Event of the week
Olivia Rodrigo
Tuesday, April 30th, and Wednesday, May 1st, 3Arena, Dublin, 6.30pm, €59.85 (sold out), ticketmaster.ie
Three years after the release of her debut single, Drivers License, Olivia Rodrigo is on top of the Gen Z pop world. The Californian’s debut album, Sour, from 2021, likewise consolidated her position as “the voice of her generation” (according to Variety), while last year’s follow-up, Guts, features tracks that touch on loyalty, emotional upheaval, societal pressures, expectations of femininity, self-awareness and, she has said, “good old-fashioned teen angst”. You could think an artist performing at such a large venue with a mere two albums might short-change an audience, but Rodrigo’s songs, from power ballads and piano pop to punk-influenced bangers, will surely be enough to fully engage her fans across two sold-out shows.
Gigs
Kacey Musgraves
Sunday, April 28th, and Monday, April 29th, 3Olympia, Dublin, 7pm, €51.35, ticketmaster.ie
Five studio albums of original material in less than 12 years is a good strike rate, but it’s considerably better when you gauge the quality of the work. From 2013′s Same Trailer Different Park to the recently released Deeper Well, Kacey Musgraves has increased not only her fan base but also the reach of her creative expression. The songs veer from straight country to finessed Americana and graceful folk, but what makes them truly distinctive is Musgraves’ way with relatable storylines and whip-smart lyrics. Her special guest is the US singer-songwriter Madi Diaz (whose latest album, Weird Faith, is also very much worth your time).
Christy Dignam: A Celebration
Friday, May 3rd, Vicar Street, Dublin, 6.30pm, €35 (sold out), ticketmaster.ie
Last year was a particularly tragic one for the Irish music industry, with the deaths of Sinéad O’Connor, Shane MacGowan and Christy Dignam, the last of whom this evening applauds. When the show was announced earlier this year, the promoters said it would feature “some of the biggest names in Irish music ... performing Dignam’s songs that he sang throughout his career up to his final album”. At the time of going to print, however, the line-up had not been announced.
Kilkenny Roots
Friday-Monday, May 3rd-6th, various venues, times and prices, kilkennyroots.com
Now in its 26th year, Kilkenny Roots festival remains firm in its intentions to devise a programme of modest but often joyous events that celebrate songwriters, singers and songs. Visitors to the festival over the past quarter-century include many praised Americana/roots performers; this year’s line-up includes such notable figures as the Handsome Family, Joachim Cooder, Peter Case, Sid Griffin, Willie Mason, Sam Outlaw, Jeffrey Foucault and Ireland’s John Blek & the Rats.
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Festivals
Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival
From Thursday, May 2nd, until Sunday, May 12th, various venues, times and prices, cqaf.com
As usual, Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival pulls more than 10 rabbits out of one hat. This year’s festival features exclusive appearances (the soul great PP Arnold, Roxy Music’s Phil Manzanera, comedians Daniel Kitson and Jerry Sadowitz, and the musician and writer Luke Haines) and the Irish premiere of the (lost but now digitally restored) Billy Connolly documentary Big Banana Feet.
Stage
Galway Theatre Festival
From Friday, May 3rd, until Saturday, May 11th, various venues, times and prices, galwaytheatrefestival.com
Galway Theatre Festival, established in 2008 to provide a creative lifeline for independent and rising artists based in the west, is renowned for its edgy sense of adventure. Highlights of this year’s festival include Thisispopbaby’s Party Scene; Curious Pigeons (commissioned by Culture Liverpool); The Dead House, the debut play by Martin Beanz Ward; and Gammy, Kate Finnegan’s play about suppressed female anger and mislaid worth.
Film
Sound! Soundtrack Film Festival
Thursday-Sunday, May 2nd-5th, Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny, Co Donegal, various times and prices, regionalculturalcentre.com
The second outing of this innovative festival, curated by RTÉ culture editor Derek O’Connor and the Regional Cultural Centre’s director, Jeremy Fitz Howard, includes a screening of classic silent movie-era films (Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid, with live soundtrack by Saint Sister’s Gemma O’Doherty, and Carl Theodor Dreyer’s The Passion of Joan of Arc, with a new live score by Matthew Nolan) and a 40th-anniversary presentation of the Talking Heads concert movie Stop Making Sense. Interviews/discussions include the film-maker Paul Duane, Lankum’s Ian Lynch and the writer Sinéad Gleeson.
Choral
Cork International Choral Festival
Wednesday-Sunday, May 1st-5th, various venues, times and prices, corkchoral.ie
Cork International Choral Festival, celebrating its 69th birthday as one of Europe’s most prominent choral events, features fringe concerts, gala performances and free public presentations in more than 90 venues across Cork city and county. City events include the very popular Choral Afternoons in the Atrium at Clayton Hotel (Saturday, May 4th, and Sunday, May 5th); concerts outside the city include (as part of Cobh Fringe Festival) choirs singing in St Colman’s Cathedral, the Heritage Centre, Sirius Art Centre and the Commodore Hotel, as well as on the promenade. A particular highlight for choral enthusiasts is the appearance of the internationally acclaimed State Choir Latvija, which will perform at Cork City Hall on Thursday, May 2nd, with a programme that includes works by the contemporary Irish composers Michael Holohan and Rhona Clarke.
Still running
Nice Italian Film Festival
Until Sunday, May 5th, various cinemas, times and prices, nicefestival.org
The festival, organised by the Italian embassy, the Italian Institute of Culture and the Italian Irish Chamber of Commerce, will screen works by some of Italy’s best contemporary directors. These include Andrea Di Stefano, whose film L’Ultima Notte di Amore (The Last Night of Amore) closes the festival at Pálás Cinema, in Galway, on Sunday, May 5th.
Book it this week
Galway Folk Festival, June 5th-9th, galwayfolkfestival.ie
Rosanne Cash & John Leventhal, NCH, Dublin, June 13th, nch.ie
Ruby Wax, nationwide tour, October 17th-22nd, ticketmaster.ie
Mary Poppins, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin, December 11th-January 11th, ticketmaster.ie
