This Week’s Pick of Irish Talent
Juhn Echo with guests Slow Moving Clouds at Whelans
Sunday 30th November
Limerick alternative folk trio play Whelan’s this Sunday with support from Slow Moving Clouds in a fantastic display of fresh and captivating modern folk music. Their alternative take on traditional Irish music is one that would garner attention from those who regularly wouldn’t have any interest. Singer Niamh Regan has a voice that is gorgeous to listen to, sweet and quivering with a carefully controlled power that demands attention. The songs are equally enticing, switching quickly and seamlessly into different grooves and making use of Japanese instruments and irregular drumbeats to create a sound that is truly unique.
Psychics, Frank, The Journals and Sleepwalk Mechanical at The Workmans Club
Monday December 1st
Pleasing Features invites you to yet another selection of Irish acts playing The Workmans Club, and, lucky you, it’s for free. The Journals are the main attraction of the evening. A Elliott Smith, Nirvana and Warpaint-influenced grunge four-piece, The Journals have a nicely-varied catalogue and a rounded musical taste. Their lead singer Ollie has an expressive, well-trained voice which, paired with the band’s noisy drive, creates a sometimes intense intimacy.
God Knows + mynameisjOhn at The Workmans Club
Sunday 7th December
Zimbabwean-Irish rapper God Knows and Shannon DJ mynameisjOhn succeed not only in making Irish hip hop that doesn’t make you cringe (which proves seemingly pretty difficult for Irish acts) but in fact makes you want to get up and join in. The music is authentic and unforced, with God Knows’ Grime influence and playful lyrics and the colourful smorgasbord of sampled genres and shifting beats of mynameisjOhn creating a high-energy impact. The duo, and sometimes trio, describe themselves as “electrifying” and they’re totally right; their enthusiasm is tangible and contagious. As much as we love our Irish indie-rock bands, this gig provides a refreshing, and somewhat necessary, alternative.
Cian Nugent & The Cosmos at The Joinery
Saturday 6th December
Cian Nugent & The Cosmos create experimental finger-picking style guitar music that gradually grows in instrumentation and expands into abstract musical impressions. The songs are ever-changing and allusive, and the sound is difficult to describe or to attribute to a particular genre, with apparent jazz and traditional influence meeting with more experimental tendencies. More psychedelic rock influence has emerged in Cian Nugent’s music, with the addition of four-piece band The Cosmos to live shows. What exactly is to be expected at Cian Nugent’s last gig at The Joinery isn’t certain, but one thing is – this definitely is a show to catch.
Words: Cara Spelman (Resident Irish Talent scout)