The Wedding Present 21st Anniversary Gig

 

The Wedding Present are to return to Belfast on Sunday November 28th to celebrate the 21st anniversary of Bizarro, which will be played in its entirety.

In 1985 singer David Lewis Gedge filled two suitcases with 500 copies of the band’s debut single Go Out and Get Em Boy and took a National Express coach to London to deliver them to their distribution company. Since then the band have had released six studio albums and 18 UK Top 40 singles.

Tickets for the show are available through Ticketmaster and cost £15 sterling.

 

Simon Fagan Bewley’s Café Gig to be Streamed Live

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simon Fagan’s upcoming gig in Bewley’s Café will be streamed live in his official website. The gig is taking place on Friday November 19th but can be viewed for free at http://www.simonfagan.net/live

Streaming will start at 9.30pm with around 40 minutes of the set. This will be Simon’s last headline show of the year and along with his band he will be performing acoustic versions of songs from his debut album Outside Looking In.

T-Shirt Modification – T shirt into a halter neck

This really easy modification is a great way to give unused and unloved t-shirts a new lease of life. I used to buy t-shirts at gigs then really regret it. I never like the designs they have in women’s sizes as there’s usualy fewer to pick from and they’re never as nice as the men’s. So I’d buy a male one (without trying it on) then regret it when I got home, looked in the mirror and realised it made me look like a shoebox.

Even with my limited sewing experience this still turns out really well for me. The t shirt I used was just awful quality, this made it a nightmare to stitch but also it doesn’t sit as well as a better one would have, so this pattern is even more effective if you’re using a better t-shirt (I paid €1 for this one).

Enjoy

John Angotti & The Cabinteely Gospel Singers in Vicar Street

On Friday September 19th John Angotti along with Dublin’s own Cabinteely Gospel Group will be performing a one night only concert in Vicar Street. Angotti who has previously been compared to Billy Joel and Elton John travels the world providing inspirational music through concerts, workshops, retreats, missions and conferences. His music is a mix of contemporary style rock, pop, and Latin rhythms, along with uplifting and inspirational lyrics. Together with the Cabinteely Gospel Choir he is hoping to create a unique experience.

Chris O’ Sullivan, musical director of the Cabinteely Gospel Group talks about how the choir are preparing in the run up to Friday’s performance: “nerves are plentiful and we are all very excited to get the chance to perform on the vicar street stage and are thrilled to have the opportunity to sing with one of Americas finest John Angotti.”

The choir will be performing a 40-minute set and will be joining Angotti for the final song of the show I’ll Send You Out. The choir have made a name for themselves as one of Dublin’s finest gospel choirs, performing concerts to raise money for charity. They are known for their gospel versions of classic pop songs covering everything from Andy Williams to Coldplay and Michael Jackson.

Their set remains a surprise “some old favourites mixed in with some newer, more ambitious ventures” according to Chris “We are rehearsing three times a week…The rehearsals are going well and there is some great fine-tuning being done.”

Tickets for Sunday are available on Ticketmaster. The Cabinteely Gospel Group also perform regularly throughout Dublin, most recently at Dundrum Town Centre’s Cinema in the Open screening of Breakfast at Tiffany’s where they performed the film’s intro song Moon River.

The Minutes – Fleetwood

After the success of their first single Secret History Dublin based noise merchants The Minutes are back with Fleetwood, the second single from their forthcoming album Marcata. The video, filmed on location in Bray, was Philip Kelly’s directorial debut for The Minutes and had a budget of under a thousand euro with most of the crew working for free. It features Charlene Gleeson & Gary Byrne, two actors not only brave enough to be the soul subjects in the 3 minute video, but also to jump into the sea partially clothed.

The Minutes are on to a winner with the sound they have created, a mix of rumbling grungy guitars and catchy hooks, which along with their energetic live shows has helped them to make a name for themselves as a great live band.

After gigging, tirelessly throughout Ireland and the UK touring with Albert Hammond Jnr (The Strokes) and The Pigeon Detectives, and playing support to Fountains Of Wayne and Supergrass to name a few, it came time for the band to knuckle down and record their album. So in October 2009 they headed to Marcata Recordings in upstate New York with producer Kevin McMahon to craft their ten track album that captures the energy of their live sets.

With a successful trip to the SXSW festival this March, Hop Farm and Oxegen Festival and the upcoming release of their album this promises to be an exciting year for the Dublin three-piece

Fletwood is available now on iTunes. Learn more about the band at www.theminutesmusic.com and  www.myspace.com/theminutesireland

Charity Shop Chic

The nation let out a collective laugh when the government announced its foolproof solution to the financial crisis: “spend spend spend”. Spend our savings they said, throw away the nest egg. No thank you. Nowadays most people would rather invest in a sturdy mattress in which to stash their money. The Celtic Tiger brought with it the idea of a single use mentality, that we should spend our money. Why? Because we were young, we were metropolitan, and because, well, the tiger told us to do it.

Would you ever consider a trip to the local charity shop as a way to save money? Despite a recent drop in donations charity shops continue to raise funds for valuable organisations and while plenty of people happily donate their old clothes many still wouldn’t dream of spending an afternoon browsing the rails for bargains.

In the UK Oxfam have been trying to change people’s perception of charity shops by launching the Sustain Me! campaign. Fashion photographer Rankin teamed up with Leading stylist Katie Shillingford to restyle clothes handpicked from Oxfam’s recycling plant to put together a fashion shoot featuring celebrities like Heidi Klum, Jaime Winstone, Cat Deeley and Natalie Imbruglia to prove that the clothes people threw away still had some life in them. According to Oxfam the shoot was about “persuading us that charity shopping is cool, not merely for fashion students, stylists and creative types, who have long used them for inspiration, but for everybody.”

Last August Arctic Monkeys released their single ‘Crying Lightning’ in 700 of Oxfam shops across Ireland and the UK with all proceeds going to the charity’s lifesaving work throughout Africa.

Tips for charity shop beginners

1. Shop early in the week as most people donate on the weekends.

2. Learn to rummage. There’s no shame in getting stuck in.

3. Check out book sections. Books in pristine condition can always be sold on Amazon or ebay after you’ve read them.

4. Try not to look for anything specific. Murphy’s law dictates if you go in to a charity shop looking for something specific you won’t find it.

5. Some shops have specialist branches. Oxfam Home on Francis Street specialises in furniture. Most of it is in perfect condition, but if you’re a bit handy you can also fix up pieces to create something unique.

6. Ladies, don’t forget to check the men’s section for oversized knitwear or jackets.

7. Buy good quality stuff. Vests and plain tees are cheap enough in Penneys or Dunnes, the real bargains are the things you wouldn’t usually be able to afford.

8. Don’t be afraid to customise. If you find something you really love but it’s in the wrong colour you can always dye it.  New buttons or belts can also give cardigans a new lease of life.

9. Don’t try and haggle in charity shops. At the end of the day it’s all for a good cause.

What €20 will get you in a charity shop

Monsoon Tunic, 100% silk bought for €8 in Barnardos Dun Laoghaire

Black Fringing handbag bought for €5 in Barnardos Dun Laoghaire

River Island Sandals bought for €5 in the Irish Cancer Society shop on Camden Street. Brand new with an original price tag of €33

Havainas flip flops bought for €2 in Oxfam in Dun Laoghaire

Blind Pilots double a-side due for release August 28th

Blind Pilots are a Dundalk four piece who formed as sixteen year old school boys with aspirations of  achieving musical greatness. Now at the ripe age of 21 Jim O’Donoghue Martin (Vocals and Guitar), Gavin Murray (Drums and Vocals), Ronan McGeough (Bass) and Ian Patterson (Guitars) are preparing for the release of their double A single Rosé Cheeks/Cocktail on the 28th of August 2010.

David Downes Emmy Nomination

Irish composer David Downes has received an Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Music Direction for Celtic Woman – Songs from the Heart: Live at Powerscourt House & Gardens. Downes was music director, orchestrator, arranger and composer of the special, which was also released as a CD and DVD.

The ceremony will take place in the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday 29th August.

The Charlatans, Who We Touch

With a career that has already spanned more than two decades, The Charlatans are preparing to release their new album Who We Touch, on September 10th 2010. Who We Touch is the band’s 11th studio album and one of their more distinctive. Talking about the album, singer Tim Burgess said the album is “a soulful voyage” inspired by some of their musical heroes.

Kate Walsh, Peppermint Radio

Peppermint Radio is the 4th album from artist Kate Walsh. The album consists of 11 covers of songs from UK artists that have influenced Walsh over the course of her career which has spanned almost a decade and during which she became the only unsigned artist ever to have had an iTunes No.1 Album in the UK or the US. Walsh’s songs have been used on shows like Grey’s Anatomy and in the 2008 films Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging and The Crew. She previously performed on National Irish television shows such as Other Voices and The Late Late Show and has toured with Richard Hawley, Turin Brakes, Paulo Nutini, Josh Ritter, Mick Flannery and has just played 6 sold out shows at the Royal Albert Hall with Mark Knopfler.