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  • Identity Parade: Six Shades of Blue E.P. Review

    identity paradeIdentity Parade are back with a four track E.P. ‘Six Shades of Blue’. This is the first new music we’ve heard from the band since their self titled debut album which produced a trio of Top 30 Irish hits.

    The title track opens proceedings. It’s a slow builder with nice string plucks and a bigger use of synth sounds than in previous recordings. Having recorded and produced the EP themselves, it seems like the band have updated themselves with an a very contemporary UK indie vibe which nods at some eighties vibes.

    IDP seem to like the slow build ups. ‘Plagued’, again builds up slowly. When all the instrumentation comes in though, either the keys could be a little lower in the mix or the vocals a little louder. The keys seem to be tilted more to the left and this seems to overpower the vocals slightly. Not a bad track though.  (more…)

  • The Beauty Queen of Leenane Review

    The Beauty Queen of Leenane - Rosaleen LehihanIf you haven’t had a chance to catch the superb ‘The Beauty Queen of Leenane’ at the Gaiety, now is your last chance as the run ends on June 4th.

    Comedy can be really hard to conquer, not everyone is going to laugh at the same things. Within minutes of the play starting, Martin McDonagh’s script had the entire audience laughing. As the play goes on though, it seems that the comedy is there to cover up the disturbing, brutal reality of the situation.

    The play is set in 1980’s Galway, in an Ireland obsessed by Australian soaps and focuses on the relationship between Maureen (Derbhle Crotty) a singleton, tipping forty and her eldery but clever deceptive mother, Mag (Rosaleen Lenehan). Maureen longs to break free from her mother’s chains and find herself some romance, while Mag will do everything in her power to keep Maureen right where she is. Enter two local brothers, one to provide comic relief, the other returned from London to pull at Maureen’s heartstrings.

    The set design is clever, the living room having a real smoking stove. Everybody of a certain age will remember when every Irish house had a two bar electric heater and a picture of The Kennedys over the fireplace next to the Pope. Rosaleen Lenehan is devine as the devious Mag, as she commands all the attention from poor Maureen. Frank Laverty, who plays the returned Pato, shows a defined elegance in his often tender role. His monologue alone is worth seeing.

    While watching, you think you know what way the plot is going, there is a certain familiarity with how this should play out. However, a sense of unease slowly creeps in and turns this comedy into a dark twisted tragedy.

    See it before it ends.

  • Robyn G. Shiels: The Great Depression Review

    Robyn G ShielsWith a title like the The Great Depression, thoughts of country music sung by a broken soul come to mind. Robyn G. Shiels‘ voice and sparse guitar and musical style, capture the vibe exquisitely. This automatically puts Shiels in the same ballpark as Ryan Bingham.

    This five track shows Shiels as an honest performer and songwriter with a great command of how a song should be delivered. While there are points throughout the tracks where Shiels is accompanied by a band, he is never overpowered, his vocals always remaining centre of attention.

    2012 sees the release of ‘Hello Death’ (he’s a cheery fellow isn’t he?), going on this, it should be an album to watch out for. (more…)

  • Interview with Pete Lawrie

    Welshman, Pete Lawrie has just released his debut album ‘A Little Brighter’ and will be in Ireland to play the Body & Soul Festival on June 18/19. I caught up with Pete to chat about to chat about his new album, camper vans and golf!

    You come from a musical background, your parents are musicians, playing with The Liverpool Philharmonic and your Grandad played on the Beatles’ Strawberry Fields Forever. Did that influence or sway you in any way as to what path life would take?

    ‘Yeah, in the sense that I was surrounded by music from an early age and there was instruments around. I certainly wasn’t pushed into it. It was amazing to me. I used to go watch my parents rehearse in the orchestra every Saturday, which was amazing cos you just sit in an empty auditorium with a full orchestra. My first present was a trumpet from my Grandad, which amazingly, today, I’ve just put my trumpet in the bath. I haven’t played it in so many years that it seized up and my flatmate just asked if I’d play trumpet on a track he’s playing. So I just got it out today, which is a strange coincidence.

    I was just surrounded my music and instruments so I guess it did influence me but my sister isn’t a musician so it certainly wasn’t like we were told to do it.’

    (more…)