Album and Concert Reviews
The recent MusicTown festival featured a varied line-up of genres and artists including Izumi Kimura, ALYXIS, Crash Ensemble, Péist, Poor Creature, Paddy Keenan and more. Drew Stephens reviews two of the event's four days.
DJs KETTAMA and Shampain, founders of the G–Town Records label, performed a headline show and took part in an artist talk at Galway International Arts Festival last week. Drew Stephens reviews.
Na Píobairí Uilleann has recently released the first full album of women uilleann pipers, 'Mná na bPíob Uilleann: Vol. 1', featuring Emer Mayock, Rita Farrell, Muireann Ní Shé, Claire Fennell, Marion McCarthy, Maeve O’Donnell and Pamela Schweblin. Verena Commins reviews.
The West Cork Chamber Music Festival in Bantry, Co. Cork, took place from 23 June to 2 July and featured Ensemble Diderot, Trio Gaspard, Armida Quartet, Mairéad Hickey, Anna Devin, Lotte Betts-Dean, Caroline Melzer and more. Brendan Finan reviews the final weekend.
TG4's new series 'Éire Eile', presented by Cóilí Collins (DJ Shampain) explores subcultures and alternative scenes in Ireland, including interviews with Strange Boy, Problem Patterns and the Mary Wallopers. Don O'Mahony reviews.
The Louth Contemporary Music Festival took place last weekend and featured American composer Caroline Shaw, new work by Linda Catlin Smith, Cassandra Miller and Sam Perkin, and a version of Terry Riley's 'In C' performed by Irish traditional musicians. Brendan Finan reviews.
The singer Síle Denvir has recently released a new sean-nós album, 'Anamnesis', produced by John Reynolds. Adrian Scahill reviews.
'Voces amissae', a new work by composer Ian Wilson, was premiered at the Dublin International Chamber Music Festival on 9 June in Dublin Castle. Thomas Neill reviews.
'The Blue Light', a new album by composer Garrett Sholdice, has just been released on the Ergodos label. Adrian Smith reviews.
TG4 recently broadcast 'Bláth na hÓige', a seven-part series focusing on the emerging generation of sean-nós singers, and the music has just been released on the Gael Linn label. Toner Quinn reviews.