Coming out on top was the Cork Opera House with the IMRO National Live Music Venue of the Year award, voted by the public. The past year has seen a marked improvement in the range and quality of acts performing at the Opera House, some of the highlights including: Ryan Adams, Talvin Singh, The Blind Boys of Alabama and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, as well as Irish acts Fred, Niwel Tsumbu, Jack L and James Vincent McMorrow.
Filling up the calendar too were a range of quality comedy acts, as well as perpetual OH favourites like Daniel O’Donnell, various showband nostalgia nights, even Crystal Swing and a string of sold-out Jedward shows, but tickets will be sold and bills must be paid! Special mention must be given for stand-out events such as the series of shows for The Reich Effect (celebrating Steve Reich’s 75th birthday), The Knife’s Darwin electro-opera ‘Tomorrow, in a Year’, Icebreaker & BJ Cole performing Brian Eno’s Apollo, and the UCC Gamelan Ensemble (who are returning in April).

Upcoming highlights at the Cork Opera House include Professor Green, The Magnetic Fields and Transcendentalists (Jóhann Jóhannsson, Hauschka and Dustin O’Halloran), with some impressive local & Irish acts lined up in the form of Mick Flannery, Kormac’s Big Band with the West Cork Ukelele Orchestra, and Cork Rocks The House.

Meanwhile, Cyprus Avenue have been awarded Best Live Music Venue in Munster for the second time, having won the inaugural award in 2008. Last year saw some epic, loud gigs like Swans, Earth and Therapy, and brought back classic Irish acts Whipping Boy and Cry Before Dawn. International touring highlights (for this author at least) included And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Austra, John Grant and The Antlers.

More information:
IMRO Live Music Venue of the Year Awards 2012
www.corkoperahouse.ie
www.cyprusavenue.ie

The Lobby Bar on No 1 Union Quay was an iconic live music venue in Cork City, which closed its doors in 2005. This book tells the story of the music and people who passed through the Lobby Bar during its seventeen year existence. At one time there were four public houses neighbouring the Lobby, with music becoming a key element linking each venue by the 1990s.

The Lobby Bar – Music Through the Windows of Union Quay, Cork also delves back into the history of the musicians and venues that shaped the musical landscape of Cork. It is a book that celebrates, in words and pictures, the many magic nights of music in the Lobby Bar.

More info at http://www.facebook.com/lobbybarbook

The Lobby Book is available from:
Easons and Waterstones on Patrick St,
The Pavilion bar on Carey’s Lane,
Liam Russells on Oliver Plunkett St,
Porters in Wilton and Douglas Court,
Carrigaline Bookshop,
Philip’s Bookstore, Mallow Town,
+ plugd in the Triskel Centre

From December 2011 The Lobby Bar book is available to buy on www.ebay.ie

It’s back. After the success of last year’s Cork Rock City compilation, including appearances on the Irish Independent, AU Magazine, 96FM and all over the Irish music blogosphere, Cork Rock City returns with Vol.2.

Preview 7 tracks from the compilations here:

Cork Rock City Vol.2 endeavours to document and showcase definitively the unprecedented level of activity in Cork music, from established hands like Hope is Noise, and [r]evolution of a Sun, to feral new prospects like Slugbait, Fat Actress, Former Monarchs and Agitate the Gravel, from the chaotic “supergrind” of full-time chancers I’ll Eat Your Face to the lunatic fringe of drone, improv and electronica that fosters the brilliant likes of Narwhals, Ellll, and Takeshi and the Kid, and everything inbetween. This city’s breadth and depth of native (and adoptive) musical talent will be explored and showcased like it deserves, and will prove, once again, that this town can easily beat anywhere else in the world, never mind Ireland, to the best tunes.

Cork Rock City Vol.2 releases on Tuesday November 1st at 10am from Drop-d.ie’s brand new Bandcamp page as a completely free download as a full album, or as pick ‘n’ mix single downloads, with a number of extras including video, a guide to Cork music and festivals, and the return of a popular feature of last year’s comp, interchangeable covers, including designs from Cork graphic design heads like Execute and Ricky Sweeney.

The official launch gig will take place at the Crane Lane Theatre, Phoenix Street on Friday night November 4th at 9pm, with Former Monarchs, Slugbait and more to be confirmed and Crane Lane DJs ’til the wee hours.

Drop-d: Cork Rock City Vol. 2
Get it here: http://drop-d.bandcamp.com/album/drop-d-cork-rock-city-vol-2

Full details and current progress can be found below this promo video…

fundit.ie page: http://www.fundit.ie/project/ten-past-seven-want-to-record-new-music

The festival site is located a 15 minute walk from the town, while camping is available on site with the relevant ticket. Prices start at €59 for two days (without camping) up to €99 for three days with camping.
Full ticket details and booking links here:
www.indiependencefestival.com/?page_id=3

The Cork News spoke to the organisers about this year’s festival and the planning involved:
www.thecorknews.ie/articles/indie-pendent-spirit

The complete festival line-up and further information can be found at the Indiependence website: www.indiependencefestival.com

See the Indiependence website for the latest full lineup; meanwhile some highlights include:

Bavaria Main Stage
Headliners include White Lies, Alabama 3, Reverend & The Makers and The Coronas

The Cyprus Avenue Arena
Delorentos, Jape & Duke Special

The Monster Mash
The stage will see a mix of rock, electro and DJ’s from mid afternoon to early morning.

The Square
Live music, comedy, DJs, live electro, merchandise, vendors & chillout area.
“…a new addition for 2010, it is an arena within a village within a festival…
a 1,000 capacity tent where you will be able to see just a little bit of everything.”

Tickets priced at €59 (or €79 including camping) are available online from Ticketgroup.

More info at www.indiependencefestival.com

This year’s one day festival sees acts performing over 4 stages:

The Blue Tent
MARTHA WAINWRIGHT
BONNIE ‘PRINCE’ BILLY AND THE CAIRO GANG
HOTHOUSE FLOWERS
THE FRANK AND WALTERS
MICK FLANNERY
JOHN SPILLANE
NEON FLEA CIRCUS

The Little Big Tent
FUTURE TRAD COLLECTIVE
BRIAN DEADY
O EMPEROR
THE CÉILÍ ALL STARS
SUCKITT & C
JINX LENNON
BRAY VISTA
JOEL PLASKETT
TREMBLING BELLS
TKO
THE SOCIAL SERVICES
FREEZERROOM

De Barras Sitting Room
THE HANDSOME FAMILY
INTERFERENCE
LUKA BLOOM
LOW MOUNTAIN
GAVIN MOORE
LJ HILL (OZ)
TRAMPSTERDAM
DEAD CAT BOUNCE (COMEDY BAND)

An Realt Dearg tent
JOHN DALY
CRAIG SMITH (6TH BOROUGH PROJECT)
SUNDAY TIMES SOUNDSYSTEM
ELECTRIC UNDERGROUND DJ’S
BOOCHY
SEAN GALVIN & ADAM DUNBAR
SHANE BREEN
JOHN COAKLEY
JACK BUCKLEY (MOONS)
BRIAN RING
DR. HERRINGBONE DREAD

Tickets at €55 are available from:
www.tickets.ie
Cork Tickets (ex Plug’d Records), Washington st, Cork, 021 4276300
De Barra’s, 55 Pearse st Clonakilty, 023 36549 Wed 6pm – 11pm.

Camping is available within the festival grounds for €10 per person.
Tickets can be purchased at the gate between 6pm and 9pm on Friday 30th July and from 1pm on Saturday 31st.

More info at www.corkxsw.com and www.myspace.com/corkxsw

Livestock is a one day music festival which aims to support Irish artists through local festivals concentrating on Music and Art.

LiveStock festival has established reputable artists performing alongside new emerging acts offering both the opportunity to showcase there work to a large audience.

Ireland has some of the finest artists in the world and we are very fortunate to be able to play a small part in showcasing this talent.

This is the 3rd LiveStock Festival and it has been host to some of the finest acts in Ireland today including most recently, Delorentos, Codes, The Chapters, Ian whitty & the Exchange, 21Demands, T.K.O., The Hot Sprockets, and more.

LiveStock Music Festival — Saturday 3rd July 2010

The Courtyard Bar, Schull, Co.Cork

Admission €8, Gates 2pm.

www.myspace.com/livestockcork

www.facebook.com/livestockfestival

Camille O’Sullivan
with support by Maria Doyle Kennedy at Charles Fort
Saturday 10 July 2010 7:00 PM
Expect fire and ice, pure passion and drop-dead cool as Camille O’Sullivan gets in touch with her inner rock goddess with a new show for Kinsale Arts Week.
Tickets : €35

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
with support by Oleku (Nigeria) at Charles Fort
Thursday 15 July 2010 7:30 PM
This July audiences at Charles Fort can brace themselves for the thrill of experiencing one of THE most exciting live bands of the moment.
Tickets : €28

The Bootleg Beatles
with support by David Hope and the Henchmen at Charles Fort
Friday 16 July 2010 7:00 PM
It’s not the Beatles but you simply won’t believe it! Re-live the sights and sounds of the sixties as the world’s premier Beatle band visit Kinsale with their spectacular stage production featuring all the classic Beatle hits.
Tickets : €35

Kinsale Arts Week is a multi-discinplinary Arts Festival. It commissions new work in all genres and supports both established and emerging artists.

The programme features Local, National, and International work including Visual Art, Theatre, Music, Literature, Film, Dance, Architecture, and Family Entertainment. There is a keen emphasis on community involvement in the Festival with many Users of the community engaged in year-round Festival projects. Local artists also have the oppertunity to showcase their work. The Festival seeks to use all possible performance spaces in the historic town including the harbour, the streets, boats, churches and unusual spaces. The audience at home and from abroad are invited to experience the festival and celebreate creativity.

For more information about the festival and tickets for the above events, see www.kinsaleartsweek.com

Having received massive success with his last album Colour Me Colourful and a huge amount of airplay with the hit single One of the Same, Roesy soundproofed the basement of his Amsterdam apartment where he was living and got to work writing and recording Fable. He mixed the album in New York, where he had previously been picked up by Wardlaw Banks and Downtown Music, currently promoting him in the USA

Fable is arguably Roesy’s most down to earth album to date, reflecting on the obstacles we face at the dawn of a new decade, moving between faith and frustration and covering themes of love, fear and the journey between the two. It’s the work of a musician who is completely comfortable in his ability and continues to remain true to himself, this shines through from beginning to end.

“Roesy has a relaxed, gentle-voiced singing style that evokes shades of Nick Drake without sacrificing its own originality” (The Evening Herald)

“Tender-hearted Irish singer/songwriters are two a cent but Roesy’s the best of the lot” (The RTE Guide)

“…armed with a crystalline pair of vocal chords…” (The Irish Times)

To be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets for the show on Wednesday night, send an email to competitions@corkgigs.com (subject: Roesy) with your name and the answer to the following question:
Where was Fable recorded?

The deadline for entries is midnight on Tuesday April 27th. Winners will be notified by email Wednesday morning.

Listen to Roesy online at http://www.myspace.com/roesymusic