Gig of the week
Oasis
Saturday, August 16th, and Sunday, August 17th, Croke Park, Dublin, sold out, ticketmaster.ie
For more than 160,000 people across two days, the long-awaited return to Ireland of Oasis – in essence the Manchester-born, second-generation-Irish brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher – will be the event of the year. The band last performed in Ireland on June 20th, 2009, at Slane Castle, and within two months had split up. With their departure, Oasis left a back catalogue that, while influenced by overly familiar sources, is the epitome, according to the historian Keith Gildart, “of post-industrial, working-class youth in Britain”. Judging by their recent UK concerts – this reunion tour started on July 4th and ends on August 12th, at Murrayfield Stadium, in Edinburgh – long-standing fans and recent converts alike can’t get enough of many songs that, whether we’re mad for them or not, have become contemporary standards.
Gigs
Wider than Pictures
From Tuesday, August 19th until Sunday, August 24th, National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Dublin, 6pm, €67.15/€65.42/€64, €57.55, widerthanpictures.ie
Now in its fourth year, Wider than Pictures has firmly established itself as a classy six-day, multi-preference open-air smorgasbord of current, established and heritage music artists. It kicks off with indie darlings Wunderhorse (Tuesday, August 19th/Wednesday, August 20th; special guests are Shame, and Cardinals), and continues this week with Sharon Van Etten (Thursday, August 21st; special guests are Angie McMahon, and Katy J Pearson), and The Human League (Friday, August 22nd; special guest is Blancmange). Next weekend’s concluding shows feature Kaiser Chiefs (Saturday, August 23rd; special guests are Kerbdog, and Really Good Time), and Father John Misty (Sunday, August 24th; special guests are Cass McCombs, and Soak). Pray for decent weather.
Matt Berninger
Friday, August 22nd/Saturday, August 23rd, Vicar Street, Dublin, 7.30pm, €56.80/€49.20, ticketmaster.ie
Matt Berninger is taking time out from duties with The National to promote his second solo album, Get Sunk, which focuses on a post-depression period in his life that influenced his band’s 2023 albums, First Two Pages of Frankenstein and Laugh Track. The mood, then, will most assuredly be melancholic, but there are few vocalists out there who can essay thawed-out emotions as well as Berninger. The music? Think Americana-tinged The Blue Nile and a reflective companion piece to REM’s Automatic for the People.
Another Love Story
From Friday, August 22nd until Sunday, August 24th, Killyon Manor, Co Meath, 1pm, €165, sold out, anotherlovestory.ie
Voted IMRO Best Small Live Music Festival 2024/25, Another Love Story has been a compelling success story since its inaugural outing in 2014. Small it may be, but it has managed to pack in non-mainstream names year on year without compromising on quality. Performers at the rural, beautiful venue this year include Fionn Regan, Anna B Savage, Curtisy, Róis, Landless, Varo, and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh. Sidebar events include spoken word (Erin Fornoff) and public interviews (director Pat Collins, actor Aidan Kelly).
READ MORE
Raye
Friday, August 22nd, IMMA, Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin, 5pm, €59.90, ticketmaster.ie
At the age of 14, London-born Rachel Keen entered the renowned Brit School (alma mater of Adele, Amy Winehouse, et al), where she studied for two years before dropping out. Within a year she had signed to a major record label, and by the time she was 18, she was co-writing with Charli XCX. Raye’s success has continued, and in recent years she has co-written with Beyoncé and released her debut album, My 21st Century Blues, which, controversially, was withheld from release for several years by her record label. Subsequently, the album was shortlisted for the 2023 Mercury Prize and nominated for three Grammy Awards, while last year Raye broke the record for the artist with the most wins (six) at a single Brit Awards ceremony.
Musical
Calamity Jane
From Tuesday, August 19th until Saturday, August 23rd, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, 7.30pm, from €24.50 (sold out), ticketmaster.ie
Based on the 1953 musical film of the same name, this stage adaptation features award-winning West End singer/actor Carrie Hope as the rootin’-tootin’ sheriff of Deadwood City. Fans of the film, which featured Doris Day in the title role, will need no introduction to songs as well-known as The Black Hills of Dakota, Secret Love, and Just Blew in from the Windy City. “If this musical has a generally unadventurous, even cautious air,” wrote the Guardian, “there are enough bulletproof songs to keep it wheeling.” Whip-crack-away!
Stage
The Girl on the Train
Tuesday-Saturday, August 19th-23rd, Everyman Theatre, Cork, 8pm, €46/€41/€36, everymancork.com; Tuesday-Saturday, August 26th-30th, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, 7.30pm, ticketmaster.ie
What’s the difference between inquisitiveness and voyeurism? Every day on her morning commute, as the train slows down along a stretch of track, alcoholic Rachel (Laura Whitmore) casually observes a man and a woman, seemingly happy and in love. One day, however, the woman doesn’t appear, leaving Rachel, a perceived unreliable narrator, to uncover the truth behind the disappearance. Theatrical vim and visual intrigue strengthen this adaptation of Paula Hawkins’s bestselling thriller.
Dance
Offspring (A Modern Frankenstein)
Friday, August 22nd, Firkin Crane, Cork, 7pm, €10, dancecorkfirkincrane.ie
Choreographer and multidisciplinary performer Emily Terndrup fuses dance, theatre and visuals in a gutsy, impassioned retelling of Mary Shelley’s classic novel. Themes explored include, says Terndrup, the “conflicting desires of motherhood and artistic expression” and “urgent questions of creation and consequence in an increasingly unstable world.” NB: The performance is not suitable for younger audiences.
Still running
Masters of Tradition
Wednesday-Sunday, August 20th-24th, Bantry, Co Cork, various venues/times/prices,
westcorkmusic.ie
This annual celebration of Irish traditional music is invested with intriguing swerves and detours. Esteemed fiddler player Martin Hayes curates a programme that includes concerts (Hayes, Brian Conway, Inni-K), conversation events (with cellist Kate Ellis, Peter Browne, Des Gerrihy), and two secret sold-out concerts on Whiddy Island. Hup!
Book it this week
John Otway, Lost Lane, Dublin, November 9th, eventbrite.ie
Tanita Tikaram, NCH, Dublin, November 10th, ticketmaster.ie
Wolf Alice, 3Arena, Dublin, December 10th, ticketmaster.ie
Aisling Bea, Vicar Street, Dublin, March 18th/22nd, ticketmaster.ie
