(Originally published in Motley Magazine, September 2019)
Deputy Entertainment Editor Cathal Donovan O’Neill gives you the five best gigs of the week
Welcome back! Week three’s a good one. Now that we’ve gotten through the madness of Freshers and the recovery of week two, week three’s a good time to figure out that work-life balance. By ‘work-life balance’, I mean that you should see all of these gigs, especially the two that are on at the same time.
Have a good week, folks. Don’t go into the ORB after sundown. Strange things live there.
TUESDAY 24TH
Actor Actor
Brú Bar & Hostel (MacCurtain St.), 9pm
Award-winning Cork singer/songwriter Actor Actor returns to Cork to play a set of acoustic tunes. His music covers love, loss, heartbreak and longing, and it feels like a warm blanket on a cold day. If you want a relaxed/romantic evening or you’re a fan of Passenger or Kodaline, this is for you. Plus: Free!
More info at https://www.peoplesrepublicofcork.com/eventguide/actor-actor-11117415.
THURSDAY 26TH
Pretty Happy with Elaine Malone and Laurie Shaw— GIG OF THE WEEK!
Winthrop Avenue, 7:30pm
If you’re a fan of kick-ass music, this is the gig for you. Pretty Happy are the Real Punk Deal, dynamic and loud. Elaine Malone’s one of my favourite Cork acts (and she does a great live show). Laurie Shaw does some damn good fist-pumping rock.
Tickets for €6 through Eventbrite. More info at https://bit.ly/2kr9GrF.
FRIDAY 27TH
The Altered Hours + The Bonk
St. Luke’s (Summerhill North), doors at 7:30pm
Right folks, this is where it gets strange. The Altered Hours are a genre-bending Cork group encompassing every flavour of dark rock into a heady bad-trip cocktail. The Bonk are similarly bleak, but mix Blackstar-era Bowie jazz and synths into the grunge. They’re also noteworthy for having multiple alumni of O Emperor, a critical darling Weird Cork band. Well worth it for people who want to see the more adventurous side of Cork music.
Tickets for €21.83 through uTicket. More info at www.liveatstlukes.com.
SATURDAY 28TH
Raum Kingdom, Restive Nation, Skellig live at The Paranoid Pit
Fred Zeppelins, doors at 9pm
The Paranoid Pit is Cork’s monthly metal night, bringing the best heavy stuff down here every month. This month’s acts are particularly good: Restive Nation has a great, sweeping sound, Skellig is a really interesting rock/trad fusion and Raum Kingdom are the exact kind of band I love to find through writing these: a big, dramatic metal noise that just does not let up. Highly recommended.
Tickets for €7 at the door. More info at https://www.facebook.com/events/441946446667940/.
TOUCAN
Coughlan’s bar, 10pm
The ten-piece funk-pop group return to Cork for Coughlan’s Bar’s annual celebration of its live music. Lead singer/songwriter Conor Clancy’s voice sounds like George Ezra went funky. Perfect for chill vibes and good times. They also were interviewed by us last year, which is how you tell they’re dead sound. Also, again, free!
More info at https://bit.ly/2m0HWut