Gig of the Week: Metropolis – music for the terminally hip

RDS, Dublin Saturday October 27th/Sunday October 28th €115/€109.50/€74.50/€69.50/€49.50 ticketmaster.ie

NB: There is a strict over-21s age policy

It's a busy weekend for festivals around the country, that's for sure, what with the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival and Sligo Live, respectively, keeping jazz aficionados down south and more conventional music fans out west occupied. On the east coast, however, a different demographic is being catered for with Metropolis Festival, a high-end music event for fans of Forbidden Fruit, Longitude and All Together Now (and not for anyone who says they've never heard of any of the acts).

Now in its fourth year, Metropolis plugs a gap in the cultural calendar not only by delivering music acts that fit most people’s notions of inordinately hip (that is, evening and late-night radio-friendly listening) but also presenting said acts within the context of a one-stop-shop winter music festival. Previous iterations of the event mixed conference/discussion/interview elements with the music on offer, but this year the promoters have opted to stick with music only. Whatever the reasoning behind that decision (and we think it’s a failing that even a few artist interviews couldn’t have been arranged) there’s no doubt the music itself speaks loudly enough.

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People who went to the inaugural All Together Now festival in August might be familiar with more than several names on the line-up, but what the hell – tonight’s impressive programme is curated by Villagers/Conor O’Brien (headliners), who present such fine support acts as Booka Brass, Gwenno, Friendly Fires (all Main Stage), Junior Brother and David Keenan (Industries Hall).

The Main Stage is quite likely the best consecutive seven hours of any festival you'll experience this year

MC for the evening is comedian David O’Doherty, who will bring along his own singular brand of musical and comedic whimsy. In between the jokes, however, keep an ear out for Irish songwriter Keenan and Welsh performer Gwenno – each has been working hard this year to graduate beyond niche appeal.

Saturday’s very fine line-up notwithstanding, Sunday is unquestionably the main attraction, with three areas of the RDS hopping from the get-go. From 6.30pm-10.45pm, the Industries Hall is DJ-mageddon, with the likes of Today FM’s Kate Brennan Harding (who really impressed with her work at Electric Picnic), Ghostboy, Nialler9 (who has over the past few years very successfully stepped far beyond his original remit as music blogger), and Bingo Loco cutting a rug. The Warehouse Stage features Trinity Orchestra performing Abba, followed by top-notch DJs/electro artists such as Grandbrothers, Honey Dijon, The Black Madonna, and headliner Maceo Plex. The Main Stage, meanwhile, is quite likely the best consecutive seven hours of any festival you’ll experience this year: Kojaque, Young Fathers, Blood Orange, MacDeMarco, and headliner Róisín Murphy.

The music doesn't end each night at the RDS. Oh, no. For young whelps (and those who think they are) that like to shake a leg into the small hours, Metropolis has a few post-gig events (admittedly, quite a distance from the RDS) you might like to check out. Saturday's after parties feature Daithi at the Button Factory (free tickets available at the festival) and Pear & UFO at Wigwam Takeover (free entry with Metropolis ticket). Sunday's after parties feature Red Bull Music with Honey Dijon and Call Super at the Button Factory (tickets available only at Metropolis) and Softboy Records at Wigwam Takeover (free tickets available only at the festival).