Event of the week
Longitude
Saturday, June 29th, and Sunday, June 30th, Marlay Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin, 1pm, €199.50/€99.90, ticketmaster.ie
Fans of hip-hop, dance music, sun cream and good humour will be living it up at Longitude this weekend. The line-up is impressive, with big headliners (Doja Cat, 21 Savage, Becky Hill, Central Cee and Sonny Fodora) and Irish acts galore (including Jazzy, Belters Only, Blk, Obskür, CamrinWatsin, Shona Brophy and Daire). Amid the buzz and noise, keep an ear out for the South African-born British singer Kenya Grace, whose debut album, The After Taste, ruffled numerous feathers on the dance floor with its mix of euphoric rave and pop hooks.
Gigs
Stevie Nicks
Wednesday, July 3rd, 3Arena, Dublin, 6pm (sold out), ticketmaster.ie
Unless you’re an avid fan of Stevie Nicks’s solo career – eight albums released between 1981 and 2014 – you’ll unlikely be at this sold-out show for anything other than to hear Fleetwood Mac songs, of which many will be dotted through the set. Nicks was, of course, a crucial component of that band from 1975 to 2022, and she recently told Mojo magazine that she’ll keep their music alive for as long as she can.
SZA
Wednesday, July 3rd, Malahide Castle, Co Dublin, 3pm, €84.90, ticketmaster.ie
Labelling her music diminishes it and removes the option for it to be limitless, according to SZA. The US singer and songwriter should know: she was raised by parents who loved R&B, gospel, funk and jazz, and from such early influences she gradually forged her singular style. Crossover success arrived in the lead-up to the release of her second album, SOS, from 2022, whose six singles hit the charts like rockets. Expect this show to be similarly peppered with firecrackers, as well as some new tracks from her forthcoming album, Lana.
Hozier
Friday, July 5th, Marlay Park, Dublin, 4pm, €49.50, ticketmaster.ie
This is a homecoming that deserves celebrating. Hozier arrives in Ireland during his Unreal Unearth tour with a band so well oiled it’s a wonder the musicians can grip their instruments. The past six months have seen the Co Wicklow singer and songwriter cruise to new heights of commercial success across the US and South America, where he’ll return after this gig, part of a series of dates around Europe. He’ll then tour Australia and New Zealand until the end of November before coming back to Ireland for, possibly, some more 3Arena gigs. Special guests at this home show include Brittany Howard, Lord Huron and Ye Vagabonds.
The Folly Festival
Friday, July 5th, and Saturday, July 6th, Cullohill, Co Laois, 4pm, €85.60/€53.50, thefolly.ie
The Folly Festival, billed as Ireland’s first gender-balanced music and comedy weekend – more of this, please – takes place in a compact village venue beneath the ruin of Cullohill Castle. Music acts performing across the weekend include Róisín O, The Scratch, Dea Matrona, Darren Kiely, Oscar Blue, Jessica Doolan, Paddy Keyes and Saibh Skelly. Money raised from the weekend (which also features community events such as a local art exhibition, and a Folly bake-off) will be used for a project from the current Cullohill development plan.
Musical
Pretty Woman
From Tuesday, July 2nd, until Saturday, July 13th, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin, 7.30pm, €45/€35/€30, ticketmaster.ie
The original production of this musical – based on the 1990 film – premiered at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago in 2018. It has since toured continuously, with productions across Europe and North America. Critics haven’t always taken kindly to it – the New York Times noted that the show “hewed suffocatingly close to the film’s story, gags and dialogue”, while the Guardian disapproved of its dated gender dynamics – but audiences have been flocking to it, as testified by last week’s sold-out run at Cork Opera House. The songs and score are by Bryan Adams and Jim Valance.
Stage
The Transatlantic Residency
Wednesday, July 3rd, and Thursday, July 4th, Axis Ballymun, Dublin, 7pm, €10, axisballymun.ie
Since the beginning of this year four Irish writers have been expanding short works that premiered in 2023 into full-length plays that will be presented as staged readings. CN Smith, Felispeaks, Jade Jordan and Kwaku Fortune have liaised closely with the dramaturgs Gavin Kostick and Nicola Murphy Dubey on works that address redemption, racial conflict, identity and self-acceptance. The productions are supported by Fishamble and the Irish Repertory Theatre, and the Transatlantic Commissions Program.
In conversation
Judi Dench: I Remember It Well
Sunday, June 30th, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin, 7.30pm, €36.50, ticketmaster.ie
This could be fun. Anyone who has had the pleasure of watching Judi Dench on television chatshows (especially Graham Norton’s) will know that the renowned actor has a very good line in amusing anecdotes and self-deprecating humour. Asking the questions and steering the conversation is Dench’s friend Gyles Brandreth, the author and broadcaster. Expect snippets of Shakespeare, well-timed prompting, and an amiable evening of name-dropping from the worlds of stage, television and film.
Still running
Tommy Tiernan
Saturday, June 29th, Theatre Royal, Waterford, 8pm, €39, theatreroyal.ie
Tommy Tiernan is coming to the end of his summer Irish tour with yet another show with limited ticket availability. As it’s a work-in-progress gig, the comedian will be gauging reaction to set pieces that are frequently being fine-tuned.
Book it this week
- Paddy Power Comedy Festival, July 25th-28th, Iveagh Gardens, Dublin, ppcomedyfestival.com
- New Ross Piano Festival, September 25th-29th, New Ross, Co Wexford, newrosspianofestival.com
- Ireland Music Week, various venues, Dublin, October 1st-4th, irelandmusicweek.com
- Culture Club, 3Arena, Dublin, December 3rd, ticketmaster.ie
