Um.
Shane writes:
Bees were taken very seriously in early medieval Ireland, an entire law tract dedicated to legal intricacies of bee-keeping and even providing for trespass by bees (‘Early Medieval Ireland 400-1200′ by Dáibhí Ó Cróinín, p 124)…
Author Archives: Nick Kelly
It’s Friday again and that can only mean one thing: competition time.
Readers have a chance to win a highly coveted Golden Discs voucher worth a wallet/purse-popping €25.
To enter, simply reply below to the following question: what’s your favourite song that mentions another song or artist?
Here’s mine.
The winner will be chosen by my pet rabbit.
Lines MUST close at 3.15pm EXTENDED until 9pm MIDNIGHT 6am Saturday SUNDAY!
(Include video where possible)
Nick says: Good luck.
Free Sunday?
at
Blink and you’ll miss him.
Dermot Lambert, erstwhile frontman of Dublin perfect pop practitioners Blink, steps out of the shadows to play a very rare solo show headlining the Alternative Sunday Social Club in The Wild Duck on Dublin’s Sycamore St at 4.30pm.
The only place to be…
Dermot says:
This Sunday afternoon I’ll be playing, joined by a few friends, in the afternoon. If you know the chords or the singalong bits of any Blink songs I won’t be offended, and there’ll be some new masterpiece exclusives.
I’m working on some Rex & Dino and Empty Shell stuff too, but not sure where I’m at with that yet, and I can’t play Cello on acoustic guitar, but again if anyone wants to roll in with an actual cello we’ll find a job for you!
Young kids are free (not like in the 1970’s, just free admission) – Super Special Guests on the day are Six Above Ground and Novatone – Peace out
;
The Doctor will see you now.
That’s Dr Millar aka Dublin singer/songwriter Seán Millar who’s playing a rare solo show this evening in the DC Club on Camden Row, Dublin.
Expect to hear songs from his extensive back catalogue stretching back to the 1990s and he’ll be taking requests from the audience too.
Sean will be on stage at 9pm.
The atmospheric black-and-white video above, which was directed by Susan Gleeson, features Sean cavorting with actress Pom Boyd on what looks like Dollymount Strand.
Nick says: It’s Millar time.
Last week, with a voucher worth 25 big ones to spend at Golden Discs, I asked YOU to name your favourite song mentioning ghosts, demons, devils, witches, ghouls, monsters or, even, spirits.
You answered in your tens.
But there could be only one winner:
Third Place:
Killing Joke – On All Hallows Eve
Liam Deliverance writes:
A unusual track, it’s soft and upbeat verses and chorus, strong steady beat and soft/hard lead guitar sections. Instead of demons and ghosts rising from the dead to haunt the living world this song imagines these two worlds converging and a reunion of those lost souls who once filled our lives.
While listening it’s hard not to think of some of those souls, to be reminded of the small cracks they left in our hearts, that sting that has replaced their presence. The tempo of the track allows you to do that and it gives it a certain resonance.
Killing Joke formed in 1978 in Notting Hill, London. Their initial style was industrial rock and they played a part in influencing such bands as Metallica, Nirvana and the Nine Inch Nails.
As the years passed their style softened and they brought some electronic elements into their songs. They have produced 19 albums, On All Hallows Eve is taken from their 2012 album, MMXII…
Runner-up:
The Pogues – Lullaby of London.
Niall writes:
This song gets me every time, I love how it encapsulates the loneliness and solitude of separation and distance. Yet another example of why Shane MacGowan is a national treasure.
Winner:
Cathie Ryan – Cailin Deas Cruite Ba mBo
Kingfisher writes:
An English language version of Cailín Deas Crúite na mBó with suitably creepy landscapes…
Thanks all.
Last week: Win Nick’s Voucher
Brave Giant – Wizards And Witches
Tis the season after all.
Longford quartet Brave Giant conclude their nationwide tour with a prestigious headline show in Dublin’s Olympia Theatre on Saturday night.
The band’s debut album White Pink + Blue reached No. 1 in the Irish charts and they clocked up over three million streams on Spotify.
The video for the catchy single Wizards And Witches (above) was directed by Eva Wyse.
Nick says: Size matters.
Jape – Sentinel
A waking dream.
This inbetween state is the inspiration behind the new album by Choice Prize winner Richard Egan aka Jape (top).
Released on Faction Records on November 17, the record’s title track has been uploaded on YouTube accompanied by a thoughtful lyric video (above) that highlights just how the Redneck Manifesto bassist has taken his songwriting to another level.
The profundity of the words is complemented by hazy musical textures that transport you to some netherworld.
Nick says: Egan better than the real thing.
Quiet Rising
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This day 73 years ago – 5 November 1946 – the ESB (Electricity Supply Board) began its Rural Electrification Scheme to bring electricity to remote parts of Ireland.
It became known as “the Quiet Revolution.” The first electricity pole was erected at Kilsallaghan in County. Dublin…
Uncanny, in fairness.
Meanwhile…
EirGrid has published Tomorrow’s Energy Scenarios 2019, an analysis of Ireland’s electricity sector over the next 20 years. One of its key findings is that electricity demand will increase by a range of 28% to 55% by 2030 compared to 2018. Read more: https://t.co/egTFgKyPVF pic.twitter.com/VBkbJqUodY
— EirGrid Plc (@EirGrid) November 4, 2019
Elaine Mai – Heartbeat
Good times never seemed so good.
Irish indie-tronica artist Elaine Mai returns with a new single that celebrates her nuptials in a truly innovative way.
This is how she explains it in her own words.
“I wrote ‘Heartbeat’ for my wife Roisín after we got married in the summer of 2018. It was three years after Ireland voted to legalise same-sex marriage and it felt amazing to celebrate with our friends and family after canvassing for a ‘yes’ vote together.
“One of my friends recorded our wedding video so I was able to take some of the ambient noise from our wedding day and layer it into the track. I wanted to write a song that captured how I feel about her and to remember that time in our lives.”
The quirky video animation is by Bronagh Lee.
Elaine plays the Bello Bar, Dublin, on December 12.
Nick says: Aorta be a big hit.