Super Silly
The Workman’s Club, Dublin, Friday August 18th, 8pm, Adm free theworkmansclub.com
The Dublin Quays Festival comes up trumps here, with a rare enough outing from Super Silly, who wowed a largely unsuspecting crowd at Indiependence two weeks ago. The group has been around for exactly a year, and in that short time has marked itself down as one to keep an eye on. With songs such as No Pressure, Not Ready to Leave, and new single Dubai, the mix of R'n'B, gospel, soul and hip-hop is match-ready for the festival season. Support act is teenage Belfast rapper Jordan Adetunji.
Format: B
District 8, Dublin, Friday August 18th, €16.44-€21.92 district8dublin.com
German duo Format: B are coming to Dublin's District 8 with some ferociously filthy tech-house. Their most recent release, Not Enufff EP, can act as your warm-up music because you can't go into this unprepared. As soon as the bass line of Chunky hits you, there's no turning back.
Another Love Story
Killyon Manor, Co Meath, Friday August 18th-Sunday August 21st €35-€185 anotherlovestory.ie
In its fourth year, Another Love Story is a quick break away from reality. Set in the lush surroundings of Killyon Manor, it features some of the best Irish acts on its line-up including Ships, Katie Kim, ELLLL and Bantum, and it also gives you the chance to take part in a very special yet totally competitive sports day known as the Love Olympics. Weekend camping tickets are sold out but Sunday day tickets are still on sale.
DIP all day at Dalymount
Dalymount Park, Dublin, Saturday August 19th, 4pm, €5 facebook.com/pg/dipdublin
DIP DJs are taking over home of the Bohs for one day and one day only with a mix of house, techno and disco. From 4pm until late, the bar and stalls will be your dancefloor and with a speaker system set in the tunnel, guests can have a boogie where some of the greats have passed through (alas, no access to the pitch itself). But the promise of cheap pints should make up for that.
Groove
Kilruddery House & Gardens, Bray, Co Wicklow, Saturday August 19th & Sunday August 20th, 2pm €59.50 (day) & €99.50 (weekend) groovefestival.ie
Groove festival continues apace in what is one of the best settings in Ireland for a family-friendly music/arts/food event. This year, the organisers have strengthened its food and mindfulness input, and there is also a decent music line-up. Primal Scream headline Saturday (support from Hudson Taylor, Jerry Fish, and Columbia Mills). UB40 headline Sunday (support from Hothouse Flowers, Cry Before Dawn, and Stomptown Brass). The Sony Xperia Stage acts (mostly Irish) include Daithí, John Smith, Ailbhe Reddy, Katie Laffan, Third Smoke, Farah Elle, Jack O’Rourke, and I am Niamh.
Birds Of Olympus
Grand Social, Dublin Saturday August 19, 8pm, Adm free thegrandsocial.ie
Wicklow band Birds of Olympus are the nominal headline act in this three-for-one line-up, which arrives as part of the inaugural Dublin Quays Festival. The band is the brain-baby of Spud Murphy, the former frontman of Hybrasil (remember them?). Formed about two years ago, the Birds will be previewing psych/trance tunes from their forthcoming debut album. Support comes from Fiction Peaks and A Ritual Sea.
The Script
National Stadium, Dublin, Monday August 21 8pm €54.15 (sold out) ticketmaster.ie
Millennium Forum, Derry, Tuesday August 22nd, 8pm £43.50 (sold out) millenniumforum.co.uk
The Script haven't played such intimate venues in years, so it's a perfect opportunity for their avid fanbase to see them up close and personal, as they preview tracks from forthcoming fifth album, Freedom Child. The band will also, no doubt, deliver a selection of songs that have made them one of Ireland's most successful music exports. Special guest is UK singer-songwriter JP Cooper, who releases his debut album, Raised Under Dark Skies, next month.
Muse
Boucher Road Playing Fields, Belfast, Wednesday August 23rd, 5pm £49.50 ticketmaster.ie
In rock music terms, live shows rarely come close to the retina-jabbing spectacle that Muse regularly deliver, and you can bet your bottom bitcoin that this gig will be similarly attired. With no new album to plug (that’ll be next year), fans can expect to hear familiar material from across the band’s seven albums. Get there early, too, folks, because the support line-up is impressive: Scottish band Biffy Clyro, English rock act Nothing but Thieves, and Irish rock band Fangclub, fragrant-fresh from the release of their rather splendid self-titled debut album.
The Tearaways
Dolan's Warehouse, Limerick Wednesday August 23rd, 8pm €22.90 dolans.ie
Whelan’s, Dublin, Thursday, August 24th, 7pm €22.90 whelanslive.com
Santa Barbara's The Tearaways have been on the go for more than 35 years, so you can safely guess two things: their roots are in punk rock, and they've been around more blocks than you'll find scattered in a builder's yard. The band's Anglophile-loving punk/pop credentials are spot-on, so if you're mooching around for a band that blend The Who, The Kinks and The Hollies with Beach Boys and Jefferson Airplane, then you need look no further. Adding more joy to your evening is the presence in the drum seat of Blondie's drummer Clem Burke, who, frankly, rips up a storm whenever he has sticks in his hands.
Psychedelic Furs
The Limelight, Belfast Wednesday August 23rd, 7pm £26.50 limelightbelfast.com
The Academy, Dublin, Thursday August 24th, 8pm €30 ticketmaster.ie
One of the best UK post-punk bands, it's an unfortunate truth that Psychedelic Furs are best known for one song. That they can thank US film director John Hughes for using Pretty in Pink as a loose, if slightly skewed concept for his 1986 film of the same name may be both a blessing and a curse. The band, however, have better songs, most of which made them a much bigger draw in America than the UK. Still in the pink, after all these years? Yes. Still pretty? Ah, now.
