On the record

JIM CARROLLon music

NEXT WEEK, The Stone Roses reunion bandwagon swaggers into town. Barring any further onstage brouhaha between band members, they will will play Dublin’s Phoenix Park on Thursday night. Most of the tickets were flogged months ago, and those of a certain vintage will be relishing the occasion. So it will be a lucrative night for the capital’s babysitters.

However, you can probably write the punter reviews of the show already because, by and large, such reviews tend to be overwhelmingly positive.

Scroll through social media and online forums after an event show such as this and it’s like everyone has gargled the Kool Aid before they entered the venue. Everything is “awesome”, and “the best gig ever!”. There will be written cries of “OMFG!”, and not just in relation to Ian Brown’s unique relationship with vocal tuning.

It does sometimes feel as if any gig, concert or live experience which involves punters shelling out a large packet of cash will get the collective thumbs up. Perhaps this is merely something that has been amplified by our use of social media, but it’s rare to come across a noticable diversion from the party line unless the gig is a real clanger (see Guns N’ Roses in Dublin in 2010).

But there are many times when you wonder if you were really at the same show when you read what punters have to say. The use of such hyperbole means that it’s often difficult to discern any difference between shows that were truly exceptional (such as the recent Watch the Throne visit from Jay-Z and Kanye West) and those that were most certainly not.

It’s not just reviewers who approach shows sporting rose-tinted spectacles. As the aul Latin lads used to say when they checked their Twitter timelines, caveat emptor.

New music

BLEEDING HEART PIGEONS

Hailing from Limerick, Bleeding Heart Pigeons are a trio of ornithologists who have demonstrated considerable skills when it comes to penning inventive, intense indie tunes. Latest tune on their Soundcloud page, Visiting Myself in Hospital, is a bit of a monster. Soundcloud.com/BleedingHeartPigeons

THE GRISWOLDS

More powerful, captivating pop music from Down Under. Sydney band – and fans of National Lampoon’s Vacation – The Griswolds specialise in sparky, shimmering guitar pop, which has already yielded strong tunes, including Heart of a Lion from their current EP.

[ Facebook.com/thegriswolds ]

SOUTHERN

New single Where the Wild Are has drawn our attention to Belfast siblings Thom and Lucy Southern. This tender, soft helping of playful acoustic pop leaves you curious to hear more from the duo who’ve toured with Willy Mason and Francois The Atlas Mountains.

Soundcloud.com/ thisissouthern

Haleek Maul

Oxyconteen (Merok)

Deep, dark, next-level hip- hop from the Barbados-born 15-year-old.

Todd Terje

Inspector Norse (Smalltown Supersound)

You’ll probably know this new-school disco jam already given its ubiquity of late. One of the tunes of the summer.

Spain

The Soul of Spain (Glitterhouse)

Broody, moody, downtempo, lovelorn gems from Josh Haden and band, returning to the stage with their fourth album after a bit of a break.

Mikhael Paskalev

Jive Baby (Universal Norway)

Wham-bam infectious rock with swing from a Norwegian singer- songwriter with Liverpool connections

Syreeta Harmour

Love (Tamla)

Summertime bop from 1977 album One to One, by ex-Motown receptionist and Stevie Wonder’s ex-wife.