Gigs a go go

IT'S the last decision you'll ever have to make in 1996 but it may be the most crucial; where to go for New Year's Eve? Fudge the issue and you could end up ringing in the New Year with just the cat, the television and a magnum of Ovaltine. Make the wrong choice and you could end up swopping spits at midnight with a roomful of dribbling wallys. Choose well however, and you could be getting the New Year off to a celebratory start.

If you've got invites to house parties, then you're well ahead of the pack, and we can't tell you which of your friends' parties to go to but if you don't have a six pack and a scribbled address, then fear not: there's plenty of rock and pop concerts around Dublin to ensure that the last minutes of 1996 are spent in the company of the stars.

For instance, you could be ringing in the New Year with The Corrs at the Point Theatre but don't expect to get close enough to kiss them when the clock strikes 12. The same goes for Boyzone, who play their final Christmas show at the RDS Main Hall. Dunno if you'll be allowed stay up till midnight, though.

For the more mature fans, the Olympia is hosting a New Year's Eve reggae party (at midnight, after the Pirates of Penzance), headlined by Bob Marley tribute band, Buffalo Soldier, and a natty time is guaranteed for all dreads. Over at the Mean Fiddler, Finglas band The Brilliant Trees headline a special gig for their increasing army of fans, while next door in Whelans, the much touted Mundy will belt out his grungy folk rock tunes in the company of The Mary Janes and guests. The Temple Bar Music Centre hosts a New Year's Eve extravaganza starring guitar wizards Revelino while the Da Club's bash features a double whammy of blues and funk, courtesy of Don Baker and Loose Booty.

As for classical music, the New Year's Eve concert at the NCH at 9.45 p.m. is already booked out but there will be a repeat performance on Wednesday at 3.30 p.m. The NSO, conducted by Albert Rosen, with tenor Dennis O'Neill and soprano Mary Calian Clarke, will perform duets and orchestral works by Mozart, Puccini, Bizet and others. Also sold out is the annual New Year's Eve Ball in the City Hall, Belfast, with Viennese music performed by the Ulster Orchestra. There may be room for a few extra dancers at the ceili in Ostan Gaoth Dobhair in Donegal, where Cooney and Begley will be ushering in the New Year with the thunderous rhythm of the box and guitar.

Meanwhile, on the Dublin club scene, the Ormond Multimedia Centre will have a line up of Irish DJs and dance acts, including Mark Kavanagh and Pressure. The POD's annual bash is bigger than ever before, with the Harcourt Street nightclub, Chocolate Bar and Red Box merging into one great big heaving mass of fun; among the many attractions in eight different rooms are a Vegas wedding, a space arcade, fireeaters, belly dancers, S&M cops, and Madonna and Elvis live on stage (no, really!).

The new management of Lillie's Bordello in Grafton Street is throwing a big Snow Ball to start off a bright new 1997, and Renard's owner Robbie Fox will be welcoming partygoers into his South Frederick Street den for some nocturnal New Year activity. Other Dublin clubs like The Kitchen, Ri Ra and The System will be hitting the decks right into the early hours of 1997. Book your spot on the dancefloor early.