki who is quite well known opportunity and now, more and more, I want to work FouĂŠrĂŠ rises the settled ashes encased in to much-raved-about appearance as part ofsalt, the Fringe In Little Gem the role ofest Amber provedfrom the most tucked awayfrom between Stoneybatter Smithfield. ordinary, and how they and stumbled across lead actor or costumes. from Spirited Away and Howlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Moving Castle. Ponyo with this inbetweeness.â&#x20AC;? relay her account of the event.

A provocative piece of â&#x20AC;&#x153;I find that a lot of the time when I go into a in 2008, it has played to sold out audiences in EdHas the new experience Dublin had a significant difficult to cast. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This play has a really big elderly If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re willing go slightly off road with your There seems to be a strong sense of fragility in your PaulotoBraganca.

Have you worked with Brian Frielâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plays the past? wasisasohuge hitfun, in Japan. quite a deceptive film as it was inonParis a producing? year ago FouĂŠrĂŠin first work, Sodome, My Love, into theatre I almost donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t recognise thewhen characters on stage. inburgh, London andatranslated New York, snaring itsby scribe It effect what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re fanbase, because the Kay work, role much and toIt is the city centre strolling, take lookey-loo in English this month, particularly concerning grammar of urban Yes, myI first Brian Friel play was in 1966, as aWith kid in be has aimed at a younger audience but we can stumbled across GaudĂŠâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Printed on the some FouĂŠrĂŠ herself, notartists only poses questions about the huwouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t meet them in costumes my everyday life. some serious accolades ranging the Fishamble our work isdo a script. response to both physiget them to it. listen toPortuguese whatarchitecture, aappears 19plumbers yeartoold to of say where Australian Pat Foster and Jen Berean does all this relate back to that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;inwork to with and props so our choice cast Two turned up at our The concept of clowns asfrom the latest casualtiesthe of Typically the Abbey The Loves of Cass McGuire.

However, always expect Miyazaki to deliver a deeper message random publication, the title ma doucerecognise in man magnifies mankindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inherent need Little Gem, I think, the audience members New Writing the Carol Tambor social of a(Sodome, given environment, careOrlaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aboutdoor it,built you really need someone havecondition opened a but newaward exhibition to2009 coincide with their anxietyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;?

to structures shoot in black and white simplifiedsothings on that and to really producer one day to re-fit her bathrecession is a to unique one.

What made you settle cal on and than the surface suggests. A Stranger of Mine is a very one of the greatest acting experiences I have ever French) intrigued her.

Immediately she set about findto destroy all that he fears. themselves more in the characters, particularly if In response to the level of interest shown in last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Best of Edinburgh.

Not bad for a woman who only as soon as we landed Dublin we quickly started strong in the role.â&#x20AC;? internationalthat studio This senseone of fragility in the work is intended to level. I also think it looks much more atmospheric. room. She texted me saying of them idearesidency. as the basis for your film? interesting film from awould youngbedirector named Kenji ingwas a copy of the text, read inwalking one sitting â&#x20AC;&#x153;For me, theitwell Sodome of this play represents a state to had playing Casimir init another Friel playdecided called you see it all in one of the suburban theatres like the event theand Japanese Film Festival hasAs broadened its the wrote she couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t benative arsed walking the city, through around, a perfect writer and an actress is she the dreaming uphim any Already established in Melinherent lack stability within the It goes back to that almost Farside-like idea of for parthighlight of Henry and asked ifof heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d I because actually wrote thetheir script while I was doing a researching Uchida.

It is his first film, shot on a low budget and without delay to put the piece into production.

FouĂŠrĂŠ of consciousness which we have completely lost any Arguably Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s greatest living playwright, Brian took playthrough toof London and then Civic inrobbing Tallaght.â&#x20AC;? horizons, now taking in three locations across the library. talking to We locals andthat digging images. juicy roles for the herself He to bring toof life on stage? bourne, Foster and Berean vocabulary of inAristocrats. fabric urban space, that in-built anxiety. The the clowns their color and distinctive be interested. was really surprised because heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d masters in DIT.employ At one the stage I was working a call uses no famous actors.

The brilliance of this film is its is Attempting wary ofAstranslations since â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every act ofof translation connection to.design When theappraise last survivor of the city of Friel turned 80 January, and to celebrate his the latest in a long, long line Irish writers New York, which earned it all sorts of awards.

This country before making a welcome return to Dublin â&#x20AC;&#x153;I last initially started writing the piece as a vehicle to get a grasp on the workings of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m playing with it.

You write a piece and you architectural to how we underconstant act of trying to achieve this stability has traits. actually made a feature film in Portugal a few years centre and a lot of the people working there with clever script and unusual structure. It has a great twist is an act of interpretation.

[GaudĂŠ] writes with amazSodome speaks to us, she is speaking to the descenfinding their voice in monologue form I wonder milestone birthday the Gate Theatre are presentin the latter half of November.

Festival programmer for myself,â&#x20AC;? she tells me when I meet her for tea in isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t my first time playing Andrey however, we took city and also its significant history.

We were lucky think about whether you can see yourself in it or stand and utilize our involved built environs. the affect, rendering social spaces even more to be interpreted.

Afterplay is aadverse bit of aas gem, and famous earlier. He had a great career relatively me were in the In artspreparing and looked like they which Ibetter donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;taoff want to say too much about. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the kind ing poetic simplicity.

What was difficult was to maindants of the people who eliminated her So it what itAustralia istaken about this mode ofyear theatre that makes it Shinji Yamada has a schedule reflective the would Abbey. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I had an audition andpeople.

IStability, was too lazy often enough to beWere on a fantastically insightful tourcompiled whether somebody else befew in the ing three ofThe his greatest works in succession: Faith Afterplay to early this with Francesca their residency show, The Problem with fragile.

Our work suggests that this lack of stability you being satirical about the entertainment although itfado has beenofpreformed awas times in Ireland, singer over there, signed towant David Byrneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s were better suited to other jobs.

My writing of film you will to see twice! Kamikaze Girls is a tain this simplicity because there are certain things that touches on a whole load of issues like ethnic cleansing so attractive emerging playwrights? imagination andtoforward thinking that has made Japato go toinvolves get new monologue.

I Best had this idea a Annis local historian that really helped us toBarber. start role.

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always thenot question about whether Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d process hasabeen ideally positioned between should be understood as a it. key in how we Healer,their Afterplay and The Yalta Game. known now Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;mtodoing it with Frances industry? record label and toured around America.

He wentfactor taking something familiar andfor putting itby inaand many Friel fans will still be overly familiar with beautiful coming-of-age story about teenage friendship you can say very directly and simply ininform Frenchit, that and genocide, but primarily for me itcame represents a state â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was talking to Abi Spillane about whose nese cinema an institution, affording Irish audiences script.

The youngest character from that.

Then understand the layers of history that Dublin. be able to have enough distance from the piece to Stoneybatterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s PCP and the IFSC-based Fire Station shape the built environs. for the classic Philadelphia Here I context.

Come and DancI think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gentle satire. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not taking pot-shots to London to pursueand a music career but it didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a slightly different I think thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where the

Japanese fashion subcultures. Shall We Dance, you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t say in English, and featured vice versa.â&#x20AC;? of consciousness that wethe nothing own debut Punk three actors deliverthe opportunity totwo appreciate thedounique cinematic I had this idea for grannyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s character.

I started yes, the city has affected thethat work we it justice.â&#x20AC;?

Studios, allowing toknow experience a aboutâ&#x20AC;?. crossmenial section at anybody.

I think fact theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re surrounded out so he came toto Ireland to doorbathroom idea ofthem having clownsa working jobs where ing at Lunasa he has also translated number of AndSohow different iscertainly itGirls doing thethe same part with Have fans work of Chekhov warmed theconfused play dis- the Hollywood re-make, has not to be with FouĂŠrĂŠ refers to a phobia orwe disinterest of of Irish theatre Born incity, the and West of seismic-shifts Ireland of Breton parents, FouĂŠrĂŠâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ing monologues, and agreed that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just athe matoutput one of worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largestâ&#x20AC;&#x153;I and oldest film with thinking about how I giving was going to bring them have produced. do miss acting though.

I have aThe small part inhe aany of the the that recent trends So have you come across buildings or infraby over-the-top characters who are motivated by installation his brother. moment walked they stand-out visually came from.

The clowns Chekhovâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plays into English, them a new lease different actors? credited it? become a modern classic in Japan. Departures is a fasin exploring European playwrights and the creative fluency in French affords her the freedom to splash ter of getting the piece upmakes and getting it outmore there.sympaIf industries. together in a play came to romantic called Happy is of boom andare bust haveand wreaked.

Ininthe midst ofwrite allwe started structure inAfter Dublin that youHe think could benefit fameitand money the clowns in comedy I knew that Paulo wasEver perfect forwhich the role. symbolic ofthatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s artistshow aIactor way.

When of life.about Totally Dublin spoke to esteemed Niall Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great because keeps one fresh.

Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re both cinating film about Japanese death rites. It has become Well I have only ever done it in Australia where there waves currently setting the stage of places like Paris in mother. a sea offro-ing, endlessArtsdesk literary possibilities, as opyou dosay something really withis no set changes, the Is it fair to yourTheir work alsosimple, experiments with the and out in January andempathized its nicefrom to just walk in, get your this to-ing and caught upwhole with the a few cracked thetic. natural instinct to entertain completely with Henry as windows? he was also of its Oscar win so we shooting the film last year the global financial Buggyposed abouttohis role in Afterplay, and his history wonderful actors andâ&#x20AC;&#x153;There both of them are friends, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more widely available because was a very warm response to it.

Friel has translated a and Germany alight. seems to be so little the majority of Irish actors who are confined just three actors who can literally set up shop in The 1950s is often regarded as the golden age of When I finally finished writing it I was too old to built form in the aftermath of design, where users script, get dressed up and off you go.â&#x20AC;? pair to suss meltdown out what they store so foritusâ&#x20AC;Ś there does appear tohim be up some newer developprovide humour.

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s real generosity involved in trying to resurrect Well his So we signed had had just in started seemed silly not with Frielâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s works. important toroom, get onpeople withtheir your because arecareer. delighted that we managed to secure it for the festicrossover and that is something that Ico-stars would like be athe films to a more restricting pool of scripts andLorraine very number offinds Chekhovâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plays so he knows thecreate material living are more likely to to take Japanese cinema but selected show play Amber andpaddling tooon young or â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;readâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and reconfigure environShe writing quite lonely. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Your cast that certainly have suffered both poor what they do, which isown in direct opposition to otheryou have and as soon as we ments posted about him onfilms our are blog we from to comment it buttoitplay wasKay a love story we wereoftenyour val.

I think all five good representations of the naturally you have to spend a lot of time together. part of rectifyingâ&#x20AC;?.

For now though, her focus is on theatre work.

Was it always her intention to exploit andthis characters inside outcomments and knew how to respect risk on charactersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; you.â&#x20AC;? such imagination and innovation.

Dobond you think that last thing I wanted, afterwe spending ments? and the production have this bond, and economic Whatand canthe we expect from yourwhat new show? planning and the recent downturn. Big more selfish values. started getting from his Portuguese fans. making and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decided so to long concentrate diversity and capabilities of Japanese cinema. next weeks at thenew Project Arts Centre performher heritage Can you usproduced a in bit of regard? the background Itwork also provides writers with aJapanese much them. modern cinema may have entered intopart writing thethis thing, wasfor to of be inPallas itplay? myself, so I her Yes, ourfew specifically focuses upon how we greater there is He a little of you thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s looking on,Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve waving Wetell have allend. new works thethe new empty buildings withbeen vacant has aahuge following over there. verypublic spaces on inbloody the ing what mayideas seem like small step on the trodden â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was something that happened organically.

I wish Well the play has borrowed two characters Afterplay was written inone 2002, why do you think the vehicle to present their voice. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You can tell soofmuch period rival that decade? meeting the standards left it in Paul hands.â&#x20AC;? understand of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;useâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;misuseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; into terms of piece goodbye.â&#x20AC;? show over the pastMeadeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s month whilst we havetaken been in attached.Hopefully the next few You had an interesting, diverse group people Is it the lucky all the way through.

The Japanese Film Festival takes place in Cineworld boards of the stage butand is also, more significantly, aWe that Idifferent had done so earlier.

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;vestudios. only twice performed more ofinteraction a story goFriel anywhere. forget that from two Chekhov plays.

Andrey Gate such a modern play celebrate his set bytoPeople the likes of Kurosawa and Ozu? is Little Gem is Station ayou simple story, based on three thechose publicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s built environments. residence at Why the Fire The show will Afterplay playing Healer and Yalta onboard forwith the film.

How did they all become will be the alongside same! onFaith did chose aI play monochrome color scheme?

November 20-22the giant leap ofinterested faith for in the future ofbecause indesigned Ireland. in French was inand 1986 when myworks first very itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just one actor speaking they arehave pre- enteredGame Itheatre think we intoLittle a new phase and that generations ofthe women from Murphyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s native from Two Sisters, and other character isa unified Sonya arework? really how public spacethat is runs at The Peacock Theatre from consist ofâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;aonce sculpture that solo are The Problem with Stability runs in Pallas Contemin Gem The Gate Theatre, from the 9th - 19th involved?

We wanted thewall-based film to have style so lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s For more, seebetween www.accesscinema.ie show went toItAvignon and we commissioned aAtranssented with all these amazing images going through the value of Japanese film has changed.

Departuresâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Artane. chronicles a year in their lives. simple with a certain in-built anxiety, an anxiety predicated 19 January-27 February.

Tickets priced from Uncle Vanya.

Friel has brought these characters an abstracted response to images and texts relating Writers always like to have their most recent work porary Projects from 30â&#x201A;Ź15 January until 13 March, The idea of auditioning people didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really appeal at everything had to have the same palette throughout.

September More information on the film is to be found Sodome, love runs at the Project Arts Centre from lation ofsocial itin into French soform, I did with it oneno night in English, heads.â&#x20AC;? play, extravagant sets a lot upon a my fear and of misuse. and â&#x201A;Ź18. to how spaces designed Thursday to Saturday, 12-6pm. to meexpectation so we werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sure how

we

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16-27 March. Tickets cost â&#x201A;Ź15 - â&#x201A;Ź25 one night in French for two weeks. I think I lost about

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-"$-04 $"--&4 -*"*40/4 %"/(&3&64&4 words // CAOMHAN KEANE picture // PATRICK REDMOND Les Liaisons Dangereuses is a delicious bit of theatre, wickedly compiled by Christopher Hampton from the 1782 novel

by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. Himself a military strategist, it looks at the ruthless efforts of the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont as they use their mutual wiles to seduce their prey, reduce their enemies, and wreak comical havoc on the upstanding society they belong to.

It runs at the Gate until the end of April with a cast that includes Nick Dunning, Catherine Walker and the magnificent Susan Fitzgerald. Here Fiona Bell talks to us about stepping into the shoes so well worn by Glenn Close, Annette Benning and errâ&#x20AC;Ś Sarah Michelle Gellar.

You play Marquise de Merteuil, a role that most actresses dream of sinking their teeth into (and a fair few actors as well). Was this the case with you?

No. I tend not to think about roles, as Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a bit more of a jobbing actor. I was delighted when this came along and I put myself forward for the role so I responded to it but I only knew it through the film.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just one of those parts that has everything. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seen as the villain but she is an understandable villain. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a three dimensional person and sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a woman of her times who is trying to survive. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s looking for freedom and control of her life. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clever, she has whatever man she wants and sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just a well-rounded character.

Do you consider her to be a feminist icon?

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be loathe to say sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a feminist icon because ultimately she uses her power to such ridiculous ends but you could argue that she has her glass ceiling and she is very confined in her world and she manipulates and tries to have power within the very narrow confines of that world. She wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t able to be in another walk of life where she could use her many skills for good.

How do you keep her from becoming a pantomime villain?

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not playing against the lines, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re so beautifully constructed, but your constantly trying to find the normality in them.

The moment you go into archness youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re

lost, because while she is arch at times and she is sarcastic at times but you always have to find the humanity. And there is a huge humanity to the part. The play is a love story and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s as much a love story between her and Valmont as it is a love story between Valmont and Tourvel. They love each other, as much as they know what love is.

Their type of love. He then goes on to find a different type of love. But she is in love with him and she ultimately destroys what she loves. He becomes poisonous to her and she canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have him in the world. She wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be able to exist.

How much does costume and production design play in a show like this?

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a really difficult show, costume and set wise, because the main character is in every single scene. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very hard to stage it completely naturalistically. If he isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t changing clothes, why is everybody else changing clothes? And if they did change clothes it could end up being a fancy dress party.

So weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re keeping it pretty minimal in this production.

How hands-on is Michael Caven as a director?

Oh heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very hands-on. Out of the corner of your eye you can see him acting along with you. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on the floor continually. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d hate if he wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t that way. I like to feel supported and have someone who is on the level with me, especially in figuring out whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going on at every moment in the script.

Is there a difference in approach from you when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re playing a classic character like Merteuil or creating a character like you did in Abi Spillaneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Strandline?

No, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think so. You have to approach them the same way. You say I created the role of Eileen. But I was really only the first person to play it. There was a script there.

I helped workshop it but so had other actresses. Ultimately you just give yourself over to the role and see what happens.

Les Liaisons Dangereuses runs from the 2nd of March until Saturday 24th April.

Monday-Saturday at 7.30pm with Saturday matinees at 2.30pm on selected dates.

Previews â&#x201A;Ź20, Matinees/Mondays â&#x201A;Ź25, Tuesday-Thursday â&#x201A;Ź32, Friday -Saturday â&#x201A;Ź35, Students: Mon-Thurs â&#x201A;Ź15 (subject to availability)

SOLAS

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*HY HUK YLZ[H\YHU[ ?L_MVYK ;[ ,\ISPU ¢ ! ! ¢ PUMV@ZVSHZIHYZ JVT www.totallydublin.ie

TOTALLY DUBLIN

35

Live gigs Monday 1 March

Friday 5 March

Sunday 7 March

■ Newton Faulkner Olympia Theatre 7.30pm, €25 Dread the thought

■ Barretstown Inspirations

■ NY Now: The Story JJ Smyths €10, 8pm Brooklyn-based jazz collective

■ Milk Upstairs at Whelan’s 8pm, €tbc Pop-rock from Dublin

■ Chipmunk The Academy 7pm, €14.50 Sold out ■ Girls Whelan’s 8pm, €16.50 They do boys like their girls.

Tuesday 2 March ■ Brendan Benson Vicar Street 8.30pm, €17 Derek Zoolander with a guitar ■ Ross Breen Upstairs at Whelan’s 8pm, €10 With We Cut Corners ■ Gerry O’Connor Whelan’s 8pm, €tbc Banjo and fiddle playing extraordinaire

Wednesday 3 March ■ Choice Music Prize Vicar Street 7pm, €27 Not nearly as entertaining as the On The Record blog rants

Show Olympia Theatre 7pm, €30 With exciting headliner DAVID GRAY ■ Sidney Samson The Button Factory 11pm, €TBC Irish Debut of DJ set

■ Dave Matthews Band The O2 7pm, €54.80 May include traces of Dave Matthews

■ The Lynchburg Mob The Village €10, 7pm CD Launch party

■ Rig The Jig Whelan’s 8pm, €tbc Trad/folk collective

■ Verona Riots Upstairs at Whelan’s 8pm, €10 With Bellajane

■ Field Music Crawdaddy 8pm, €12 With support from Land Lovers and Jerome’s Law

■ Halferty / Guilfoyle /

Carroll Organ Trio JJ Smyths €10, 9pm Guitar / Organ / Drums instrumentation

Saturday 6 March ■ Ocean Colour Scene Olympia Theatre 7.30pm, €30 OAP time

■ Open Trad session Hedigan’s Brian Boru 9pm, Free With local musicians IMRAMA

■ X-Pozed The Village €8, 8pm With Hello Jackie, Deepenmind & No Friends Land

■ Desmond Callahan Whelan’s 8pm, €tbc

Thursday 4 March ■ Isotope JJ Smyths €10, 9pm Dublin’s long running Jazz Session ■ The Coonics Upstairs at Whelan’s 8pm, €tbc With The Ralphs & The Merry Pranksters ■ Vader Whelan’s 7pm, €20 Polish death metal legends ■ Jinx Lennon The Sugar Club 8pm, €10 With special guests TBC

Tuesday 9 March

■ Martin Egan Whelan’s 8pm, €10 “Radical” indie songwriter

■ Player One Upstairs at Whelan’s 8pm, €tbc Plus guests TBC

■ Elvis Presley The O2 8pm, from €40.00 / 52.80 / 59.80 / 65.70 The Kit-Kat ad was right.

■ The Van Diemens Whelan’s 8pm, €tbc Rock/roots duo

■ John McIvor Upstairs at Whelan’s 8pm, €8 With The Tizzlettes + Lost Colours

■ Aisling Quinn & Band The Cobblestone 9pm, €TBA Folk rock ■ Lucy Wainwright Roche Whelan’s 8pm, €15 One woman and her guitar ■ Erland & The Carnival Crawdaddy €13, 8pm Nu folk collaboration ■ Two Door Cinema Club The Button Factory 7.30pm, €13 Hotly tipped indie from Norn Iron ■ Kerbdog Tribute Academy 2 7.30pm, €12 Tribute gig for the recently departed Kerbdog

Wed 10 March ■ Local Natives Academy 2 7.30pm, €13.50 More folk-pop ■ Lynyrd Skynyrd The O2 7.30pm, €49.20 Name a song that isn’t Freebird ■ Open Trad session Hedigan’s Brian Boru 9pm, Free With local musicians IMRAMA ■ Colm Lynch Upstairs at Whelan’s 8pm, €tbc With Jaker, We Play Vinyl & Stoney Brokes

9pm, €10 “and his tiny orchestra”

■ Emergenza The Village €12, 7pm Live band festival with line up TBC

■ Martin Staunton Upstairs at Whelan’s 8pm, €8 With The Lost Parade

Tripod 7.30pm, €20 Coloured-tights new wave

Sunday 14 March ■ Ellie Goulding The Academy 7pm, €17.45 The zzzzzzzzzzound of 2010 ■ Black/ Arguelles /

Guilfoyle JJ Smyths 10pm, €14 Saxophone trio

■ Wreckless Eric & Amy

Rigby

■ Sunday Session with

Andrews Lane Theatre €16, 7pm

Dublin Piper Padraig Macmathuna and Friends

■ Barstool Prophets Crawdaddy 8pm, €10 Well-known cover versions using cello, violin and acoustic guitar ■ Panda Bear Vicar Street 7.30pm, €24 We’ll give you a black eye if you don’t go.

■ Hadouken!

The Button Factory 7.30pm, €20 Dance-punk from across the water

Saturday 13 March ■ (hed)pe Academy 2 8pm, €15.50 hip hop/reggae/metal crossover

Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre 2.30pm, €5 Afternoon Trad session ■ Power Of Dreams Whelan’s 8pm, €20 20th anniversary show part 2

Tuesday 16 March ■ Bloody Beetroots The Academy 8pm, €30 Italian electronica for Aokiites ■ Paloma Faith Vicar Street 8.30pm, €23 The singing Dita Von Teese ■ Aslan Olympia Theatre 7.30pm, €25 No comment

■ Isotope JJ Smyths €10, 9pm Dublin’s long running Jazz Session

■ Richmond Fontaine Upstairs at Whelan’s €19, Early show 7.30pm Late Show 10.15pm

■ Marlena Shaw Crawdaddy 8pm, €24.50/28.50 All that she wants is another…

■ Keith Mullins Upstairs at Whelan’s 8pm, €10 His bio says he hates tomatoes but loves tomato ketchup

■ Tumbleweed Love Sessions Cobblestone 9pm, €8 Featuring Beef Supreme, Stephen Young & The Prairie Dawgs

■ X Factor Live Tour The O2 €49.20 / 44.20 / 40.20, 8pm Sold out

■ Noel Shine, Mary Greene ■ Emergenza The Village €12, 7pm Live band festival with line up TBC

Friday 12 March ■ Tom McRae Academy 2 8pm, €12

■ James Vincent Mcmorrow The Sugar Club 8pm, €13.50 Singer songwriter

■ Power Of Dreams Whelan’s 8pm, €20 20th anniversary show

■ Paul Tiernan The Cobblestone

& Guests Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre 8.30pm, €12 With special guests Con Fada O Drisceoil And Ellie Shine ■ The Avett Brothers Crawdaddy €14, 8pm Slightly less entertaining than the Chuckle Brothers ■ Passion Pit Olympia Theatre 8pm, €21 Sold out ■ Fionn Regan Vicar Street 8.30pm, €21 When I saw mushroom head…

■ Retribution Gospel Choir Whelan’s 8.30pm, €15 Amen.

■ New Young Pony Club

JJ Smyths €10, 9pm Dublin’s long running Jazz Session ■ Thee Silver Mt Zion

Memorial Orchestra The Button Factory €17.50, 7.20pm Godspeed! You Post-Rock Fans

Friday 19 March ■ Jack L Vicar Street 8.30pm, €35 We’ve run out of things to say about Jack L’s Vicar Street gigs.

■ Courtney Yasmineh & Lisa

O’Neil The Cobblestone 9pm, €TBC Folk-pop duo ■ El Da Sensei & The

Returners ■ Slow Session Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre 7.30pm, €5 Hosted by famed box-player Paudie O’Connor

■ Filthy Dukes The Button Factory 11pm, €8 DJ set

Thursday 11 March

Isotope

Wed 17 March ■ Kila Olympia Theatre 7.30pm, €31 Is it Paddy’s Day already?

■ Paddy’s Day Tea Party The Cobblestone 4pm, €4/€2 With The Blood Red Mountain Band ■ Open Trad session Hedigan’s Brian Boru 9pm, Free With local musicians IMRAMA

Thursday 18 March ■ Smokie Olympia Theatre 7.30pm, €31 A night of AOR classics ■ Mumford and Sons The Academy 7.30pm, €18.95 Sold out

The Village 7pm, €11 Hip hop special ■ Yes Cadets Whelan’s 8pm, €10 Belfast electro pop foursome ■ Tiesto The O2 6pm, €55 OhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygod

Saturday 20 March ■ Skindred The Academy 7.30pm, €16.50 The phrase “Welsh reggae rockers” is just so wrong ■ Tonbruket The Button Factory 9pm, €28 Swedish quartet featuring Dan Berglund ■ The Jimmy Cake Whelan’s 8pm, €15 With Patrick Kelleher ■ Brother Ali Crawdaddy 8pm, €12 A treat for hip hop fans ■ Paperjays Upstairs at Whelan’s 8pm, €tbc Acoustic indie-rock

Sunday 21 March ■ 50 Cent The O2 8pm, from €40 Nevermind the 9 bulllets, how he’s still going after the last 9 singles we don’t know ■ Revolution For Dogs Upstairs at Whelan’s 8pm, €tbc Generic rock trio ■ Piper in the Parlour Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre 2.30pm, €5 With this month’s guest Piper Mark Redmond.

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Standard Time JJ Smyths €10, 8pm Ireland’s finest saxophonist

With Nakatomi Towers + Mail Order Messiahs

Thursday 25 March ■ Sinatra, a Man and His

■ Scullion The Button Factory 7pm, €Tbc Legendary Celtic music collective

Monday 22 March ■ Boyce Avenue The Academy 8pm, €21 Brotherly love all round ■ Semaphore Upstairs at Whelan’s 8pm, €Tbc Americana

Tuesday March 23rd ■ Ronan Keating Grand Canal Theatre 8pm, €43 Rollercoaster aficionado and strong, silent type.

■ Ultan Conlon Whelan’s 8pm, €10 Loughrea’s finest singersongwriter ■ Sinatra, a Man and His

Life The Sugar Club 8pm, €22.65 ■ Lost and Sound Upstairs at Whelan’s 8pm, €tbc

Wed 24 March ■ Wallis Bird The Academy 7.30pm, €19.45 Taking a break from her climate change awareness duties

■ Sinatra, a Man and His

Life The Sugar Club 8pm, €22.65

■ Benni Hemm Hemm Upstairs at Whelan’s €11.50, 8pm Icelandic indie-pop

■ Open Trad session Hedigan’s Brian Boru 9pm, Free With local musicians IMRAMA

■ Sleep Thieves Whelan’s 8pm, €tbc

Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre 7.30pm, €22 “The Voice & Guitar of Squeeze”

Sunday 28 March

■ Open Trad session Hedigan’s Brian Boru 9pm, Free With local musicians IMRAMA

■ You Me At Six Olympia Theatre 7.30pm, €23.50 Busted: The Sequel ■ The Unthanks Whelan’s €18, 8pm Mercury Music prize nominated sister act

Thursday 1 April

■ Isotope JJ Smyths €10, 9pm Dublin’s long running Jazz Session

■ Matt Jacobsen’s Origami JJ Smyths €10, 8pm Blues/jazz set

■ Sanzkrit Upstairs at Whelan’s 8pm, €8 Pop-rock from Carrickmacross

■ Fiach Whelan’s 8pm, €tbc Album launch party

■ Flyleaf The Academy 1.30pm, €14 All ages matinee show

■ Crash Clonsilla Inn 8pm, €TBC

■ The King Kong Club The Village 7pm, Free It’s semi final time

■ Clanntraí - Families In

Saturday 3 April

■ Jezzebelle Upstairs at Whelan’s 8pm, €5 With Dub Country

Friday 26 March ■ Delorentos The Academy 8pm, €20 S-E-C-R-E-T-L-Y S-H-I-T-E ■ Luka Bloom The Button Factory 7pm, €20 ■ Abradab The Village 7pm, €tbc Plus special guests Jamal, Gutek (Mc’s) and Dj Bart ■ PIcastro Whelan’s 8pm, €14 Teaming up with Adrian Crowley ■ IMRO Showcase Crawdaddy 7.30pm, €Tbc Annual showcase of new blood

Life The Sugar Club 8pm, €22.65

JJ Smyths €14, 9pm Featuring Terrell Stafford

■ Kate Walsh Whelan’s 8.30pm, €15 Really deep singer-songwriter

Saturday 27 March ■ Wild Beasts The Academy 7.30pm, €17 For fans of flamboyance ■ Archie Bronson Outfit Whelan’s 8pm, €13.50 Painfully underrated Dominosigned deadlies

Traditional Music Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre 3pm, €5 This month features the O’Briain Family.

■ Eyehategod The Academy 7.30pm, €25 With support from Coldwar

■ Slow Session Workshop Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre 7.30pm, €10 This month’s Tutor TBA

■ Daniel Johnston Vicar Street 8.30pm, €30 With support from the Devil (huh huh)

Tuesday 30 March

■ The Rye The Cobblestone 9pm, €TBC “Savage driven ceoil”, oh yeah

■ The Courteeners The Academy 7.30pm, €18.50 Britpop dopplegangers ■ Fred Whelan’s 8pm, €tbc Fun five-piece with guests Zoey Van Goey ■ X Factor Live Tour The O2 8pm, €49.20 / 44.20 / 40.20 The losers have their day

Wed 31 March ■ X Factor Live Tour The O2 8pm, €49.20 / 44.20 / 40.20 ■ X Factor Live Tour The O2 1.30pm, €49.20 / 44.20 / 40.20 Matinee show ■ Bray Vista The Cobblestone 8.30pm, €TBC ■ Aja JJ Smyths €12, 9pm Playing the music of Steely Dan ■ An Acoustic Evening With

■ David Lyttle Group

■ Hoarsebox The Button Factory 7.30pm, €Tbc

■ Easter Rising 2010 Whelan’s 8pm, €TBC Acts TBC ■ Butterfly Explosion Whelan’s 8pm, €tbc Club AC30 event

Sunday 4 April

of the best

■ Michael Buckley’s Dublin

1 2 3 4

Fun Lovin’ Criminals The Academy 8pm, €30 Huey and the Whos?

■ Chris Rea Olympia Theatre 7.30pm, €39.20 The one good reason for Middlesborough’s existence ■ Adelaide’s Cape Upstairs at Whelan’s 8pm, €10 Nu-folk project by Sam Taylor

5

GIGS

Panda Bear Friday 12th March Vicar Street 7.30pm, €24 Putting aside the fact that it’s more expensive to see him live than with his Animal Collective bandmate bros, Panda Bear’s first set since a stand-in show at Tripod way back when is an essential visit. With a set likely to draw on the follow-up to his OMG Best Album Like Ever, Person Pitch, expect more nuanced electronica than My Girls - We’ll give you a black eye if you don’t go.

Fairport Convention Wednesday 10th March Whelan’s 8pm, €22 Wanted for crimes against typography, Britain’s highly regarded electric folk troupe have done some wonderful things when not shitting out album covers. Like releasing five of the best folk albums in the history of Middle Earth between 1968-1970. Any folkie worth his beard will tell you Liege & Lief is a work of unrelenting genius, but the band are still worth a look for more than nostalgia.

Islands Tuesday 30th March Academy 2 8pm, €13.50 Born a Unicorn before losing his horn, Islands’ Nick Diamonds returned to form with last years Vapours – the Islands project has taken in calypso, rap, post-rock, and 80s electro while still making maddening addictive indie-pop. Nobody really likes him anymore, but you should go make friends anyway.

Owen Pallett Friday 18th March Whelan’s 8pm, €24 Final Fantasy’s formula of violins and loop pedals hasn’t changed much despite shedding his nom-de-plume, so presumably his inspired live show hasn’t either.

Errors Thursday 25th March Academy 2 7.30pm, €13.50 While they run the gauntlet of being just a little too close to Foals poser-iness, Scotland’s hyperactive Errors are more than enjoyable when you ignore the uniform plaid shirts.

■ Crookers The Academy 8pm, €26.20 Electro acolytes, featuring DJs Phra and Bot30pm Influential noise-merchants

Glenn Tilbrook

Weekly clubs Mondays ■ Upbeat Generation @

Think Tank Think Tank, Temple Bar, D2 Pop, Rock and Soul 11pm ■ Hugh Cooney Don’t Like

Mondays Pygmalion, Sth William St, D2

Cabaret + weekly video showcase of work followed by guest DJs 9pm, Free ■ Sound Mondays The Turk’s Head, Parliament St & Essex Gate, Temple Bar, D1 Indie, Rock, Garage and Post Punk 11pm, Free

8pm, Free

9pm, Free

■ Dice Sessions The Dice Bar, Queen St, Smithfield, D7 DJ Alley Free

■ Soap Marathon Monday/

Island Culture South William, 52 Sth William St, D2 Caribbean cocktail party Free ■ The Hep Cat Club 4 Dame Lane, Dame Lane, D2 Swing, Jazz and Lounge with classes

■ King Kong Club The Village, 26 Wexford St, D2 Musical game show

Mashed Up Monday The George, Sth. Great Georges St, D2 Chill out with a bowl of mash and catch up with all the soaps 6.30pm, Free ■ The Industry Night

Break for the Border, 2 Johnstons Place, Lr Stephens Street, Dublin 2.

Pool competition, Karaoke & DJ 8pm ■ Make and Do-Do with Panti Panti Bar, 7-8 Capel Street, Dublin 1

Gay arts and crafts night 10pm ■ DJ Ken Halford Buskers, Temple Bar, D2 Chart Pop, Indie, Rock 10pm ■ Euro Saver Mondays Twentyone Club and Lounge, D’Olier St, D2 DJ Al Redmond 11pm, €1 with flyer ■ Recess Ruaille Buaille, South King St, D2 Student night 11pm, €8/6 ■ Therapy Club M, Blooms Hotel, D2 Funky House, R‘n’B 11pm, €5 ■ Lounge Lizards Solas Bar, 31 Wexford St, D2 Soul music 8pm, Free ■ Dolly Does Dragon, The Dragon, South Georges St, D2 Cocktails, Candy and Classic Tunes 10pm, Free ■ Oldies but Goldies Ri-Ra, Dame Court, D2 Blooming Good Tunes 11pm, Free ■ Austin Carter + Company

B + DJ Dexy Fitzsimons Bar, 21-22 Wellington Quay, Temple Bar, D2 Free, 9pm – 1.30am ■ DJ Darren C Fitzsimons Club, 21-22 Wellington Quay, Temple Bar, D2 Free, 11pm Chart, pop, and dance with a twist

Tuesdays ■ C U Next Tuesday Crawdaddy, Old Harcourt St Station, D2 A mix every type of genre guaranteed to keep you dancing until the wee small hours.

11pm, €5 ■ True Stories The Bernard Shaw, 11-12 Sth Richmond St, Portobello, D2 House, techno, hip-hop, B-more and loads more at the Shaw 8:30pm, Free ■ Taste Solas Bar, 31 Wexford St, D2 Lady Jane with soul classics and more 8pm, Free ■ Rap Ireland The Pint, 28 Eden Quay, D 1 A showcase of electro and hip hop beats 9pm, Free ■ Groovilisation South William, Sth. William St. D2 8pm, Free DJs Izem, Marina Diniz & Lex Woo ■ Tarantula Tuesdays The Turk’s Head, Parliament St & Essex Gate, Temple Bar, D2 Disco, House, Breaks

11pm ■ Sugarfree Ri-Ra, Dame Court, D2 Soul, Ska, Indie, Disco, Reggae 11pm, Free ■ Le Nouveau Wasteland The Dice Bar, Queen St, Smithfield, D7 Laid back French Hip Hop and Groove Free ■ Star DJs Sin, Sycamore St, Temple Bar, D2 Disco, House, R’n’B 9pm ■ Juicy Beats The Village, 26 Wexford St, D2 Indie, Rock, Classic Pop, Electro 10.30pm, Free ■ Jezabelle The Purty Kitchen, 34/35 East Essex St, Temple Bar, D2 Live Classic Rock 7pm, Free before 11pm ■ The DRAG Inn The Dragon, Sth Great Georges St, D2 Davina Devine presents open mic night with prizes, naked twister, go-go boys and makeovers.

8pm, Free ■ Glitz Break for the Border, Lwr Stephens Street, D2 Gay club night with Annie, Davina and DJ Fluffy 11pm ■ Trashed Andrews Lane Theatre, Andrews Lane, D2 Indie and Electro 10.30pm, €5 ■ DJ Stephen James Buskers, Temple Bar, D2 Chart Pop, Indie 10pm ■ Funky Sourz Club M, Temple Bar, D2 DJ Andy Preston (FM104) 11pm, €5 ■ Hed-Dandi Dandelion, St. Stephens Green West, D2 DJs Dave McGuire & Steve O ■ Takeover Twentyone Club and Lounge, D’Olier St, D2 Electro, Techno 11pm, €5 ■ John Fitz + The K9s + DJ

Mick B Fitzsimons Bar, 21-22 Wellington Quay, Temple Bar, D2 Free, 9 – 1.30am ■ DJ Keith P Fitzsimons Club, 21-22 Wellington Quay, Temple Bar, D2 Free, 11pm Classic hits & party pop

Wednesdays ■ Rattle Records with Ross

Quay, D Showcase live music night 8pm, Free ■ Galactic Beat Club The Turk’s Head, Parliament St & Essex Gate, Temple Bar, D1 Disco, Boogie, House, Funk and Balearic 11pm, Free ■ Blasphemy Spy, Powerscourt Town Centre, South William St, D2 Upstairs Indie and pop, downstairs Electro 11pm, €5 ■ Beatdown Disco South William, Sth. William St. D2 Stylus DJs Peter Cosgrove & Michael McKenna - disco, soul, house 8pm, Free ■ Wild Wednesdays Twentyone Club and Lounge, D’Olier St, D2 Frat Party €5 entry, first drink free ■ Shaker The Academy, Middle Abbey St, D2 11pm, €8/6 ■ A Twisted Disco Ri-Ra, Dame Crt, D1 80s, Indie, and Electro 11pm, Free ■ Synergy Solas Bar, 31 Wexford St, D2 All kinds of eclectic beats for midweek shenanigans 8pm, Free ■ Gaff Party Wax, Powerscourt Centre, South William St, D2 Electro/Tech House Party 11pm ■ Antics POD, Old Harcourt Station, Harcourt St, D2 Indie student night with live music slots 11pm, €5

■ Dublin Beat Club Sin è Bar, 14 Upr Ormond

■ Space ‘N’ Veda The George, Sth Great Georges St, D2 Performance and dance. Retro 50s, 60s, 70s 9pm, Free before 10pm, after 10pm €8/€4 with student ID ■ DJ Alan Healy Buskers, Temple Bar, D2 Chart Pop, Current Indie and Rock Music 10pm ■ Mud The Twisted Pepper, 54 Middle Abbey St, D2 Bass, Dubstep, Dancehall 11pm, €10 (varies if guest) ■ Sexy Salsa Dandelion Café Bar Club, St. Stephens Green West, D2 Latin, Salsa 8pm, Free ■ Rob Reid + EZ Singles +

DJ Karen G Fitzsimons Bar, 21-22 Wellington Quay, Temple Bar, D2 Free, 9pm – 1.30am DJ Darren C ■ DJ Darren C Fitzsimons Club, 21-22 Wellington Quay, Temple Bar, D2 Chart, pop & dance with a twist Free, 11pm

Thursdays ■ Choice Cuts present The

Beatdown Pygmalion, South William St, D2 DJ Scope and Handsome Paddy + special guests take the controls with a mix of hip-hop, electronica, funk, and soul.

10pm, Free ■ Jam Think Tank, Temple Bar, D1 Student night 10:30pm, Free

■ Dean Sherry Sin, Sycamore St, Temple Bar, D2 Underground House, Techno, Funk 9pm

■ Soul @ Solas Solas Bar, 31 Wexford St, D2 Mr Razor plays the best in Soulful beats and beyond.

International guests too!

8pm, Free

■ 1957 The Dice Bar, Queen St, Smithfield, D7 Blues, Ska Free

■ Extra Club M, Blooms Hotel, D2 Kick start the weekend with a little extra 11pm, €5, Free with flyer

■ Soup Bitchin’ Panti Bar, 7-8 Capel St, D1 Gay student night

■ Sidetracked Crawdaddy, Old Harcourt St Station, D2 Indie, Disco, Loungey House 8pm, Free

■ The Song Room The Globe, 11 Sth Great Georges St, D2 Live music 8.30pm, Free ■ First Taste Crawdaddy, Old Harcourt St Station, D 2 A new weekly party playing all new and advance music in The Lobby Bar 7pm, Free

(The Chapters) Pygmalion, Sth William St, D2 9pm, Free Entry

7pm, Free before 11pm

■ Unplugged @ The Purty The Purty Kitchen, 34/35 East Essex St, Temple Bar, D2 Live acoustic set with Gavin Edwards

■ Off the Charts Twentyone Club and Lounge, D’Olier St, D2 R&B with Frank Jez and DJ Ahmed 11pm, €5 ■ Tea-Time Thursdays Howl at the Moon, 7 Lower Mount St, D2 Complimentary Captain Morgan’s and BBQ. Karaoke with Cormac and Stevo 9pm ■ Muzik The Button Factory, Curved St,

Temple Bar, D2 Up-Beat Indie, New Wave, Bouncy Electro 11pm ■ Noize Andrews Lane Theatre, Andrews Lane, D2 Student night with live bands, Indie and Electro 9.30pm, €5 or €8 for two people with flyer

6pm, Free before 11pm ■ Big Time!

The Bernard Shaw, 11 - 12 Sth Richmond St, Portobello, D2 You Tube nights, hat partys... make and do for grown ups!

With a DJ. ■ The Panti Show Panti Bar, 7-8 Capel St, D1 Gay cabaret.

10pm

■ Thursdays @ Café En Seine Café En Seine, 39 Dawson St., D2 DJs and dancing until 2.30am.

Cocktail promotions.

8pm, Free

Fitzsimons Bar, 21-22 Wellington Quay, Temple Bar, D2 Free, 9pm – 1.30am

■ Guateque Party Bia Bar, 28-30 Lwr Stephens St, D2 Domingo Sanchez and friends play an eclectic mix 8.30pm

■ The Bionic Rats The Turk’s Head, Parliament St & Essex Gate, Temple Bar, D1 Dance, Jump and Skii to Reggae and Ska Free, 10pm

■ The LITTLE Big Party Ri-Ra, Dame Crt, D1 Indie music night with DJ Brendan Conroy 11pm, Free

■ DJ Dexy Fitzsimons Bar, 21-22 Wellington Quay, Temple Bar, D2 Energetic blend of dancefloor fillers Free, 11pm

■ Mr. Jones & Salt The Twisted Pepper, 54 Middle Abbey Street, D2 House, Electro, Bassline 11pm, €8/5 ■ Alternative Grunge Night Peader Kearney’s, 64 Dame St, D2 Alternative grunge 11pm, €5/3 ■ Krash Spy, Powerscourt Centre, Sth William St, D2 Pop/80s/Disco/Hip Hop 7pm, Free before 11pm, €5 after ■ Monkey Tennis Thomas House, 86 Thomas St, D8 Live DJ 9pm, Free

■ Mofo + One By One + DJ

Jenny T

■ Eamonn Barrett 4 Dame Lane, D2 Electro Indie Free, 10pm ■ Global Zoo Hogans, 35 Sth Gt Georges St, D2 Groovalizacion bringing their infectious and tropical selection including Cumbia, Samba, Dub, Reggae, Balkan, Latin and Oriental Sound 9pm, Free ■ DJ Jim Kenny Buskers, Temple Bar, D2 Chart Pop, Current Indie and Rock Music 10pm

■ Eamonn Sweeney The Village, 26 Wexford St, D2 10pm

Fridays

■ Kelp South William, 52 Sth William St, D2 Mash-ups, Bootlegs, Covers 9pm, Free

■ SUPAFAST The Underground @ Kennedys, 31-32 Westland Row, D2 An open forum for music, performance, drawing, painting, sound and installations 11pm, €5/€8

■ Jason Mackay Sin, Sycamore St, Temple Bar, D2 Dance, R’n’B, House 9pm ■ Fromage The Dice Bar, Queen St, Smithfield, D7 Motown Soul, Rock Free ■ Control/Delete Andrews Lane Theatre, Andrews Lane, D2 Indie and Electro 11pm, €3/4 ■ Davina’s House Party The George, Sth Great Georges St, D2 Drinks Promos, Killer Tunes and Hardcore Glamour 9pm, Free before 11pm, €4 with flyer ■ After Work Party The Purty Kitchen, 34/35 East Essex St, Temple Bar, D2 Live Rock with Totally Wired.

■ T.P.I. Fridays Pymalion, South William St, D2 Pyg residents Beanstalk, Larry David Jr. + guests play an eclectic warm-up leading up to a guest house set every week.

9pm, Free ■ Jam Hot 4 Dame Lane, D2 Funky Disco, House & Electro with Rob Linnane.

Free ■ Hustle The Odeon, Old Harcourt St. Station, D2 Dance floor Disco, Funk and favourites. All Cocktails €5/.

Pints, Shorts & Shots €4 10pm, Free ■ Friday Hi-Fi Alchemy, 12-14 Fleet St, D2 Rock, Funky House and Disco 10.30pm ■ Disco Not Disco

Shine Bar, 40 Wexford St, D2 Disco, house, funk & soul 9.30pm â&#x2013; Fridays @ The Turkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Head The Turkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Head, Parliament St & Essex Gate, Temple Bar, D1 Live guest bands and DJs 11pm, Free â&#x2013; Rotate Solas Bar, 31 Wexford St, D2 Oliver T Cunningham mixes it up for the weekend!

8pm, Free â&#x2013; Friday Tea-Time Club Break for the Border, Johnstonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Place, Lower Stephens St, D2 Karaoke with Cormac and Stevo from 6pm. Budweiser promotions. DJs until late. â&#x2013; Fridays @ CafĂŠ En Seine CafĂŠ En Seine, 39 Dawson St, D2 DJS and dancing until 3am.

Cocktail promotions 8pm, Free â&#x2013; Cosmopolitan Club M, Anglesea St, Temple Bar, D1 Chart, Dance, R&B 11pm, â&#x201A;Ź9 with flyer â&#x2013; Afrobass South William, 52 Sth William St, D2 Dub, Ska, Afrobeat 9pm, Free â&#x2013; Foreplay Friday The Academy, Middle Abbey St, D2 R â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; B, Hip Hop, Garage 10.30pm, â&#x201A;Ź10 after 11pm â&#x2013; NoDisko The Academy, Middle Abbey St, D2 Indie Rock with regular guest DJs â&#x201A;Ź5 after 11pm â&#x2013; Hells Kitchen The Dice Bar, Queen St, Smithfield, D7 Funk and Soul classics Free â&#x2013; Friday Night Globe DJ The Globe, 11 Sth Great Georges St, D2 DJ Eamonn Barrett plays an eclectic mix 11pm, Free â&#x2013; Ri-Ra Guest Night Ri-Ra, Dame Court, D2 International and home-grown DJ talent 11pm, â&#x201A;Ź10 from 11.30pm â&#x2013; Late Night Fridays The Sugar Club, 8 Lwr. Leeson St, D2 Residents include The Burlesque and Cabaret Social Club & Choice Cuts 11pm â&#x2013; War Spy, Powerscourt Centre, Sth William St, D2 Indie, Electro and Pop 10pm, Free before 11pm, â&#x201A;Ź7/â&#x201A;Ź10 â&#x2013; Al Redmond Sin, Sycamore St, Temple Bar, D2 Râ&#x20AC;&#x2122;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;B, House, Chart 9pm â&#x2013; Fridays @ V1 The Vaults, Harbourmaster Place,

IFSC, D1 Progressive Tribal, Techno and Trance 10pm, â&#x201A;Ź5 before 11pm, â&#x201A;Ź10 after â&#x2013; Sticky Disco The Purty Kitchen, 34/35 East Essex St, Temple Bar, D2 A gay techno electro disco in the club and indie, rock, pop, mash and gravy in the main room 10pm, Free before 11pm, â&#x201A;Ź7 after â&#x2013; Sub Zero Transformer (below The Oak), Parliment St, D2 Indie, Rock, Mod 11pm, Free â&#x2013; Stephens Street Social Club Bia Bar, 28/30 Lwr Stephens St, D2 Funk, Soul, Timeless Classics â&#x2013; Panticlub Panti Bar, 7-8 Capel St, D1 DJ Paddy Scahill Free before 11pm, â&#x201A;Ź5 with flyer, â&#x201A;Ź8 without â&#x2013; Music with Words Pravda, Lwr. Liffey St, D1 Indie, Ska, Soul, Electro 9.30pm, Free â&#x2013; Processed Beats Searsons, 42-44 Baggot St. Upper, D4 Indie, Rock, Electro 9pm, Free â&#x2013; The Bodega Social Bodega Club, Pavilion Centre, Marine Rd, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin Soul and Disco with Eamonn Barrett 11pm, â&#x201A;Ź10 (ladies free before midnight) â&#x2013; Scribble The Bernard Shaw, 11 - 12 Sth Richmond St, Portobello, D2 Funk, House, Dubstep, Hip Hop 8pm, Free â&#x2013; Room Service Feile, Wexford St., D2 Latin, Funk, Disco, uplifting Choons and Classics 9pm, Free â&#x2013; Frat Fridays Twentyone Club and Lounge, Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Olier St, D2 Student night with drinks promos and DJ Karen 10pm â&#x2013; John Fitz + The K9s + DJ

Darren C and DJ Mick B Fitzsimons Bar, 21-22 Wellington Quay, Temple Bar, D2 Free, 8pm â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2.30am â&#x2013; DJ Ronan M and DJ Ross Fitzsimons Club, 21-22 Wellington Quay, Temple Bar, D2 Funky Friday and music mayhem Free, 11pm â&#x2013; Green Sunrise The Turkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Head, Parliament St & Essex Gate, Temple Bar, D1 Funky club house, Elektronika and Disco with some guilty pleasures Free â&#x2013; Fridays @ 4 Dame Lane

4 Dame Lane, D2 Rock n Roll with Rory Montae in the bar while Aoife Nicanna and Marina play House and Latino Breaks and Beats in the club 10pm, Free â&#x2013; Basement Traxx Hogans, 35 Sth Gt Georges St, D2 Freestyle club with DJâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Half Dutch and Dejackulate spinning funk breaks, hip hop, ska, reggae and party nuggets 10pm, Free

Chart, Dance and R&B 10:30PM, â&#x201A;Ź15/â&#x201A;Ź12 with flyer â&#x2013; Viva! Saturdays The Turkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Head, Parliament St & Essex Gate, Temple Bar, D1 Retro club with house, electro and 80s 11pm, free â&#x2013; Saturdays @ CafĂŠ En Seine CafĂŠ En Seine, 39 Dawson St, D2 DJs and dancing until 2.30pm.

Cocktail promotions 10pm, Free â&#x2013; Guest band + DJ KK and

DJ Keith P â&#x2013; Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Make Party The Village, 26 Wexford St, D2 With DJ Mikki Dee 10pm, Free â&#x2013; DJ Barry Dunne Buskers, Temple Bar, D2 Chart Pop, Current Indie and Rock Music 10pm

Fitzsimons Bar, 21-22 Wellington Quay, Temple Bar, D2 New live band plays every Saturday night 8pm, Free â&#x2013; DJ Dexy and DJ Aido Fitzsimons Club, 21-22 Wellington Quay, Temple Bar, D2 Dublinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest party night 11pm, Free

â&#x2013; Saturday Night Globe DJ The Globe, 11 Sth Great Georges St, D2 DJ Dave Cleary plays an eclectic mix 11pm, Free â&#x2013; Space... The Vinyl Frontier Ri-Ra, Dame Court, D2 Soul, Funk, Disco, Electro with DJâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Glen and Gary from Beatfinder Records 11pm, Free â&#x2013; Irish Reggae Dance Peader Kearneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, 64 Dame St, D2 Reggae 10pm, â&#x201A;Ź5 â&#x2013; The Promised Land The Dice Bar, Queen St, Smithfield, D7 Soul, Funk, Disco Free

Saturdays

â&#x2013; Saturdays @ Break for the

Border

â&#x2013; Saturdays @ V1 The Vaults, Harbourmaster Place, IFSC, D1 R â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; B, Soul and Hip Hop with regular guest DJs

â&#x2013; Shindig Shebeen Chic, Georges St, D2 Each and every Saturday youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find the Shindig Crew rocking Shebeen Chicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quirky Bar with an eclectic mix of music to move to.

Free, 8p

Lower Stephenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s St, D2 Current chart favourites from DJ Eric Dunne and DJ Mark McGreer.

1pm, Free

â&#x2013; Wes Darcy Sin, Sycamore St, Temple Bar, D2 Râ&#x20AC;&#x2122;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;B 9pm

â&#x2013; Solar The Bull and Castle, 5 Lord Edward St., D2 Soul, Funk, Disco 11pm, Free â&#x2013; Squeeze Solas Bar, 31 Wexford St., D2 Aidan Kelly does his thing.

Expect the unexpected.

8pm, Free â&#x2013; A Jam Named Saturday Anseo, Camden St., D2 DJs Lex Woo, Mr. Whippy, Matjazz, Warm DJ & friends.

Jazz, disco, breaks, latin, hip-hop, house, afrobeat, funk, breakbeat, soul, reggae, brazilian, jungle.

7pm, Free â&#x2013; Strictly Handbag The Odeon, Old Harcourt St. Station, D2 Music with words for your dancing pleasure with an alternative 80s feel.

11pm, â&#x201A;Ź10 (2 for 1 before midnight) â&#x2013; The Matinee Brunch Club The Odeon, Old Harcourt St. Station, D2 Super family friendly brunch club. Kids movies on the big screen at 3PM. 12pm â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 6pm, Free â&#x2013; Dizzy Disko, Andrews Lane Theatre, Andrews Lane, D2 11pm, â&#x201A;Ź10 â&#x2013; KISS Twentyone Club and Lounge, Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Olier St, D2 Keep It Sexy Saturdays with DJ Robbie Dunbar 10pm, Free before 11pm, â&#x201A;Ź8 after â&#x2013; Saturday with Resident DJ Club M, Blooms Hotel, D2

making etc.

Later on: Resident DJs playing Soul, Funk, House, Electro â&#x2013; Sidesteppinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Bia Bar, 28/30 Lwr Stephens St, D2 Old School Hip Hop, Funk 45s, Reggae 8pm, Free â&#x2013; Saturday @ The Village The Village, 26 Wexford St, D2 Pete Pamf, Morgan, Dave Redsetta & Special Guests 11pm â&#x2013; DJ Karen @ The Dragon The Dragon, Sth Great Georges St, D2 House music 10pm â&#x2013; Beauty Spot Karaoke The George, Sth Great Georges St, D2 Karaoke and DJ Miguel Gonzelez playing super sexy Spanish House.

9pm, Free before 10pm, â&#x201A;Ź10 after â&#x2013; Basement Club Panti Bar, 7-8 Capel St, D1 Pop and Electro â&#x2013; Saturday @ The Wright

Venue â&#x2013; Transmission The Button Factory, Curved St, Temple Bar, D2 Indie and dance with international guests 11pm, varies â&#x2013; Pogo The Twisted Pepper, 54 Middle Abbey St, D2 House, Funk, Techno 11pm, â&#x201A;Ź10 (varies if guest) â&#x2013; Pentagon POD and Tripod, Old Harcourt Station, Harcourt St, D2 Access all areas at the Pod complex with local residents and special guest DJ slots over five rooms 11pm, â&#x201A;Ź12 â&#x2013; Gossip Spy, Powerscourt Centre, Sth William St, D2 80s, Disco, Hip Hop, House Free before 11pm, â&#x201A;Ź10 after â&#x2013; Flirt Alchemy, 12-14 Fleet St, D2 Sultry, Funky and Sexy Beat alongside Chart Hits 10.30pm

â&#x2013; Basement Traxx Transformer (below The Oak), Parliment St, D2 Indie, Rock 11pm, Free

The Wright Venue, South Quarter, Airside Business Park, Swords, Co Dublin Rock, Pop, Hip-hop, Dance 10pm

â&#x2013; Downtown Searsons, 42-44 Baggot St. Upper, D4 Indie, Soul, Chart 10pm, Free

â&#x2013; Punch The Good Bits Indie/Disco in one room and Techno/House and Electro in the main room 11pm, â&#x201A;Ź2 between 11-11:30

â&#x2013; Strictly Handbag Bodega Club, Pavilion Centre, Marine Rd, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin 80s with DJ Mark Kelly 10pm, â&#x201A;Ź10

â&#x2013; Saturdays @ 4 Dame Lane 4 Dame Lane, D2 Goldy mixes beats/breaks/ hip hop and funk in the bar and Gaviscon plays everything under the sun in the club 10pm, Free

â&#x2013; Toejam The Bernard Shaw, 11 - 12 Sth â&#x2013; Eardrum Buzz Richmond St, Portobello, D2 Afternoon: Car boot sales, film Hogans, 35 Sth Gt Georges St, clubs, music lectures, t-shirt D2

â&#x2013; The Weird Scientist Eamonn Doranâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, 3a Crown Alley, Temple Bar, D2 11pm, â&#x201A;Ź8/5 â&#x2013; Laundry Hogans, 35 Sth Gt Georges St, D2 Bumpin House, Techno, Disco, Nu Disco 10pm, Free â&#x2013; Sugar Club Saturdays The Sugar Club, 8 Lwr. Leeson St, D2 Salsa, Swing, Ska, Latin 11pm, â&#x201A;Ź15 â&#x2013; Reloaded The Academy, Middle Abbey St, D2 Commercial Electro 10:30pm, â&#x201A;Ź5 before 12, â&#x201A;Ź8 after

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D2 House party vibes with Thatboytim playing mix of dance floor classics with of hip hop, reggae, ska, rock, electro and teenage memories.

10pm, Free ■ DJ Stephen James Buskers, Temple Bar, D2 Chart Pop, Current Indie and Rock Music 10pm

Sundays ■ Ear Candy Solas Bar, 31 Wexford St, D2 Disco tunes and Funk Classics to finish the weekend.

8pm, Free ■ The Matinee Brunch Club The Odeon, Old Harcourt St. Station, D2 Super family friendly brunch club. Kids movies on the big screen 3PM. 12pm – 6pm, Free ■ Songs of Praise The Village, 26 Wexford St., D2 The city’s rock and roll karaoke institution enters its fifth year.

9pm, Free ■ Salsa v Samba The Odeon, Old Harcourt St. Station, D2 Learn to dance Salsa & Samba from some of the best instructors in Ireland. €5, Classes from 5pm, club from 8pm – late ■ Dancehall Styles The Button Factory, Curved St, Temple Bar, D2 International dance hall style 11pm, €5 ■ The Workers Party Sin, Sycamore St, Temple Bar, D2 With DJ Ilk 9pm ■ Hang the DJ The Globe, 11 Sth Great Georges St, D2 Rock, Indie, Funk, Soul 9pm, Free ■ Gay Cabaret The Purty Kitchen, 34/35 East Essex St, Temple Bar, D2 Gay cabaret show 9pm, Free before 11pm ■ 12 Sundays The Bernard Shaw, 11 - 12 Sth Richmond St, Portobello, D2 Funk, Disco, House 6pm – 12am, Free ■ DJ Karen The George, Sth Great Georges St, D2 Pop Commercial and Funky House Free before 11pm, €5 with flyer, €8 without ■ The George Bingo with Shirley Temple Bar The George, Sth Great Georges St, D2 Bingo & Cabaret with Shirley Temple Bar 8.30pm, Free ■ Elbow Room South William, 52 Sth William St, D2 Jazz, Soul, Disc & Latin 8pm, Free ■ Alan Keegan + One By

One + DJ Darren C

Fitzsimons Bar, 21-22 Wellington Quay, Temple Bar, D2 9pm, Free ■ M.A.S.S (music/arts/sights/

sounds) Hogans, 35 Sth Gt Georges St, D2 Power FM curates a night of sights & sounds with Dublin based Arts collective Tinderbox providing visuals and Power FM’s DJ’s playing Soul to Rock n Roll to Punk 7pm, Free ■ Get Over Your Weekend Panti Bar, 7-8 Capel St, D1 Lounge around with Penny the Hound. All drinks half plrice all day.

1pm, Free ■ DJ Paul Manning Buskers, Temple Bar, D2 Chart Pop, Current Indie and Rock Music 10pm ■ Sunday Roast The Globe, Georges St, D2 9pm, Free ■ Magnificent 7’s 4 Dame Lane, D2 The Ultimate Single’s Night Free, 7pm

Once Off Listings Friday March 5 ■ Joker Twisted Pepper, Middle Abbey St, D1 The Joker returns bringing his trademark G-Funked, jerry curled dubstep to the basement with the Wobble massive on support. Upstairs on the Stage Dublin’s excellent hip-hop crew Exxon Valdez unleash their latest material. In the Mezz it’s Renegade Noize time again with another DnB and Jungle throwdown.

11pm, €10/€8 Adv Tickets ■ Sharam (Deep Dish) Tripod, Old Harcourt Station, Harcourt St, D2 Sharam’s profile rivals fellow dance stars such as David Guetta and Tiesto, though repeated chart and daytime radio success has never eclipsed his reputation for putting out anthemic underground dance bombs.

11pm, €20 ■ Sidney Samson Button Factory, Curved St, Temple Bar, D2 Sidney Samson, one of the biggest Dj’s in the world right now and creator of the charttopping RIVERSIDE. Support for one of the pioneers of Dutch House, comes from the rising star of the Irish dance scene, Lorcan Mak. 11pm, €16.50 ■ Discoteque The Sugar Club, 8 Lwr. Leeson St, D2 Featuring: Kistar. Mr Razor.

Subway Mike.

11pm, €5

Saturday 6th March ■ Sven Weiseman

Twisted Pepper, Middle Abbey St, D1 See the Berliner effortlessly weave between his trademark deeper sound and classic house and techno dancefloor jack tracks.

11pm, €10/€8

Sunday 7th March ■ 12 Sundays The Bernard Shaw, 11-12 Richmond St, D8 Aaron Dempsey and Russell Simmons 6pm, Free ■ Fr. Vincent Half-Price:

Nightflight DJs Pygmalion, Powerscourt Centre, Sth William St, D2 The Nighflight crew take over for the evening for some disco and half-price booze.

Free, 7pm

Friday March 12 ■ Family South William, 52 Sth William St, D2 Dave Salacious & friends 8.30pm, Free ■ Shut Up & Dance Twisted Pepper, Middle Abbey St, D1 Breakology go oooold School on us tonight with one of the original rave & breakbeat crews Shut Up & Dance. Downstairs in the basement Reach are in effect with a very special guest TBA shortly.

11pm

Paul Van Dyk Tripod, Old Harcourt Station, Harcourt St, D2 Voted World’s Number One DJ in 2005 and 2006, the trance DJ returns to Tripod tonight.

11pm, €25

Sunday March 14th 12 Sundays The Bernard Shaw, 11-12 Richmond St, D8 John Mahon and Conor Dunne 6pm, Free

Tuesday March 16th Andrew Weatherhall Twisted Pepper, Middly Abbey St, D2 A special St Patrick’s Eve POGO with Bodytonic favourite and 2010 POGO resident Andrew Weatherall performing one of his chuggin sets in the Basement.

10pm, €10/€8 Adv Tickets ■ MixMaster Mike The Button Factory, Curved St, Temple Bar, D2 Multi award winning turntablist and resident DJ with the Beastie Boys MIXMASTER MIKE headlines The Button Factory.

11.30pm, €22.50 ■ Derrick Carter Pod, Old Harcourt Station, Harcourt St, D2 One of the pinnacles of Chicago house music’s ‘90s wave welcomes in St. Patrick’s Day at the Pod. 11pm, €16 ■ Laurent Garnier Tripod, Old Harcourt Station,

Harcourt St, D2 11pm, €22.50 ■ Happy Birthday You

Fu**ing Pyg! Day 1 Pygmalion, Powerscourt Centre, Sth William St, D2 Choice Cuts kick off a two-day birthday bash celebrating Pygmalion’s first year of existence. CC main men Scope and Handsome Paddy play as always and also welcome the young artist tipped for big things in 2010 by many a blogger and just about everyone else in the know.

9pm, Free ■ Hystereo The Good Bits Soma signees, Hystereo play an electro tech DJ set tonight.

11pm ■ Lucio Aquilina Italian Factory @ Andrew’s Lane, 12-16 Andrews Lane, D2 This time the group of Italians call to play four top Irish artists of the underground scene Barry Dempsey, Karl Lambert (Monad Music), Automated Dj’s Valentin’o-Vi(Italian Factory) and directly from Naples [Italy] one of the most ‘great talents of the last 10 year 8pm

Wed 17 March ■ Happy Birthday You

Fu**ing Pyg! Pygmalion, Powerscourt Centre, Sth William St, D2 Day 2 - Pygs Will Fly: PanPot (Mobilee/Berlin), Soul Clap (Airdrop/Wolf + Lamb/ Boston,US) Support from Pyg residents Sexshop, Fratboy Babe-Stealer, and JC. Pygmalion hosts its own special birthday party as it welcomes back two of its favourite guests and twosomes of the last year in the floor-shaking Pan-Pot, and Wolf + Lamb signing and ultimate party DJs Soul Clap.

Support comes from usual Pyg stalwarts Sexshop, Fratboy Babe-Stealer, and JC. 8pm, €12 ■ Yes Festival Eastpoint Bar & Venue, Eastpoint Business Pk, D3 3 Rooms, Over 25 DJs and Live Acts, Drinks Promos, BBQ and More.

Yes is back again for another day of deadly tunes over 3 areas with the line up boasting some of the cities finest Djs, Live acts, club nights and emerging producers.

12pm, €25 ■ Paddy’s Day Live Funk Southwilliam, 52 Sth William St, D2 Beatdown Disco DJs, Live band + DJ 6:30pm-11:30pm, Free ■ 12 Paddys Day Party The Bernard Shaw, 11-12 Richmond St, D8 2 rooms with Barry Redsetta, Handsome Paddy & more 12pm, Free

Thursday 18 March ■ FUNK 45s Southwilliam, 52 Sth William St, D2 6 hour funkathon: Dublin’s finest 7” collector DJs spin

‘strictly 45s’… funk soul latin hip-hop dancefloor-jazz afrobeat disco & breaks 8:45pm, Free

Friday 19th March ■ The SCOOP Foundation

Website Launch The Academy, 57 Middle Abbey Street, Dublin 1 The SCOOP Foundation plus a choice line-up of bands Le Galaxie, Adrian Crowley, The Rags, Bare Audio plus many more 8pm, €12 ■ Zomby Twisted Pepper, Middly Abbey St, D2 The Analogue crew are back into gigland with a bang presenting one of the most exciting & mysterious bass producers of the moment, Zomby (Mad Decent, Hyperdub, Werk).

11pm, €10/€8 Adv Tickets ■ Tiesto The O2 Following the release of his fourth album ‘Kaleidoscope’, Tiësto brings his retina scorching live show to The O2 6pm-1am, €55 ■ Climaxxx Southwilliam, 52 Sth William St, D2 Chewy & friends play electroglobal grooves 8:30pm, Free

March 20th ■ Go 4 It! Southwilliam, 52 Sth William St, D2 4 Deck Beat Jam with Matjazz, Jazzbin & Handsome Paddy (Choice Cuts) hip-hop, breakbeat, jungle & jazz.

10pm, Free ■ Best Foot Forward Southwilliam, 52 Sth William St, D2 Rizm (Choice Cuts) & Colm K (Cork) with hip-hop, funk, afrobeat, house 9pm, Free

Thursday March 25 ■ Scribble Soundsystem Southwilliam Bar, 52 Sth William St, D2 Tom Beary (deejay), MC Little Tree (vox), Chucky (drumz) & G-Frequency (dex) 8.45pm, Free

DJ Tu-ki & Scope (4 Turntables) Twisted Pepper, 54 Middle Abbey St, D1 Plus special guests and live visuals from Donal Thornton 11pm ■ Popof Tripod, Old Harcourt Station, Harcourt St, D2 Popof is a French D.J/composer/ arranger hailing from the Rave Party scene. Today, he stresses his preference towards minimal techno and electro.

11pm, €20 ■ Ewan Pearson Button Factory, Curved St, Temple Bar, D2 11pm, €10

■ Claude Young Crawdaddy, Old Harcourt Station, Harcourt St, D2 Known for his mixing style that includes scratches, juggles and cuts, Claude Young plays Detroit Techno at Crawdaddy tonight.

11pm, €15

Saturday March 27 ■ Discorotique Southwilliam Basement, 52 Sth William St, D2 Mark Kelly & Kelly Anne 10pm, Free ■ Donnacha Costello Pygmalian, Powerscourt Centre, Sth William St, D2 Donnacha Costello produces some of the sweetest morning techno-trance you’ll ever hear.

His epic Colors series on his own label Minimise, ten records recorded live on analog gear without a computer, is a milestone in the history of techno.

11pm, €10/€8

Sunday March 28 ■ 12 Boat Party No. 2 Conor L, Louis Scully, John Mahon 4pm, Sign up on invite list at bodytonicmusic.com

Wed March 31 ■ Daedelus (Early Show) Pygmalion, Sth William St, D2 Admission RSVP daedelus@ choicecuts.ie 8pm - 1am

Saturday April 3rd ■ Ricardo Villalobos The Academy, 57 Middle Abbey St, D1 Ricardo Villalobos is a ChileanGerman electronic producer and DJ and is one of the most significant figures in today’s minimal techno scene.

11pm, €29.50

Sunday April 4th Crookers The Academy, 57 Middle Abbey St, D1 Drawing from influences of house, hip hop and beyond, Crookers blend their beats with the kind of fidget house finesse that gives Potty Mouth Music its soiled swagger.

10pm, €26.20 12 Easter Sunday Special The Bernard Shaw, 11-12 South Richmond St, D2 THEO PARRISH (Sound Signature, Detroit) Conor L, Conor Dunne & more TBC 4pm, Free

Theatre ■ Boy With A Suitcase The Pavilion Theatre

By Mike Kenny Boy with a Suitcase is the story of a 12 year old war refugee Naz, who undertakes a long and dangerous journey to find asylum in Ireland. He carries with him only a small suitcase and a treasure of stories from his childhood. Naz teams up with Krysia, a young girl in similar circumstances, who helps him dodge soldiers and find safe passage over mountains, across seas and through the mire of a city slum. With the help of Krysia and his stories, Naz finds his way to Dublin and his brother.

But is it the ‘heaven on earth’ that he expects….?

10am, 12:30pm, €10/9/8 1st March – 2nd March

■ Last Train From Holyhead The Mill Theatre

By Bernard Field Two men discover more than they bargained for as they while away the night on a train to nowhere. With the help of drink, poker and a beguiling Gipsy, they explore the void within themselves through their experience of each other.

Drink, cards and prophecy, not to mention comedy and tragedy pervade this intriguing piece of theatre which examines identity and how the seeds sown in the past have a habit of sprouting, whether we like it or not.

8pm, €17/13 15th March – 20th March

■ Les Liaisons Dangereuses The Gate Theatre

By Christopher Hampton The Tony-Award-winning play tells the sordid tale of the cunning and confident Merteuil and the wickedly charming Valmont, two high-society rivals who use sex as a weapon to humiliate and destroy. Laced with seduction, betrayal and spectacular revenge, Les Liaisons Dangereuses is a thrilling dark comedy of mannered decadence and sexual intrigue that will take you to another era and leave you wanting MORE. 8pm, €20-35 25th February – 17th April

■ Little Gem The Civic Theatre

By Elaine Murphy Amber has fierce bad indigestion and the Sambucas aren’t getting rid of it. Lorraine attacks a customer at work and her boss wants her to see a psychiatrist. Kay’s got an itch that Gem can’t scratch (but maybe Kermit can). Paul is just using Amber until he can get to Australia. The Hairy Man fancies Lorraine but fails to rise to the occasion, and Gem doesn’t like the neighbours coming in to ‘mind’ him. And if all that wasn’t bad enough, Little Gem makes his presence felt and...well...life is never the same again.

8pm, €22/18 29th March – 3rd April

■ Little Shop Of Horrors The Mill Theatre

By Alan Menken and Howard

Ashman.

Oatlands College in association with Sion Hill present ‘Little Shop of Horrors’, a rock musical by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman.

Featuring a cast of 70 transition year students from both schools, ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ tells the tale of a hapless florist shop worker, Seymore Krelborn, who raises a plant that feeds on human blood! The musical includes several show stoppers including ‘Skid Row’, ‘Somewhere that’s Green’ and ‘Suddenly Seymour’ 8pm, €12/10 9th March – 13th March

■ MacBeth The Abbey Theatre

By William Shakespeare Macbeth’s sword is still wet with blood when he returns victorious from battle, a loyal servant to his King and a hero amongst his comrades. But when three weird sisters cross his path with mysterious prophecies, Shakespeare’s fearsome tragic hero comes face to face with his most fierce opponent yet - his destiny. Swayed by promises of greatness and the demands of a power-hungry wife, Macbeth swathes his way to power - and moral decay.

2pm, 7:30pm. €15-38 30th March – 15th April

■ My Fair Lady The Mill Theatre

By Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe Professor Henry Higgins takes a bet from Colonel Pickering that he can transform unrefined Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle into a lady. He does, and young aristocrat Freddy Eynsford-Hill falls madly in love with her. But when Higgins takes all the credit and forgets to acknowledge her efforts, Eliza angrily leaves him for Freddy. Suddenly Higgins realizes he’s grown accustomed to her face...

2pm, 8pm, €20/17/10 23rd March – 27th March

■ Romeo et Juliette (Gounod) The Gaiety Theatre Opera Ireland continues its Shakespearean programme with the ever-popular tragic tale of the star-crossed lovers.

Gounod’s opera was first performed in Paris in 1867 where its lavish score proved to be an immediate success. The opera captures the most famous scenes from the play including the Capulet’s ball, the balcony farewell, the secret marriage and the anguish in the tomb.

8pm, €25-120 27th February – 5th March

■ Singin Im no a Billy, Hes a Tim The Olympia Theatre

By Des Dillon Billy, a die-hard Rangers fan, and Tim, a faithful Celtic supporter, are locked up together on the day of the Old Firm Match. Can Harry the ever watchful turnkey keep them apart?

8pm, €30 19th March – 20th March

■ Sodome, My Love

Project Arts Centre

By Laurent Gaudé World Premier. The sky breaks, the rain falls. The downpour slowly awakens a woman buried in salt for centuries, the only survivor of the city of Sodome. Here, now, amongst us, she begins to speak. This is her story...

8pm, €25/20 12th March – 27th March.

■ Sticks and Stones Bewley’s Café Theatre

By Drew McWeeny and Scott Swan A Chicago cop finds himself in deep water in the office of a Jewish lawyer in downtown Los Angeles . Accused of a deadly crime, the cop faces the prospect of not only losing his job but also his life. The lawyer is faced with a choice that could make or break him. A winner of the Showtime best one act play festival award, STICKS AND STONES is a tense, razor sharp legal drama with a nail-biting twist that will keep you guessing right until the very end.

1:10pm, €15 (Includes Lunch) 22nd February – 13th March

■ Still, the Blackbird Sings: Incidents at Ebrington Barracks Project Arts Centre

By Dave Duggan Still, the Blackbird Sings by Dave Duggan re-invents, in a contemporary style, dramatic events in the life of the poet-soldier Francis Ledwidge. It finds him and his squad members facing the question in barracks: why return to the front when we have already survived three campaigns? Ledwidge was an Irish patriot and Nationalist, killed in action during World War I. In this exhilarating, entertaining and engaging dramatisation of life in barracks, Ledwidge faces questions relevent to this day. Why would an Irishman join the British Army and can there be poetry in the midst of war?

8:15pm, €15/12 1st March – 6th March

■ Stones In His Pockets The Olympia Theatre

By Marie Jones Stones in his Pockets is set in a rural town in County Kerry that has been over-run by a Hollywood film crew. The story revolves around the two central characters, Charlie Conlon and Jake Quinn, who are working as extras in the film. The cast of two perform all 15 characters (men and women), often switching gender and voice with swift dexterity and the absolute bare minimum of costume changes.

8pm, €25/20 9th March – 12th March

■ Stones In His Pockets The Pavilion Theatre

By Marie Jones Stones in his Pockets is set in a rural town in County Kerry that has been over-run by a Hollywood film crew. The story revolves around the two central characters, Charlie Conlon and Jake Quinn, who are working as extras in the film. The cast of two perform all 15 characters

(men and women), often switching gender and voice with swift dexterity and the absolute bare minimum of costume changes.

8pm, €23/20 22nd March – 24th March

■ The Beauty Queen of Leenane The Pavilion Theatre

By Martin McDonagh The play centres on the life of Maureen Folan, a 40-year-old spinster who takes care of her selfish, manipulative mother, 70 year-old Mag. Maureen’s two sisters have escaped into marriage and family life, but Maureen, with a history of mental illness, finds herself trapped in a seriously dysfunctional relationship with her mother.

This is a world of tragic farce, the characters playing out their roles in ever-decreasing circles of hopelessness, where events are simultaneously comic, horrifying and absurd.

8pm, €23/20 5th March – 6th March

■ The Brother The Pavilion Theatre Following a single sellout performance at the Mountains To Sea Literary Festival in September, Eamon Morrissey returns to Dún Laoghaire with his celebrated solo show The Brother. The hilarious writing of Myles na gCopaleen and the comic talents of Eamon Morrissey combine to provide a piece of entertainment that has endured through 35 years, since the play was first performed in the Peacock Theatre in 1974.

If you want to learn at source about the atomic dangers of bicycles, as well as many other quare and fascinatin’ meditations on life, then an evening in the company of The Brother is your only man.

8pm, €20/16 3rd March – 4th March

■ The Haunting of Helena Blunden The Civic Theatre

By Paul Boyd & Bernie McGill A doorway. A stairwell. A story.

Two women: one desperate to cross over the threshold: the other desperate to escape.

What is it on the other side that makes eighty-year-old Maggie want so badly to go in? What is it that has terrified Susan into packing up and leaving?

And why does the story of the mysterious Helena Blunden still hold them both there?

This is thriller, ghost story, and musical. Set in modern Belfast in a converted linen mill it has more twists and turns than the yarn winding its way round the spindle. Just when you think it’s time to relax, sit back and breathe easy, the breath is knocked right out of you.

8pm, €22/18 9th March – 13th March

The Legend of Zocorro The Mill Theatre

By Leonor Bethencourt Zocorro is a Spanish testosterone-fuelled Nanny who dreams of becoming the next Rose of Tralee. Zocorro tackles the giants of nannying Foxrock children, leprechauns and Ryanair. She will sacrifice love and

bare whatever is necessary to achieve her goal: to be crowned the Rose of Tralee, and win the keys to the Volvo that come with it. Can a surprise random urine test shatter her dreams?

Almodóvar meets Joyce in this 50minute Stand-Up Monologue packed with “killer jokes by a Spanish Writer/Performer, Leonor Bethencourt performs regularly in the Dublin stand-up circuit.

8pm, €12 11th March – 13th March

■ The Tinker’s Curse Bewley’s Café Theatre

By Michael Harding He stands on stage, defeated, shambolic, rambling. He is a helpless father, a bewildered husband, an angry butt of majority hatred -- a travelling man..... Michael Harding’s newly adapted version of his own The Tinker’s Curse is a heart-searing, heart-searching piece of work, provoking tears and haunting the soul.

1:10pm, €15 15th March – 3rd April

■ Una Santa Oscura Project Arts Centre

By Ian Wilson A multi-sensory collaboration across disciplines between some of the most exciting artists in contemporary Irish music and theatre. Una Santa Oscura is like an opera without singers - a unique new piece of music theatre inspired by the life of 12th Century abbess, composer and mystic Hildegard of Bingen. Performed by acclaimed violinist Ioana Petcu-Colan in a startling contemporary setting, this evocative combination of sound and visuals creates a tangible sense of a life explored on stage.

8pm, €15/12 4th March – 6th March

■ Why Men Cheat The New Theatre

By Peadar de Burca Ever cheated? Ever been cheated on? Ever wondered what compels men to stray from their partners? If so, then a trip to to see Why Men Cheat might answer some of your questions. Following its sell-out success around Ireland, the hit comedy, Why Men Cheat comes to Dublin. Based on 250 interviews with men who cheated and women who were cheated on, Why Men Cheat, explores the weird and not so wonderful world of male infidelity. Alternately honest and raucous, Irish writer and comedian, Peadar de Burca tells the stories that explores almost every facet of cheating ... just don’t sit in the front row ...

8pm, €15/10 March 22nd – March 27th

■ Broken Croí/Heart Briste Project Arts Centre

By Manchán Magan A self-loathing dancer and a fanatical Gaeilgeoir seek to connect in a language lesson that swerves from slapstick to acrimony to personal revelation.

Broken Croí/Heart Briste is a comedic and heartfelt look at fractured relationships, using

a blend of Irish and English to reveal the warped truth behind our passions. Is it Irish? Can language be a weapon? Who the feic knows?

8:15pm, €15/12 15th March – 20th March

■ Christ Deliver Us! (After Wedekind) The Abbey Theatre

By Thomas Kilroy By the banks of the Gowlawn Gash river, Mossy, Michael and Winnie are growing up, wild as weeds. Vulnerable, confused and brimful of desire, they strive to make sense of the world and their place within it. With the Church held up as their guide, their future is at its mercy. Please note the play contains scenes of a disturbing nature. Suitable for over 16s.

2:30pm, 7:30pm, € 25/20/18/17/15 9th February – 13th March

■ Capuleti e I Montecchi (Bellini) The Gaiety Theatre Opera Ireland’s concert performance of Bellini’s bel canto opera ‘I Capuleti e I Montecchi’ gives a different interpretation of the tragedy of the starcrossed lovers.

In this version of the story the Capuleti and Montecchi are rival political factions rather than Shakespeare’s ‘two households, both alike in dignity’. Capellio is the father of Giulietta and the leader of the Capuleti. Giulietta is promised to Tebaldo however she has already fallen in love with Romeo, leader of the Montecchi.

8pm, €15-€65 4th March – 6th March

■ Philadelphia Here I Come The Gaiety Theatre

By Brian Friel Philadelphia, Here I come! was first produced at the Gaiety Theatre on the 28th September 1964. It went on to Broadway to universal acclaim. The play is considered as Brian Friel’s masterpiece and for its time, the theatrical devise of Gar Public and Gar Private was extremely unusual. The production arriving at the Gaiety in March 2010, will be produced by Noel Pearson who produced the multi Tony Award winning production of Dancing At Lughnasa in New York.

2:30pm, 7:30pm, €32.50 - €55 9th March – 10th April

■ Pirates of Penzance The Pavilion Theatre

By Gilbert and Sullivan A huge cast of local and national singing talent will transport you to the magical world of Gilbert & Sullivan’s ‘Pirates of Penzance’ in which swash-buckling pirates, flat footed policemen, a bevy of blushing maidens and a model Major General provide the back-drop to the complex love-story of Frederick and Mabel. A wonderful opportunity to hear the award-winning DMDS chorus and soloists at their best.

3pm, 8pm, €20/18/15 8th March – 13th March

Visual art Alliance Francais 1 Kildare St, D2 ■ Sean Hillen - Return to

Atlantis To launch the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the Alliance Française in Dublin, a collection of acclaimed work by the important Irish artist Seán Hillen will be shown for the first time in Dublin since the 1990’s.

12 February until 10th April

Chester Beatty Library

ates a sophisticated and unique fusion of metaphysics, sign systems, and the vigorous application of brightly coloured paint.

26th March - 19th May ■ Tibet’s Tibet’s and Selection of documentaries about Tibet and Mongolia by Wolfgang Kahlen, with new groups of film being shown each week in rotation as the exhibition progresses.

26th March - 19th May

Draiocht

■ Telling Images of China Major loan of thirty-eight figure paintings from the Shanghai Museum, exploring how stories and tales from folklore, religious lore and literary culture were translated into pictorial images in paintings across six centuries in China.

12th February - 2nd May

The Blanchardstwon Centre, D15

Trinity College, D2 ■ Ciaran Murphy Mixture of old and new work.

Murphy’s images are based on photographs that although simple at first glance often reveal themselves to be complex and contradictory.

28th January - 16th March ■ Ritual Objects from Nepal,

with photographs by Kevin Bubriski.

Exhibition includes a borad variety of items that are employed in shamanic ceremonies, accompanied by a Kevin Bubriski.

28th January - 16th March Alfred Jensen Collection of work that oper-

comedy weekly

■ Artist’s Proof, in association

with Chester Beatty Library An exhibition by 24 Irish and international fine art printmaking artists, allowing visitors to see the creative methodology of the printmaker, and showing the development of an idea from the research and exploration stages through to the rigorous process of making the print.

28 January until 27 March

Goethe Institut 37 Merrion Square, Dublin 2 ■ John Beattie New work involving the use of a specifically crafted drawing tool to create a simple drawing, as well as multiple cameras to document the process, as well as a collaboration with well-known Irish painter Tom Ryan.

28th January until 6th March

Green On Red 26-28 Lombard Street East, D2 ■ Damien Flood - Counter

Earth All new paintings on different supports, mostly modest in scale.

improv and stand up. €8/6. Students €5.

Ha’penny Bridge Inn

The Bankers

Wellington Quay, Temple Bar., D2.

16 Trinity St., D2

■ Tuesday & Thursday Nights Battle of the Axe Dublin’s much loved open mic night.

9:00pm €9 ■ Wednesdays & Sundays Capital Comedy Club The club’s flagship night.

9:30pm €7/5

Anseo Camden St, D2 ■ Wednesdays ‘Laugh Out Loud’ Comedy Nights with resident MC Aidan Killian.

8.30pm €5/7

Peadar Kearneys 64 Dame St., D2 ■ Fridays ‘The Comedy Gaff’ promises drinks specials and comedians from around the world.

9pm Door €10/Concession €8/ Students €5.

Sheehan’s Chatham St., D2 ■ Tuesdays Comedy Dublin: A night of

Beauty

even adding new ones, the exhibition shifts over the course, generating absences, which call to mind gaps in our memory and point to the partially hidden nature of Museum collections, as well as new relationships that challenge our understanding of the narrative.

26 January until 18 April

Major exhibition comprising paintings, drawings, photographs, unfinished works and slashed canvases, some previously unseen, offering the viewer an astonishing new look at Bacon, in this the centenary of his birth.

From 28th October until 7th March

■ Jorge Pardo Exploration of new media and the future of art within new technology to present an exhibition which is at the forefront of art practice today. The result is a highly conceptual virtual retrospective comprising expansive photomural wallpaper.

17th February until 3rd May

■ Katie Holten - The Golden

■ Anne Tallentire -This, and

Bough

other things

Holten combines drawing, sculpture and text for her Golden Bough installation, continuing her exploration and ongoing interest in organic processes and in the relationship between drawing and object.

From 28th January until 2nd April

In this multi-collabortive effort, Tallentire explores how the ordering and disordering of things can signify cultural and social determinants of daily life.

17th February until 3rd May

Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery Charlemont House, Parnell Square North, D1

Mongolia’s Mongolia

Dublin Castle, D2

Douglas Hyde Gallery

28th January until 6th March

■ Thursday & Friday Comedy improv with ‘The Craic Pack’.

9pm €10/€8 with concession.

■ Saturdays Stand Up @ The Bankers 21:00 €10/8

The Belvedere Great Denmark St., D1 Sundays Sunday improv session hosted by Comedy Dublin.

8pm €8/6. Students €5.

The Flowing Tide 9 Lwr Abbey St., D1 ■ Fridays Neptune Comedy Night 8.30pm €8

The International 23 Wicklow St., D2 ■ Mondays Comedy Improv night.

8.30pm €8/10 ■ Tuesdays Andrew Stanley’s Comedy Mish Mash (Brand new comedy showcase)

■ Francis Bacon - A Terrible

■ Ellsworth Kelly Drawings Exhibition of drawings executed between 1954 and 1962, personally selected by the artist himself.

17t March until 20th June

IMMA Royal Hospital, Military Road, Kilmainham, D8 ■ What Happens Next is a

Secret An experimental exhibition that attempts to addresses the question of what happens when artworks are shown in the context of a collection. By changing and re-positioning works, or

■ Francis Alys: Le Temps du

Sommeil Ongoing series which now comprises over 100 artworks, some still in progress. Accompanied by instructions and postcards which resemble a diary, the work relates in an oblique way to visions of games and exercises seen in many of his actions and films.

26 February - 23 May 2010

Kerlin Gallery Anne’s Lane, South Anne Street, Dublin 2

■ Dorothy Cross William

McKeown First collaborative exhibition from the pair, comprising both

8.30pm €8/10

€5

■ Wednesdays 9.30 The Comedy Cellar with Andrew Stanley €8/10

217-219 Lower Rathmines Road

■ Thursdays & Fridays The International Comedy Club with resident MC Aidan Bishop 8.45pm €8/10 ■ Saturdays 8 & 10.30pm The International Comedy Club.

Early and late shows added due to popular demand.

■ Sunday What’s New @ The International New material night.

8.45pm €5

The Woolshed Baa & Grill Parnell St., D1 ■ Mondays.

The Comedy Shed hosted by Australian import Damian Clarke. €5

Hedigans, The Brian Boru 5 Prospect Road, Glasnevin, D9 ■ Tuesdays Hedigan’s comedy features some of the best improv and comedy talent Dublin has to offer.

9pm

Slattery’s ■ Thursdays Farlmeister’s comedy box is a student friendly comedy night with up and coming stand ups and student / unemployment discounts 9pm €5 / Students €2

Twisted Pepper 54 Middle Abbey Street ■ Fridays Comedy Ireland holds their weekly Voice Box, Zocorro, and Street Justice Showdown nights 8pm Free

once-offs

■ Not Also, But Only 4 Dame Lane The story telling club is for another season of shows. The club, curated by Diet of Worms’ Shane Langan, is a laid back eclectic night of alternative comic yarn spinning and has been a big success since its debut in January of 2009.

March 3rd 7:00pm, Free ■ Jason Byrne Vicar Street, 58 Thomas St, D8 Following on from his Byrne Ultimatum project on RTE, comedian Jason Byrne returns to the bankable familiarity of his stand up routine. A strong advocate of props and crowd interaction, he

joint and solo work.

19th February until 20th March

National Gallery of Ireland Merrion Sq West, D2 ■ Recent Acquisitions A decade of acquisitions at the National Gallery of Ireland will be showcased in an exhibition reflecting the different areas of the Collection.

13th March until 25th July

The Mill Theatre

RHA Gallery 15 Ely Place, D2 ■ Imogen Stuart - Visor A work carved in glowing white Michelangelo marble, on exhibit in the RHA Foyer.

15th January - 27th March Mirror Mirror Diverse selection of 24 portraits from the National Self-Portrait collection of Ireland, with short commentaries provided by each individual selector.

15th January until 27th March in Dr Tony Ryan Gallery

Dundrum Town Centre, Dundrum, D16

Rubicon Gallery

■ Eve Parnell - Grasshopper Photographic exhibition that showcases the resilient delicacy of natural structures and the wonderful strangeness of these tiny worlds.

20th February until 25th March

■ Eithne Jordan - Night in

Projects Arts Centre 39 East Essex Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 ■ Aion Experiment Ireland’s exciting first Aion Experiment begins at 6pm on Thursday 11 February 2010 and will remain active until 27 March. The organisers request that all members of the public who plan to attend this Aion Experiment prepare physically and mentally in advance, as the Gallery will be charged with bionic energy and the objects and devices on display may trigger a re-evaluation of notions of ‘artistic healing’.

12th February until 27th March

stops off at Vicar Street for the sole Dublin performance of his extensive Irish tour.

March 4th 8:30pm, €28

■ Ian Coppinger The Laughter Lounge, Eden Quay Comedy circuit veteran and founding member of the International’s Comedy Improv; Coppinger takes to the stage for three nights of stand up at the Laughter Lounge.

4th/5th/6th of March 8:30 pm, €28 ■ Maeve Higgins Vicar Street, 58 Thomas St, D8 With the recent run of her programme Fancy Vittles pushing her into the national spotlight, Maeve Higgins makes a one night stop off at Vicar Street.

Expect frank ramblings about everyday life with her new show Blabbing Away.

8.30 pm, €28

■ Neil Delamare Vicar Street, 58 Thomas St, D8 Since performing his debut show at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2004 Delamare has amassed an enviable following which has seen him perform on 5 continents and sell-out venues nationwide. The former Panel star presents his new show Bookmarks.

8pm, €28

■ Kevin Mcaleer Draiocht Arts Centre, The Blanchardstown Centre, Dublin 15 An elder statesman of Irish comedy, Tyrone man Kevin Mcaleer

10 Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2

a City Night in a City series focuses our attention on Vienna. Resonating with a sense of emptiness, these beautifully executed paintings are pregnant with action that is either to come, or else is taking place just out of view.

10th February until 20th March

The Science Gallery Trinity College, Pearse Street, D2

Love Lab: The Science of Desire Exploring love, attraction and desire through a variety of scientific experiments that involve the visitor.

11th February until 12th March Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef A woolly testimony that celebrates the hyperbolic geometry of coral, Crochet Coral Reef also draws attention to how global warming and pollutants are threatening this fragile ecosystem.

20th March until 28th May

takes in Blanchardstown on his latest Irish tour.

8:00pm, €18 ■ Paddy Courtney The Laughter Lounge, Eden Quay Irish comedian and Laughter lounge favourite Paddy Courtney performs a three-night stint.

March18th/19th/20th 8:30pm, €28 ■ Rhod Gilbert – The Cat

that looked like Nicholas Lydhurst

Vicar Street The BBC radio jock brings his cryptically titled latest offering to Irish shores for a one off performance. Gilbert’s angst driven musings have earned him an international reputation as one of the angriest men in comedy as well as awards at several comedy festivals. He blows a Gasket live on stage at Vicar Street.

7:30pm, €25

■ Sean Lock – Lockipedia Olympia Theatre, 72 Dame Street QI regular and 8 Out of 10 Cats comedian and team captain presents his new show Lockipedia, humorous observations on life and online encyclopedia Wikipedia.

8:00pm, €23/26/29

■ PJ Gallagher Vicar Street, 58 Thomas St, D8 Naked Camera and Makin’ Jake creator PJ Gallagher takes to the Vicar street stage for a night of stand up.

8:30 pm, €28

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HOWTH PETER HUGHES

and cheap as well.

Marketing Student

Good place for a drink?

How long have you lived in Howth?

Well, the best pint of Guinness can be found in Cibo’s and anyone around will tell you that, Findlater is great and also the The Bloody Stream is fantastic as well It has changed a bit now and has a younger crowd.

24 years with my family.

You must like it then?

Oh yeah it’s a great place to live!

How do you spend your Sundays?

Where is your favourite place in Howth?

Definitely The Summit. Not the pub itself!! But the actual Summit. The views on a clear day are amazing.

Best place to eat?

I’d have to say it would be Cibo’s upstairs. Gorgeous place and nice

Well.. you can sit outside with a coffee here and chill which is nice, Ivan’s is a great place on a Sunday to sit down and have fish & chips...

Plenty of great walking routes around and there’s also the option of fishing. I love going to Ireland’s Eye, on a boat trip, there’s a great sense of freedom about the place.

words Lisa McLaughlin photo Emma Brereton

*7"/ 4

words Peter Steen-Christensen

It was the pride of the imperial Tsarist fleet. Manning the 32 heavy weapons and the Potemkin itself was a crew of 155.

Among them was Ivan, a mechanic in the machine room since 1905. After the mutiny the sailors scattered across Europe looking for a new life. Ivan eventually came to Ireland in 1913 and he soon started working for the famous Italians who were frying fish and chips.

Ivan Beshoff died in 1987 when he was 104 years of age, but his legacy lives on. Beshoffs has progressed and along the west pier waterfront promenade in Howth we now find the much liked, talked about and revered combination of restaurant, fish-

monger market and oyster bar. The picturesque harbor, is naturally a prime location for the venture and the Oyster bar within the market is our favourite spot. Mussels, clams, crab, lobster and of course - several select versions of oysters, all fittingly served in the swish fish shop setting. And if you’re looking for a full meal, stroll next door to their restaurant. Among all the seafood specialities you find that old classic. From the recipe from those nice Italians from Lazio. The fish and chips. Indeed a million miles from Odessa during the Russian revolt.

KRUGERS Located in the Heart of Howth village (opposite the Church).

KRUGERS • Sunday Carvery

• Fresh food at the best prices

• Best Seafood Chowder in Howth • Fresh Fish Daily

• Kidys Menu freeHeart ice-creamof included Located in the Howth village Sunday• Carvery We Cater(opposite for Private parties and functions the Church) .

Howth Sutton Baldoyle

Fresh food at the prices • Serving Bar best bites until 11.00pm on Fridays and Saturdays Best Seafood Chowder in Howth Frsh Fish Daily Live Traditional Irish Music Sunday aftrnoons • Sunday Carvery Kiddies’ Menu - free ice-cream included • Fresh at the bestparties pricesand functions J^[ Jef >eki[ 8Wh % Ahk][hi bekd][ XeWiji je fkbb j^[ X[ij f_dj e\ =k_dd[ii We food cater for Private

Serving Bar bites til 11pm Fridays and Saturdays <h[i^ \eeZ i[hl[Z ZW_bo WdZ mj^ b_l[ cki_Y ceij IWjkhZWo d_]^ji

The best kept secret in Dublin

• Fresh Fish Daily 9hW_Y W]ki 9[eb ]kWhWdj[Z

www.howthismagic.com

• We Cater for Private parties and functions

• Best Seafood Chowder in Howth

The online guide to Howth, Sutton and Baldoyle 48

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• Kidys Menu free ice-cream included

Live Traditional Music Sunday Afternoons and most Saturday nights Ceol agus Craic guaranteed!

Located in the heart of Howth Village (opposite the Church) Krugers Restaurant mon to thurs 12:30pm - 8:30pm fri to sat 12:30pm - 9:30pm sunday 12:30pm - 8:30pm

• Serving Bar bites until 11.00pm on Fridays and Saturdays

Live Traditional Irish Music Sunday aftrnoons

Tophouse Bar mon to sat 10:30am - 11:30pm sunday 12pm - 11pm

www.totallydublin.ie J^[ Jef >eki[ 8Wh % Ahk][hi bekd][ XeWiji je fkbb j^[ X[ij f_dj e\ =k_dd[ii

DOCKLANDS ROBERT NAGLE Architect So, how long have lived in the Docklands for?

Around a year and three months now.

And is there a particular spot around the area that you like the most?

There’s a really nice hidden courtyard, that my appartment faces onto and that not many people know of. It was designed by landscape artist Diarmuid Gavin and it’s great in summer to relax in.

What would you like to see more of in the area?

I’d like to see more buildings finished. There’s a hotel that’s been in construction for quite a while now and progress seems to have stopped. I’m pretty happy about the new Grand Canal Theatre though, designed by ‘starchitect’ Daniel Libeskind, and cant wait to go inside. I bought myself and the girlfriend ticktes to see Swan Lake, purely to have a look around.

Grand Canal Square seems to have divided almost all Dockland residents into factions who totally love it and others who loath it. What’s your opinon, is it a good thing or bad thing?

Good thing, definitely. I love it.

words/picture Stephanie Costello

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The business community in the docklands recently celebrated the launch of the ‘Docklands Business Forum’, a new body established to act as a voice for business in the docklands.

The event brought together representatives of over 100 businesses from the docklands area where the body’s new website and steering groups were unveiled.

The forum has distinct steering groups charged with increasing business activity in the area, fostering closer links with the broader docklandscommunity and also reducing the carbon footprint of businesses located there.

Why not get your company involved in this exciting new local initiative?

(3"/% $"/"- 5)&"53& As we speak, construction has been completed on Dublin’s Grand Canal Theatre.

All that’s left to do now is a hoover here, a birra windolene there, and of course the mammoth task of collecting the possible thousands of cups of tea which the builders managed to accumulate in the 3 years’ building process.

The architecture alone is worth the 10 minute walk from Pearse Street Dart station, as the legendary visionary architect Daniel Libeskind designed the building, whose work, among others include the Jewish Museum in Berlin.

Already the theatre is off to a flying start as a large bulk of the scheduled shows have sold out. Swan Lake, the worldrenowned Russian ballet by Tchaikovsky will break the theatre in on Thursday 18th of March, and unless you know

someone who owns a ticket and an oversized novelty tutu to hide in you haven’t a hope of a seat. The ability to accommodate such an expansive show is due to the scale of the theatre, which is the first of its kind in Dublin. Before, touring Broadway shows, ballets, and indeed musicians had the option of the O2 or the Olympia and other similar small-scale venues, meaning large-scale productions would skip Dublin entirely. Its swollen capacity has attracted the likes of Rufus Wainright, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Randy Newman and the hugely popular Hairspray to the schedule already. Undoubtedly the highlight of the new theatre will be the irrepressible R Kelly on his ‘Ladies Make Some Noise Tour’. Tickets are on sale now for the show on the 7th of April, I trust you know what to do.

The Liffey Trust Centre

To advertise in this section call Jonothan 087-9972308 www.totallydublin.ie

Incorporating: Commercial and Retail Units to let The Green Room Bar - Closest bar to The O2 Spanish Properties for sale by Comaskey Ltd Egan’s Butchers - 4th Generation Butchers New Wave Cooking - private caterers National Performing Arts School (NPAS)

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words and pictures // PETER STEEN-CHRISTENSEN First thoughts when I say ‘Amsterdam’ comes down to personal preference really. My mother would think tulips, your granddad might praise the wooden shoe, and I know you will think of something quite different.

The European Football Championships in 2000 springs up in my mind, a chase for an elusive ping-pong bar and a friend of mine’s way-too-small pair of jeans on the front page of a large daily when trying to defend himself against a pack of bloodthirsty Turks. I also think of art, canals, bikes and the somewhat relaxed bohemian lifestyle.

Since most people who go there drink or smoke themselves into a stupor within minutes of reaching the red light district which would no doubt be their first port of call, I decided to leave out the louder aspect of nightlife completely. Melkweg is still a great place for gigs and clubs, the latin Bamboo Bar is so packed you won’t be able to fit anyway and there’s more of the bruin cafés along the canal than you will ever have the time to drink in so you won’t need any help in finding them.

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".45&3%"./ * 8*4) * 8"4 :063 -07&3 21 MARKETS, 9 STREETS

DOWNSIZING

The most delightful little shopping district of Amsterdam is dubbed De Negen Straatjes, The Nine Streets. Still puzzled about exactly which nine streets it really comprises, I have at least worked out that we’re talking about the picturesque area along the canalside streets from Singel to Prinsengracht and all the various small streets leading between them (from looking at the map I come up with the total of seven or perhaps eight, but what do I know?). Designer gear, accessories, interior design and cheese – if you’re lucky you will enter the shop right on time for a cheese tasting in the basement, we had an hour and a half of drinking wine, port and trying award-winning mature cheeses.

And, just like in the rest of Amsterdam, you will be able to find great vintage and second-hand shopping. We have the mittens and ponchos to prove it.

More of Amsterdam’s bohemian secondhand side will rear its haggard head at the markets. There’s plenty of them. No way did we aim for them and still ran into three (the Waterlooplein Flea Market in the old Jewish neighbourhood being our favourite). In all there are 21 different markets, several open daily (or almost daily), the others during weekends. Some are specialised – there are organic farmer’s markets, art markets, antiques and even a floating flower market - but the bestknown, the cheap and cheerful Albert Cuypmarkt, is over a kilometre long and full of everything from fruit, fish and spices to clothes and hardware. It’s been around for over a hundred years and it’s still where the locals go to find a bargain.

CUSTOMER Medium Popcorn.

ENID That’s three dollars.

CUSTOMER Let me have plenty of butter on that.

ENID Ewww!... (making a face) Here you go -- smothered in delicious yellow chemical sludge!

MANAGER (pulling her aside) What the hell is wrong with you?!

ENID What? I’m just kidding around with the customers… It’s my shtick!

Failing to grasp the ideas of The Pacific Theatre’s food court manager cost sweet Enid her job in the screen adaptation of Daniel Clowes’ Ghost World. In Amsterdam, where they don’t see things in the same fast food terms as in American omniplexes, the hamburgers come in small sizes. And, having entered a love affair with all things miniature the rumour of Burgermeester’s miniburgers was a huge draw.

Burgermeester is a little chain with three outlets around Amsterdam with hints of Jo Burger. Homemade bread, you can go white, you can go brown. Browse the menu and find turkey, lamb, beef or veggie options. Pick three - it’s called a ‘mini trio’ and sets you back a tenner – and you’ll assert my claim that they understand the concept of value. For sideorders, forget fries – they don’t do it. We chose corn on the cob, and we’d do it again.

MANAGER Well lose it! And why aren’t you pushing the large sizes? Didn’t you get training about upsizing?

ENID But I feel weird… it’s so sleazy.

MANAGER It’s not optional!

ENID Jesus…

CUSTOMER #2 Can I get a medium Sprite?

ENID A medium Sprite? Why sir, do you not know that for a mere twenty-five cents more you could purchase a large beverage that has a volume of over twice that of a puny medium drink? (she gives MANAGER a look)… I’m only telling you this because we’re such good friends -- medium is strictly for suckers who don’t understand the concept of value!

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THE CULTURAL EMBASSY He was a friend of a friend. The stories I heard about him were breathtaking and the risks were plentiful. I never found out why, but this guy – his name is Reine if I recall correctly - had a substantial urge to travel to the most hazardous outposts around the globe. He called himself an adventure traveller and the term always stuck in my mind.

My own adventure travelling is limited to going off piste on my snowboard and once being cornered by 20 Eastern Europeans with socks containing snooker balls in hand. It doesn’t count for much if compared to Reine’s hairy moments being imprisoned, deported and captured in Iran, North Korea or by some wartribe in Africa.

Anyhow, it has to be said, adventure can be had in western Europe. In Amsterdam there’s a building by the waterfront built in 1920 which originally housed migrants from Eastern Europe on their way to North and South America. Later it turned into a juvenile prison for many years and since 2005 it has served as an eccentric hotel of artistic ilk. The adventure lies in the interiors. Rooms are individually designed and uniquely range from one to five stars. Giant bathtubs midroom, grand pianos or four metre wide beds are features on the upper hand of the scale – although calling rooms five star without a view or a minibar and with an 18-inch TV might not appeal to the routine business traveller. But younger artsy types will no doubt be impressed by the exciting design, constant exhibitions, an attractive restaurant hosting concerts and events and the overall ambience created by the chosen Dutch architects and designers who helped the transformation.

Lloyd’s Hotel furthermore hosts a “Cultural Embassy” and should function as a model to what should be made of old detention centres. A prime or exciting location is a prerequisite and the site for this creative hotspot is Amsterdam’s modernized Eastern Docklands area, which just like most other urban dock districts have been going through a gentrification process over the last decades.

PERUVIAN DELIGHT The Economist once stated that “Peru can lay claim to one of the world’s dozen or so great cuisines”. Those in the know refer to the Inca heritage and the extensive immigration of diverse nationalities and claim the Peruvian cuisine has three cornerstones. Apart from the blending of distinct ethnicities and cultures and the incorporation of the ancient food culture into its modern counterpart, it’s because of the country’s unique geography. They

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are a major fishing nation, and with fish in abundant quantities it’s no surprise some of the residents put the primary product to creative use.

Somewhere in Peru lives a woman with a penchant for delighting those around her dining table. It might be unbeknown to her, or she might have given her consent, in any which way - her culinary secret is out. The recipe has travelled through her daughter onto the daughter’s husband who happens to be a chef on another continent far, far away. And the good news is - I know where he works.

The ceviche of mackarel served with a cream of corn and crispy potato comes in a glass and knocks me over. Meanwhile, girlfriend don’t say much. She has placed her bowl of Japanese rice and sashimi selection under intensive care. Outside the window the occasional boat chugs past, lanterns lit. Initial disillusionment from hearing the lobster on the menu had gone extinct for the night eases with every bite of the replacing halibut, helped by spinach and a champagne beurre blanc laced with oysters.

To find us, turn left when coming out of the rear entrance of the train station. Walk along the waterfront, pass Open – the restaurant in glass on top of the skeleton of a former railway bridge, continue a few minutes and you’ll find the little-morethan-a-year-old restaurant on your right hand side between yourself and the water.

The upmarket, stylish and well-designed Nevy serves fish. They do it well.

Nevy is located on Westerdoksdijk 40. If you find yourself in Amsterdam for a little while longer, you can also try the charcuterie and cheese-serving Envy and the wine bar Vyne, both located on Prinsengracht.

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WLTM GSOH ...WTF? TOTALLYDUBLIN.IE WE WON’T SORT OUT YOUR LOVELIFE BUT WE WILL KEEP YOU INFORMED ON LISTINGS, CINEMA, GIGS, CLUBS, CULTURE, COMEDY, EVENTS, FESTIVALS, MUSIC, AND FASHION. WE LOVE YOU.

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And finally...

150 HERENGRACHT Herengracht, Dutch for the gentlemen’s canal, rules the roost among Amsterdam’s grand waterways. Lined with swish houses it has always been a prime location and a desirable address. What this address, and in particular the house on 150 Herengracht on the corner by Leliegracht, with a canal on two of its sides - can do for us is give a valuable lesson in economic cycles. One Cornelis Sasbout, reportedly a sugar merchant (though I’d like to state that he was actually a bookbinder), on 1617 built a house on his canalside plot, a house that since then has changed hands numerous times. Although the address has always been held in high regard, the fluctuation in price tells a cautionary tale for those investing in real estate.

It’s been hard to determine the cycles of real estate prices since the statistics are virtually non-existent before the 1940s.

The interesting thing in using these houses in Amsterdam is, apart from that all bill of sales are well kept, that they have always attracted the most well-to-do buyers. It’s been the status address for the Dutch since early 1600.

In 1755 Abraham Mylius paid 5.100 guilders for the property. More than a hundred years later another buyer paid the same price for the same property. Calculating maintenance and inflation, the house had been a losing transaction for more than a century.

Maastricht professor Piet Eichholtz’s inflation adjusted Herengracht index proves that there has been several periods where prices go up or down, but over centuries there’s no uptrend or downtrend. Sometimes there has been over 80 years of downtrend after a peak. The most astonishing fact is that it took 271 years until the peak in prices in 1736 was again reached in 2007.

And that’s where the Herengracht index puts all the common theories about the housing market on its head. Perceptions that according to Eichholtz comes from the fact that economic literature is dominated by American economists and based on the growth in the USA during the last 60 years – something which on a historic and global scale is quite incorrect. So if you sadly bought your property at the peak a couple of years ago - expect to having made a profit the next time around in about 271 years. On the other hand, tulips are quite cheap these days.

When we were in Copenhagen we acknowledged how cycling was ingrained in Danish culture and discovered the Copenhagen cycle chic blog.

The similarities with Amsterdam are striking. Here too, the biking culture is widespread and as common as a cup of tea, a cycle chic blog does exist – and this time with videos too – but the main difference is the parking situation. In contrast to the Danes who park their beauties in garages adapted to purpose, the Dutch leave them astray on the streets. There are bikes absolutely everywhere. The bicycle parking behind the train station by the shuttle ferries over to the Noord is humongous. Several rows, in two tiers, with literally thousands of bikes.

The essence of Dutch cycling culture has also been vividly captured by American photographer Shirley Agudo who compiled an entertaining book called Bicycle Mania. Inspired I captured some of the bikers on film too, among them a man struggling to see through his 40 pink balloons.

For more Dutch bicycle pics go to the 100% lycra free amsterdamize.com or pick up Shirley Agudo’s book.

words // KARL MCDONALD From the dilapidated tourist town of Bangor, Northern Ireland, Two Door Cinema Club emerge wielding short, sharp indie pop songs to dance to. Alchemising guitar-driven melodies into floor-filling electronica, their debut album Tourist History is on the brink of release on French electro label Kitsuné, but the buzz surrounding the band already is well underway.

So you’ve been working on the album for a while. What can people expect?

It’s ten tracks and only about thirty-five minutes long, so all of the songs are pretty short, sharp and to the point. I think it’s something that’s both nice to listen to in one go, and also easy to dip in and out of as well. Every reaction we’ve had so far has been phenomenal. The album came out in Japan yesterday and it went really well in the first day anyway. So we’re very excited to hear what people think of it. Obviously we’ve been with the album since July when we started recording.

Hopefully people will like it.

What’s the story behind the album’s title, Tourist History?

We all grew up in Bangor and lived there pretty much our whole lives, and in the 40s, 50s and 60s that was the big tourist town in Northern Ireland. Like how English people went to Blackpool on their holidays, Northern Irish people went to Bangor. We grew up from the ashes of that, when all those tourist attractions were being demolished and the place was in decline a little bit. That’s where all our songs were written. And then when we went on tour, every time we played in a new city, we felt like tourists, no-one had heard of us and no-one had heard our songs. It referenced where we were from, and having to leave to record the album.

So you use sequenced drums on a laptop instead of a real life drummer. Which one gets more viruses?

Oddly enough our laptop has never really had a virus thankfully. We have employed a session drummer to play live recently. He probably talks back to us a bit more than the laptop does.

Do you think the laptop made you a different band than you would have been with a drummer?

We’d be a lot more pop-indie if we didn’t

have the laptop. At first it was a necessity, because we didn’t know anybody. So we started trying to do proper drums on the laptop, which sounded a bit shit. We began to realise we had a huge archive of sounds we could use. We had no boundaries. So we made the drums a bit more electronic, a bit more interesting.

Do you think you’re part of any particular scene?

Up until last Easter we were very much part of the Belfast scene, but then we moved over to London to do the record, so we were out of that. Now we’re not really part of any scene. We don’t want to be part of any scene, we don’t want to be a London band. If anything we want to be a Belfast band, but we’re not in Belfast enough to be part of that any more.

What about Kitsuné?

That’s definitely brought out the electro side to us, and having a lot of remixes to our singles has been pretty good. It’s been instrumental to our success, especially in Europe, it’s just made us a bit cooler.

They’ve been really helpful, they have a big following in France and Germany which has been great.

How was working with Philippe Zdar

[of French house giants Cassius] on the record?

Oh man, it was amazing. We’d done the album with Elliot James and then we went over to Paris to mix the singles with him, and it was unbelievable. He’s just a genius, he’s the best dance producer around, I would say. He just had the ability to make things sparkle a bit more.

Is that what he brought to it? A kind of extra sparkle?

Yeah, and making the kick a bit punchier, the bass a bit more driving. More floorfillers, basically.

A comparison you get a lot is to Bloc Party, but I don’t see that so much myself.

Is there anyone making music right now you’d compare yourself to?

I think the band we are most similar to at the moment is probably Phoenix, that mix of indie guitar, pop and electronics. We’re also very different to them, but that kind of vibe.

Two Door Cinema Club are HMV’s Next Big Thing for March.

Their new album Tourist History on Kitsune is available now from all HMV stores for €11.99 while stocks last.

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26": )0-& ,&//&%: 4 words // OISÍN MURPHY picture // EMMA BRERETON

From the outside, you might be forgiven for thinking that Kennedy’s is just another pub. “Just another pub”, indeed, and perhaps not even worth your time or money. “This is the wrong Kennedy’s,” says Anton, adjusting his spacious beanie hat, “I was ready for chicken goujons and frosty service.” (if you’ve got a friend called Anton, just leave him at home, for heaven’s sake). Disregarding a shared nomenclature with the Westland Row watering hole, I can say with some degree of certainty that this Kennedy’s, of George’s Quay, shall be attracting my custom regularly in the future.

Kennedy’s is a small one, relatively speaking, with an inconsistent and understated interior. Echoes of the archetypal ‘Western’ saloon meet traditional, Irish-pub ornamentation and red, neon

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window-lighting to create a structural ambience which, whilst not necessarily charming, is certainly comfortable and conducive to friendly conversation or a quiet pint. And what better barometer of the quality of a public house than the standard of Guinness on offer? In this regard, Kennedy’s is truly outstanding. It might be a bit cliché to say “the perfect pint”, but I don’t think I’ve had better in living memory, and for it to have been delivered with such humility (yes), by either of the two barmen on service over the course of the evening, made it all the sweeter.

Then there’s the atmosphere. In a city where self-mythologising, olde-worlde “cosiness” is venerated and held up as a yardstick of a pub’s authenticity, Kennedy’s nonchalant rakishness is genu-

inely refreshing. Or perhaps they’re just better than most at appearing to not be utterly contrived. There are no snugs here.

Snugs, I suspect, are where middle-class alcoholics go to discuss infidelity, laser eye-surgery and exchange protein strands.

The open-plan drinking space is shaped perfectly to both preserve a feeling of relative privacy and contribute to a sense of community, however loose, that kept our evening ticking along nicely without ever having to resort to discussion of the weather or how some relation had won tickets to the rugby.

The music, selected by the barman, went from Leonard Cohen to David Bowie to Lou Reed (perhaps not in that order), which, though playing quietly on a stereo above the door, lent itself to the preservation of comfort and conversation without ever feeling imposing. Are they infringing on a provision of the Vintners Association that ensures Dublin pubs of modest decoration promote the idea that Irish people exclusively listen to traditional music? Regardless, it provides a welcome change from the strange polarity of the social experience of drinking in Dublin - in which pubs’ clientele seem to oscillate between tourists, students, old folks and white-collar drinkers. To say that Kennedy’s brings people of every background together through a common love of drinking would be disingenuous, but there is a certain joy to be had in sharing a pub with such a variety of people, connected by nothing but a thirst for good conversation and a nice bit of stout.

The smoking area is comfortable and bright, with patio-heaters activated by the opening of the door. The only absurd little complaint I can make is that the tables were a bit shaky and tended to seek out contact, often successfully, with one’s knees. That’s hardly a deal-breaker for anyone, especially when the Guinness is this good. In fact, Kennedy’s is one of the finest public houses I’ve had the pleasure of visiting in three years of living in Dublin City. That said, I’m reluctant to offer a blanket recommendation for a pub whose strengths are in its singularity of appeal. If you’re in the market for a quiet drink or a decent chat with a few friends, I could scarcely think of a better venue.

For a “pre-drinks” venue or a protein strand exchange party though, there are more suited establishments.

Kennedy’s 10 George’s Quay, Dublin 2 t: 01 677 0626

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)"/%#"(4 "/% (-"%3"(4 4"563%":4 "5 5)& 0%&0/ words // LAUREN KAVANAGH picture // EMMA BRERETON Twas the night before Valentine’s, and all through the town... well. There were creatures stirring aplenty. Every pub seemed to have a special deal going, free cocktails for the ladies (handy if you’re a lesbian couple) and of course the ubiquitous red rose... which, in fairness, you’re not going to appreciate that much. Imagine the scenario... ‘Ooh you got a ROSE! Wooo!

Who gave it to you?’ ‘Em, well, there was a pub in Temple Bar that was giving them out free, with every Cosmopolitan, yeah... ahem.’

It’s a funny old day, Valentine’s, and when it falls on a weekend as it did this year, it means the day is stretched out into a mini festival of LoveTM, with plastic hearts and flowers and those horrid little teddybears with ‘I LUV U’ emblazoned across their synthetic little chests.

Restaurants are pretty much a no-go zone if your party numbers three or more, and they usually have a bit of a forced ‘romantic’ atmosphere.

So, the best idea if you’re out for a couple of pints with your mates, and want to escape the madness, is to get out of town.

But, it was coming up to 12, and all the usual haunts were coming up to closing time. So we ventured into the Odeon, smack-bang outside the Harcourt St Luas stop, where the booze was pouring freely for another couple of hours at least.

The Odeon is housed in what used to be a train station, which makes for some really impressive architecture - ceilings so high that if you looked up with a couple of drinks in you, you’d be liable to fall over, and some really beautiful art deco lamps that were so numerous that plans of thievery were hatched and regretfully abandoned when faced with the cold hard facts (height, weight of said lamp, possible arrest).

On the night in question, Strictly Handbag was on DJ duty. This night has been going for 15 years now, and most would probably remember it from its RíRa residency, and from the cute little flyers with the perforated die-cut handbags on them that you’d pop out and painstakingly fold to make a tiny cardboard purse of your very own. Dandelion was the queen of the decks back then, and

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'2/'!.3 7HERE TIME STANDS STILL (OST TO A CONTINUOUS CHANGING ART EXHIBITION

3OUTH 7ILLIAM 3TREET 4ELEPHONE she still runs the operation. 15 years ago, Strictly was all about dancing round your handbag and though flyers and popstars change over the course of a decade and a half, the sense of girliness hasn’t left.

The male population was represented, but outnumbered by gangs of girls, stuck to the periphery a little, skirting around the dancefloor like school-disco teens.

At any one time, the dancefloor seemed to be a flailing mass of sequin-clad limbs jumping around to Lady Gaga or Cheryl Cole, but refuge could be found at the other end of the station, where there’s another, more seat-filled sanctuary. This was occupied by yet more groups of women, sitting round bottles of wine (at €17! not bad at all).

Strictly Handbag, it seems, is exactly what it says on the tin, which is no bad thing. If you’re after pints and chats, or a discotastic bop on the dancefloor, the Odeon is a happy home for handbags of all descriptions every Saturday night.

The Odeon Harcourt St Dublin 2 t: 01 4782088

Fitzgeralds

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words // AOIFE O’REGAN

Prior to my visit to the Fitzwilliam Card Club, my mistaken impression of establishments of its kind (a perception probably fuelled by Hollywood’s general misrepresentation of them) was that they typically fall into one of two categories: those of the glamorous, elitist variety and their more seedy, disreputable counterparts. Fitting neither of these archetypal descriptions, the Fitzwilliam was a pleasant surprise indeed. Situated in Dublin’s Georgian quarter the club is housed in a converted convent, the activities within a world apart from those of its former residents. Over 100,000 customers pass through the doors here annually so it’s predictably busy at 9pm on a Friday night when we arrive. If the recession has had an adverse effect on the recreational gaming industry, theres certainly no evidence of it here.

We embark on a quick tour of the premises courtesy of the managment before committing to a location. Fancying our chances with a game of luck rather than one that requires any skill, we settle into a game of roulette and get off to a very rocky start. Gamers, it seems, can be a superstitious bunch. The croupiers here have seen almost every bizarre ritual and lucky charm concievable, and our losing streak seems to frighten almost every single punter away from the table. Gradually beginners luck puts in a much-needed appearance and our lack of even the most basic strategy appears to be working strangely in our favour, with thanks mainly due to our tendency to confer extensively between spins and a quick crash-course in the game from our newly

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befriended gaming manager Frank who’s presiding over the tables tonight and seems more than happy to offer guidance when it’s (often) needed and to check up on our progress.

Feeling confident now and on something resembling a roll, the Punto Banco table soon beckons from across the room.

This is James Bond’s game of preference and, so I’m told, the one on which the house has the poorest edge. However a mere few hands in my once ample, now rapidly depleting chip supply suggests it may be time to re-locate and, struggling to maintain some semblance of cool, I admit defeat and slink away from the table before any further damage to my ego can be inflicted and hope to fare better elsewhere.

The poker tables loom ominously in the distance and the play here, rivalling certain scenes in Casino Royale, seems a far cry from my low-stake lunch hour games in secondary school when we competed for pens. However business development manager David assures us that the club caters for all levels of ability, aspiring and established Danny Oceans alike are welcome here. I still feel somewhat unworthy of the game favoured by the likes of Mark Twain and Ian Fleming despite the reassurance, but Poker, as I discovered on a recent trip to Vegas (where I spent the majority of my time hovering nervously at a distance from the tables willing myself to join one before losing the nerve and pouring all my hard-earned cash into the nearest slot machine) happens to be an enjoyable spectator sport and so we join the

few punters on the balcony who seem as content to observe as to partake. It is evidently good casino etiquette to inquire if a fellow customer is having a lucky night which we do, and having brushed up on my poker speak the night previous online I’m able to follow the commentary as the cards unfold below us, but obviously not enough to conceal our amateur status which has become a source of polite amusment for others present. One smartly attired chap kindly offers to take our money off our hands and show us how to play it properly, another noticing my chip stack (reasonably substantial at this stage for a novice) proposes marriage.

From our vantage point appearances suggest that gaming remains a fairly maledominated activity. The male to female ratio here is somewhere in the region of 8:2 but poker manager Denise, herself involved in the industry for over 20 years, explains that women are becoming more of a fixture both on the professional gaming circuit and the numerous tournaments hosted here. Otherwise the clientele constitutes a mix of regular patrons (the majority of whom seem to be known on a first name basis), visiting tourists, the occasional Irish sporting celebrity and relative newcomers like ourselves.

Owing perhaps to the club’s strict no alcohol policy security is a discreet presence which adds to the low-key, homely ambience of the place and I’m actually grateful that it’s not around to cloud my judgment.

My final feat of the evening is a game of Blackjack, the most frequented of casino card games. Contrary to popular opinion it’s more of a team then a solitary game, one our trusted advisor Frank suggests, is best observed by beginners as every poor decision effects the entire group. It’s with these words of warning in mind that I nervously take my seat and consider just handing over my chips now to spare myself the surely inevitable humiliation but with the encouragement of Frank and the other players, I win my first and final hand. Having tasted my first proper victory over the house, I’m tempted to play another round but recalling the sage advice of Rounders writers Brian Koppelman and David Levien ‘If after twenty minutes you don’t know who the sucker at the table is, it’s you’ (not that it was ever in dispute to begin with) we sensibly decide to retire to a nearby bar with our modest winnings and tales of the evenings exploits.

Reflecting back on an enjoyable experience, the camaraderie and friendly banter that develops around the tables make it easy to understand the appeal of a place like this. It’s this sense of community that seems to set the club apart from its competition and ensures my return to hone my newly acquired skills, but perhaps I’ll defer that World Series application a while longer.

Registering for membership of the Fitzwilliam Card Club is free. New members receive a free €10 introductory bet.

Clifton Hall Lower Fitzwilliam St. Dublin 2 t: 01 6114677

www.totallydublin.ie

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308 308 308 :063 )085) 5)& 0"3 )064& words // KATIE GILROY picture // EMMA BRERETON 60

TOTALLY DUBLIN

If my dad’s inability to audibly grasp The Oar House’s awkward moniker - “The R House? Dior House?” could be considered an ominous start to any restaurant review, the scenic drive northbound along the seaflanked Clontarf Road to its location on Howth Harbour banishes all forebodings.

The coastal landscape’s natural beauty is breathtaking, especially on this cloudless February afternoon, and more than once I hear the right side of my brain yell out to the left “Oi! Keep your eyes on the road, idiot!” But the endless stretch of glistening water that chops and changes in the new-born spring breeze, licking the wings of low-gliding gulls and reflecting the sun like a strung sequence of light-locking prisms is just too distracting.

A hazy rainbow frames my view in an arc of triumph and I think I know where the treasure lies.

Just past Beshoff’s and Wrights of Howth, The Oar House is tucked snugly into a row of dinky little eateries on the West Pier, each boasting their latest ‘catch of the day’ in chalk on blackboards in the windows. Rusty and weathered by the elements, the exterior of The Oar House is deceptively narrow and pokey but inside’s dimensions are unexpect-

edly more akin to a large fishing trawler.

Creaky wooden floors and split-level decking add to the effect of an antique and battered sea-vessel as do the hanging nets, lanterns and various other paraphernalia of the deep blue. The uniformed chefs perform their duties on view in an open plan kitchen area at one end of the restaurant and the enthusiastic wait staff float from table to table like mermaids anxious to tend to the needs of all those aboard.

While the early bird commences at 3pm, disappointingly there is no similar lunch offer. There is however, a selection of great value tapas dishes that make for an ample bite and midday snack. Sure, we could have gone for fish and chips, steamed sea bass or grilled salmon, all at around the €20 mark but instead we chose six smaller plates which turned out to be a feast of a feed for a fraction of the price.

And what generous portions they were too. A hunky bowl of seafood chowder may have been the best my old man and aurally (but not orally) challenged companion had ever tasted. Decadent and creamy with plenty of evidence of fish meat in there (mussels, salmon and whitefish), for a mere €5.50 I would happily put my cholesterol levels at risk for a spoon of this superlative seafood staple any day of the week. The fishcakes, while tasty, were a sodden pair whose composition being more potato and less fish required tentative handling and rendered old jaws redundant. Renamed ‘potato cakes’, we’d have little to complain about.

A salty school of anchovies served with olives, green leaves, cherry tomatoes and a shaving of caramelised onion to counter the sharp bite of the gamine salt-water foragers were presented as ‘Spanish Bocaronies’ and our ‘small’ portion (that was anything but) for €4.95 proved difficult to finish due to quantity only.

Oven-baked in a shallow dish, the smokies were a high performing, flavoursome offering that combined smoked haddock, cheese, tomatoes and buckets of cream. But our hearts were captured by the spicy mussels, lavished in a delicious creamy coconut Thai curry sauce and peeping out through dark asymmetrical shells. How could we say no to the little minxes when after one bite we were hooked?

A toothsome mixed berry pavlova and a warming helping of homemade pecan pie delivered complete satisfaction as we teetered on the crest of our lunchtime wave. €57 including a deliciously fruity glass of Puna Stripe Sauvignon Blanc (€4.70) for him and a pleasantly bone dry Muscadet (€5) for me was excellent value. The stunning setting and soothing surrounds of this North Dublin peninsula came compliments of the sea.

8 West Pier Howth Dublin 13 t: 01 8394562

www.totallydublin.ie

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The problem with reviewing the restaurant of a chef whose reputation not only precedes him but damns him to a hell of infamy is that the details of the food, however good, are often diluted with salacious stories of his colossal screw-ups. But then, Conrad Gallagher was never one to shy away from the heat in the kitchen so let us reserve all matters of the mouth for anything and everything that can be bitten, chewed, spit out or swallowed, i.e. the food.

Restricting dinner to a tasting menu is a bold move, as is installing an upmarket restaurant on the bohemian Aungier Street that’s mostly populated by student unconventional freespirited types. But if anyone has the balls to shake things up a bit, it’s the gutsy Gallagher who has always dared to dance, duck and dive to the beat of a very different drum. And while Salon des Saveurs, or the more easilypronounced The Tasting Room, embodies elegance and sophistication with a touch of crass glamour evident in the roaring red walls and lacquered finishes of the interior, there’s not a sniff of stuffiness about the place nor in the manner of any one of the smartly suited and impeccably groomed male waiting staff.

There are bums on seats when we arrive on a Tuesday night; we count roughly twelve, which isn’t bad considering the doors have

only been open three weeks. Most importantly, the room doesn’t feel empty or devoid of atmosphere. Sinatraesque music smoothes over any silences or lulls in sound that may occur. Sparkling glassware, crisp white cloths and a rose, blood red, on every table reinforce the theme of elegance and style. Prices somewhat acknowledge tightened purse strings with a choice of four tasting menus starting at €24 for five courses and peaking at €54. Tasting Menu One, the cheapest option appeals to us, as does Tasting Menu Two (€34). Each menu includes the option of a wine pairing at double the price but we order just one glass each from the recommended wine list. Meagre is one way of describing the measures and my 2008 Australian Pinot Noir was unjustifiably expensive at €9 a glass.

Tasting Menu One began with a parsnip and vanilla velouté, an espresso-sized portion of soup-like substance that caressed the back of the throat as if it were liquid silk. On the side, a miniature rectangular plate containing two tiny prawns partnered with red pimentos and tarragon offered a necessary pelt of piquancy to the dish. Nouveau cuisine personified, the wasabi cured salmon “pastrami” consisted of a small circular disc of raw fish, the edges coated in the green Japanese paste, and came with delicate shavings of ginger, minute cubes of pickled pear and a dressing of soy and dill oil – haute sushi. Calamari and chunks of cheeky chorizo complimented one another in a risotto of soya beans for the third course, which held its own against the earlier flavour-filled fish. The hexagonal daube of beef and penultimate course melted like chocolate in the mouth while its celeriac mousseline accompaniment fulfilled its role as a support act. Dessert, a Tasting of Apple,

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incorporated the biblical fruit into five bitesized treats – apple crumble, spongy apply soufflé, a winning apple brulée, toffee apple and a thin biscuit topped with Granny Smith’s prized crop. All five sweets were scrum-diddlyumptious down to the core.

Less consistent was Tasting Menu Two. I thought Two’s first course of pumpkin soup with pancetta preferable to One’s comparably limp but still exquisite offering, and the side dish of black trumpet mushrooms, parmesan and pancetta drizzled in truffle oil was remarkable. Featuring tasty duck leg, chanterelle and caraway seeds, the asparagus risotto that followed was not unlike One’s third course soya bean dish but it was the stronger contender. However the ravioli of spice crab, although aesthetically intriguing fusing colours of beetroot, spinach and pumpkin and foamy textured curried froth, did not placate the tongue as much. Similarly, the canon of lamb, although beautifully cooked, was in my opinion overpowered by the presence of the goat’s cheese and saffron aioli.

Two’s dessert left a bitter taste though and not only due to its main citrus ingredient. The lumpy consistency of the lemon rice pudding was tough to swallow and although I enjoyed the lemon tart and spiced lemon cake, they dulled in comparison to the simplicity of One’s apple gems.

If tidbits of tucker do nothing to whet your appetite, a lunch and pre-theatre menu are available from 12.30-2.30 p.m. and 5-6.30 p.m. respectively (€23.95/3 courses). While the tasting menu is a tongue tingling worthwhile experience, I wonder if Gallagher can generate repeat custom from this risky business, and that is not saying anything about the quality or sheer craftsmanship of the food. The bill came to €82.30, and we duly paid in cash.

16 Aungier Street Dublin 2 t: 01 4758840

Dublin’s finest bar and restaurant in a unique waterside setting Function rooms available

TOTALLYDUBLIN.IE for all your listings needs

www.totallydublin.ie www.totallydublin.ie

Millenium Tower Charlotte Quay Dock Dublin 4 01-668 8862 www.oceanbar.ie

TOTALLY DUBLIN

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words // KATIE GILROY

#&"/; .&"/; #633*504

Like me you may have spent a summer or two in San Diego or some other J1 hotspot on the West Coast blending smoothies for seven bucks an hour, a paltry wage that just about covered rent and booze but left little change for food, phone calls home or toilet paper. If it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t for the one dollar bean and rice burritos at our local Mexican haunt on the corner of Garnet and Dawes, our stomachs wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have received the necessary padding to survive frequent beatings from nightly beer bongs, sadistic drinking games and a power hour that demanded a shot of cheap but potent liquor (whose label read â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Vodka of the Godsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;) at regular one minute intervals until one or all of us passed out. Despite many of us surviving whole summers on the adopted snack of the Californian surfer, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diddly-squat in the way of tasty Mexican food available around town. That is, until Pablo Picante entered the ring. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve probably spotted the masked reveller plastered across bus stops of late, or befriended the Mexican native on Facebook and wondered why all his status updates seem to make you hungry.

The truth is, Pablo is not only a master in the ancient art of lucha libra but the proud owner of a new burrito bar on Dublinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s busy Baggot Street. Appointed at the helm of his Irish operation is Colm McNamara, a Castleknock native on a mission to pack some punch into your lunch with a range of five mouth-watering burritos including the Beefy Barbecoa (â&#x201A;Ź5.95) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a stellar combination of slow cooked shredded rib-eye beef with refried beans, cilantro and lime rice, grated cheese and your choice of salsa; the Victorio Verde (â&#x201A;Ź5.50) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a veggie option filled with roasted veg, feta, black beans and guacamole and El

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Classico which boasts sirloin steak as its main component. An alternative to yet another boring sambo or panini, SeĂąor Pabloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s feisty tortilla-wrapped tasties are ideal for taking back to the office but can also be ravished from a window seat at the Baggot Street head quarters while listening to some quality mariachi and Mexican hip-hop tunes.

Pablo Picante 112 Baggot Street Dublin 2

Formerly â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Foodie Buddhaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, Nellyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s is now under the ownership of Caroline Nelson, who has swapped her hectic high pressure job as a chef in the kitchen of a well established Dublin restaurant for a life no less demanding running her newly acquired general store and cafĂŠ located on South Circular Road. Akin to a quaint apothecary with shelves stocked full of goodies and cupboard essentials such as Maldon Sea Salt, Green and Black organic chocolate and San Pellegrino, and with languid ditties from Belle and Sebastian seeping through the speakers, this cosy hub in the heart of town generates an instant sense of calm to all its customers on arrival. Homemade scones, muffins and brownies are positioned seductively on the shop counter and cute patchwork bunting dangles over the edge of wooden cabinets.

A rectangular wooden table, scattered with magazines and papers, dominates the centre of the small shop and makes for prime perching to catch up on the latest news whilst enjoying a fair-trade organic coffee or a bite to eat. The seasonal lunch menu includes spicy lentil soup with bread (â&#x201A;Ź4), falafel wrap with carrots, coriander and chilli (â&#x201A;Ź5.50) and grilled ciabatta with chorizo, brie and caramelized onion (â&#x201A;Ź5).

Amongst the specialized gourmet products for sale are Artisan pizza bases, a popular choice with locals coming from work, and a selection of Sheridanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cheeses and Spanish cold meats. The free range eggs are supplied by a family run farm in Wicklow and the dainty circular tables dressed in polka dots out front are a great spot to take five from the madness of the nearby city centre and chill out on a sunny Spring day. Nellyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s is open from 8am-6pm Mon-Sat, with plans in the pipeline for a weekend brunch menu.

Nellyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 12 South Circular Road Dublin 8

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62

TOTALLY DUBLIN

www.totallydublin.ie

conditions.

Free, 9pm

Shebeen Chic Free, 8.30pm Flamenco Latino vibe

local musicians IMRAMA.

Ben Prevo â&#x2013; Musical gameBand show JJ Smyths â&#x201A;Ź10, 9pmDoes Dragon â&#x2013; Dolly Blues, rock and country a The Dragon, Sth. Great from Georges regular St, D2 JJâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fixture

Mondays Thurs 26 November â&#x2013; The Mission @ Think Tank â&#x2013; Yes Tank, Temple Bar, D2 Think Olympia Theatre Club night â&#x201A;Ź39.20 10.30pm Fully seated show by influential progrockers â&#x2013; Weedway & Guests

10pm, Free Monotonix â&#x2013; Cocktails, Candy & Classic Crawdaddy Tunes 11.30pm Till Late â&#x201A;Ź13 â&#x2013; Soap Marathon Monday/

â&#x2013; Gomez The Academy â&#x2013; Therapy â&#x201A;Ź26, Club7.30pm M, Blooms Hotel, D2.

Mercury 11pm, 5Prize-winning indie rock Funky House, Râ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;B

The Breakestra

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Early Bird â&#x201A;Ź18.50 (3

South William, 52 Sth. William â&#x2013; St,Joel D2 Plaskett Whelanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Free â&#x201A;ŹTbc, 8pm cocktail party Caribbean Canadian folk-pop

Blackshaw â&#x2013; â&#x2013; James The Industry Night The Joinery, Break for theStoneybatter Boarder, 2 â&#x201A;Ź10, 7.30pm Johnstons Place, Lr Stephens St, With support

by Cian Nugent, Dublin 2.

At Last An Atlas, Owensie 8pm

â&#x2013; Jelly Donut Julian Plenti â&#x2013; The Village, 26 Wexford St, D2 The Academy 10.30pm, Free â&#x201A;Ź33 Minimal Techno

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Offers at Harbor

The Button Factory Tuesdays Live 3 â&#x2013; â&#x2013; Clubland â&#x201A;Ź25.20 Give a Dog a Bone The O2 Funk/hip-hop ten-piece hailing Panti Bar, 7-8 Capel St, D1 â&#x2013; Tuesdays @ The Dragon pm from LA Pennyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s8.00 in the bar!

The Dragon Bar, 7 Poolbeg St, D1 â&#x201A;Ź33.60, One for the Tallaght Massive Pre-Glitz party. 5 cocktails Laura Izibor â&#x2013; 8pm, â&#x2013; Jezabelle Free Tripod The Purty Kitchen, 34/35 East Wed â&#x201A;Ź17/22.50, 7.30pm Essex 2 St, December Temple Bar, D2 â&#x2013; Beauty Breaks Live music Omnipresent soulstress 7pm, Free before 11pm Solas Bar, 31 R&B Wexford St., D2 â&#x2013; Snow Patrol Friday and Live Classic Rock Mo Kelly Hey â&#x2013; American Olympia Theatre hip-hop Saturday The Village â&#x201A;Ź56.80/â&#x201A;Ź62.70 â&#x2013; The DRAG Inn courses) + â&#x201A;Ź25/30, 7.30pmDJ Rich Bea & Nondescript from The Dragon,musings Sth Great Georges â&#x2013; DJ Shirena, Polish Rock insanely successful foursome Sky Sports St, D2 Guests

3 course lunch Mashed Up Monday only â&#x201A;Ź12.50 Mundy â&#x2013; The George, Sth. Great Georges Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre St, D2 Monday to Friday â&#x201A;Ź20, 7.30pm

10pm, Free Arctic â&#x2013; The TurksMonkeys Head, Parliament St & The O2 Essex Gate, Temple Bar, D1 â&#x201A;Ź42.50 Live reggae music until late.

With support from Eagles of Death Metal â&#x2013; Island Culture

â&#x2013; Eamonn Keane Whelanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Disco, House, Râ&#x20AC;&#x2122;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;B â&#x201A;ŹTbc

- all night long!

â&#x2013; Fionn Davenport Friday 27St,November Sin, Sycamore Temple Bar, D2 9pm, â&#x201A;Ź5 â&#x2013; X1 eclectic mix NoBell cheese Olympia Theatre â&#x201A;Ź29, 8.00pm â&#x2013; Network

The Turks Head, Parliament St & The Gate, Ed Deane Band â&#x2013; Essex Temple Bar, D2 JJLatin Smyths House, Afro-Latin, Brazilian â&#x201A;Ź10, 9pm beats. & Reggae Respected blues guitarist backed

by Steady full band â&#x2013; Ready Go-Go!

Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first Teppanyaki grill

Pool competition, Karaoke & DJ â&#x2013; Vitalic The Academy â&#x2013; Make and Do-Do with Panti â&#x201A;Ź33.60, Panti Bar, 7-8 Capel Street, Pascal returns to give his DublinArbez 1 new disco-inspired material a 10pm live Gayouting arts and crafts night.

NooBar, 2 Duke Lane, D2 Little Boots â&#x2013; 9pm The Academy Dublinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tio DJs and up-andâ&#x201A;Ź18.50, 7.30pm coming talent.

Debut Irish headliner by electro popstrel â&#x2013; The Hep Cat Club

Barrere and Fred â&#x2013; â&#x2013; Paul DJ Ken Halford Tackett Buskers, Temple Bar, D2 Whelanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 10pm â&#x201A;Ź25, 8.00pm Chart Pop, Indie, Rock

Chai-Yo

4 Dame Lane, Dame Lane, D2 Kasabian â&#x2013; 8pm, Free The O2Jazz and Lounge with Swing, Winston â&#x2013; â&#x2013; Charlie â&#x201A;Ź33.60 Euro Saver Mondays classes.

The Village Club and Lounge, Contenders to the Oasis crown Twentyone 100 Lower Baggot St, Dublin 2 â&#x201A;Ź16.45, nab their biggest venue here Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Olier8.00pm St, D2 â&#x2013; Dice Sessions 01 - 6767652 Former to date 11pm, busker 1 (with turned flyer) major The Dice Bar, Queen St, European celebrity tries his DJ Al Redmond Smithfield, D7 Booka Shade Dj Set â&#x2013; hand at the Irish market Free Tripod â&#x2013; Recess DJ Alley Sat 28Buaille, November â&#x201A;Ź22.50, 11pm Ruaille South King St, D2 DJ set from 11pm, 8/6 â&#x2013; King KongGerman Club House duo â&#x2013; Student Bell X1 night The Village, 26 Wexford St, D2 Hoodwinked â&#x2013; Olympia Theatre 11pm, Free Shebeen Chic â&#x201A;Ź29

South William, 52 Sth William

Sun St, D229 November

8pm â&#x2013; Femmepop, The Mission District Motown, 60s Soul Academy 2 â&#x201A;Ź10, 8pmTuesdays â&#x2013; Ruby Canadian tween favourites Ri-Ra, Dame Court, D2 11pm, Free before 11.30 5 after

Mon November Classic 30 and Alternative Rock

â&#x2013; â&#x2013; Federico Aubele Le Nouveau Wasteland Academy 2 The Dice Bar, Queen St, â&#x201A;Ź17.50 Smithfield, D7 Acoustic set by Buenos Aires Free bred, Aubele Laid afro-sporting back French Hip Hop and Groove

Tuesday 1 December â&#x2013; Star DJs â&#x2013; Sin, Paolo NutiniSt, Temple Bar, D2 Sycamore Olympia Theatre 9pm â&#x201A;Ź30, Sold Out

8pm, Free Spectrum.. â&#x2013; Davina Devine presents open mic JJnight Smyths with prizes, naked twister, â&#x201A;Ź10, 9pm go-go boys and makeovers.

Ensemble jazz and blues lineupâ&#x2013; featuring members of The Glitz Camembert Quartet Break for the Boarder, Lwr

Thurs 3 December

The Academy â&#x201A;Ź19.50, 7.30pm Fresh from the college Underground House,gig Techno, circuit Funk

â&#x2013; Hed-Dandi â&#x2013; Dandelion, Lisa Hannigan St. Stephens Green

4 5 24 . *6 7 14 â&#x2013; Syllian Vicar Street â&#x2013; 1957 Rayle West, D2 The Village â&#x201A;Ź28, 8.30 pm The Dice Bar, Queen St, DJs Dave McGuire & Steve O â&#x201A;Ź10, 8pm Smithfield, D7 Propagandhi â&#x2013; â&#x2013; Album Free Launch With Red DancTakeover The Village Club, Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Olier St, D2 ersBlues, Cometh Ska Twentyone â&#x201A;Ź18, 7.30pm 11pm, 5 â&#x2013; W.A.S.P Vegan anarchists â&#x2013; The Mighty Stefâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Acoustic Electro, Techno anti-everyTheNightmares Button Factory thing â&#x201A;Ź24.50, 7pm Bar, 26 Wexford The Village Marillion â&#x2013; Wednesdays Heavy metal joke St, D2 The Button Factory Acoustic night with The Mighty Sunday 6 December â&#x201A;Ź35, 7.30pm Stef. â&#x2013; DJ Stephen Battle Brit rockers for obses- St & The Turks known Head, Parliament â&#x2013; Deer Tick & Megafaun sive fanbase â&#x2013; Soup Bitchinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Essex Gate, Temple Bar D1 Whelanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Panti Bar, 7-8 Capel St, D1 11pm, Free Friday 4 December â&#x201A;Ź12Gay student night

Sick of beans on toast?

Student meal deal Burger + a pint only â&#x201A;Ź10!

â&#x2013; Tectric ID Required â&#x2013; The TheButton Tragically HipCurved Michael Jackson@Tribute â&#x2013; Wednesdays Spy Factory, The Village TheSpy, Button FactoryCentre, Sth Powerscourt Street, Dublin 2 â&#x201A;Ź29.65, 7.30pm 8.00pm William St, D2 Electro, funk and house music â&#x201A;Ź1510pm Nigel Mooney â&#x2013; â&#x2013; With Ben Jackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sons Late club night (snigger) A Twisted Disco Night JJ Ri Smyths Ra, Dame Crt, D1 Access â&#x2013; All â&#x201A;Ź10, 9pm â&#x2013; The SongAcademy Room Free, 11pm â&#x201A;Ź19.50, 11.00am The Globe, 11 Sth Great Georges 80â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Indie and Electro Sat 5 December Alcohol-free rock-fest for the St, D2 kids with Elliott 8.30pm, Free Minor, Home â&#x2013; Stylus presents The Barfly â&#x2013; Sessions Hadouken Star Runner, Live music Fox Avenue, Jody Tripod Has A Hitlist, The Shower Solas Bar, 31 Wexford St, D2 â&#x201A;Ź20, 7.30pm Scene â&#x2013; We got Soul, the Funk, and the With residents Mr Motto, Paul Dance-rockers Kitchen Sink Cosgrove anddrawing Michael lazy McKenna LUNCH DINNER â&#x20AC;˘Morrison BRUNCH â&#x2013; James comparisons the Prodigy â&#x20AC;˘Latin Ri-Ra, Funk, soul, to hip-hop, reggae,

Dame

Court, D2 The11pm, O2 Free before 11.30, 5 after 47 Ranelagh, Dublin 6, Ireland The Pogues

â&#x2013; â&#x2013; â&#x201A;Ź39.2/49.20, 6.30pm Soul and Funk Antics T. 01 ! " 497 8010 E. info@dillingers.ie Olympia Theatre British singer-songwriter with # $%& '

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â&#x2013; Funky Sourz Open session â&#x2013; Club M,Trad Temple Bar, D2 Hedigans 11pm, 5Brian Boru 9pm DJ Andy Preston (FM104) Weekly free event hosted by

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" XBSN BOE SFMBYJOH SFTUBVSBOU UP Design Classics of HP GPS MVODI EJOOFS BOE UBQBT the 20th Century &VSPQFBO XJOFT UP DIPPTF GSPN 7PUFE CFTU OFXDPNFS CZ UIF SFTUBVSBOU BTTPDJBUJPO PG *SFMBOE Gallery 293FDPNNFOEFE CZ UIF .JDIFMJO (VJEF Original Vintage Posters 97 Ranelagh Road,2,Ranelagh 29 Molesworth Street, Dublin Ireland Village, Dublin 6 t: +353 1 6425784 :: f: +353 1 6624964 0QFO -VODI 5VFTEBZ 'SJEBZ QN QN Tel: 01 4977821 e: info@gallery29.ie :: w: www.gallery29.ie %JOOFS 5VFTEBZ 4BUVSEBZ QN QN

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TOTALLY DUBLIN

57

words // KATIE GILROY

If you look up the definition of ‘super couple’ you’ll probably find a picture of Erik and Michelle Robson squeezed in there between one of Brangelina, the Obamas and Jay Z and his missus. It’s been a decade since the proprietors of ely winebar, ely chq brasserie and ely hq gastropub first began their business, and the pair are not only surprisingly low-profile despite their success but seem much younger than they ought to be considering all they’ve achieved in that length of time. With more balls in the air than a circus juggler – three sizeable venues, a four year old son and a recently published award-winning book – ‘the wine and food of ely through the seasons’, it’s amazing there’s any gas left in the tank of this seemingly unstoppable machine. But the Robsons, revolutionaries of Irish viticulture, are more focused on the future than ever.

What did you do before running your vast ely empire?

E: It’s certainly not an empire, that’s for sure! I was working for Mitchell’s Wine Merchants, a (200 year old family firm of wine merchants) but my parents were in the restaurant business so I’m afraid I got the bug.

M: I was in Robert Roberts and Woodford Bourne, a wine company, so my interest was obviously food and wine - no family background just interest. You have to have a passion for it.

How did you meet?

M: We met through work. I suppose ely materialized through a natural love of food and wine for the two of us and we felt that there was a gap in the market at the time.

We met in 1997 and at the end of ‘98 we started looking for a premises. Wine by the glass was our first and foremost concept.

At the time you could only get either a quarter bottle of wine or you had to have a full three course meal in order to have a nice glass of wine and something to eat.

Do you have separate roles in the company or do you work side by side on everything?

M: Our role changes, over the last couple of years it has most definitely changed. In

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*/5&37*&8 8*5) &-: 4 &3*, "/% .*$)&--& 30#40/ Ely Place, initially we were very hands on.

With the progress of chq and hq we’ve naturally gone into roles that play to our strengths.

E: There are so many things that are required of us. Michelle is better at HR than I am and I look after wines. Having said that, when you walked in you saw me picking up something off the ground. So we look after absolutely everything.

do a business degree or a senior management degree in hospitality… Here’s a plan.

In twenty years time he can take over the management of our vineyard. There! That would be much nicer, to be down in the south of France somewhere with a vineyard! My parents told me not to go into the restaurant business, to do something else. But twenty years later, that’s where I ended up.

You must be immensely proud of your achievements to date…

E: Sometimes we do think yeah, we did change how people drink wine ten years ago and a lot of people copied us but that’s historical. We now have to look to the next ten years. What we’re really proud of actually is the fact that we have a very low turnover of staff. Of course we’re proud; sure the first thing I did was walk you through the building. We feel very lucky to be in a building like this (chq), the Luas is going past, you couldn’t get a much more modern part.

With all the time you spend at ely, do you ever get to dine out at other restaurants?

E: Somebody actually described us yesterday as workaholics. There was a time when, my birthday is March, Michelle’s September so every six months we’d go out for a really good meal to a smart restaurant. I think you can overdo those restaurants anyway, then you become blasé about it. Last year was just work, genuinely just work.

Will your son Oscar take over the family business one day?

E: I actually thought about that this morning.

M: Did you?

E: Yeah. If he were to do it, he’d have to

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Y L L A T O T

FOOD

Restaurant Guide

Odessa

14 Dame Court, Dublin 2 Odessa is Dublin’s original dining lounge, a mesh of style and substance. Thanks to its newly-popular Fivers menu, its defining quality has become offering affordable sophistication. The restaurant offers a mouth-watering menu renowned for its tapas-style offerings and an unparalleled cocktail menu, all in a chilled-out atmosphere.

t: 01 670 7634 www.odessa.ie

Brasserie de Verres en Vers

Café Novo

Brasserie de Verres en Vers is a new, modern interpretation of the French brasserie. Quietly glamorous and sedately cool, design is an integral part, with clean lines, dark wood finishes and an elegant contemporary floral detail. With an all-day menu, the emphasis at Brasserie de Verres en Vers is on classic French bistro fare, with ever-changing plats du jour, staple and signature dishes and a focus on fresh quality produce. The menu at Brasserie de Verres en Vers is complemented by a carefully chosen list of French wines and champagne and a great selection of aperitifs and digestifs.

Café Novo, a chic new international bar and brasserie opened it doors in October 2008. This fun and flirty eatery will woo diners with a carefully selected menu that offers traditional favourites with a twist - making it the perfect brunch stop for peckish shoppers or evening dinner and drinks spot for city slickers. Conveniently located on Harry Street, just a few steps from Grafton Street, Café Novo offers informal-style drop-in dining, whether you want to grab a modern take on a club sandwich or to simply sip on a cocktail.

Mon-Sun 10am-10pm, bar open to 12.30am

at the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel Dublin

Breakfast: Dinner: Sunday Brunch:

Harry St, Dublin 2

06.30-10.30 Mon-Fri 07.00-11.00 Sat-Sun 17.00-22.00 Mon-Sun 13.00-4pm

t: (01) 6463353 dine@cafenovo.ie

www.radissonblu.ie

Sinners

Café Carlo

12 Parliament Street, Dublin 2

63 - 64 O’Connell Street, Dublin 1

Belly dancing and Baba Ganoush, Sinner’s is a traditional Lebanese restaurant in the heart of Dublin City, which combines good food with a vibrant atmosphere. Sinners Lebanese Restaurant is a former recipient of a “Best Ethnic Cuisine” Temple Bar award and continues to serve patrons a wide variety of tantalising Lebanese fare. Guests at Sinners will find a welcoming staff, who provide an excellent service to ensure you have an authentic, fun night out.

The relaxed and intimate setting of Café Carlo, coupled with its high-quality, reasonably priced food and friendly, attentive staff has made this restaurant a huge favourite with Dublin diners. Not only is it a popular choice with visitors to our fair city, it's also found a place in the hearts of the discerning locals, who return time and again to soak up the Cafe Carlo atmosphere and enjoy some genuinely delicious food. Free glass of wine with every main course when mentioning this ad!

Open 5pm til late

t: (01 888 0856 www.cafecarlo.net

t: 01 675 0050

Eden

Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 The acclaimed, award-winning Eden restaurant serves contemporary food with a distinctive Irish flavour, overlooking the vibrant Meeting House Square in Temple Bar. With a set of mouthwatering dishes available for mains, from mushroom tarts to duck confit, and a stunning location, Eden is one of Dublin’s must-eat experiences.

t: 01 670 5372 www.edenrestaurant.ie

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Venu

Punjab Balti

Anne’s Lane, off South Anne St, Dublin 2

15 Ranelagh Village, Dublin 6

Venu has enjoyed a loyal following since it opened in 2006 and it has been renowned for its well-executed, varied food menu and for its award-winning cocktail bar. If you are looking for a vibrant place that serves great cocktails and quality ‘home-made’ dishes at reasonable prices it is hard to look much further than Venu Brasserie.

Tues - Sat: Dinner 5.30 til late Saturday Brunch: 12pm til 4pm

Old favourite Punjab Balti retains its popularity and success after 13 years by consistently serving authentic Punjabi cuisine, prepared in the same traditional manner as in the Indian subcontinent's Punjab region for centuries. Over the years this famous Ranelagh restaurant has won major recognition for it's top quality food, intimate ambience, excellent value and service. You can bring your own beer or wine and there are also takeaway and delivery services available that are perfect for a Balti night in. For current special offers check out www. punjabbalti.ie

t: 01 67 06755 www.venu.ie charles@venubrasserie.com

t: 01 496 0808 /01 491 2222 info@punjabbalti.ie

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South William

Diep Noodle Bar

La Mere Zou

Harbor Bar & Grill

With a new menu devised by Lolly and Cook’s, the South William bar transcends regular pub grub.

With tasty quiches and salads on the board, along with the aptly named ‘Savage Roll’, this is a bar you’ll find almost impossible to leave, and food you’ll keep coming back to. Open 7 days from midday.

Thai and Vietnamese food experts, Diep, offer a great value noodle-based menu with an exciting and exotic range of dishes including soups, salads and stir-fries. Diep Noodle Bar’s Bangkok Street Food menu is a steal and includes three courses of soup, appetiser and main course for €16 available Monday to Sunday until 7pm. With it’s fresh and genuine approach to cooking alongside it’s popular cocktail bar, warm hospitality and it’s releaxed but vibrant atmosphere. Diep Noodle Bar is a firm local favourite.

A solidly French restauramt offering bistro classics with a moden touch, La Mere Zou opened in 1994 and specialises in Classic French cuisine. They also offer a large selection of seafood directly from the local fishmarket. At La Mere Zou you can relax in a warm, familial atmosphere while enjoying the very best in cuisine and service.

One of Dun Laoghaire’s newest dining experiences, the Harbor Bar & Grill offers elegant surroundings and a faultless menu. From pork belly to open smoked salmon, HB&G’s spread is diverse but complex. Average prices per meal is €12, with a wine list ranging from €20 upwards. The bar and grill boasts a perfect coastal location, with a stunning view of the eponymous harbour from the beer garden.

52 South William St, Dublin 2

Food served from 12am to 10pm

t: 01 672 5946 www.southwilliam.ie

Ranelagh Village, Dublin 6

22 St Stephens Green, Dublin 2

Lunch: Monday - Friday 12 -3pm Dinner: Monday - Sat 6 - 11pm

t: 01 61 6669 www.lamerezou.ie

6 - 7 Marine Rd., Dun Laoghaire

t: 01 214 5772 www.harborbarandgrill.com

t: 01 497 6550 www.diep.net

Diep Le Shaker

55 Pembroke Lane, Dublin 2 Prices dropped... Standard still very high. To ensure absolute authenticity in Thai cuisine Diep fly all essential ingredients in fresh from Bangkok. Diep Le Shaker make no adjustments in the chilli content of their fare. This stunningly designed restaurant is the recipient of the prestigious Thailand Brand Award awarded by the Government of Thailand and the Thai Select Award awarded by the Ministry of Commerce, Thailand for authentic cuisine.

t: 01 661 1829 www.diep.net

DAX

23 Pembroke Street Upper A welcoming bar area offers a post-work winddown or light evening meal, perfect for you and your colleagues to enjoy with hot and cold tapas, available Tuesday to Saturday. Ideal for business and perfect for pleasure, or to dine privately for groups of between 10 and 14 people, Dax Restaurant is only a stones throw away from you and your business so why not take the time to visit a restaurant of refreshment, rejuvenation and reinvigoration.

Tuesday to Friday from 12.30pm to 2pm Tuesday to Saturday from 6pm to 10pm

t: 01 676 1494 olivier@dax.ie www.dax.ie

Pacino’s

Coppinger Row

The Farm

Chai Yo

For over 15 years Pacino’s has been a family-run restaurant known for its delicious ‘Classic & Gourmet’ pizzas and pastas, steaks and salads. It serves traditional, fresh, quality Italian cuisine. Its beef is 100% Irish, and sourced from reputable suppliers, and its pizza dough made fresh, inhouse, daily. Pacino’s offers a modern dining experience, with an old world vibe – stylish brickwork, wooden floors and soft lighting all combine to create a relaxed, rustic, informal atmosphere.

The Bereen brothers from South William Urban Lounge have created an exciting new option for dining out in Dublin: fresh simple mediterranean dishes, perfect for diving in and sharing with friends, family and work colleagues alike, in the funky laid-back atmosphere of Coppinger Row, slap-bang in the middle of coolest quarter of south city Dublin.

The Farm is about tasty homemade locally sourced free range, organic and fresh food.

Healthy vegetables and fresh herbs. All their food is freshly prepared and cooked to order.

Famed for their Teppenyaki tables creating a unique and interactive eating experience, as well as meals made from the freshest, highest quality ingredients and a great party opportunity, Chai Yo perfects the balance between fun and food. For the less party-inclined of visitors, there is a quieter downstairs section. Something for everyone!

18 Suffolk St., Dublin 2

t: 01 677 5651 www.pacinos.ie

www.totallydublin.ie

Off South William St, Dublin 2

Tues - Sat 12noon - 11pm Sunday 1pm - 8pm Closed Monday

t: 01 672 9884 www.coppingerrow.com

3 Dawson St, Dublin 2

11 am to 11 pm 7 days a week

t: 01 671 8654 hello@thefarmfood.ie

100 Lower Baggot St, Dublin 2

Mon-Fri:12.30-3pm, 6pm-11.30pm Sat: 5.30pm-midnight Sun: 3pm-10pm

t: 01 676 7652 www.chaiyo.ie TOTALLY DUBLIN

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Beaufort T Wilderbourne - Interview: Aced Fuschia Macaree - Come and Dance with me Micheal

Alan Moloney -Wheel Spinning Hamster Dead

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I Love You, Phillip Morris Director: Glenn Ficarra and John Requa Talent: Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor, Leslie Mann Released: 17 March Foregoing the insincerity and self-congratulatory dourness of Brokeback Mountain, I Love You, Philip Morris may be a very important film indeed for the representation of homosexuality in mainstream cinema. Sex gags and cheap laughs abound, pinned together by a “heartwarming” story of love against the odds or something. Jim Carrey turns in a great performance and Ewan McGregor’s American accent holds up, by and large, through what is quite a capable turn as the titular love interest. Generally speaking, it’s a passable comic jape, with sporadic moments of hilarity.

The film’s focus on homosexual love is its great strength, but there is little else remarkable about this feel-good fare.

Diverting and inoffensive it may be, but there are much, much worse films out there, and the thematic courage of the film-makers ought to be encouraged, even if the execution is lacking. - OM

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Director: Niels Arden Oplev Talent: Noomi Rapace Michael Nyqvist, Lena Endre Released: 12 March About as craftless an adaptation of a novel as you could hope to see, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is an utterly savage indictment, though unwittingly so, of a modern culture which requires every remotely successful book to be fed promptly into the ever-churning filmmaking spaghetti-machine before everyone loses interest. Having not read the book, I am not really entitled to comment on the similarities between the texts, but there are huge structural problems on a very basic, temporal level, that make the last half an hour of the film (with its many, many endings) torturous to experience. Add to that the ridiculous sub-plot in which the titular character responds to her probation officer’s sexual exploitation of her (he blackmails her into giving him a blowjob and then rapes her) by tying him up and shoving a dildo up his anus. It feels like it’s been written by a chortling group of 15-year-old boys trying to be edgy. Did I mention she’s a lesbian as well?

Actually, it’s alright, because she’s inexplicably made sexually available to the central white male, so no need to worry. In between offering up casual misogyny and laughable “shocks”, the murder-mystery which forms the backbone of the story is relatively gripping, though it’s hardly the nail-biter I was given to expect.

All in all, this is a comedy of ineptitude on the part of the filmmakers, who mimic a Hollywood sensibility with such a consummate lack of skill that it becomes truly surreal to see such bland cliché repeated, on-screen, in Swedish. The American adaptation is just around the corner, apparently, which I’m sure will be superior only within the matrix of thought which sees pure entertainment as film’s sole purpose.

Oisín Murphy

The Crazies Director: Breck Eisner Talent: Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell Released: 26 February Let’s face it, we’ve all been there before. Drank something we shouldn’t have, only to wake up the next morning, not feeling quite right, looking like shit and with a slight urge to kill. And before you ask, no, this isn’t video evidence of last Friday night but The Crazies, a competent remake of the 1973 George A Romero cult classic of the same name.

The horror unfolds in a small Middle American town, and follows the County Sheriff and his wife as they try to avoid an entire population of residents who’ve drank contaminated water and subsequently turned into gun-wielding, pitchfork-carrying crazed murderers. The plot thickens as we soon realise that the Government is in on the whole debacle and in the process of a major cover up. Dodgy.

This really is big budget horror at its best, the scares come thick and fast, and the movie miraculously manages to maintain its momentum until the final credits, unlike so many of its counterparts. Eisner uses his imagination, and sets up unusual scenarios never before seen in the genre.

Sure, there are the usual cliched one-liners but they are more then made up for with genuinely horryifying chase scenes and one particular car wash scene that had the entire room covering their face and biting their notebooks. - SC

Le Pére de mes Enfants (The Father of my Children) Director: Mia Hansen-Løve Cast: Louis-Do de Lencquesaing, Chiara Caselli, Alice de Lencquesaing, Eric Elmosnino Released: 5 March Gregoire (Lencquesaing) is a struggling film producer, on one hand consumed by stress and debt; on the other hand, the perfect family man whose family adores him. But with the noose tightening, Gregoire takes drastic action leaving his wife Sylvia (Caselli) and three kids to pick up the pieces...

Inspired by French filmmaker Humbert Balsan, who died in 2005, Le Pere de mes Enfants is a beautifully shot, emotional gem. Hansen-Løve’s film is a study of grief; both the grief Gregoire suffers, and the subsequent grief of his family. While Gregoire’s actions are perhaps readable, the direction that the film takes after them is not. Despite its serious subject matter, the film never seems to smother under the weightiness of the issues it explores and as the credits roll, we are left feeling curiously uplifted by what is essentially, a wonderful character study of a family coping with grief. - AH

Crazy Heart Director: Scott Cooper Talent: Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robert Duvall, Colin Farrell Released: 19 February Much has been made of the performance at the heart of Scott Cooper’s modestly budgeted film, and rightly so. It is certainly one deserving of the Oscar that has scandalously eluded Jeff Bridges thus far. Bridges plays Bad Blake, a dishevelled, aging country musician whose glory days are a distant memory, with just enough heartfelt sincerity to heighten the tragedy of his present wayward state, reduced to an endless cycle of performing in a drunken stupor to his few remaining fans. Colin Farrell, in his brief appearances on screen, finds good application for his roguish charm as Blake’s former protégée whose fame has long since eclipsed his own. Sadly Blake’s story is often more dull and predictable then compelling and Gyllenhaal, as the journalist who probes Blake’s past, inspiring him to re-capture the success of his youth and resolve his personal issues, is overshadowed considerably but makes poor use of her proven abilities to begin with. - AR

AR - Aoife O’Regan AH - Anne Hayes SC - Stephanie Costello OM - Oisin Murphy

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Gil Scott-Heron I’m New Here [XL Recordings] After a long stint inside, Gil Scott-Heron returns with a corking album to rival anything from his 1970s heyday.

Now clean from the drugs he spent the 70s warning people about, on most tracks the so-called Godfather of Rap delivers spoken word ruminations on his travails over paired down electronica. And when he does sing (such as on highlight I’ll Take Care Of You), his voice is revealed as a wobbly, aged-ravaged thing, which lends a certain poignancy to it all. - CG

Jeremy Jay Splash [K Records] Jeremy Jay’s music is curiously self-contradictory. His 50s-influenced, reverb-soaked songs essentially hinge on a sort of film noir-style night-time city worship, all romance and wanton anachronism. This is heavily undermined, or at least rendered slightly confusing, by the fact that his voice make him sound like he absolutely could not care less about anything. Melodies have rescued him in the past, but Jay’s soulless hipster chanteuserie has worn thin. - KMcD

Marina and the Diamonds

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

The Family Jewels [679 Recordings]

The Brutalist Bricks [Matador]

What have the following records got in common; I Kissed a Girl, Bad Romance, Bonkers, Left My Heart in Tokyo? If you answered “they’re all chart-slaying pop classics that deliver a suckerpunch to the gut and then THWACK you over the head until you’ve no choice but to recognize that all indie music is basically inadequate, emotionally-preteen pish”, then well done. Go to the top of the class. For all its merits The Family Jewels is lacking a moment to compete with those records and for that reason alone Marina and The Diamonds must try harder. It’s all very well to release a solid album that will please the expectant hordes and help the record execs sleep a little easier in their beds - but where’s all the chaos, absurdity, and even-a-three-year-old-gets-it effortlessness the best pop entails? Not on The Family Jewels, that’s for sure. It’s not all bad news; there are plenty of ballsy productions backed up with snarky lyrics which together call to mind Sparks in their Kimono My House period pomp, but it’s impossible to shake off the feeling that despite some fun moments like Mowgli’s Road and Oh No, this debut album flirts with actual pop genius before running away like a scaredypants at the last minute. Shampain and single Hollywood will win Marina plenty of admirers if they receive radio play – which let’s face it, they will: she’s been hyped to oblivion. A few lyrical nods to feminism are a nice touch; Girls picks apart the media’s obsession with weight, while I Am Not a Robot is an arm-around-the-shoulder kind of song. But even that veers dangerously close to “when life is tough, hang on…” lyrical territory and this is supposed to be pop, not Snow Patrol. If Marina can sustain the attention for long enough to make a second album then there’s hope she’ll go for broke next time. When you’re being touted as Pop’s Next Big Thing nothing less than at least one undeniable, radio-shagging tune will do.

Ciaran Gaynor

Immediate and tighter than Brendan O’Carroll’s scrotum, any new set by Teddy Rockstar is an occasion to celebrate.

Not much different here, then, with Leo just about skirting the credible side of ballsy rock music to create some more unapologetically masculine music. The line “the means of production are now in the hands of workers” could be described as a misstep, yes, but hipsters need to drive cars down highways at some point too, and for that reason alone, this is good stuff. -KMcD

See also: K*te Bu*h - Hounds of Love [EMI], Florence and the Machine Lungs [Universal/Island], Regina Spektor - Far [Sire]

Future Islands In Evening Air [Thrill Jockey] If a meteor doesn’t kill pop music they way it killed the dinosaurs, time is only going to bring us weirder and weirder evolutions. At least you know prog is prog. Future Islands on the other hand, sound like a man from a BBC period drama fronting a live band playing nostalgic French house. Like the platypus, against the odds, it works. The pace and energy don’t let up, and the bizarre British man sounds strangely profound. - KMcD

Gonjasufi A Sufi and A Killer [Warp] We must support our frothing madmen. Gonjasufi is a possessed preacher of a vocalist, typified by that brand of eccentricity Devendra Banhart almost convinced the world he was filled with. Buttressing Sufi’s ravings are a collection of trip-hop, hiphop, and psyched-up productions from LA’s blissed-out ingénues Flying Lotus, Gaslamp Killer, and Mainframe, a collaboration which results in the most singular sound to hit these ears since my dog stuck his tail in the blender. - DG

Xiu Xiu

HiM

Dear God I Hate Myself [Kill Rock Stars]

Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice, Chapters 1-13 [Sire]

Xiu Xiu’s mixture of vulnerable underbelly and visceral nightmare is well-established, and this new album doesn’t digress much in that regard. However, with a penchant for slipping pop songs into monster costumes, it could well be their best yet. Songwriter Jamie Stewart’s total exposure of his internal monologue makes for an alternately confusing and endearing experience, but it is always a singular one, and not a poor starting point for newcomers to the band.

- KMcD

Cult favourite of teenage girls with a moody disposition everywhere, Ville Valo is back with a new album and, apparently, a new direction. Fashionably hijacking the 80s like everyone else, the pretentiously titled Screamworks… certainly has more pronounced synths than previous releases, but has held on for dear life to the woeful hallmarks of all things emo. Enough to make Jared Leto weep. - LH

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New Young Pony Club

Sade

The Optimist [PIAS UK]

Soldier Of Love [Sony]

FORGET EVERYTHING YOU THOUGHT YOU KNEW ABOUT NEW YOUNG PONY CLUB BECAUSE ON THEIR SECOND ALBUM IT’S ALL CHANGED. That’s right. You may have thought the London five-piece were a band with decent hooks, attractively coy vocals, and a good working knowledge of how to make a sweet Delta 5/Blondie knock-off single. Well you were wrong. They’re actually just shit. Stick with Ladyhawke, who at least has the nous not to call her songs ‘Rapture’. Dipsticks. - DG

Banish thoughts of secretary-humping, winebar-frequenting Jag-drivers from your mind. Soldier Of Love is an album for the rest of us who appreciate soul music at its most expensive sounding. Like Anita Baker’s Rapture or even Roxy Music’s Avalon this is as luxurious as a chocolate mousse and just as rich. Songs like The Safest Place and the title track will send fans of avant noise-rock running for the hills, but that’s no bad thing. - CG

Autechre

Titus Andronicus

Oversteps [Warp]

The Monitor

In these very pages not so long ago, one of our (infallible) critics dubbed Autechre’s later career path as one geared towards making music for car ads. The only vehicular experience Oversteps could fittingly provide the soundtrack for is a Nitelink trip home under the influence of one too many Secanols. More malevolent, complete, and compelling than any release in the last ten years, Brown and Booth have finally shook the IDM tag to make an album that is as concerned with satisfaction for your central nervous system as the procedural mechanics involved in making it. - DG

Being from New Jersey makes your music post-industrial Americana by default, complete with hoarse throat sounds from singing with such gusto. This is mostly due to the amount of Springsteen in the water supply. Titus Andronicus avoid the worst excesses of this played-out scene by listening to punk music, and their better songs are the ones you couldn’t imagine the Boss singing. It’s just a pity there aren’t more of them. - KMcD

Blood Red Shoes Fire Like This [V2] Despite being labelled as post-grunge, Fire Like This, the new one from Brighton duo Blood Red Shoes, is brimming with the angsty themes of their grunge forefathers. With a sound akin to Elastica in places, the album’s lowkey production values give it a rough ‘n’ ready feel. Admittedly the songs tend to get a bit samey, but slower growers like It Is Happening Again and Follow The Lines are welcome breathers. Your inner teenager will love it. - LH

Nice Nice Extra Wow [Warp] Discovering that the extraordinary wall of noise constructed by Nice Nice is the work of only two guys is akin to being informed that, in fact, the Pyramids were built by a crack team of 25 construction workers over the space of two weeks, and Moses was full of shit. Extra Wow is a golden wonder – predominantly instrumental gorgeousness in the vein of Holy Fuck and Sung Tongs Animal Collective. It’s only failing is that its, um, ‘Wow’ factor wears off by the album’s end. Worth sending a postcard home from, nevertheless. - DG

The Kissaway Trail Sleep Mountain [Bella Union] From the church-bell infused sounds of the opening track, the Facebook freebie SDP to the understated cover of Neil Young’s Philadelphia, Sleep Mountain is comprised of perfectly orchestrated harmonies, shared vocal duties and semi-epic soundscapes. Sounding like it’s waiting in the wings to soundtrack an MTV reality show series, The Kissaway Trail’s latest release is indie-rock injected with an extra dose of vulnerability and they just about pull it off. - LH

The Redneck Manifesto Friendship [Richter Collective] This album’s release on firebrand label, Richter Collective, is akin to Talking Heads reforming and releasing a magnum opus on DFA. The label has become known for putting out snapshots of the island’s best hardcore bands at their most coherent – no mean feat when you’re talking about mad bastards like Adebisi Shank. Though big fish, the pond has nevertheless effected the band’s music. Friendship is the most legible, youthful, energetic accomplishment in an already exemplary career.

It might seem like a slight to the music, but certainly the most notable improvement on the band’s offical fourth LP is the production. With a wider range than a Wyoming buffalo ranch, each jazzy-krauty-don’t-call-it-post-rock-please track is totally immersive. The album is more pliable than previous efforts, and indeed most other records within the same genre as it – less concerned with mood than enterprising dynamics, and its reliance on liquid rather than monolithic grooves makes it indeed closer to the proclaimed funk influence than the more metal-tinged direction of before. Rather than quiet-loud-quiet-loud, song structure is more intense-chilledintense-chilled-dancemotherfuckersdance!, and Egan’s bass and O’Connor’s synth work is busier than ever, buffering the ever-amorous relationship between Byrne and Bolger’s noodling, harmonic guitars. Black Apple’s the best lead-off track you could hope for, while Rubber Up bends into an almost soul-like shape. Cloud Beard is an I Am Brazil-styled chill-out, Hex is a moment of clarity, and Smile More might rip out your kidneys. There is no permutation, essentially, left uncalculated here – and it’s a whole lot more accessible than all the big words in this review would have you think.

We’ll let you in on a little secret – sometimes we rate Irish albums on a skewed scale. It’s a smaller market, with fewer examples of true excellence, meaning good is sometimes upgraded to very good. Friendship is excellent, and can therefore be upgraded to sublime. Or at the very least, fucking awesome.

Daniel Gray See also: Don Caballero - For Respect [Touch & Go], Bats – Red In Tooth And Claw [Richter Collective], Tortoise – Millions Now Living Will Never Die [Thrill Jockey]

So Cow Meaningless Friendly [Tic Tac Totally] After 2009’s best-of compilation for the American market, Tuam’s only outright genius seems to have inherited a becoming new level of self-confidence. International Waters, for example, is a seven minute Who-style opus about being a fisherman. The Tony Keady Affair is a coming-ofage drama set to Galway’s “lost” hurling season in 1989.

With more bizarre ideas than sense, and more surfy punk melodies than crushed tin boxes have sardines, this is So Cow’s best yet. - KMcD

Twit or wit? Send us your Twitter reviews of current singles and videos to http://twitter.com/totallydublin DG - Daniel Gray KMcD - Karl McDonald CG - Ciaran Gaynor LH - Lisa Hughes

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