Saturday August 3
ALL TOGETHER NOW
Curraghmore Estate, Co Waterford alltogethernow.ie Also Sunday
The second day of All Together Now delivers a right old lucky bag of treats. Pride of place today has to go to Patti Smith, the performer/poet/activist for whom the word "legend" is fully justified. Alongside Smith, however, is an embarrassment of musical riches: Lisa Hannigan with Stargaze, Junior Brother, David Keenan, Jon Hopkins, Kojaque and the Soft Boy Band, Pillow Queens and Just Mustard. Sunday has a similar tone, with gigs from The National, John Grant, Soak, Saint Sister, Anna Calvi, A Lazarus Soul, Murder Capital and The Good, the Bad, & the Queen. And that's just the music, you lucky people with tickets to this sold-out festival. TCL
ROE
Indiependence, Michelstown, Co Cork indiependencefestival.com
19-year-old Derry singer Roe hits the sweet spot when it comes to electropop – or, as she puts it, "grumpy electropop". With songs like Girls and Hey Thomas tipping into the fragility and anxieties of young adulthood, she finds a way to weave these tales of woe into upbeat power pop anthems designed to make you feel and to make you dance. She's playing the Heineken Main Stage at 4pm on Saturday. If you missed her set at Body & Soul, now's your chance to make up for lost time. LB
Sunday August 4
THE CLAQUE
All Together Now, Curraghmore Estate, Co Waterford alltogethernow.ie
Playing the Road to Nowhere stage at 5pm, The Claque will get you ready for the night ahead. Melodic and jittery, the Dublin band take sinister rhythms and reverberating guitar from Girl Band's Alan Duggan and Jetsetter's Paddy Ormond, and rich vocals courtesy of Kate Brady, to create music that simultaneously speaks to your heart and haunts your soul. They released their debut single, Hush, in March and you better catch them soon so you can say, "I saw them back when . . ." LB
SUMMERLAND MUSIC FESTIVAL
Wicklow town, Co Wicklow
The major Bank Holiday hitters of All Together Now and Indiependence may be out in force, but let's hear it for the more compact events that give smaller and local crowds a good reason to stay put. Making its debut in the open-air events calendar, Summerland Music Festival is more than just tunes. Alongside under-the-radar music acts such as The Rituals, The Jexit, The Receipts and Hawke (all of which support long-established headliners The 4 of Us), are strands for visual art, food and wellness. Summerland Music Festival is a one-day event, and takes place from 2.30pm-10.30pm, at Wicklow town's Abbey grounds. Tell 'em The Ticket sent you. TCL
MOCKIE AH PRIDE PARTY
Cyprus Avenue, Cork
Promising disco, pop and house, the Mockie Ah drag family invite you to join them for Cork's Pride party. There will be performances from the Haus of Mockie Ah and they also have a few special guests up their fabulous sleeves. The event is hosted by Candy Warhol and it runs from 10pm until closing time. The Cork Pride Parade is on earlier on in the day, kicking off at 1pm, so get yourself a bag of chips in between. Don't see a good Pride wasted. All right? LB
Monday August 5
ANGIE McMAHON
Workmans Club, Dublin
There is a lot to be said for a singer that can make their voice be heard above a nine-piece soul band (with a parping horn section, no less), but Melbourne's Angie McMahon has more than enough energy for the task. Initially inspired by numerous songwriters, sure enough, McMahon processed those influences into something she could distill her own emotions from. The best advice she has been given, she has said, was to make music that came from the heart, the results of which are on her recently released debut album, Salt. Post her All Together Now performance, expect to hear the full album, which is full of the songwriter's seriously good intentions. TCL
Tuesday August 6
I HEART ELLIOTT SMITH
Whelan's, Dublin
Elliott Smith began his solo career in 1994, gaining mainstream recognition three years later when his song, Miss Misery, was included in the soundtrack for the movie Good Will Hunting. The track was subsequently Oscar-nominated for Best Original Song, but Smith disliked the increasing levels of attention. Nonetheless, he signed to DreamWorks Records (a co-founder of which was Steven Spielberg), releasing two superb albums, XO (1998) and Figure 8 (2000). Come 2003, at the age of 34, he was dead. On what would have been his 50th birthday, the good folk at Whelan's gather together a bunch of musicians to celebrate the life, times and music of the Omaha, Nebraska songwriter. Prepare to tear up. TCL
Thursday August 8
RUSSIAN CIRCLES
Button Factory, Dublin Also Friday 9, Róisín Dubh, Galway; Saturday 10, Limelight, Belfast
Admit it – who knew the band's name is derived from a drill exercise used in ice hockey? Formed 15 years ago in Chicago by Mike Sullivan and Dave Turncrantz, Russian Circles – often defined as post-metal instrumentalists that perform "wordless crushers" – are touring their latest album, Blood Year. According to the band's website, the album is much more "direct and forceful" and was recorded with minimum fuss. We'll know what to expect, then: visceral music presented with distinct flourishes of style and substance. What's that? Oh, yeah, bring along some earplugs. TCL
AN ELECTRIC DREAM
The Workman's Club, Dublin
If you've ever wanted to know what it's like to swirl inside the minds of the members of Otherkin (we all have our kinks), then this is the night for you. Taking over every inch of Workman's, they are curating a night that will see live music and DJs handpicked by the Dublin rock band and, for a final flourish, they will put on a special performance where they pay tribute to the electronic and industrial influences that are pushing their music in a new direction. LB
Friday August 9
WE'VE ONLY JUST BEGUN
Whelan's, Dublin Also Saturday 10 & Sunday 11
Year two of We've Only Just Begun sees an extension in line-up and breadth/scope of talent. Over three nights, the female-oriented festival covers all stylistic bases, so for anyone interested in investigating exactly how the Irish music landscape is looking (and sounding), the event is a must. Top tips? There are names we are not familiar with (including Toshin, Kynsy, Jackie Beverly), so let's stick to those we know and admire very much: Wyvern Lingo, Hvmmingbird (Friday), Pillow Queens, Roe, Cherym, Jealous of the Birds, Naoise Roo (Saturday), and Soda Blonde, Elkin and Sive (Sunday). TCL
LETHAL DIALECT
The Workman's Club, Dublin
Even though he’s listed as Lethal Dialect, the Dublin rapper goes by Paul Alwright these days; but, however you know him, know that his latest album Hungry is one of the best Irish albums released last year. Capturing the rise and demise of Celtic Tiger Dublin, while touching on toxic masculinity, his music encapsulates the frustrations of modern Ireland. Alwright is as passionate a live performer as he is a wordsmith, and you could do worse things with your Friday evening than catch him in action. LB
Saturday August 10
SEODA SUMMER PARTY
Dolan's, Limerick
The good people at Seoda sure know how to put on a party and, hail, rain, snow or shine, this one is going to be a thrumdinger. Bands taking part include The Wha, Silverbacks, PowPig, The Claque (see separate panel highlight), Candice Gordon and The Altered Hours. Special guest is Paddy Hanna (who may or may not sing a Burt Bacharach song). As much as the event is a summer shindig, it is also a micro view (another one, as if it were needed) of the absurdly healthy state of the nation's music scene. TCL
NO MORE HOTELS 001
Wigwam, Dublin
As a cultural protest against hotels and offices replacing music venues across the capital, No More Hotels wants to bring people back into town. The event is staggered into four phases at different prices; you can begin the night at 8pm with dinner and a cabaret show or you can get going at 10 with in-house "prinks". The two final stages are divided into the "warm-up" at 11pm and the "lash her out" phase at 12.30am, which will give you disco until you can disco no more. LB
RICHARD THOMPSON
Vicar St, Dublin; also Sunday 11, Ulster Hall, Belfast; Tuesday 13, Town Hall Theatre, Galway; Wednesday 14, Set Theatre, Kilkenny (sold out); Thursday 15, Live at St Luke's, Cork
Showing little sign of releasing his grip on sterling songwriting and performing, UK veteran Richard Thompson continues his (almost) never-ending touring with a brisk jaunt around Ireland. Nominally plugging his latest album (last year's 13 Rivers – "fascinating as ever," noted this paper's reviewer), Thompson's back catalogue will, no doubt, be explored in some detail. And what a collection of songs the man has – from early work with Fairport Convention and as a duo with his (then) wife, Linda, to almost 20 solo albums, there will be no end of work to choose from. TCL
BLACK SEEDS
Sugar Club, Dublin
Over the past 20 years, New Zealand's Black Seeds have gained a reputation for their layered blend of funk, Afrobeat, dub, reggae and soul. It's easy to understand why: the eight-piece band's innate appreciation of what makes good reggae filters out into audiences that never fail to connect. There's no shortage of musical foresight, either – across a handful of albums, the group perform songs described by online live music website JamBase as being at "the forefront of reggae today and tomorrow". TCL
