Culture

Going out: the best of what’s on this weekend

Put down that Easter egg and go out on the town with these gigs, concerts and events around the country this weekend

Fri Mar 25 2016 - 06:00

Friday

BD Festival
Glendalough House Co Wicklow 4pm €40
bdfestival.ie

Formerly known as Barndance, this festival has grown in leaps and bounds over the years, thanks largely to the fact that no-one else bothered to work a way around the licensing laws which close bars and clubs on Good Friday. This year’s bring-your-own event will have stellar attractions in the shape of Dimitri From Paris, Mylo – the dude who was set to be bigger than Calvin Harris at one stage – R.S.A.G, new school techno dons Dense & Pika, Pusher and many, many more.

Brendan Begley and Mike Hanrahan: Dublin Burning
Cultúrlann Sweeney, Kilkee, Co Clare, 7.30pm €20/€18
glor.ie

The plethora of artistic interpretations of our rebellious past bears testament to the riches to be reaped from re-examining events of Easter 1916 with the critical amps turned all the way up to 11. West Kerry singer and accordionist, Brendan Begley and singer/guitarist, and founding member of Stockton’s Wing, Mike Hanrahan, take a picaresque stroll through our song books from the 1890s to the second decade of the 20th century, and beyond, in search of accounts that tell the story from a human perspective. As Frank Harte said: “If you want to know what happened, read the history books. If you want to know what it felt like to be there, listen to the songs.”

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Saturday

At the Drive-In
Vicar St Dublin 7.30pm €46
ticketmaster.ie

By this stage still fitfully alive and kicking, El Paso’s At the Drive-In have been making ears bleed for more than 20 years, but the band’s most recent reunion – announced late last year – sees them pack kit bags and toothbrushes in yet another quest to bring their bruising, potent hardcore to the masses. Special guest band is Mexican garage punks Le Butcherettes, fronted by vocalist/guitarist Teri Gender Bender.

Full Cycle
Opium Rooms Dublin 11pm €18/€15/€12
ronisize.net

All hail the return of Full Cycle, the label which Roni Size and DJ Krust oversaw during their drum’n’bass heyday and which provided a great snapshot of the new styles of that scene. Now that the label is back in business again, Size and Krust have teamed up for the “Formulate” EP and a European tour which pays an Easter visit to Dublin. Support from the Hertz U Soundsystem.

PT Connection
Wiley Fox, Dublin 9pm €10/€7
facebook.com/ptconnectionevents

The PT in the club name refers to the Portuguese trio Pedro Squee, Tiago Santos and Antonio Melo who’ve been putting on psychedelic trance nights in the city for a while. Tonight, they’re longstanding UK producer Yod Onsen AKA Scorb in the frame, the Trick Music artist behind the “Ipso Fvcto” album from a while back. Support from Subsaharan, Agalacy and Organic Joy.

Cormac O'Brien's "Gamerz" featuring Kit Downes
JJ Smyths, Dublin, 9pm, €12
jjsmyths.com

UK pianist Kit Downes is no stranger to these shores. His collaboration with leading Dublin bassist Cormac O’Brien resulted in Gamerz, whose Irish tour in 2014 is still being talked about. Also including OKO drummer Shane O’Donovan and rising Cologne-based saxophonist Matthew Halpin (whose own trio are in Kilkenny on Thursday), this exciting four piece is solid evidence that the future of jazz on these islands is in safe hands.

Sunday

Nightmares On Wax
Pygmalion Dublin 9pm €10/€5

It’s George Evelyn time and that means some slo-mo soul, funk, reggae, house, beats and breaks to match the bank holiday weekend vibes. As last year’s N.O.W. Is the Time release showed, Evelyn’s 25 years as Nightmares On Wax producer and bandleader has seen his sound evolve from early bleep-electro work to the hazy, smokey funk and soul with which he truly made his name. Now based in Ibiza, expect plenty of lush Balearic bliss when he hits the decks. Support from Colin Perkins.

A Nation's Voice
Collins Barracks, Dublin 2.30pm Adm free

Anyone hearing the sudden roar of a huge crowd around Dublin, and wondering if Croke Park has been moved across town for the weekend, should not be alarmed. On Sunday, Collins Barracks plays host to A Nation’s Voice, when a 1,100-strong choir will assemble to perform works under conductor David Brophy, along with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra. The concert features new work by composer Shaun Davey and writer Paul Muldoon, and pieces by Seán Ó Riada, Bill Whelan and a performance of the Hallelujah chorus from Handel’s Messiah. The event is at 2.30pm, and is broadcast live on RTÉ One, RTÉ Radio 1 and rte.ie/1916.