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On The Record

Jim Carroll

Music, Life and everything else

Monthly Archives: October 2010

Kings Of Leon, Slane, May 2011

As predicted by OTR (we’re never wrong), the Kings Of Leon play Slane Castle, Co Meath on May 28. Tickets at €79 (plus Ticketmaster fees) go on sale next Friday. So, OTR massive, will KOL do a Take That and …

Unplugging the Walkman

After 31 years, 220 million sales and countless chewed-up tapes, Sony have decided to take the batteries out of the Walkman. This week, Sony announced plans to halt the manufacture and distribution of the Walkman cassette-player. Once remaining stocks are …

#Now Playing – this week’s top tunes

This week’s essential tunes on the OTR jukebox. Please feel free to add your own selections below. Tom Tom Club “Tom Tom Club” (Island) Time to dig Talking Heads Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz’s funky side-project all over again. Hands …

This week in The Ticket – and your plugs

Tinie Tempah: the south London pop star talks about his life of grime to Lauren Murphy London Film Festival: Donald Clarke hits the big smoke across the water with his dictaphone. Laetitita Sadier: Stereolab’s front woman discusses public and private …

New Music – Apache Beat, VisionAir, Chad Valley

The latest New Music selections from the On The Record column in tomorrow’s edition of The Ticket. All tips for future New Music picks welcome below. Apache Beat Yes, Apache Beat are another Brooklyn band but, before you run away …

The Ticket gets quizzical

It’s time for The Ticket to pop its table quiz cherry. Next Wednesday (November 3), The Ticket Table Quiz will take place at the Mercantile (28 Dame Street, Dublin 2). Hugh Linehan and Conor Pope are your dashing hosts and …

Competition – win tickets to the Strange Brew Super Scary Hallowe’en Hootenanny!

Strange Brew is the club night which rules the roost in Galway every Thursday at the Roisin Dubh with the mighty Gugai at the controls. It recently celebrated 400 Strange Brews and there are still people walking around the city …

From the editor’s desk…

Two great posts over at irishtimes.com editor Hugh Linehan’s blog this weather. The first asks readers for their suggestions to improve commenting, debating and all-round interactivity on the site and there’s already been a ton of comments about this. The …

The Far Side – playlist for October 26

As played on The Far Side, Phantom 105.2, Tuesday October 26, 10pm-midnight. Listen Again to The Far Side: you can listen back to a stream of last night’s show here The Far Side Turns Two: I’ll be marking two years …

The National for Other Voices

Yep, all the rumours and speculation seem to have been on the money: OTR has learned that The National will definitely play this year’s Other Voices series which begins in St James’ Church, Dingle, Co Kerry on December 4. Other …

Is downsizing the new “unforeseen circumstances”?

There have been a few games of musical chairs going on in Dublin venues over the last week. Yeasayer’s show was moved at short notice from the 1,300 capacity Olympia to the 850 capacity Academy. Arrested Development moved from the …

No Festival of World Cultures in 2011?

There are reports that Dun Laoghaire’s hugely popular Festival of World Cultures, which attracted over 200,000 visitors to the Co Dublin town this year, may not happen in 2011. The “family-friendly Glastonbury” was established in 2001 and is a Dún …

Gregory Isaacs RIP
  • RIP
  • October 25, 2010, 16:28

Sad news from the obituaries’ department: reggae singer Gregory Isaacs has died in London. The 59 year old was diagnosed with lung cancer last year. Obituary here.

KISS this: Gene vs Anonymous

Ladies and gentlemen, the best rumble in the online jungle (this week anyway). In the red corner: Gene Simmons, the dude born Chaim Witz, member of flamboyant heritage metal band KISS, reality TV star and a man with a penchant …

#Now Playing – this week’s top tunes

This week’s essential tunes on the OTR jukebox. Please feel free to add your own selections below. Various “Township Funk” (New State) Dashing compilation of South African house, or Kwaito, featuring deep, audacious tunes from Mogrigo, MZO Bullet and DJ …

This week in The Ticket – and your plugs

The artists we love to hate: why we reserve our odium for James Blunt, Phil Collins, Chris de Burgh, Simply Red and the other offenders. Lady Gaga: Leagues O’Toole explores the cult of Gaga Halves: with their debut album finally …

New Music – Mona, Dominant Legs, Clock Opera

The latest New Music selections from the On The Record column in tomorrow’s edition of The Ticket. All tips for future New Music picks welcome below. Mona One for those who think the Kings Of Leon lost their way when …

The ones that get away

You’d be forgiven for thinking that every live act on the circuit, big or small, finds their way to Ireland. Every week, there are more announcements about upcoming shows – this week, you’d Elbow (O2, Dublin, March 31), The Hold …

Ari Up RIP
  • RIP
  • October 21, 2010, 09:06

Slits’ lead singer Ari Up has passed away at the age of 48 after a serious illness. Her death was announced by her stepfather John Lydon.

The Far Side – playlist for October 19

As played on The Far Side, Phantom 105.2, Tuesday October 19, 10pm-midnight. Listen Again to The Far Side: you can listen back to a stream of last night’s show here Mona “Listen to Your Love” (Zion Noiz) Pomegranates “’50’s” (Afternoon) …

Elbow, Dublin, March 2011

Elbow play their biggest ever Irish headliner at Dublin’s O2 on March 31. Tickets are €44.20 each (including booking fee, but not including Ticketmaster fees) and go on sale on October 28.

ITC 2010 round-up: the £1 CD man, Pink Floyd, sports and live reports

I’ve already covered a lot of the In the City 2010 action here and here, but there were a few things which slipped through the net. The £1 CD: during the course of a public interview with REM manager Bertis …

Kings Of Leon for Slane 2011?

It’s that time of year again. Slane Castle owner Lord Henry Mountcharles has already indicated that there will a gig in his Co Meath field in 2011 to mark 30 years of gigs in a field in Co Meath. Kings …

The randomiser rides again

It’s Banter time, baby. The latest installment in the yakking about popular culture series is War Stories: Tall Tales from The Battlefields of Irish Clubland and I will be joined by a couple of Irish clubland scoundrels for a night …

“We’re seeing something of a golden age as new bands and releases come to the fore like never before”

In Saturday’s paper, I wrote a piece about a new golden age for Irish music. It’s something which has been on my mind for the past few months and, when the paper’s arts editor Shane Hegarty contacted me with a …

The sounds and talking points of In the City 2010

You don’t have to look too hard to spot the changes in the music industry’s world order at the In The City conference in Manchester which began on Wednesday. Where once In the City featured numerous discussion panels on record …

#Now Playing – this week’s top tunes

This week’s essential tunes on the OTR jukebox. Please feel free to add your own selections below. Ghostcat “Everybody On The Dancefloor” (Fauna) Punky electropop anthem with loads of bite from the London based wild ones. Phronesis “Alive” (Edition) Ticket …

This week in The Ticket – and your plugs

Cork: how did the southern capital become the capital of quirk? Aoife Barry maps out the city’s subterranean scene. Warpaint: why the Los Angeles all-girl band are packing their parkas for next week’s visit to Dublin Shlock Horror!: You can …

New Music – Ian Doyle, The Wonder Villains, Spies

The latest New Music selections from the On The Record column in tomorrow’s edition of The Ticket. All tips for future New Music picks welcome below. Ian Doyle One listen to “Sing Till There’s No Songs Left” on his Myspace …

OTR at ITC – first gig reports

OTR has finally made it to Manchester for In the City. I’ve been meaning to get over here for the annual conference and live festival for years – the festival did call to Dublin in 1996 and that was probably …

The Far Side – playlist for October 12 – now with stream

As played on The Far Side, Phantom 105.2, Tuesday October 12, 10pm-midnight. Listen Again to The Far Side: you can listen back to a stream of last night’s show here. Ghostcat “Everybody On the Dancefloor” (Fauna) Gypsy & The Cat …

Bands and brands

One topic which came up a few times over the weekend at the Hard Working Class Heroes’ discussion panels was the whole notion of bands and brands. Naturally, any panel discussion involve the future of funding was always going to …

Dancing About Architecture
  • Media
  • October 12, 2010, 16:12

Dancing About Architecture is a free, four-week, music journalism course which will take place in Dublin in November. Over four Tuesday evenings, some of the best music journalists in the country will pass on their experience, information and guidance to …

Why Vella’s Cauliflowers are the best band in the world…ever

Today in the newspaper, a bunch of writers have selected their dream bands, their musical five-a-sides, so to speak. The rules for selection were simple: one front person, drummer and bass player and two others; No more than two dead …

Sade, Dublin, May

Sade plays Dublin’s O2 on May 25 as part of her first European tour in 17 years. Tickets go on sale on October 21 and range in price from €54.80 to €86.25 (plus Ticketmaster fees) depending on where you’ll be …

UPC 1, Irish record labels 0

The legal action taken by four Irish major record labels against UPC, the third biggest internet service provider in Ireland, has not gone according to the script. Per Ciara O’Brien’s report, Mr Justice Peter Charleton has ruled that “laws to …

HWCH 2010: let’s hear it for the optimists

Once more with feeling. The annual Hard Working Class Heroes beano meant that the weekend was spent on panel patrol during the day and binge-gigging around half-a-dozen city venues by night. Opinions were aired (see below), bands were seen (also …

Solomon Burke RIP
  • RIP
  • October 10, 2010, 16:45

Solomon Burke, one of the great soul men, died this morning in Amsterdam. I saw him at Vicar Street a few years ago and it was a mighty, mighty gig. RIP big man.

A pick and mix future for the music industry

Most pop fans probably probably still associate Dave Stewart with Eurythmics, but he’s had a wide and varied career since that double-act came to a halt. Aside from production and soundtrack work, Stewart is also Nokia’s “chief distruption advisor”. He …

#Now Playing – this week’s top tunes

This week’s essential tunes on the OTR jukebox. Please feel free to add your own selections below. Not Squares “Yeah OK” (Richter Collective) Yet another contender for Irish debut album of the year as our favourite punktronica trio reach for …

This week in The Ticket – and your plugs

Kings Of Leon: ahead of new album “Come Around Sundown”, frontman Jared Followill talks about how the band are still growing after a decade on the road Shit Robot: Marcus Lambkin discusses his Dublin roots, new album “From the Cradle …

New Music – The Vaccines, Spark, The John Steel Singers

The latest New Music selections from the On The Record column in tomorrow’s edition of The Ticket. All tips for future New Music picks welcome below. The Vaccines Addictive indie pop from a new London band with all the right …

Competition – win the swanky Antony & The Johnsons’ art book “Swanlights”

Tomorrow (October 8), Antony & The Johnsons release their fourth album “Swanlights”. Aside from the album (which is a very fine piece of work), Antony has also just published a very lavish art book also called “Swanlights”. The book, Anto’s …

The Far Side – playlist for October 5 – now with stream

As played on The Far Side, Phantom 105.2, Tuesday October 5, 10pm-midnight. Listen Again to The Far Side: you can listen back to a stream of last night’s show here. My Disco “Turn” (Shock) Shit Robot “I Got A Feeling” …

The return of The Commitments for an Irish tour

They said it couldn’t be done, but they were wrong. At a press conference in Dublin this morning, The Commitments announced details of an Irish tour next March to mark the 20th anniversary of the Alan Parker film based on …

The yin and yang of Kanye West and the media

Like many of you, I’ve been digging Kanye West’s GOOD Fridays where he has been throwing out a new or previously unreleased track every Friday to the common people. While these tracks may or may not feature on West’s upcoming …

Won’t be fooled again?

It was the ultimate GateGate. At 7.30am last Wednesday, a dude drove his cement truck towards the gates of Dail Eireann. The truck was decorated from head to toe with various banking tags (tags of the toxic bank variety) and, …

Competition – win tickets to Foggy Jam .01

It’s on, folks. Next Sunday (October 10), Foggy Jam .01 will take over Whelan’s (Wexford St., Dublin 2) with an all-star cast of acts including No Age, Male Bonding, Mice Parade, Silje Nes Squarehead, Hipster Youth and, of course “very …

Yes, there are some live shows which are recession-proof: Glastonbury

It may not be happening until next June and no-one yet has a clue who will actually be playing, but all tickets for next year’s Glastonbury festival sold out in a few hours yesterday. That’s 137,500 tickets gone just like …

Live Nation’s cunning plan to save their skins? Cut artist fees

Your favourite band may be in for a pay-cut. The world’s biggest live music company Live Nation has announced that it hopes to reduce losses by cutting upfront fees to bands. Company big cheese Michael Rapino told investors that he …

#Now Playing – this week’s top tunes

This week’s essential tunes on the OTR jukebox. Please feel free to add your own selections below. Tensnake “Coma Cat” (Permanent Vacation) Infectious, irresistable quality house euphoria makes for one of the tunes of the year. White Denim “Last Day …

The Ticket this week – and your plugs

Antony & The Johnsons: we discuss Bjork, opera, Selda, purgatory, Nico Muhly, his new art book and new album “Swanlights” with Antony Hegarty. Carl Barât: Lauren Murphy pays her respects to the Libertine on the occasion of his autobiography and …