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Gig Reviews - 2026

Gloomtastic!

Don’t see a thread yet so here we go…….

Whelan’s hosting Ones to Watch once again this year over 6 nights. An impressive 20 acts on tonight, I managed to catch the first couple of hours.
An honourable mention to main venue openers Kapayja, North Dublin alt rock band, they had a great vibe about them.

Anyone catch the later bands?

I’ve a ticket for tomorrow night but thinking of giving it a miss as everyone I’ve listened to who’s playing is too MOTR for me*. However, I can’t see anything on anywhere else that might be more my style. (There’s a BDSM event on in The Sound House but my leathers are still at the dry cleaners so won’t get in without them). 👀

*I know there are loads of Mumford & Sons fans on here so you should try and catch Jamie Dalton - he sounds just like them. 😉🫣😝

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Polar101

Longest Johns @ Academy (in Dublin)

A band I hadn't heard before, only knew they sing sea shanties. Before the gig I wouldn't have been able to name any of their songs. Sea shanties weren't entirely the case, as they played a bunch of lively folk tunes (with the sea as the theme in general) -with guitar, banjo, mandolin/keyboards, double bass and drums. Encore was more like what I was expecting beforehand, as they put down their instruments and sang a cappella.

Good crowd, good fun. There was plenty of sing-along. I'd have to say the sound wasn't the best, it got a bit muddy at times. Academy posted on X that LJ's would come on at 8:45 - got there at 8:35 and they were well into the second or third song by then.

Goldengirl

These Charming Men in the Olympia.

Well that was great 👍

Couldn't get over the crowd so young ( apart from us !) singing every word .

in2dark

The Twilight Sad @ the button tonight.

Well... What a F....ng great gig!

The guy is UNREAL! Live is 100 times better than on the records

Cant wait to see them again supporting the cure in marlay

Granite Head

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124456842#Comment_124456842

Yeah, I was in the circle and there were teenagers +. Directly in front of me were 3 generations of a family.

Stillill42

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124456842#Comment_124456842

I was down the front. I turned round at one stage near the end there, what a beautiful sight. The big happy heads on everyone. Great night, great songs, long live TCM.

Goldengirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124457328#Comment_124457328

They impressed me for sure as a tribute band . Would go again definitely.

I thought you were beside me at one stage because someone mentioned Still ill but maybe it was the song ! ☺️

Stillill42

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124457773#Comment_124457773

Ha! I have a different name in the real world! If my missus starts addressing me as Still ill, I'll know I have a problem!

Goldengirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124457852#Comment_124457852

Not GG in real life either 🤣

Basq

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124456883#Comment_124456883

Went to see them in Manchester last week. They're better than ever.. James has become a helluva frontman. Incredible!

gilly1910

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124455294#Comment_124455294

A mate of mine was there and left at the break. Said it was awful, flat as a pancake, loves Roy Keane, but no vibe between himself and Roddy Doyle, and he reckons Keano thrives when with Neville, Carrragher etc such as on the Overlap.

T.V Eye

tricky: done by 10pm to a diminished crowd. He could not or would sing. soundman was getting pelters from people around me but the mic was on, it just wasn't getting used.

I enjoyed some of it. Marta did a good job on classics like karmacoma to my ear, lighting was cool too. Band were perfectly fine.

They call him Tricky for particular reasons I guess and I don't see him selling out Vicar Street again.

Still. Not the worst gig for me personally and kinda what I expected.

Stillill42

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124463981#Comment_124463981

Ah. Looking forward to seeing him at Green Man. Shame.

grudgehugger

I’ve seen Tricky once before about 20 years ago and wasn’t overly surprised at how tonight turned out. He’s a bit of an awkward soul and looked v jittery from the get go (I was at the front barrier). Nottingham gig due to happen 2 days ago was cancelled - I hope he’s doing ok.

The band and singers were very good. Black Steel and Overcome were class to hear live. The other songs were largely good as well.

The chatter was fairly audible and I wasn’t that close to it - Christy Moore wouldn’t have tolerated it either I reckon

saintsaltynuts

I've just been to see Gemma Hayes in the NCH. A fantastic gig a proper Irish artist who should be bigger but that's the breaks.She has the voice the songs a great guitar player and has the band to go with it.Fifth time to see her and she just gets better.

moaner

The crowd were horrific tonight for Tricky - non-stop talk from pissed up idiots. A couple beside us left after 30 minutes having spent the entire time shouting at each other and that seemed to be the general vibe. Between songs, the loud chatter was unavoidable. Typical Dublin these days, I would say. I feel sorry for any artist entering that environment. Wrong artist for the wrong crowd but this was just too many event junkies, from what I could see. It’s kind of impossible to give a view on the gig in that context - a smaller crowd might be a better starting point. I left at the end after 55 minutes thinking that the best way to enjoy Tricky’s music is on vinyl, at home. He’s not really a live performer but it would’ve been nice to have seen him and the band have a chance. Shame on us, more so than the three star reviews might say in the morning.

beecee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124464149#Comment_124464149

Harsh to just blame the crowd. It was a **** show. The first couple of songs were great. Just seemed like his mic was too low in the mix. People were just confused at first and then annoyed that he wasn't singing. His band were great, and the talking was a shame, but it was inevitable. For Black Steel he stood with his back to the audience smoking a spliff. He didn't even hold a mic for Overcome either.

Shame. He's obviously not ready to perform.

Fanirish

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124464296#Comment_124464296

in fairness last time I saw him in the academy years ago it was the same type of show.

moaner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124464296#Comment_124464296

I didn’t just blame the crowd - I just called out what I experienced in the context of the previous post. The crowd would’ve ruined any gig for me. The ones around me weren’t reacting to Tricky’s performance - they were going to have their conversations throughout the gig regardless of who / what was going on on stage. Same experience for me at too many gigs these days. If I was any artist on stage, I’d be tempted to walk off and take the money if the crowd can’t shut up to that extent.

I agree with all of the comments on Tricky’s performance - it was a carbon copy of his performances on the last tour. I would never waste my money seeing him again. I was surprised to hear some folk on the way out saying they enjoyed it - to me it was the biggest disaster of a gig since the Cat Steven’s debacle years ago. I have no idea what he is thinking presenting that to the world, repeatedly. I mean, he’s not actually present at his own gig. I’m pretty sure he smoked at least 2 spliffs during the 55 minutes with his back to the crowd? I get that not everyone’s doing what Massive Attack do live these days but he could at least show up and perform. As I said, I’ll enjoy his music at home but based on the last few years, he’s not capable of putting on a live show these days.

beecee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124464387#Comment_124464387

Ah yeah, that's all very fair! Crowd around me was up for it, and fine for about 20 mins, but then it started to bubble with exasperation/making jokes.

The Raging Bile Duct

People talking loud at gigs is getting worse imo. I went to Daniel Avery a couple of weeks ago and even with ear splitting levels of techno, I could still hear the two arseholes talking behind me. Same with the two pricks behind me where I was sitting at Super Furry Animals..

The Nal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124464453#Comment_124464453

Cocaines a hell of a drug.

Evil Sausage

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124464453#Comment_124464453

Noticed the same while standing for Super Furry Animals last week and was seated for Tricky upstairs - first couple of songs people behaved, but you could hear the hum of chatter around the room after that. No idea if that bothers him or not, or if it was his issues with the sound (he ran over side of stage early on and may have been arguing about the sound).

First time seeing Tricky and having wanted to see him for years but always seemed to miss him - and I knew what to expect going in having read reviews from his London show. I really liked the changes made to the Maxinquaye tracks and the band were superb - slight changes to the arrangement on Overcome and Black Steel were great, but it was all the band with 2% Tricky.

Stillill42

The talking thing is a curse, no doubt. I find the reactions to to a gentle prompt to stfu are after getting a lot more aggressive. Still possible to hit a brilliant crowd for a small gig on occasion and that is something I'm appreciating more and more.

T.V Eye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124464009#Comment_124464009

The band and Marta are still worth seeing if you've no clashes, and he might drop a few more words. Who knows.

A.Gorilla

Tame Impala were sensational tonight in the 3 Arena. Let it happen is one of the best tunes I've ever seen live unreal light show throughout the gig. Amazing

davywalsh7

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124456842#Comment_124456842

was at them in Waterford the week b4

Top class

davywalsh7

tame impala tonight

Wow. Top class

piggysiren

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124466493#Comment_124466493

Incredible stuff.

deeks

Tame Impala - just wow.

Incredible light show, sound was brilliant, great set list and KP seems like an all round decent skin.

Was next to the sound desk so practically on the barrier for the B stage as well.

All in all a night that will live long in the memory.

Gloomtastic!

Great night in the Button Factory.

Support band BBFT are progressing nicely with their genre-bending rock/electronica sound. They get more confident every time I hear them and were the perfect warm up for Chalk. The headliners took a bit of time to warm up and not sure why they all took a mid-set break but they were on fire when they came back out.