CorkIndependent.com Entertaiment Feed http://www.corkindependent.com Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:55:26 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.corkindependent.com/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png http://www.corkindependent.com CorkIndependent.com Entertaiment Feed http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4194&Itemid=89 An exhibition of photography, drawing and painting based on the imagery of light and shade will close today, Thursday, July 2, following a two week run at the Greenroom Gallery, Cork Arts Theatre. The exhibition, 6 Perspectives on Light, is a group show by six Irish artists, Roseanne Lynch, Padraig Spillane, Miriam King, Ciara O'Flynn, Lucy Clarke and Eimear Tunney. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4195&Itemid=89 Anybody who can bring Tom Waits and US rapper Kool Keith together deserves immense respect. And respect is something that the musical production duo NASA (North America South America) seemingly command in abundance. A cursory glance over the lengthy list of collaborators on the duo's debut album, The Spirit of Apollo, reads like a who's who of idiosyncratic and indeed iconic musical figures from the worlds of hip hop, rock, dance, electro, indie, funk, reggae and pop. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4196&Itemid=89 Red Lotus Productions' debut performance, The Murder Monologues, written by Jane Mulcahy, offers a unique insight into the darker elements of the female psyche. In this 'why dunnit', sinister Pam, the serial man-eater, and psychopathic schoolgirl Imka reveal the malice and methods behind their cold-blooded murders. The Murder Monologues is directed by the internationally-renowned, award-winning Mary Curtin, while the cast includes the brightest of Cork's rising stars, Kate McSwiney O'Rourke and Irene Kelleher. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4162&Itemid=89 The Cork Midsummer Festival might be reaching its conclusion but the Live at the Marquee series is in full swing. Veteran Scot rockers Simple Minds will be hoping you didn't forget about them when they roll into town on Thursday, June 25. The group, led by vocalist Jim Kerr enjoyed huge success in the 80s on the back of decade defining singes such as 'Don't You (Forget About Me)', 'Alive & Kicking' and 'She Moved Through The Fair'. Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4163&Itemid=89 The Midsummer festival brought a myriad of family friendly entertainment to our doorsteps and the Marquee series has attempted to appeal to a cross selection of music fans, both old and young alike. We've even had some summer sun thrown into the mix, and so without wanting to sound like a goddamn McDonalds euro saver advert, I'd have to say all in all we've had it pretty good of late. But it's not all sunshine, lollypops and ice-cream you know. Over at Cyprus Avenue something is festering. Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4133&Itemid=89 Week two in the Midsummer House and the inhabitants are both curious and suspicious of the toilet pipes in their crumbling abode and the crazy neighbours that reside next to them. Elsewhere the self-appointed 'Captain' is getting his hooks into the youthful Peter who has taken to defying the laws of gravity. The Northern contingent meanwhile can be found baring their soul, while a pack of wild roaming Gypsy's, who are baring more then just their soul, have invaded the Household and are infecting the residents with red-hot Eastern melodies. Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4134&Itemid=89 The lack of anything approaching a 5000 + capacity venue in Cork has always meant that we have been forced to look on enviously while our neighbours from the Pale horded the biggest names in music talent for themselves. At least that was the case before Aiken Promotions pitched up here with their Live at the Marquee series in 2005. Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4091&Itemid=89 The first screening of Bitesize Cinema in Cork City will be taking place at the Triskel Arts Centre today (Thursday, June 4). Run by a London based production company specializing in the art form of short film, Bitesize Cinema filters through thousands of short films to bring movie buffs the stand out films from the international festival circuit, including 35mm masterpieces, digital gems, animation and documentaries. Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4092&Itemid=89 This coming Saturday (June 13) is the date the eagerly awaited arts extravaganza that is the Cork Midsummer's Festival finally gets under way, with a plethora of artists, performers and productions, both home-grown and international, eager to grace stages of all shapes and sizes over the coming three weeks. That the event now ranks as one of the most experimental, innovative and forward thinking, not to mention professional, festivals in Ireland, and indeed Europe, is no small feat. Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4093&Itemid=89 The Firkin Crane, Shandon, are celebrating the closure of the first phase of their Professional Dance Residency Programme this week by inviting members of the public to take a glimpse at the world of contemporary dance in the making in their 'Fly on the Wall' drop-in sessions. Blank Canvas was conceived in 2008 and launched in 2009, giving artists carte blanche in allowing their creative ideas to blossom with every possible support from the Firkin Crane. Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4094&Itemid=89 Strut was one of the UK's leading record labels dedicated to unearthing the lost gems of dance music past, covering music from hard funk, underground disco, original breaks and Nigerian Afrobeat to old skool hip hop and forgotten music library classics. The label eventually shut down in 2003, but was reactivated in 2008 by the !K7 label, a leading UK dance imprint. Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4095&Itemid=89 The Indiependence Music Festival gets its official launch tonight (Thursday, June 4) June at Cyprus Avenue. The launch will feature performances by The Chapters, The Vital Spark, Limerick band The 202's and will be attended by plenty of Cork and Munster bands including The Frank & Walters and Fred both of whom are confirmed for the festival. Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4096&Itemid=89 It's difficult to believe that it's been 13 years since the great Rory Gallagher shuffled off this mortal coil. I remember vividly hearing the news, having just returned from a family holiday in the south of France. Even as a temperamental teen, intent on inflicting my opposing musical tastes on my parents, I realised the gravity inherent in the news of Gallagher's passing. Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4060&Itemid=89 The first screening of Bitesize Cinema in Cork City will be taking place at the Triskel Arts Centre today (Thursday, June 4). Run by a London based production company specializing in the art form of short film, Bitesize Cinema filters through thousands of short films to bring movie buffs the stand out films from the international festival circuit, including 35mm masterpieces, digital gems, animation and documentaries. Thu, 04 Jun 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4061&Itemid=89 The Firkin Crane, Shandon, are celebrating the closure of the first phase of their Professional Dance Residency Programme this week by inviting members of the public to take a glimpse at the world of contemporary dance in the making in their 'Fly on the Wall' drop-in sessions. Blank Canvas was conceived in 2008 and launched in 2009, giving artists carte blanche in allowing their creative ideas to blossom with every possible support from the Firkin Crane. Thu, 04 Jun 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4062&Itemid=89 The Indiependence Music Festival gets its official launch tonight (Thursday, June 4) June at Cyprus Avenue. The launch will feature performances by The Chapters, The Vital Spark, Limerick band The 202's and will be attended by plenty of Cork and Munster bands including The Frank & Walters and Fred both of whom are confirmed for the festival. Thu, 04 Jun 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4063&Itemid=89 It's difficult to believe that it's been 13 years since the great Rory Gallagher shuffled off this mortal coil. I remember vividly hearing the news, having just returned from a family holiday in the south of France. Even as a temperamental teen, intent on inflicting my opposing musical tastes on my parents, I realised the gravity inherent in the news of Gallagher's passing. Thu, 04 Jun 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4033&Itemid=89 John Godber's smash hit nightclub parody Bouncers returns to the Everyman for an incredible sixth run this June. The hugely popular Cork comedy returns to the venue after its sell out run in 2005, which also saw the production's successful national tour. After a four year hiatus, Cork audiences are once again invited for a night out on the town, where four bouncers portray over 30 different characters. Thu, 28 May 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4034&Itemid=89 She's been called a 'lioness of the keyboard' and 'one of the most celebrated pianists of our time' by critics and fans alike, and now Elisabeth Leonskaja is coming to Cork for a rare Irish appearance at Bantry House on Saturday, May 30. The Georgian pianist will play Schubert's transcendent last three piano sonatas in a concert guaranteed to be a musical highlight of the year for the Bantry audience. Thu, 28 May 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4035&Itemid=89 One of the most endearing institutions of Americana, The Handsome Family, make a welcome return to Cork for a show at the Crane Lane Theatre on Wednesday, June 3. Married for 20 years now, and making music for 16 of those, the couple have a wonderful kind of dysfunctional family arrangement, one that is often a joy to be around (the couple in the past have been called the 'Gomez and Morticia Adams of country music’). Thu, 28 May 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4004&Itemid=89 Africa Day falls on May 25 each year with the aim of celebrating African diversity and success, and to highlight the cultural and economic potential that exists on the continent of Africa. Feile Africa has been celebrating Africa Day in Cork City since 2003; this year's event will be it's seventh in succession. Cork City's Festival of Africa is among the 35 events taking place around the country this year to celebrate Africa Day. Thu, 21 May 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4005&Itemid=89 When is it a good time to start a record label? The heart may scream 'anywhere, anytime', but if common sense were to prevail one would steer well clear of such admittedly noble ventures. Labels off all shapes and sizes are reporting deteriorating sales and the current circumstances are bound to further exacerbate the situation. However, there is another way to look at it – in times of recession music has always prospered. And besides, since when did a lack of funding ever stop a real artist from making good on their promise. Thu, 21 May 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4006&Itemid=89 Following the hugely successful First Love by Samuel Beckett, Gare St Lazare Players return to the Half Moon Theatre in Cork Opera House with their adaptation of the epic whaling adventure, Moby Dick, by Herman Melville. The story of Captain Ahab on his epic journey of revenge in pursuit of the great white whale as told by Ishmael, Moby Dick is an adventure story of biblical proportions and is considered a serious contender for 'The Great American Novel'. Thu, 21 May 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3974&Itemid=89 The acclaim directed Ben Frost's way in recent years has been nothing short of astonishing. The general consensus among critics is that here is an artist who offers a genuinely virtuoso display of classical composition allied to experimentation in electronic music forms – a rebirth of Arvo Part's complex and hypnotic minimalism for an industrialised generation. Thu, 14 May 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3975&Itemid=89 The Diploma in Dance Course from the Department of Performing Arts at Colaiste Stiofain Naofa, Tramore Road, Cork will present its Graduation Performance at the Firkin Crane Theatre, Cork, on Wednesday, May 20 at 11.00am and Thursday, May 21 at 8pm. Directed and produced by course director Alan Foley, this production will showcase the varied talents of the students – ranging from classical ballet to energetic hip-hop ('Halo' from Beyonce). Thu, 14 May 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3976&Itemid=89 You have to hand it to the boffins behind Load Records - for over 15 years now the Providence label has been spilling its guts with gleeful abandon all over our musical senses, with zero regard for decency, decor or sane decibel levels. Seeing the Load Records logo emblazoned on a CD means the purchaser can be pretty much guaranteed a maelstrom of panic-induced wig-out's, torrents of scalding hyper-distortion. Thu, 14 May 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3944&Itemid=89 Comprised of former members of Dischord's acclaimed jumped-up percussive noise-ilk's Black Eyes, Mi Ami (Daniel Martin-McCormick on vocals and guitar, and Jacob Long on bass), have retained the ideological stance commonly associated with their former label as well as the certain traits that marked out their previous outfit as one of the most idiosyncratic bands on the rooster. Thu, 07 May 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3945&Itemid=89 Unexpected Choice Music winners in 2007 with their self-titled debut album, the super eclectic collective that is Super Extra Bonus Party have been nothing if not promiscuous in putting together its eagerly anticipated follow-up, the somewhat mysterious sounding The Night Horses. They've invited all their friends around with the intention of, if the guest-list is anything to go by, upping the eclectic ante. Thu, 07 May 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3946&Itemid=89 Aghada Dramatic Society was set up in 2002 by local enthusiasts and has developed over the years into a group with a reputation for producing plays to a very high standard. Aghada have enjoyed great success in the past with productions such as The Playboy of the Western World and Dancing at Lughnasa. The group recently staged The Memory Of Water by Shelagh Stephenson in Aghada Community Hall. Thu, 07 May 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3916&Itemid=89 There's something in the water in Portland, Oregon. What else could explain the cities uncanny ability to continuously churn out great band after great band. You want proof? Check this for productivity from the Portland factory line: The Decemberists, The Gossip, The, M Ward, the late Elliott Smith, Menomena, Viva Voce, Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie / Postal Service) and Courtney Love (ok, well it's debateable whether the Portland music scene would want to lay claim to her) all hail from the Northwest city. Thu, 30 Apr 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3917&Itemid=89 Originally hailing from Portland, Oregon, but now residing in Copenhagen, Denmark, Peter Broderick is a musician with his ten digits dug deep in many, many musical pies. He may only be 22 years of age, but in those years Broderick has been kept busy crafting both his own solo albums and contributing to a multitude of other bands musical works. Thu, 30 Apr 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3918&Itemid=89 Conor O'Brien's return to the musical fold following the seemingly premature demise of his previous outfit The Immediate, has been nothing if not warmly welcomed. Already the superlatives are rolling in for, what many in the Irish music scene consider to be, the act to watch in 2009. No stranger to hype following his time in The Immediate, Villagers represents an assured step into the realm of solo artist, the recent release of his four track EP, Hollow Kind, offering compelling proof that there is considerable substance behind the hyperbole. Thu, 30 Apr 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3888&Itemid=89 Divisive, progressive, a pioneer, but regressive, he's a trailblazer, an innovator, a chameleon in a constant state of flux. He's a small-town boy from the backwaters of Nova Scotia, a would-be Yankee baseball pro, a blow in, an introspective watcher, the weary, yet wide-eyed nomad and a wry observer of the facets of human nature. He's Canadian, yeah, but he embodies an American culture still too infantile to be able to truly define itself. Thu, 23 Apr 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3889&Itemid=89 A six-night run of Des Keogh's new show, Confessions of an Irish Publican, a comedy based on the work of John B Keane, gets underway at the Everyman Palace Theatre this week. Adapted by Keogh from Keane's Celebrated Letters, Confessions of an Irish Publican played at New York's Irish Repertory Theatre late last year to critical acclaim and will embark on national tour this month. Thu, 23 Apr 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3890&Itemid=89 The bandwagon is truly beginning to spill over and the wheels are now buckling on the ever growing dubstep convey as kids off all ages and creeds go absolutely ape for the tectonic rumbling sounds of this most hip new scene. It was inevitable really – right from the moment Burial rose up from the underground to announce himself with the lavishly praised Untrue, more and more heads have been turning around and tuning in to the low-frequency sounds being emitted from the dank London clubs which spawned the movement. Thu, 23 Apr 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3860&Itemid=89 Could it be possible that those unruly Limerick fiends Steveamanakick and Giveamanakeith, better known to Irish rock fans as Giveamanakick, have…whisper it…grown up? Their 2008 album, Welcome to the Cusp certainly seemed to suggest that the process of growing pains is now behind them. Older, wiser, bolder but certainly not quieter, GAMAK's latest proved to be far removed from the unrefined, frantic, garage-band-on-steroids who catapulted into the conscious with their debut Is It OK To Be Loud Jesus, before following that up with the highly regarded We Are The Way Forward. Thu, 16 Apr 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3861&Itemid=89 It's a long way from the war-torn lands of the Congo to the lovely lee's of Cork, but it's a journey Niwel Tsumbu has undertaken with gusto and no small amount of verve. Since arriving in Cork in 2004, this Congolese guitar sensation has truly immersed himself in the music scene here and in doing so has received enthusiastic praise from all over the country for his evocative brand of world music. Thu, 16 Apr 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3862&Itemid=89 Back by popular demand, Druid is delighted to announce that their multi-award winning production The New Electric Ballroom by Enda Walsh will undertake a national Irish tour following its Australian Premiere at the Perth International Arts Festival last February and a successful run at the Riverside Studios in London this month. Recently awarded 'Best New Play' and 'Best Supporting Actor' for Mikel Murfi at the Irish Times Theatre Awards, this is a funny, tender-hearted and at times pitch dark story of the emotionally stultifying effects of small-town life. Thu, 16 Apr 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3827&Itemid=89 The sacred leaf, opiate infused sexual debauchery, gods own team of covert Islamic assassins, astral projections, heavenly quests, the chaos theory….oh and The Wizard of Oz. What am I on about? Well, it might sound like a recipe for the best goddamn progressive rock album of all time, but in fact these are the components for what could possibly be one of the most fascinating art-exhibitions of the year. Thu, 09 Apr 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3828&Itemid=89 Australian trio My Disco return to Cork this week to teach the peeps another lesson in dissonance distilled right down to its rudimentary core. The band, who have a strong Irish connection through brothers Benjamin and Liam Andrews, both of whom served time in Declan de Barra’s lauded Clann Zu outfit, were formed in Melbourne in 2003. Thu, 09 Apr 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3829&Itemid=89 Stet Lab returns on Tuesday, April 14 to its regular venue The Roundy, with a compelling improviser (with a taste for the dramatic) who emerged from the downtown New York scene: percussionist Katie O’Looney. Thu, 09 Apr 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3830&Itemid=89 In little over 10 years Venetian Snares has amassed an extensive back catalogue of 18 albums and dozens of singles. During the course of his career VS (Aaron Funk) has, for the most part, sought inspiration from the Breakcore movement. But while complex fractured beats played at warp speed may be his calling-card, Venetian Snares has shown enough diversity and ambition to justify the reputation he holds as a prominent and influential figurehead in experimental and hard-hitting electronic music. Thu, 09 Apr 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3796&Itemid=89 Tomorrow, Friday, April 3, there is an ideal opportunity to shake off life’s worries and instead shake your money-maker with a vivacious Latino vigour when Carnivale hits the Pavilion. Thu, 02 Apr 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3798&Itemid=89 Currently on show at the Greenroom Gallery, Cork Arts Theatre, Feeling Scopophilic is the second solo exhibition from artist Dublin artist Áine Macken. Scopophilia is the obtaining of sexual pleasure by looking at nude bodies, erotic photographs and the likes. Thu, 02 Apr 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3799&Itemid=89 Make a break for the eloquently christened Shitmat’s myspace page and recoil in horror at the ghastly Burberry-themed wall-paper. Don’t panic….gather you’re thoughts, take a deep breath and look around to make sure no-one’s peaking over your shoulder. Thu, 02 Apr 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3797&Itemid=89 His status as one of the country’s most bankable singer-songwriters may have receded since topping the charts in 2003 with Square One, and his cherished place among the hearts and minds of the general populace usurped by a younger generation, but David Kitt’s retreat from the spotlight may just have helped him create his best record since his sophomore album, The Big Romance. Thu, 02 Apr 2009 05:27:12 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3764&Itemid=89 "Humour is the instinct for taking pain playfully." - American author Max Eastman. Another one of the great modern thinkers put it just as succinctly but may have hit the nail on the head even more so then the aforementioned author - "Sometimes the only way you can feel good about yourself is by making someone else look bad. And I'm tired of making other people feel good about themselves." - Homer Simpson. Thu, 26 Mar 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3765&Itemid=89 Opening in the Half Moon on Tuesday, March 31, Lone Star and Laundry & Bourbon is a pair of interlinked one-act comedies, to be presented back to back. Brought to the stage by the Cyclone Repertory Theatre Company, this comedy double header sets out to paint a picture of life in the one-horse town of Maynard, Texas, where the women get drunk during the day and the men get drunk at night. These black comedies set in the 1970s depict the effects of the Vietnam War on those who went, and on those who stayed home. Thu, 26 Mar 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3766&Itemid=89 Irish playwright Marina Carr is rightfully considered to be among the finest this country has produced in recent decades. The work of the former Abbey Theatre writer-in-residence is by no means light entertainment – caustic, surreal, unforgiving and even at times merciless, Carr infuses her work with often brutal actions delivered without hope or even traces of lingering sentimentality. It is no understatement to suggest that her vision of rural Ireland is of a bleak and coarse landscape, populated by equally vacant souls. Thu, 26 Mar 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3737&Itemid=89 Having launched its (hopefully) monthly free-form musical shindig last week, The Black Mariah, a space of relative peace and calm by comparison to the hustle and bustle found below its quarters in the techno, hip-hop, prog-rock and avant-garde haven of Plug'd Records on Washington Street, returns to its art-gallery tranquillity with an exhibition by Leo and James McCann, comprised of paintings and video installations. Thu, 19 Mar 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3738&Itemid=89 To honour the bicentenary of the death of Joseph Haydn, a performance of his oratorio, The Seasons, will take place at Cork City Hall on Saturday, March 21, featuring the Fleischmann Choir and the RTE Concert Orchestra, led by Mia Cooper and conducted by Dr Geoffrey Spratt, Director of Cork School of Music. The soloists will be Mary Hegarty, Soprano, Robin Tritschler, Tenor and Nigel Williams, Bass, in a show which could well be one of the highlights of Cork's musical year. Thu, 19 Mar 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3739&Itemid=89 An exhibition of paintings by the renowned Mary Grant, entitled Journey to Beara, opens today (Thursday, March 19) at the Buckley Fine Art, Convent Road, Clonakilty. Born in Sussex in 1971 and educated at Kingston University, Mary has become a highly decorated artist, who's work is very much in demand. During her career, Grant has been short listed for the Natwest Prize for Art and won the Stanley Picker Travel Scholarship to New York. Thu, 19 Mar 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3707&Itemid=89 Warp Records most unlikely affiliate Jamie Lidell may have long since ditched the glitch in favour of a more polished neo-soul sound, but when he breezes into town for a solo show tonight, attendees can still expect a satisfying amount of vocal scat, palette blasting beat-boxing, looping techno beats and squelching electro breaks. Thu, 12 Mar 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3708&Itemid=89 The ever growing band of free-from happenings around Cork is set to receive another welcome addition with the first Pre-Form night at The Black Mariah, located above Plug'd Records on Washington Street. The Black Mariah debuted as an art space in 2007, comprising of a gallery exhibition space and a small performance room. Thu, 12 Mar 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3709&Itemid=89 Cork's cosmic Dub wizards Wiggle will finally get around to releasing their debut album at the Pavilion on Monday, March 16. I say finally because essentially this album has been 10 years in the making, with just the one EP released by the group to date. That's not to suggest the members of Wiggle have been sitting idly by in that time however – in all probability they've been building towards this particular key moment…the all important debut album. And so here it is…. Thu, 12 Mar 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3684&Itemid=89 If you read these pages with any sort of regularity then you should already be well familiar with the work of Stet Lab, a monthly get-together for musicians of all styles, creeds and credentials, where anything can and often will go. The precarious nature of improvisation aside, it is safe bet to say that Stet Lab's next event will almost certainly be like no other that has gone before it. Thu, 05 Mar 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3656&Itemid=89 Last years Alliance Française Cork French Film Festival proved to be a huge success with an ambitious programme which offered a wide-ranging variety of cinematic pleasures, from feature and short films to documentaries and experimental cinema, as well as cine-concerts and film-making workshops. The festival returns to the streets and film theatres of Cork for its 20th anniversary on Sunday, March 1 for seven days of ‘elegamment français les films et la musique'. Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3657&Itemid=89 Blondie, Crosby Stills Nash and Simple Minds were among the latest acts to be announced for the Cork Live at the Marquee series this week. Other artists confirmed at the Aiken Promotions launch in Cork last Thursday, February 17 include Bell X1, Anastacia, Boyzone, Des Bishop and the local double header of John Spillane and Mick Flannery. Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3658&Itemid=89 In what is widely expected to be one of the Irish theatrical highlights of 2009, Brian Friel's The Home Place comes to the Cork Opera House for two performances only on Tuesday, March 3 and Wednesday, March 4, as part of its nationwide tour. Friel's most recent play, produced under the auspicious eyes of The Lyric Theatre Belfast in one of their most ambitious projects of recent years, is his first to directly consider the Protestant experience, the Tyrone playwright having written extensively from the Catholic viewpoint in previous works. Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3631&Itemid=89 Handel's magnificent opera Xerxes is making its way to Cork for two performances in Everyman Palace Theatre and Skibbereen Town Hall on Tuesday, February 24, and Saturday, February 28. Presented as the opening opera in the Opera Theatre Company's Handel Trilogy 2009, Xerxes commemorates the 250th anniversary of the great composer's death. Thu, 19 Feb 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3632&Itemid=89 Comedian Paddy Courtney has been a regular comedy panellist on The Lucy Kennedy Television Show on RTE 2 every Tuesday night during January. He also writes a popular column for the Evening Herald's HQ supplement every Thursday. Since he sold out his debut solo show in Vicar Street last year, Paddy has been busy tickling audiences at the Kilkenny Cat Laughs Festival, The Carlsberg Comedy Carnival in Dublin's Iveagh Gardens and at the Comedy Tent at Electric Picnic. Thu, 19 Feb 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3633&Itemid=89 Jeremy Hickey, the Kilkeeny native with a strong penchant for purposeful and dexterous percussive-heavy jams and skeletal post-punk melodies became the Irish media's 'indie darling' of 2008. Under the misleading pseudonym Rarely Seen Above Ground, Jeremy has rarely been seen away from stages in venues and festivals across the country over the course of the past year. Thu, 19 Feb 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3602&Itemid=89 As a trusted friend and professional acquaintance to Samuel Beckett, John Calder is in a better position then most to bring the densely layered prose and dark humour of the inspirational Irish writer and playwright to the stage. Becket as one of modern literature and theatre's most arresting talents amassed in his lifetime a startling and diverse collection of work that is almost unmatched in its scope and unconventional ambition. Thu, 12 Feb 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3603&Itemid=89 Although his brand of humour is often largely thought of as Dublin-centric, Brendan O'Carroll's list of international achievements convey a very different reality. With his four plays having taken in over €25 million at UK box offices alone, his series of books reaching best-sellers status in countries as far away as Japan, China, Italy, Mexico, Bosnia and the USA and six DVD films to his credit. Thu, 12 Feb 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3604&Itemid=89 The unique setting of the Bridge House Bed and Breakfast, Skibbereen plays host to a most unusual guest from today (Thursday, February 12) until Sunday, February 15 in the guise of an exhibition by Irish and Internationally renowned artists. Fruitcakes and Furrycollars, an exhibition of contemporary art and performance has been curated by artist Sandra Minchin. Sandra's own work has been described as representing a radical departure in new media and this approach is now being reflected in her choice of exhibition space. Thu, 12 Feb 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3579&Itemid=89 Everyman Palace Theatre welcomes the return of prolific UK touring company London Classic Theatre with the Irish Premiere of Humble Boy, following their hit production last year of Mike Leigh's Abigail's Party. Their current production of Charlotte Jones' multi-award winning Humble Boy, arrives direct from a successful UK tour, and will run at Everyman Palace Theatre for six performances ahead of an extensive national tour. Thu, 05 Feb 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3580&Itemid=89 A highly unusual event takes place tonight, Thursday, February 5, when the piano that was built for the virtuosic pianist and composer Clara Schumann in the nineteenth century will be brought to Cork School of Music for a concert in her honour. The piano will be played by leading Irish pianist Una Hunt who will accompany soprano Elisabeth Goell in a programme entitled Clara Schumann and her Irish Contemporaries. Thu, 05 Feb 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3557&Itemid=89 As a special feature of the current exhibition Getting Even: Oppositions + Dialogues in Contemporary Art, the Lewis Glucksman Gallery presents Freezone, an interaction computer simulation work by artist Stephen Willats. Originally produced in 1997, it has been newly renovated by staff at the Glucksman and UCC to be exhibited until Sunday, March 1. Thu, 29 Jan 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3558&Itemid=89 The internationally renowned RTE Vanbrugh Quartet will presents what is sure to be a spellbinding evening of Mendelssohn and Beethoven tonight (Thursday, January 29) at the Aula Maxima, UCC. The programme includes Mendelssohn's stunning string quintet with acclaimed Irish violist Cian O Dúill and a Beethoven masterpiece, his 'Harp' Quartet. Thu, 29 Jan 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3559&Itemid=89 The oriental demi-legend, Japanese ex-pat and connoisseur of breadcrumb-coated English delicacies and the Colonel's finest Kentucky fried chicken that is DJ Scotch Egg makes his eagerly anticipated return to Irish shores to play Electric Underground at the Liquid Lounge tomorrow (Friday, January 30). He was originally known as Shiez 2000 when KFC contacted him to do some commercial music. Thu, 29 Jan 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3528&Itemid=89 A fundraising concert featuring the National Choir of the Festival 2008, Cantemus Chamber Choir, Midleton (Conductor Tomas O Tuama) and School Choir of the Festival 2008, Presentation Secondary School Ballyphehane (Conductor Anne Dunphy), takes place tomorrow (Friday, January 23) in the Curtis Auditorium, Cork School of Music. Thu, 22 Jan 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3529&Itemid=89 Knowing Cario, the play from the award winning US writer Andrea Stolowitz, returns to Cork following a successful first outing at the Cork Arts Theatre in October of last year. This time around the production is to be staged in the larger surroundings of the Everyman Palace Theatre, where it will run from Tuesday, January 27 until Saturday, January 31. Thu, 22 Jan 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3530&Itemid=89 Small on stature but high on life, Ben Jacobs is very much a product of his environment. The London resident, producer, remixer multi-instrumentalist, mentalist and all-round nice guy has that rare ability to soak up the myriad sights and sounds of his diverse surroundings, like some kind of Sponge Ben Square-Wave, and spin and twist these influences into new hard-to-pigeonhole shapes. Thu, 22 Jan 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3512&Itemid=89 Regardless of the fact that they have been criminally ignored right here on their own home turf for far too long, The Dudley Corporation to this day remain one of, if not the, finest exponents of explosive, lovelorn post-indie-pop this country has ever produced. Despite releasing a number of superb records, The Dudley Corporation have failed to garner the kind of audiences their finely crafted music deserves. Thu, 15 Jan 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3513&Itemid=89 Who are you and what do you do? I own a guitar, and I try to make share sounds and sentiments that come into my head and heart. What is the most valuable thing you own? My Guild guitar, not because of it's cost, but it's the only thing that's been on my arm so long. Thu, 15 Jan 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3486&Itemid=89 Watchmen What's the story? Alan Moore's acclaimed and epic Graphic Novel is finally brought to life, after numerous failed attempts. Set in an alternative reality, masked 'superhero's' walk among us, but the tide has turned and they have fallen out of public favour, leading to their outlawing. One such superhero, in flagrant violation of this law, discovers a plot to kill off his kind and sets about unravelling the mystery, set against a backdrop of hate, violence, paranoia and a sense of impending doom. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3487&Itemid=89 Described as 'Woody Allen with a Cork brogue' by Time Out, New York, Michael Mee, a former solicitor and law lecturer from Cork has moved to England to bring his intelligent, quick wit and talent for storytelling to the UK scene. He has performed at comedy venues and festivals throughout Ireland and has been invited to support Tommy Tiernan, Rich Hall, Ed Byrne, Simon Munnery and Phil Nicol among others. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3488&Itemid=89 Stet Lab kicks off its 2009 upstairs at The Roundy, Castle Street on Monday, January 12 with the arrival of fiddle player extraordinaire, Murray Campbell. Campbell, a cutting-edge technician and popular musical agitator, is something of a veteran of Stet Lab having featured twice previously. As an improviser he has performed with some of the finest performers in the field including Mary Oliver, Stu Ritchie, Koen Nutters and Randy McKean. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3470&Itemid=89 Having previously operated under the names Drop D and Melting Pot, the folks behind the relatively newly christened Bootleg Promotions have been instrumental in recent years in bringing some of the most vital home-grown talent to our doorsteps. Credit is due for providing this vital service – after all, up and coming Irish groups are not always the most valuable financial commodity for promoters, so their belief in backing these acts is most certainly laudable. Thu, 18 Dec 2008 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3471&Itemid=89 Everyman Palace Theatre - Red Riding Hood The Everyman Palace Theatre's 2008 panto Red Riding Hood opened to huge demand with nine performances sold out before the show even opened in early December. Described as a 'modern take on everyone's favourite story of the little girl in the red cape, her hapless granny and of course, the Big Bad Wolf', the Everyman production stars Jim Mulcahy, Fionula Linehan and Eoin Hally as well as a 200 strong all-singing all-dancing troupe of CADA Kids. Thu, 18 Dec 2008 08:00:00 +0100