Blog

The London Ear on RTÉ 2XM // Show 151

So this week has been an up and down mixture for me and one of the occasions where, being a team of moi, didn’t get round to speaking to anyone. Instead what you have is a selection of the best music around at the moment

The London Ear on RTÉ 2XM // Show 151 // April 22 2017 // Playlist

1. King Kong Company: All These Things
2. Gorillaz Feat Vince Staples: Ascension
3. Cold War Kids: Love is Mystical
4. Jake Issac: Long Road
5. Katie Laffan: Tastemaker
6. aboveDat: Better
7. LANY: It Was Love
8. The Henry Girls: Don’t Call Me Honey
9. Marlene Enright: 123
10. Cry Monster Cry: Things We Can’t Take Back
11. Bokito: Better at Getting Worse
12. Davy Flats: Snowflakes
13. Marika Hackman: My Lover Cindy
14. The Kooks: Be Who You Are
15. Public Service Broadcasting: Progress

Listen On Demand to The London Ear

Thanks for listening, The London Ear broadcast on DAB radio, Saorview and outside Ireland you can listen online.You can listen to the show again on the RTE player. The show is broadcast every Saturday at 1300.

Don’t forget to check out the RTE 2XM website. You can keep up with me here.

Check out The London Ear on Facebook and Twitter

Thanks for listening.

nessy out!

April 23, 2017
What Kind of Blogger Am I ?

Over the past while, I’ve joined a number of blogger groups on Facebook. To me, back when I started this little website, it was to be more of a place where I could share my college assignments, projects and things I was doing.

I’ve always enjoyed writing, I actually get really tensed up if I don’t write for a while. So, it’s something I have to do, for me.

As I got more into writing, the harder I found it to put myself into a niche. I like writing about music, about movies, about life, about technology. Why should I have to decide where I fit in?

I’ve always been a little uncomfortable with the term ‘blogger’. Yes, I keep a web blog of things I do but the term has become synonymous with, in my opinion, ridiculous terms, like digital influencer – someone who has a shed load of followers on a social media platform and people will then pay money to flaunt a product.

That’s not me, never will be. A forty something queer woman who likes radio, baseball, music, the work of Baz Luhrmann, a good saag paneer and kriek beer probably doesn’t have the audience that say, a food or fashion blogger will have. I just want to know if it comes in black and/or if there’s a veggie option.

Some of my writings I share on my little web log, others I don’t, like the short film scripts I’ve written or the children’s story I’m currently working on. While I may never have shed loads of views, tonnes of followers, this is my space on the internet. This is all mine, where I am the editor, I write (Talulah points out the mistakes). It’s for me.

Writing is the same as music. It’s easy to forget why we started it in the first place. I started because it was something I enjoyed, something I found relaxing and cathartic. Somewhere I was in control. That hasn’t changed. I’m never going to be able to keep up with major blog sites, that’s cool. This is for me, it’s my web blog, my release. If someone reads, if someone enjoys it, then that’s an added bonus.

April 20, 2017
Irish Indie Film Trampoline on Amazon Prime

Trampoline is an Irish made indie film, currently streaming on Amazon Prime. Written and directed by Tom Ryan, it tells the story of Angie Corbett, who returns to Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, after a stint in London.

Why Trampoline? I guess it’s because Angie is bouncing around not knowing where her life is going. All her mates have left, her parents have divorced and there’s a lot of changes happening. She takes a job as an English sub teacher and she’s a little bit shite at the job.

There are some things I could poke at regarding the production but here’s the amazing thing about Trampoline. It was made for €1000. Yes, one thousand euro. Between first time director Tom Ryan and Producer Claire Gormley, they managed to wrangle local businesses in Nenagh into sponsoring the film. In return for a mention in the credits, they get the exterior of their business featured in the film. Stroke of genius.

Now, the pair have it streaming on Amazon Prime. Indie filmmakers across the land, what are you waiting for? The world is your oyster and there are new platforms to exploit and increase your audience. Whatever about the story and the production, this is the inspirational ending from Trampoline.

Since the making of Trampoline, Ryan has gone on to make Twice Shy, the story of an unplanned pregnancy, and has recently won Best Young Director at the Irish Film Festival Australia.

You can follow Tom Ryan on Twitter.

Check out the trailer for Trampoline.

April 17, 2017
The London Ear on RTÉ 2XM // Show 150 with Sue Healy and Bokito

Happy Easter!

It’s great having a four-day weekend! I’m fully of the opinion that if we had longer weekends or a four-day week, that it would cut down on unemployment and everyone would have a little bit more time to do what they really wanted to. Using every Saturday as a rest day for the previous week leaves you with one day to have fun. Who’s with me?

Interview with writer/playwright Sue Healy

Today on The London Ear, I chat to Irish playwright, Sue Healy. Sue’s play ‘Cow’ is on tonight (April 15) in the Etcetera Theatre, over the Oxford Arms pub in Camden at 945pm.

Cow is ‘An entertaining light comedy that also mulls contemporary issues including immigration, perceptions of women and infertility’. It’s also got a bit of a DJ Carey obsession going on.

Sue has a fantastic CV of achievements, you can read all about her work on her website and you can follow Sue on Twitter.

Keep an eye out for more ‘Cow’ dates this summer!

Interview with Moses from Bokito

Get two lads from Kildare, three from lads from the UK, a touch of hip hop and afrobeat vibes, put it altogether and you end up with Bokito.

I played their track ‘Better at getting Worse’ on the show and you know what? I absolutely love it. It’s a fantastic debut release so I had to get chatting to the guys behind the sound and find out what is going on.

You can find out more about the band on Facebook, Twitter and on Instagram.

They play The Tram in Tooting on April 22nd and Whelan’s in Dublin on April 28th.

The London Ear on RTÉ 2XM, Show 150, April 15 2017 // Playlist

1. Katie Laffan: Tastemaster
2. Shrookrah: On Our Way
3. Chat with Irish playwright, Sue Healy
4. Hawk: Mirror Maze
5. Lauren Hoffman and The Secret Storm: Sick with Love
6. Billionaire: World Loves a Trier
7. Chat with Moses from Bokito
8. Bokito: Better At Getting Worse
9. Publice Service Broadcasting featuring Tracyanne Campbell: Progress
10. Meljoann: Personal Assistant

Listen On Demand to The London Ear

Thanks for listening, The London Ear broadcast on DAB radio, Saorview and outside Ireland you can listen online.You can listen to the show again on the RTE player. The show is broadcast every Saturday at 1300.

Don’t forget to check out the RTE 2XM website. You can keep up with me here.

Check out The London Ear on Facebook and Twitter

Have a great Easter Break!

nessy out!

Photo of Sue from here.
Photo of Bokito by Zoltan Farkas from here

April 15, 2017