Welcome to this week’s episode of The London Ear on RTÉ 2XM. If you’re in Ireland, hope you’re having a great Bank Holiday weekend. If, like me, you’re in the UK, it’s only two months to Christmas and our next bank holiday.
If you are an Irish community group in the UK, don’t forget to let me know if you are holding events over the winter, please do let me know. It would be great to chat to you about your event. Get in touch: nessy@nessymon.com
Following on from playing Kal Lavelle’s track ‘Shiver’s last week, I’ve reignited a feature on the show from last year. I digitised all my music during lockdown and rediscovered lots of great Irish music. There was a Twitter poll this week that asked if bands other than the Beatles covered the Beatles better than they played their own songs. While the question is up for debate, it reminded me of Morning Hush‘s ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’. Let me know what you think? 10 years later, I think it still sounds great!
On next week’s show, I will be joined by Ger Eaton, who recently signed to Dimple Discs, which is fast building up a remarkable stable of acts on its roster.
The London Ear Playlist – October 23 2021
Here’s what was on the playlist for today’s episode of The London Ear.
1. Emma Edel: We Will Try
2. Rowan: Youth and Youthhood
3. Thumper: Loser
4. The Altered Hours: Thistle
5. Lee Rogers: Further On Up The Road
6. Elaine Mai: Together Again
7. Matoma feat Steve Carrigan: Never Surrender
8. Morning Hush: Tomorrow Never Knows
9. ROOUE: Dancing Sad
10. Ger Eaton: The Time It Takes To Fall
11. Power Of Dreams: You Haven’t Really Lived
12. Gemma Dunleavy: Cruisin (Swing Ting Remix)
13. Shibashi feat Candi Staton: Open My Eyes (Dan Grech Radio Mix Edit)
14. Kira: Darkside
15. Melts: Maelstrom
Listen On Demand
Thanks for listening, The London Ear is broadcast online and on your radio apps, in Ireland and around the world. You can listen to the show again on RTÉ 2XM on the RTÉ player including all previous episodes. The show is broadcast every Saturday at 1300.
I finally got the opportunity to chat to Meljoann about their album, ‘H.R.’. The album was released about six weeks ago and I love it. Originally from Ireland, Meljoann now lives in Brighton and to be honest, I’m a big fan.
Meljoann has produced an album that deserves wider recognition. The songwriting is top class and the musicianship production values on ‘H.R.’ are honey for the ears.
I first heard of Meljoann’s music in the run-up to the release of their album ‘Squick’. Previous lifetime stuff here, I was still living in Dublin and made promo CDs for bands. This was a fantastic opportunity to reconnect and find out what life is like for an Irish artist living in Brighton, which, I might add, is one of my favourite places.
Meljoann Recommends:
During our chat, Meljoann spoke about the experimental music scene in Brighton and mentioned Geoff from Spirit of Gravity. Make sure to sign up to their newsletter on their website for events in Brighton.
Meljoann also spoke about her collaboratorRegan O’Brien. Do check out Regan’s work and the video below.
Find out more about Meljoann
If you would find out more about Meljoann and their music check out their website: meljoann.com You can also head to Twitter, Insta and TikTok.
You can listen to and purchase Meljoann’s album “H.R.’ on Bandcamp.
The London Ear // Playlist October 1 2021
Here’s what was on the playlist for this week’s episode of The London Ear.
1. David Holmes feat Raven: Hope is The Last Thing to Die
2. Tolü Makay: Behavin like a Lil B
3. Meljoann: Trophy Wife
4. Interview with Meljoann Part 1
5. Meljoann: Business Card
6. Interview with Meljoann Part 2
7. Meljoann: Consumer
8. Meljoann: O Supervisor
9. Carrie Baxter: You
10. Gemma Dunleavy: Up De Flats (Sharda Remix)
Listen On Demand
Thanks for listening, The London Ear is broadcast online and on your radio apps, in Ireland and around the world. You can listen to the show again on RTÉ 2XM on the RTÉ player including all previous episodes. The show is broadcast every Saturday at 1300.
Check out Meljoann’s session for Dan Hegarty on 2FM
As I was going through everything for the show, I found this Live session that Meljoann did for Dan Hegarty’s show on 2FM. This is just brilliant, Meljoann is the pop star for our times. Immense stuff.
On episode 357 of The London Ear, I was delighted to interview Shiv, an Irish/Zimbabwean artist who is based in Paris. Shiv has a fantastic new EP, entitled ‘The Love Interlude’, released on October 8th. Her current single ‘Where You Are’ is a smoldering piece of soul, funk, sax and all the good things in life.
I really enjoyed my chat with Shiv. As well as her music, it was great to chat about her exploration into film, her cultural identity and life in Paris. I’m not one bit jealous of Shiv living in Paris, nope! Not me! (I’m a very bad liar).
Here’s what was on the playlist for The London Ear 357. What was your favourite track?
1. Gorgeous Wrecks: Army of Regret
2. Maria Kelly: The Sum of The In between
3. Elaine Mai feat Sinead White: Go Slow
4. Patrick Stefan: Anna
5. Dunx: I Land At Sea Howie B Remix
6. Interview with Shiv Part 1
7. Shiv: Golden
8. Interview with Shiv Part 2
9. Shiv: Where You Are
10. Eva Campbell: Echo
11. The Crayon Set: Summer Song (Gui Boratti Rework)
12. Eva Campbell: Echo
Listen On Demand
Thanks for listening, The London Ear is broadcast online and on your radio apps, in Ireland and around the world. You can listen to the show again on RTÉ 2XM on the RTÉ player including all previous episodes. The show is broadcast every Saturday at 1300.
Since earlier in 2021, it has become a legal requirement for everyone going into Ireland to fill in a Passenger Locator Form. The same applies to many countries. But, you do not need to pay for these.
When you book travel, you will be asked / advised to ensure you have all the correct documentation for your trip by your carrier. When you’re going into Ireland, depending on your circumstances, that means proof of vaccinations, proof of a negative RT-PCR test and your Passenger Locator Form. You can always find a list of everything you will need on the Irish government website, gov.ie
Screenshot of Irish Passenger Locator Form from travel.eplf.gov.ie
Dubious Passenger Locator Form Websites
A Passenger Locator Form is a document that is required to be completed by the traveller into a country. This normally includes, your name and contact details, address you’re staying at, how and when you came into the country and the duration of your stay. At time of writing, it is a legal requirement to complete a Passenger Locator Form when entering Ireland from abroad.
You do not need to pay to complete a Passenger Locator Form (PLF). These forms are free and are available from the websites of the countries governments who require them. There is no charge for them and there is definitely no charge for filling in an Irish Passenger Locator Form, which can be found here on travel.eplf.gov.ie
However, as with everything in life, there is always someone somewhere who thinks they can make a quick buck. Unfortunately, during the Covid-19 pandemic, this is rife. There are a number of websites which have set up with the intention of making the unsuspecting traveller pay a fee for the privilege of filling in a passenger locator form. Please do not do this, it only encourages these people. There’s no need to pay someone for this.
Don’t Pay Someone Else To Fill In A Passenger Locator Form
Only use official government forms. If these people are going to fill in a PLF for you, you need to give them all the information. You need to give them this information on their website. They will then copy and paste your information into the Irish government Passenger Locator Form and you’ll be quids down. You
Some of these websites charge between 27-35 £/Euro. Each traveller over 18 must fill in their own individual form. So, for a couple that’s an extra 50/70 quid for the pleasure of filling in a form. Remember, the details you just gave them are the same details you could have filled in yourself on the real form!
Would You Give A Stranger Your Passport and Bank Details?
Also, and here’s the concerning bit for me. These companies have been set up to ‘provide a service’. If people are unfamiliar with the internet or are unsure of exactly what they are looking for, they become easy prey for these companies. I’m not saying that they are scammers, it seems that they do actually fill in the form. But, as well as having all your details, name, address, date of birth, passport number etc., they also now have your bank details, which for me is a major issue. Just think of the potential for data protection breaches.
The bottom line is you don’t have to pay to get yourself a Passenger Locator Form. You can fill it in yourself. The Irish one can be found here. If you fill in a form on a website where you pay to get a PLF, you don’t know what they do with your data. Bottom line, they now know everything about you and have your bank details.
Do your research. Only use a form from an official government website. You don’t want your holiday turning into a nightmare!
If you’re Irish or going to Ireland and have any doubts about what you should do, always contact your local Embassy or Consulate for advice.
