Joe Jackson, Loyle Carner, Haley Heynderickx: The best rock and pop gigs this week

Saturday, April 20th

EB the Younger
Whelan's, Dublin
Eric Brandon Pulido is taking advantage of his band Midlake's extended downtime by touring solo and playing tracks from his recently released album, To Each His Own. As the latterday frontman of Midlake, Pulido has channelled with varying degrees of success the ghosts of classic pop (Fleetwood Mac) and folk (Incredible String Band, Pentangle, Fairport Convention). His solo work, meanwhile, looks back somewhat nostalgically at the 1970s mix of comfy rock, country and folk. A blend of solo material and selections from Midlake's praiseworthy back catalogue will surely see you right.  TCL

Kean Kavanagh
The Workman's Club, Dublin
As the very brief publicity blurb has it, "Kean Kavanagh and the Kean Kavanagh Family Band perform their first headline show in the nation's capital". If we didn't know any better (and, frankly, sometimes we don't) we would think this gig had a Crystal Swing vibe to it, but as it's a Soft Boy Records presentation we can say with some certainty that it's the Irish hip-hop gig of the week. Kavanagh, for those that might not be aware, is co-founder (along with Kevin Smith, aka Kojaque) of the aforementioned SBR, and this show will preview solo material. Special guests ahoy. TCL

Thumper
DisFunction Room, Dundalk, Co Louth
Dublin's Thumper have been around for some years, and so have experienced the usual changes in personnel and music style. From early EPs such as Magnum Opuss and Pop! Goes the Weasel to new tracks such as AFL and In my Room, however, the band has maintained a standard that others can only observe from a distance. Over the past year, in particular, Thumper have achieved something very special in the area of live performances: a vivid, shatterproof dynamic. For this show, they share the spoils with another cracker of an Irish granite-hard band, Bitch Falcon. - TCL

Haley Heynderickx
Dolan's, Limerick 
Also Wednesday, Whelan's, Dublin; Thursday, Róisín Dubh, Galway
Raised in Portland in a religious household by Filipino-American parents, Haley Heynderickx takes the multiple stamps of identity she possesses and celebrates them on her debut 2018 album I Need to Start a Garden. Influenced by folk music and jazz, she pours her life experiences into her lyrics and, while picking on her acoustic guitar, she softly unfolds the components that define her. It's a breathtaking debut, and live, she's a singer who deserves your full attention. - LB

Dervish: The Great Irish Songbook review – Accessible but watered down

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Mick Hanly and Dónal Lunny and a concertina convention: The best trad gigs this week

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Nick Cave: ‘Perhaps rock music needs to die for a while’

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Lumo #43 with Cabal
Yamamori Tengu, Dublin
For the Easter edition of Lumo, the late-night party will take over the two floors of the venue. The Lumo DJs will take care of the ground floor as usual, dishing out bangers and bops of all genres, while Cabal will hold the fort upstairs. The cultural collective from Limerick regularly put on club nights in their home county and they'll be showing the Dubs what they're made of, playing house, funk, soul and disco tracks all night long. - LB

Tuesday, April 23rd

Johnny Duhan
National Concert Hall, Dublin
The problem with those who kick against the pricks is that they rarely receive their just rewards, and so to see this show being flagged as a "farewell" one is not only disconcerting but all too understandable. Johnny Duhan has been around since the 1960s, first as a member of one of Ireland's primary beat groups, Granny's Intentions, and subsequently as one of the country's most durable songwriters, acclaimed by the likes of Christy Moore and many others. Being the type of person he is, Duhan probably won't change his mind about bowing out, so why not send him off in fine style? - TCL

Kate Bush's Hounds of Love on Vinyl
The Big Romance, Dublin
When it comes to albums such as Kate Bush's 1985 Hounds of Love, sometimes you don't need a reason to celebrate them in their full glory. Knowing how much this album this means to her fans and judging by how quickly the April 22nd listening party sold out, a second date has been added. Kicking off at 7pm, you can bask in the beauty of this record from start to finish on the venue's impeccable vinyl hi-fi system. - LB

Joe Jackson
Opera House, Cork
Also Wednesday, Olympia Theatre, Dublin
One of the more mature misfits that the UK punk rock scene (1977-80) enabled was David 'Joe' Jackson, a prodigiously gifted type who won a scholarship to study musical composition at London's Royal Academy of Music but who instead took on the likes of Elvis Costello and Graham Parker. Following a few classic new wave/pop singles (including Is She Really Going Out with Him? and It's Different for Girls), Jackson jumped ship, first to swing and blues, then to jazz and classical, and then back to pop and all points in between. Never wanting to be defined is plainly his creative stance, something his most recent album, Fool, continues. The Dublin show, by the way, is sold out. - TCL

Thursday, April 25th

Henge
Monroe's Bar, Galway
Also Friday 26th, Dolans, Limerick; Saturday 27th, Crane Lane, Cork; Sunday 28th, Grand Social, Dublin.
'A band of beings from the far corners of the galaxy, converging in Manchester, Planet Earth, to bring a kind of music new to your world!' That's the pitch, anyway, but there is more than extraterrestrial shenanigans to this bunch. Voted Best Live Act 2018 at the UK Independent Festival Awards (the same award went to Idles the previous year), Henge fuse prog rock, dance, psychedelia, and electronic music in a way that nods to their influences without giving the game away. These shows mark their Irish debut, and if there is one thing we Irish are good at it's saying a fine howdy-do to mad lads. Special guest on all dates is Shunya, aka Irish-born multi-instrumentalist/producer, Alan Keary. - TCL

Myles Manley
Anseo, Dublin
Myles Manley is the Dublin-based, DIY pop star who takes the strange and the melodic to create unorthodox indie tunes like Pasta Solo and Pay Me What I'm Worth. Having recently wrapped up a tour of the UK, Manley asks that you welcome his band home and contribute some money to their "band fund". Charging €10 at the door for the waged and €5 for the unwaged, he soundly promises that no one will be turned away at the door due to lack of funds. - LB

Friday, April 26th

Paul Noonan
St John the Baptist Church, Dublin
As part of the New Sounds in an Old Place series of concerts, BellX1 frontman Paul Noonan delivers a special (sold out) solo show during which he will perform some of his band's material as well as preview songs from his forthcoming solo album. Noonan is an assured performer, his songs measured and subtle. I'd expect a special guest to pop along if I were you. Noonan also plays Set Theatre, Kilkenny, May 25th. - TCL

Spicebag: XXXtra Portion Karaoke
Project Arts Centre, Dublin
Spicebag is the ad-hoc, queer performance night that's led by the dynamic Dublin duo Stephen Quinn and Sarah Devereux. In collaboration with Live Collision, XXXtra Portion Karaoke is an all-singing, all-dancing event that gives the music of Abba, Celine Dion and Spice Girls the gravitas it deserves. Expect flamboyance and silliness at every turn. All they ask of you is to dress up so you can get down with their salt of the earth, curry-flavoured craic. - LB

Saturday, April 27th

Loyle Carner
Grand Social, Dublin
Londoner Loyle Carner has much to like about Ireland – he played his first official gig at Dublin's Button Factory as far back as 2012 (when he supported MF Doom), and has been back several times, notably in the wake of the success of his 2017 debut album, the Mercury Prize-nominated Yesterday's Gone. This sold-out show is provisionally to plug his follow-up Not Waving, but Drowning, which is even more confessional and nuanced. Expect Carner's hip-hop inflections weave their way through classy downtempo, soul, jazz and R&B. - TCL

Je Ne Sais Quoi #3
Secret Location, West Cork
What started as a once-off party in the countryside to avoid the noise of town has become an annual outing for the Cork craic collective Je Ne Sais Quoi. With music from Cailín, John Hennessy of Sunday Times, County Vinyl, Amr Atia and many more, your ticket (€60) includes entry, food and transport and for €20 extra, you can also nab a bed. The scenic location will be disclosed to ticket holders the week leading up to the event. - LB

Cha Cha Cha & Ha Ha Ha
Jaja Studios, Stoneybatter, Dublin
In what is hoped will be a yearly event, this inaugural indie all-day music and comedy gig sets out to raise money for the charity Pieta House, as well as, say the organisers, to remember "lost friends". Running from around 2pm-11pm, the music will be delivered by Shrug Life, Maija Sofia, Robbie Stickland, Postcard Versions, Oh Boland, and Squarehead. Come evening, chuckles will be provided by Sarah Devereux, Brian Gallagher, Aoife Gallagher, Mike Rice, and MC Bláithín de Burca. - TCL